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victoriousbookworm's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Blood, and Death
Moderate: Alcohol and Murder
Minor: Confinement and Child abuse
the_book_files_'s review against another edition
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I really enjoyed the writing in this book but my only problem is that the plot was so slow that it didn’t really feel like there was one at all so I overall found it an ok book as I didn’t dislike but I wasn’t in love either.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Drug use, Murder, and Torture
colleensreadingadventures's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Let me tell you peeps…after reading Holly Black’s beautiful written angsty YA The Folk of the Air Series, I will be a forever fan. I love this woman’s writing, she’s got skills. So when I saw HB was coming out with a new Fantasy AND it was going to be her first adult book…well I almost fainted from the straight shot of giddiness that went to my brain.
Luckily I did not.😁 What I did do is start the countdown to when I could get my hands on a copy. And then I finally did!
Charlie Hall never takes the right path. Her middle name is Trouble, some might say Evil. That is the life destined for a thief that deals with the shady characters within the shadow magic realm. She steals books and magical items in connection with the shadow world to the highest bidder.
She may have a dangerous job but the money made it all worth it…well that and the thrills. But Charlie is trying to change all that after one of her shady dealing’s came back to bite her in the ass via shooting up her car with her inside.
She is a responsible woman now. Charlie does her 40 hour work week pouring drinks behind a bar, keeping her younger sister Posey in college (even though she’s late on tuition, again), hanging out with friends, and even staying in a normal balanced relationship with the same man, Vince for the better part of a year. Charlie may not be living large any more but it looks like she’s making healthy choices in life and men.
That is until Doreen, a strained acquaintance asks Charlie to help locate her missing boyfriend, the same man who now occupies Charlie’s old job under Balthazar’s employ. That and on a walk home after work thanks to her affordable clunker refusing to start, she runs into a a customer’s murder scene, a customer whom she just saw that night. The same man she noticed trying to sell stolen pages of an infamous book that has a coveted subject on shadow magic that others would kill to obtain called the Libre Noctem. Could these two occurrences be tied together? Her curiosity gets the best of her and she starts digging. But her investigation has consequences and Charlie’s new responsibly cultivated lifestyle goes down the toilet as she’s dragged back into her old life.
A life that’s in serious danger as an old powerful nemesis resurfaces and comes full force for Charlie Hall.
This was a bit hard for me to get into, which surprised me because if you can’t already tell I loooove Holly Black. I was having a hard time connecting with Charlie. One of the things that bothered me was she supposed to be a serious bad ass that does things without thinking through the consequences. I didn’t feel that, she actually seemed pretty sensitive most of the time. I wanted more bad assery to be honest..yes I just made up my own word. 😁
My other big problem was with the whole shadow magic world. I loved the idea and I actually really got into but it was super confusing in the beginning. There a lot of different areas and words associated with it and I couldn’t keep them straight.
But I did eventually catch on, for the most part.
Now that I got the negative out of the way Book of Night really turned into an awesome book. And I think a lot of that had to do with Vince, Charlie’s boyfriend. He was an intriguing character. I think I might have ended up liking him more than Charlie..lol.
Once I got the gist of The Shadow Magic World It became really interesting and just shows how creative Holly Black really is. It’s very multi layered ranging from amusing amateur level to powerful, sinister and scary stuff. For example Gloamists (shadow magicians) can send their shadow into an area that a regular person can’t go (under the crack of a door..etc) to steal an item, unless the area is secured by Onyx which is a protection against shadow magic. Or if their shadow is malevolent and strong enough the Gloamist can force their shadow into someone else’s body and make them say and do whatever the magician wants with the owner having no control, even suffocating them if they choose. This is just the tip of the shadow creation, there is a lot more to the intricate world.
If you’ve read any of Holly Black’s books you will know she is a master at a heart stoping plot change. I thought I knew what was going on but she got me again! She had my head reeling and my heart pounding. Everything I thought I understood was not true.
The ending was good and bad, good because there are going to be more Charlie adventures! (When I first started BON it wasn’t confirmed if it was going be a solo book, but I’m extremely happy to say there will be more!) But also bad because one of the crazy plot changes I was talking about happened, and it broke my heart a little.
Even though Book of Night started out a bit bumpy and slow it pulled through like I knew it would. It’s really very difficult not to end up liking a Holly Black novel and Book of Night is no exception. Lovers of Urban Fantasy that enjoy extremely messed up characters (but somewhat (a few anyways) likable), unexpected plot changes, great writing and detailed world building this is the book for you.
Luckily I did not.😁 What I did do is start the countdown to when I could get my hands on a copy. And then I finally did!
Charlie Hall never takes the right path. Her middle name is Trouble, some might say Evil. That is the life destined for a thief that deals with the shady characters within the shadow magic realm. She steals books and magical items in connection with the shadow world to the highest bidder.
She may have a dangerous job but the money made it all worth it…well that and the thrills. But Charlie is trying to change all that after one of her shady dealing’s came back to bite her in the ass via shooting up her car with her inside.
She is a responsible woman now. Charlie does her 40 hour work week pouring drinks behind a bar, keeping her younger sister Posey in college (even though she’s late on tuition, again), hanging out with friends, and even staying in a normal balanced relationship with the same man, Vince for the better part of a year. Charlie may not be living large any more but it looks like she’s making healthy choices in life and men.
That is until Doreen, a strained acquaintance asks Charlie to help locate her missing boyfriend, the same man who now occupies Charlie’s old job under Balthazar’s employ. That and on a walk home after work thanks to her affordable clunker refusing to start, she runs into a a customer’s murder scene, a customer whom she just saw that night. The same man she noticed trying to sell stolen pages of an infamous book that has a coveted subject on shadow magic that others would kill to obtain called the Libre Noctem. Could these two occurrences be tied together? Her curiosity gets the best of her and she starts digging. But her investigation has consequences and Charlie’s new responsibly cultivated lifestyle goes down the toilet as she’s dragged back into her old life.
A life that’s in serious danger as an old powerful nemesis resurfaces and comes full force for Charlie Hall.
This was a bit hard for me to get into, which surprised me because if you can’t already tell I loooove Holly Black. I was having a hard time connecting with Charlie. One of the things that bothered me was she supposed to be a serious bad ass that does things without thinking through the consequences. I didn’t feel that, she actually seemed pretty sensitive most of the time. I wanted more bad assery to be honest..yes I just made up my own word. 😁
My other big problem was with the whole shadow magic world. I loved the idea and I actually really got into but it was super confusing in the beginning. There a lot of different areas and words associated with it and I couldn’t keep them straight.
But I did eventually catch on, for the most part.
Now that I got the negative out of the way Book of Night really turned into an awesome book. And I think a lot of that had to do with Vince, Charlie’s boyfriend. He was an intriguing character. I think I might have ended up liking him more than Charlie..lol.
Once I got the gist of The Shadow Magic World It became really interesting and just shows how creative Holly Black really is. It’s very multi layered ranging from amusing amateur level to powerful, sinister and scary stuff. For example Gloamists (shadow magicians) can send their shadow into an area that a regular person can’t go (under the crack of a door..etc) to steal an item, unless the area is secured by Onyx which is a protection against shadow magic. Or if their shadow is malevolent and strong enough the Gloamist can force their shadow into someone else’s body and make them say and do whatever the magician wants with the owner having no control, even suffocating them if they choose. This is just the tip of the shadow creation, there is a lot more to the intricate world.
If you’ve read any of Holly Black’s books you will know she is a master at a heart stoping plot change. I thought I knew what was going on but she got me again! She had my head reeling and my heart pounding. Everything I thought I understood was not true.
The ending was good and bad, good because there are going to be more Charlie adventures! (When I first started BON it wasn’t confirmed if it was going be a solo book, but I’m extremely happy to say there will be more!) But also bad because one of the crazy plot changes I was talking about happened, and it broke my heart a little.
Even though Book of Night started out a bit bumpy and slow it pulled through like I knew it would. It’s really very difficult not to end up liking a Holly Black novel and Book of Night is no exception. Lovers of Urban Fantasy that enjoy extremely messed up characters (but somewhat (a few anyways) likable), unexpected plot changes, great writing and detailed world building this is the book for you.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Blood, Death, Torture, Gore, and Murder
Moderate: Child abuse, Death of parent, Drug abuse, and Addiction
shannnne_reads_words's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence, Blood, Death, Injury/Injury detail, and Murder
Minor: Gore, Gun violence, and Incest
aliciaw's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.0
The volume of telling, not showing especially in the first half of the book was too much. I wasn't rooting for Charlie and her character development felt pretty flat. Perhaps in part it was that app name dropping happened without any necessity: Facebook, YouTube, Patreon, Slack, Zoom.. all of these could have been written in a way that won't require the reader to be aware of the apps. It dates the book and requires the reader to be aware of these things as they are now regardless of when they pick up the book or any familiarity with them. Urban Fantasy with a robust magic system and morally ambiguous characters can be made without need to change things in any reprints due to the rate of change in technology. The premise was good, but the execution could have been tightened up and more time spent on the magic system. It needed a better ratio of showing over telling. I had to push myself to keep reading it because if this had been my introduction to the author, I would have dnf'd it by around the 20% mark. I don't know if I'll pick up anything else in the series but this was a miss for me.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Toxic relationship, Murder, Gaslighting, and Blood
Minor: Emotional abuse, Suicide, Physical abuse, and Child abuse
jaja_1212's review against another edition
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Gore, Murder, and Alcohol
Moderate: Drug abuse, Death of parent, Child abuse, Violence, and Kidnapping
Minor: Gun violence, Vomit, and Abandonment
vannielou's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore and Sexual content
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Death, Blood, and Violence
qilsu's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Blood, Drug use, Murder, and Violence
cardanrry's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Murder, and Blood
Minor: Incest
lisa_m's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I don't really know what I expected going into this but it's a good book. I liked Charlie Hall and there was a lot of action! I don't know what exactly but something was missing for me though.
I like the mystery aspect of it and also the reveal at the end! The whole revenge aspect of it was quite satisfying to read about as well.
I guess I was only scared that she would fail and because of that I was constantly on edge while reading.
This book wasn't the most fun time but it was definitely entertaining. And I think especially people who like their books a bit more brutal will like this.
I do have to say that I am quite confused by the worldbuilding still. I don't quite understand what exactly it is that shadows do and what they are? Also the magical powers seemed quite random. You can just do what you want? Also what are Cabal and Carapace and all those important people? Why do you need a Hierophant? Why did no one check if the Shadow took over?
Well anyways I have loads of questions and I really hope they will get resolved in book 2. (Oh and I hope it's a Duology because I feel like the story should have been a standalone and I hope it won't just be stretched out..
I think mainly what I didn't like where the flashbacks. Not because they were bad but because I didn't like the things that happened. It was great because that way we got to get to know the characters but still.
I really dislike Charlie's mum and I have to say I don't particularly like her sister either.. I did really like Vincent though but oh well hahah
Also wtf is wrong with Adeline!? I really dislike her and I feel like she is a lot like her father.. I don't understand why Vincent kept her picture? I don't get the whole thing with her and Remy.. honestly just very weird vibes.. I'm pretty sure she is going to be the villian of book 2.
The ending was great though. I saw a few things coming but definitely not all of them! If I could I would start reading the second book immediately! So I'm absolutely going to pick it up when it comes out :)
I like the mystery aspect of it and also the reveal at the end! The whole revenge aspect of it was quite satisfying to read about as well.
This book wasn't the most fun time but it was definitely entertaining. And I think especially people who like their books a bit more brutal will like this.
I do have to say that I am quite confused by the worldbuilding still. I don't quite understand what exactly it is that shadows do and what they are? Also the magical powers seemed quite random. You can just do what you want? Also what are Cabal and Carapace and all those important people? Why do you need a Hierophant? Why did no one check if the Shadow took over?
Well anyways I have loads of questions and I really hope they will get resolved in book 2. (Oh and I hope it's a Duology because I feel like the story should have been a standalone and I hope it won't just be stretched out..
I think mainly what I didn't like where the flashbacks. Not because they were bad but because I didn't like the things that happened. It was great because that way we got to get to know the characters but still.
I really dislike Charlie's mum and I have to say I don't particularly like her sister either.. I did really like Vincent though but oh well hahah
The ending was great though. I saw a few things coming but definitely not all of them! If I could I would start reading the second book immediately! So I'm absolutely going to pick it up when it comes out :)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug abuse, Gun violence, Incest, Addiction, Death, Death of parent, Child death, Classism, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Alcohol, Blood, Body horror, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Gore, Grief, Kidnapping, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Police brutality, Self harm, and Violence