Reviews with content warning for Alcohol - Dief van de nacht

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Dief van de nacht by Holly Black

62 reviews

readwithria's review against another edition

dark mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

Book of Night was disappointing until the last fifty pages, but once it hit its stride I couldn’t put it down.

I really wasn’t vining with the writing style for the first 70-80% of this book, but the climactic scenes were quite a wild ride. With books this short I usually with there had been more, but with Book of Night I actually think it could have been shorter. The beginning really dragged, the main plot didn’t seem to start until about 50% of the way through the book, and the magic system doesn’t really get explored until even later. The concept is cool, but the execution was lacking.

I will likely read the sequel from the library, but this book won’t be getting added to my personal collection. 3 stars.

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carlyoc's review against another edition

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dark funny mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

One of my favorite books to come out this year. Although classified as fantasy due to the shadow magic element, I would say this book has more of a thriller/mystery vibe.
Charlie Hall used to be known as Charlatan, the thief. She's trying to put that life behind her and not screw up the stability she's built with a steady job, a good boyfriend named Vince, and funds to just barely put her little sister Posey through college. But Charlie can never resist a little bit of danger.
Besides, Posey doesn't want to go to school; she wants to figure out how to join the ranks of Gloamists, the people who can consciously manipulate their shadows to become corporeal and act independently from their bodies to various degrees.
Meanwhile, there's a reason Vince never ever talks about his past. Charlie is keeping secrets from him, too, but the truth will out.
Charlie is hired to find a mysterious book from the collection of rich and cruel Lionel Salt, which allegedly contains a ritual for a shadow to rid itself of its human controller and be fully autonomous. She must pull together different threads of clues to out-smart everyone hoping to watch her fail.
The structure of the novel alternates scenes from Charlie's perspective in the present storyline with vignettes from both Charlie's and Vince's pasts.

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cgp1234's review against another edition

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medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

A fun ride, but I wanted more from Holly Black's first foray into adult fantasy. The world building felt incomplete, the characters felt a little flat, and the mystery didn't get really excited until the last 20% of the book. I'm hoping the sequel will be better! Also, I'm gong to need authors to stop using

incest

as a plot device.

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kayladaila's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

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antimony's review against another edition

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dark mysterious

Strong character development? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No

4.0

fun! the magic system was super cool and i loved that it was set in easthampton because i love when books are set in places i know. and even though I don't actually know easthampton that well (this isn't like how the upside of unrequited is set in takoma park) it was still nice. i really enjoyed the past chapters about charlie as well

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bobbie_l's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

3.5 Stars

Shadows are power in Charlie Halls world. A place where a shadow can be altered, and used to hide the darkest parts of a person. But messing with a shadow comes at a cost. Charlie is a thief, who works part time at a bar and does odd con jobs for customers. But when a billionaire asks Charlie to find the Liber Noctem for him, its a job she cannot refuse (mainly because he’s blackmailing her). And so Charlie is thrown into the world of secrets, and shadows.

I think the concept of this book is super interesting. The magic system of shadows, that are fed with blood, and can be made more powerful dependent on a variety of measures is very clever. But its also quite a lot to try and understand. Sometimes it felt a little confusing to follow.

The main plotline of Charlie trying to find the Liber Noctem was very well done. There was a perfect mix of action, suspense and mystery. There were also side plots such a Charlies familial relationships and the relationship between Charlie and her boyfriend Vince.

Overall I enjoyed this book, but based on the slightly confusing magic system, and sometimes it feeling a little slow is the reason its only a 3.5 for me.

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zzaakkiiyyaa's review against another edition

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adventurous dark medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

Too many one dimensional characters. Disappointing writing in parts. Strange pacing. Zero character development. Great concept that could’ve been done really well but sadly wasn’t.

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