You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Scan barcode
katvou's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.25
Graphic: Child death, Death, Blood, Murder, and Alcohol
Moderate: Violence, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Gun violence and Sexual content
jocelyn62013's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Blood
Moderate: Alcohol
Minor: Child abuse and Vomit
karapillar's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Body horror, Cursing, Death, Gore, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Kidnapping, Murder, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Moderate: Confinement, Gun violence, Misogyny, Torture, Grief, Stalking, and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Incest, Infidelity, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, and Sexual content
lovelymisanthrope's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
"Book of Night" follows Charlie, a young woman who was a low stakes con artist, just trying to get by as a bartender. She gets sucked back into the dark world of shadow trading when someone from her past reemerges. I really enjoyed that this fantasy novel was rooted in reality, with minor fantastical elements. I think it is so much easier to become quickly engrossed in stories that are written in this way. I also really loved seeing the flashbacks of a younger Charlie. It was a really interesting way to see how she learned her con artist abilities, and to see why she views the world how she does. She is rough around the edges, and a real underdog that you just cannot help but root for.
The ending had me at the edge of my seat, and I really hope we get to see a sequel soon!
Graphic: Alcoholism, Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Violence, Murder, and Alcohol
sauvageloup's review against another edition
- 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
4.5
pros:
- the magic!!! i haven't read a book (that i remember) with shadow magic in it and i loved the whole thing. the alterationists, quickened shadows, the way the magic became known to the general public through the internet, etc. all of it :D
- Charlie. She's such a mess but she never really means badly by it and I loved how there's the reveal at the end how's she's been holding herself back because she's been afraid of what happens when she really tries. Her nickname of the Charlatan, her past with Rand, her really grey morality but still being loyal and good at heart, as well as her proud sexuality and her relationship with Vince - she doesn't realise how much she likes him and they've kept so many secrets, and yet they're both totally dedicated to the other and i loved that :)
- all the other characters!! Vince was amazing
- Salt was such a good villain too, and Charlie's horror story past of meeting him first was so well done and creepy, because she was so young and relatively defenseless then, but still managed to keep her wits. she's such a survivor :)
- i definitely felt the similarity between BoN and Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo. There's no dark academia, but the main characters are both 'not on their first mistake, but maybe their last' (as Black put it), a bit older, survivors and smart but jaded and making bad mistakes. there were strong resonances in the magic too, even though it's entirely different, there's the same wild danger of it and not quite knowing how it actually works or how the magic arises/the shadow is quickened. And there was a similar complex, mystery-based plot where both had too many names and was a bit confusing. but i loved both books all the same, and that type of tired-but-fierce female MC who is holding onto life with her teeth is the best :))
cons:
- there's a lot of names. i definitely got lost. Malik and Mahir i muddled up, i forgot who Paul Ecco and Adam and a bunch of the others, as well as small clues like the magnet Charlie found. i did rush through a bit, but it was still pretty complicated
- i did also find that Charlie's chaos kind of spilled into the plot? so i got lost a bit about how much time this was all taking, and the clues/plots/twists and turns felt very haphazard, according to just when the thought showed up in Charlie's mind. it definitely felt organic, but maybe a bit too much so
But overall, adored it and can't wait for book 2 :D
Graphic: Body horror, Cursing, Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Sexual content, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Kidnapping, Grief, Murder, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Physical abuse
Minor: Addiction, Drug abuse, Incest, Forced institutionalization, and Death of parent
the self harm is only explicitly for finger pricks for blood, but there's a lot of bad, self-sabotaging decisionsroxy_reads_romance's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Graphic: Death, Blood, Murder, and Alcohol
Moderate: Sexual content
Minor: Incest
epsyphus's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Death, Blood, and Alcohol
natashaleighton_'s review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Now, I absolutely loved her early style of writing which I found a lot darker and imbued with a grittier realism that we don’t see as much of in her work post The Cruel Prince. With the announcement of her first adult fantasy, I had high hopes that the grittier tone would make a reappearance in The Book of Night. And for the most part, I’d say it did!
The wickedly dark, urban fantasy tone that I’d come to know and love in Kaye and Roiben’s story is back. But instead of duplicitous fae, we get shadowy magicians, a murder mystery and a retired criminal and a high stakes heist that I was definitely invested in.
I loved Charlie our protagonist and resident underdog and she tries to unravel the mystery she’s unexpectedly connected to, magnificently unravelling one plot twist after another. I do warn that the mystery aspect is pretty intregal to the plot and so, despite being fantasy it does read more like a mystery that happens to have magic/ fantastical elements rather than a straight urban fantasy.
I don’t want to say too much for fear of spoiling the plot but, if like me you’ve read and enjoyed The Modern Faerie Tales or The Curseworkers series—or are partial to urban fantasy with elements of dark realism and a ton of plot twists, then I definitely recommend checking this out. If you’re looking for the next Cruel Prince however, you may find yourself a little disappointed.
Personally I absolutely loved this and feel the only downside was the cliffhanger ending. I’m hoping this is the start of a series and not a standalone because I really need to know what happens next!
Graphic: Death, Gore, and Blood
Moderate: Drug use, Sexual content, Violence, and Alcohol
Minor: Addiction and Incest
tualha's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Holly Black's twisty adult debut follows Charlie Hall, a "reformed" thief and con artist. A slow burn for a mystery, it's got bad romantic decisions, tense family dynamics, and plenty of gory violence. Though it was a bit formulaic in terms of a mystery, folks who enjoy unique systems of magic and female anti-heroes will likely be at home.
Graphic: Gore, Violence, and Murder
Moderate: Child abuse, Gun violence, Panic attacks/disorders, and Alcohol
betweentheshelves's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
------
Graphic: Death, Blood, and Alcohol
Moderate: Drug use, Gore, and Sexual content
Minor: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, and Child abuse