You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Scan barcode
melaniereadsbooks's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
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
4.25
Thank you to Netgalley and Tor Books for an arc of this book.
Charlie Hall has lived her life making cons, but she's trying to ride the straight and narrow. When she sees a shadow tear another man apart, she gets dragged into her old life of gloamists and danger and stealing.
This was so highly anticipated for me because I absolutely love Holly Black! This was a great debut into adult writing and if you've read any reviews of this yet, you'll know everyone is wondering if there will be a sequel. If not--that was a bold ending!
The writing is really good and I seriously love Charlie. She is such a compelling main character and her motivations are so interesting to read about. I also really enjoyed Vince, though I wish he was in it a bit more--I feel like his character could have been developed better.
I think knowing if this is going to have a sequel or not would really affect my rating. Right now, I'm basing this assuming it is a standalone, and it left a little to be desired in the end. Hopefully there will be more Charlie to come!
Charlie Hall has lived her life making cons, but she's trying to ride the straight and narrow. When she sees a shadow tear another man apart, she gets dragged into her old life of gloamists and danger and stealing.
This was so highly anticipated for me because I absolutely love Holly Black! This was a great debut into adult writing and if you've read any reviews of this yet, you'll know everyone is wondering if there will be a sequel. If not--that was a bold ending!
The writing is really good and I seriously love Charlie. She is such a compelling main character and her motivations are so interesting to read about. I also really enjoyed Vince, though I wish he was in it a bit more--I feel like his character could have been developed better.
I think knowing if this is going to have a sequel or not would really affect my rating. Right now, I'm basing this assuming it is a standalone, and it left a little to be desired in the end. Hopefully there will be more Charlie to come!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Blood, Murder, and Alcohol
Moderate: Drug use, Gore, Gun violence, Sexual content, and Abandonment
Minor: Child abuse, Drug abuse, and Self harm
uranaishi's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Bullying, Toxic relationship, Murder, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gun violence, Sexism, Sexual content, Violence, Blood, Car accident, and Classism
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Gore, Incest, Medical content, and Death of parent
notteson's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
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
4.5
Thank you to NetGalley and Tor Books for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Another excellent story by Holly Black! I really loved this book. The worldbuilding was wonderfully done, and the shadow-based magic is a refreshing twist on the fantasy genre, as I feel not many authors are not using this type as the basis of their magic.
For all of Charlie flaws (of which there are MANY), I couldn't help but like her. She made a lot of poor, impulsive decisions, but they were absolutely all in line with her character. The decision at the end being certainly one of them, and it was definitely one I did not see coming. It was unexpected and surprising, yet oddly satisfying because it's so different from the endings that we typically get from fantasy stories like this. It firmly concludes the story, but it leaves a small window of opportunity open for Black to potentially revisit this world, should she decide to write any sequels.
Another excellent story by Holly Black! I really loved this book. The worldbuilding was wonderfully done, and the shadow-based magic is a refreshing twist on the fantasy genre, as I feel not many authors are not using this type as the basis of their magic.
For all of Charlie flaws (of which there are MANY), I couldn't help but like her. She made a lot of poor, impulsive decisions, but they were absolutely all in line with her character. The decision at the end being certainly one of them, and it was definitely one I did not see coming. It was unexpected and surprising, yet oddly satisfying because it's so different from the endings that we typically get from fantasy stories like this. It firmly concludes the story, but it leaves a small window of opportunity open for Black to potentially revisit this world, should she decide to write any sequels.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood and Alcohol
Moderate: Gore, Self harm, and Sexual content
Minor: Addiction and Drug use
More...