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knowthy_shelf 's review for:
Thief of Night
by Holly Black
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
As a long time Holly Black fan who really enjoyed Book of Night, I have long been looking forward to the follow up. As the finale of The Charlatan duology, Thief of Night picks up where the first installment left off, with Charlie & Red navigating their new dynamic.
I was really excited to dive back in with these characters but, somehow, this story didn’t have the same impact for me as the first book. The pacing dragged a bit for me, so I had trouble feeling as invested in the characters and their journeys. I also felt this volume was missing a lot of the exploration of the magic system & worldbuilding of the first. It felt much more like a standard mystery/thriller with aspects of magic added in - rather than the full-on urban fantasy feel I loved about Book of Night.
That said, I was still interested in how the story would wrap up and I wanted to follow through to the end. While, for me, it didn’t quite live up to the magic of its beginning, fans can expect a satisfying ending to Charlie & Red’s story.
The audio production is great quality, with expressive narrators who accurately capture the characters. I read book one on the page and I feel the narrators really brought the original characters to life as I imagined them. 5 stars for the narration!
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.