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A review by chelsaat
Book of Night by Holly Black
adventurous
dark
mysterious
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
As a big fan of Holly Black’s Folk of the Air series, I was super excited for her first foray into adult fantasy. And I really enjoyed the concept - a murder mystery in a world of shadow magic! The MC is a con artist! But unfortunately it fell a bit flat for me.
The main reason for this was the writing itself. It just felt…kinda muted? I don’t really know how to articulate this, other than saying that the world and characters of Folk of the Air felt SO alive and vibrant; I read those books in one sitting. This book is only 300 pages but it took me a few days and I struggled to pay attention. Maybe it’s the somewhat confusing shadow magic system, but everything felt dulled here and nothing really came to life for me.
This is especially true for the characters. Charlie is the kind of prickly, acerbic main character I usually love, but I really struggled to connect with her. I liked the peek into how Charlie became how she was, but in the present day I didn’t get that same spark. Vince was held at arm’s length as well, but that at least made more sense, plot-wise. (Totally called that twist, by the way.)
This is all very subjective though, and I do have to say that the ending was pretty incredible. I CACKLED. Legitimately can’t wait for the sequel now, and I hope now that the world building and characters are already developed, Black can just go ham.
The main reason for this was the writing itself. It just felt…kinda muted? I don’t really know how to articulate this, other than saying that the world and characters of Folk of the Air felt SO alive and vibrant; I read those books in one sitting. This book is only 300 pages but it took me a few days and I struggled to pay attention. Maybe it’s the somewhat confusing shadow magic system, but everything felt dulled here and nothing really came to life for me.
This is especially true for the characters. Charlie is the kind of prickly, acerbic main character I usually love, but I really struggled to connect with her. I liked the peek into how Charlie became how she was, but in the present day I didn’t get that same spark. Vince was held at arm’s length as well, but that at least made more sense, plot-wise. (Totally called that twist, by the way.)
This is all very subjective though, and I do have to say that the ending was pretty incredible. I CACKLED. Legitimately can’t wait for the sequel now, and I hope now that the world building and characters are already developed, Black can just go ham.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder
Moderate: Child abuse