Reviews

Book of Night by Holly Black

hanbovill's review against another edition

3.0

Unique and interesting rules of “shadow magic” set in western mass - took a minute to catch on to the terms of the magic but loved how it mixed with Charlie’s “mundane” set of thieving skill.
Hooked on the story and characters, appreciated the mix of present day and flashback, great reveal, but damn wish I didn’t read the last three pages!!!

sagestenhaug's review against another edition

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? Yes

5.0

awesomeeallyson's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark slow-paced

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

4.0

I went into this book with pretty low hopes. I haven't seen many good reviews, but I also didn't know the plot either. I just knew that I like dark fantasy and that I liked Holly Black's YA novels, so I was willing to give this book a shot regardless of the less then stellar reviews I'd seen. 

And I'm glad I picked this book up, because I actually liked it! Maybe it's because I went into it with little expectations, or maybe it's because I simply like the setting (hello, fellow MASS-hole here). This book was similar to Ninth House with the unlikable main character, dark magic, and questionable actions by almost every character in the book. Which, speaking of, I thought the magic system was really creative! I had some questions but overall I decided to trust the process and enjoy the ride. Which I think worked out to my benefit. 

The plot was interesting and I genuinely didn't see the ending coming. I was surprised and even a little heartbroken at the ending. And while most of the cast could have been fleshed out a little more, Charlie and Vince felt fully formed and I really liked their relationship. I think Charlie grew as the book went on and all the choices she made felt true to her character.

The beginning is easily an info dump, there's a lot going on, but I ended up really enjoying this book and I think it deserves more credit. It was invested in the story the whole time and really liked the book! 

jodiebth's review against another edition

adventurous challenging medium-paced

3.5

i enjoyed this a lot, but it took me a while to really get into it. i feel like there is too much information that's dumped on the reader all at once in the beginning, so i had a hard time remembering it all throughout the book. but once i got the gist i loved it!! the very end tho? heartbreaking

aliteraryescape's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore

Moderate: Blood, Vomit, Murder, and Death

Minor: Gun violence and Sexual content

jmf0688's review against another edition

dark medium-paced

3.0

earthtoamber's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• 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

4.5

yennib's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious medium-paced

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

3.5

eswinbanks's review against another edition

3.0

I love adult fantasy and I was very excited to read Book of Night by Holly Black. This is her first adult novel and while it didn't quite hit the mark for me, I did enjoy it. The concept of the story is unique, a world in which shadows can be altered, stolen or even take actual form if you feed them blood. Shadow magic is used to gain power and influence, but it also comes with a high price. Charlie, the protagonist of this story, is a con artist, trying to escape her past and stay on the right side of the law while also protecting her sister. But when the past catches up with her, she has no choice but to play the game she knows best. I would have wanted the secondary characters to be more fleshed out, they didn't feel memorable, but I did like how Charlie was portrayed (the likeable anti-hero with a traumatic past), she matched the mood of the book perfectly. The dark atmosphere was very appealing, though the pace was very slow in the beginning and dizzying when the flashback chapters were introduced. Halfway through, the pace picked up and i was interested to see how things would turn out

addieisreading's review against another edition

2.0

What makes you feel safe when you go to sleep at night? Being able to check and see that your secrets are still hidden.

The saddest 2 stars I've ever given.

I mean, this book deserved better, you know? The world building is incredibly rich and the main characters have such a good dynamic together but the reasons that kept me intrigued and thirsty for more reading just disappeared in the transition between the beginning and the middle, resulting in a puzzling beginning, a good ending and a sea of boredom and pointless investigation story in between them both—which I hate to say because I really adored this world and these characters but maybe if written all over again. In a better moment. With a different plot. Maybe different author? Same author but with a different focus on the plot? Because the writing was ok, I can't understand why it didn't work for me. Who knows?