Charlie Hall has never found a lock she couldn’t pick, a book she couldn’t steal, or a bad decision she wouldn’t make…
Holly Black makes her stunning adult debut with Book of Night, a modern dark fantasy of shadowy thieves and secret societies. Here is my review:
THE PLOT, CHARACTERS AND STORY PROGRESSION
I have to admit firstly that the first half of this book featured very slow story progression which in turn makes it quite difficult to be fully invested right off the bat. It is a book that develops slowly and when it does that is when it truly sucks you into its dark depths. And dark is an understatement in Book of Night. As an adult fantasy you can expect a lot of adult topics to be touched on throughout the story: blood depictions, self harm, death, murder, child abuse trauma, toxic relationships, gun violence, kidnapping, anxiety, depression, drinking, to name more than a few!
“It takes bravery to be an adventurer,” Odette said, lifting her drink and walking away. “And what better adventure than the discovery of our true selves?”
Charlie, the main character, is a complicated and misguided individual and in that sense I related to her a lot. She is troubled but trying to stay on the right track and cares deeply for those closest to her. When sucked into a murder mystery she shows how the university of life can shape a person, shes been through some sh*t and despite being a heaping mess (much like myself) she picks herself up and keeps going. That resilience is what I loved so much about her.
And Vince, Charlie’s boyfriend plays the devoted, coming from wealthy family, introverted, caring man. Seeing a relationship actually last the test of time and turmoil in a book was really refreshing!
WORLD BUILDING, ATMOSPHERE AND SETTING
The world building in Book of Night was giving Crescent City x Ninth House for me… it was the dark, edgy setting. The twisted, mysterious and morally ambiguous characters. I loved the idea of the shadows and the manipulations of human shadows and how this becomes so complicated and corrupt! It reminded me of a game called Contrast if you’ve ever played it, comment below! Gloamists, once banished to the shadow realm from which they had full control, have reached a popular consciousness. And as it turns out, shadows have power. And the gloamists aren’t the only ones taking advantage in order to capitalize on this new found strength…
THE VERDICT
Imagining this all going on in a modern world was so fun and I can’t wait to read more and see what is in store for these characters in Thief of Night.
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Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐