I went in this book almost blind, simply because it’s Holly Black, so I was surprised at first to see that this book is a true Urban Fantasy story. Surprised, but definitely happy because UF if my absolute favorite genre.
This universe is complex and fascinating, it was such an original take on shadows and magic, I was really engrossed in the world-building.
It took me a while to read the book, but not in the least because it was boring. I fell in love with Charlie as soon as I read her thoughts and was so completely invested in whatever she was doing that I had to take breaks when I thought things weren’t salvageable. I loved her sister Posey and was rooting so hard for her relationship with Vince.
The rhythm felt pretty slow for the first two-thirds of the book, but the last third had me on the edge of my seat and it was really hard to put the book down and go to work.
The ending had me both glad some things were resolved and screaming because I now need to read the second book more than I need to breathe.

I am not a fervent fan of Holly Black, but I've read The Folk of Air trilogy and I really liked how she writes lore and fantastic elements in her books a bit darker and a bit weirder, but also kind of beautiful.
This was actually the reason I wanted to read her first fantasy book intended for older audience. The premise sounded fun: urban fantasy with magic system based on shadows which means dark coupled with problematic character which means darker than dark- basically perfect for me.
My expectations were not met in either of those, but I still had fun reading it .
Let's start with the world:
-Magic system is not hard to understand: People's shadows can sort of awaken and act as extension of their will, so they can send them to places they can't go physically in or in some cases they can enhance or give the people who wear them abilities. These peoples are called gloamists. Some wear their shadows as an accessory, giving it adornments like horns or tails, sort of like shadow cosmetics. Some want to know the secrets and understand the magic behind the shadows. And some use it for more nefarious purposes, using them as an intimidation tactic and even murder. So, shadows are a new and booming business, that's not entirely understood and there is a constant need to be regulated in some way. This is the job of Cabal, the group of most powerful gloamists and their hunters called Hierophants. This all sounds fun, right? It definitely is, but it's sort of unfinished as well. You are left with a lot of questions about symbiotic relationship between gloamists and their shadow(s), about people whose shadows are stolen, about Blights and their life span. Are they even alive? Stuff like that which, I guess, can be answered in next book. But there are some huge secrets that are revealed about shadows for everyone in the book( including Cabal) by the end of the book and it's sort of weird to think nobody figured out before considering shadows are such a huge part of everyday life. So, it all reads like there was an idea about the magic system, but it's like Black didn't quite figured out the mechanics behind it and how to incorporate it in modern world.
The fairytales about shadows were great which, once again, proves lore bits are still Black's greatest strength.
-Which brings me to Charlie, the girl who we are repeatedly told is a mess. "Never met a bad decision she wasn’t willing to double down on." I love complicated, unlikeable, massive fuck-ups of characters and, frankly, if you're familiar with urban fantasy you'd know they are kind of a staple. They are all in a bad way, before they deal with some things in the course of series. So, I didn't have problems with that. I think my biggest problem was that we met Charlie who seems to have lived quite a life before (being a con artists, being "Charlatan", surviving some hard things and met some bad people) and it's miles more interesting than what's she's dealing with now. I can't reconcile that person from the blurb, who is "born crooked" and whatever else it's said about her dramatically in the book, with Charlie we got. I kind of wanted the whole book to be about her childhood or her cons. She is not even that selfdestructive and dark now as I was meant to believe she was before. Alex Stern from Ninth House? Way more darker than this.
And it's not just her. I was detached from most of the characters, because they sounded like concept ideas you see on pinterest, but in a book just kind of are.
-Plot was actually good and it kept me turning pages. Murder, Charlie being hired and conning some bad guys... It's actually the most noir thing about this book not the Shadows or the Book of Night thing. Even her relationship is with a great, but secretive guy who looks like trouble and keeps some secrets- noir, right? Ending didn't quite land because of the whole blight revelation that made me question some previously stated postulates about the magic system, but it is the most reckless thing Charlie's done in the novel- too bad it's after the culmination scene and it sets up next one.
If that's not obvious by now, I hope there is a sequel where Black straightens up a bit the whole Shadows as a part of modern world thing and she takes the gloves off with Charlie and proves us why is she Charlatan and "has a shriveled cherry pit for a heart". Those are fun and clever lines, but if you don't show it, they work as statements only when you put them on an old paperback horror novel cover and nothing else.

All in all, not a great book, but I love when authors step away from the genre they are popular in and try something else. So, not sorry I've read it at all. :)

Actual rating 3.5 ⭐

I can't say much because I only read for 3 chapters. In this chapter we mainly just follow Charlie and look at her characters, little bit of her past and I was not really able to tell what will happen next with just 3 chapters.

An interesting first look at the book. The world is being set up well and I like how distinct the writing feels. You can tell that something exciting and unique is brewing in this novel and I will definitely be checking out the rest of the book to see where it goes.

Absolutely loved the shadows concept in this book, it was so unique and the mystery surrounding what these underground groups where up to really shocked me when we found out the whole truth. I love Holly Blacks writing, the cruel prince is my favourite series, and this book did not dissapoint. Vince was my absolute favourite and I can't wait to see more of him

A beautifully written book. Really enjoyed reading this. Thanks to publishers and NetGalley for the opportunity to read

I was disappointed to only receive the first few chapters when I was accepted for this, as it wasn't made clear when I requested it. That being said, I didn't mind the first few chapters. I've heard very mixed reviews on this, and I can't say there's much bad about what I've read, other than the main character being a bit unlikable. However, I'm also not particularly excited or intrigued to read more. I'm not sure I'm going to buy this because I don't think I'd spend money on it - I may read it one day if I can borrow it or it goes on sale on Kindle. If I had been given the whole book arc I would have read it and probably been able to give a more thorough review!

I’m already intrigued by the story and its fascinating setting, and I can’t wait to read the rest of Charlie’s story!

When I got approved for this I didn’t realise it was a sampler. But after reading the first 3 chapters I’m really glad I brought the book. I can’t wait to see what happens with Charlie and also that guy with blurry hands. It really had an underlying spooky element and I hope I’m right.

Although I read only a short extract this was enough to have me intrigued. Having loved The Folk of Air trilogy I will be eagerly awaiting the release of Book of Night

I was only able to secure a sampler of this eARC (up to the end of Chapter 3), but it was enough to get me to purchase the book. I haven't quite connected with Charlie (yet) but I can tell the characters will grow on me. I love this alternative world that seems so normal, yet with dashes of magic that are widely known to the inhabitants. I love the creativity and made up concepts, that Holly Black is so well known for!

Then there are phrases like "disreputable ponytail" and "three-quarters child, one-quarter yearning - phrases that bury themselves in the depth of my mind.

Also, they have a cat.

(Four stars because obviously this was a sampler - so I don't know how the rest goes yet.)

Holly Night is best known for a long back catalogue of Young Adult speculative fiction including The Spiderwick Chronicles. Like other YA authors before her, including Leigh Bardugo (Ninth House) and Veronica Roth (Chosen Ones), Black has moved into the more mature end of the fantasy spectrum with her latest – Book of Night.

Charlie ‘Charlatan’ Hall was ‘crooked from the day she was born’ but is trying to go straight. She has a job at a bar and has sworn off her previous thieving ways. But things are not always that simple, particularly in the world Hall lives in. Hall lives in a modern world of shadowmancy. The most powerful are those who can control their shadows (a power known as gloaming) and shadows that have ‘quickened’ themselves can develop their own power. But after witnessing the aftermath of a murder and being given an offer of some easy money Charlie is dragged back in to her old life. And she starts to wonder whether she can find and make some money from a missing book that everyone, including the staggeringly wealthy Lionel Salt, is after.

In Book of Night, Black has created a rich and dark world of shadows and magic for her first foray into fantasy for more mature readers. And through Charlie she has created the perfect guide – living just on the edge of the law, with a particularly chequered history, hard drinking, hard living but whip smart and quick thinking in a crisis. Charlie’s upbringing and her ‘training’ are told in flashback chapters which both serve to make more sense of Charlie herself, the current events and to develop Black’s world further.

In the end, Book of Night is a crime novel in fantasy clothes. It has a series of murders, the hunt for a lost book and a heist of sorts towards the end. And it is an effective one at that – with great twists that emerge from the reader’s developing understanding of the world that the action is taking place in. Some of the best reverses are saved until the final pages, all carefully and satisfiyingly built on hints that have been dropped along the way.

With a back catalogue of over thirty books for younger readers and teens there was no doubt in Holly Black’s ability to spin a great tale. In Book of Night she takes those skills and delivers a darker, more mature fantasy novel which will not only appeal to those who might have grown up with her YA fiction but anyone looking for some engaging modern fantasy. And while this can be read and could easily remain as a stand alone, there is plenty of scope for this world to be further explored and a stinger that will make readers hope that it will be.

That teaser was so good I immediately ordered the book. Love a good urban fantasy and this one is a little different than the usual. Highly recommend

An enjoyable sampler that would encourage me to pick up the book. There is a lot of promise and I have previously enjoyed other books by this author whose writing style I enjoy.

from the first few chapters i can already tell how different it is to the authors previous books and i’ll be definitely buying it to read the rest of it as i’m really intrigued into finding out more about charlie.

I had been looking forward to the release of Book of Night, by Holly Black. I'm a big fan of her work. It is well written, and a great story. I highly recommend

When I requested an eARC on Netgalley, I didn't realize it was just a sample.
I can't say much because of that, but I was really intrigued by these first three chapters and enjoyed the dark and gruesome vibe of this book.
This sneak peek left me wanting more, but I cannot give it more than three stars: I simply don't know enough about the whole book to give it an honest review.

I enjoyed my short introduction and I couldn’t wait to finish the book on release day!
Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for allowing me a sneak peak!

So, I'm probably one of about 20 people in the fantasy fiction loving world who actually haven't read any Holly Black book before. Which is why I went into this with certain expectations due to how well her work is perceived in said world, but other than that with a completely open mind.

Now, when I requested an arc of "Book of Night", I didn't know it only contained the first three chapters - sadly, this info is not on Netgalley's request page for the book. I can't say much because of that, but these three chapters are exciting and definitely intriguing, and there is a dark and gruesome vibe to it that I really enjoyed. Charlie seems to be an interesting character with a dark and checkered past, and I'd love to find out more and see where this story takes her.

I will most probably get the whole book when it releases, but cannot give more than three stars because while I liked the chapters, I simply don't know enough about the whole book to give it more than that. It looks like a winner though.

This was only the first three chapters but I’m already very intrigued. I’m excited to find out more about the magic and Charlie, I think the rest of this book will be amazing!