Published: 2022
Author: Holly Black
Genres: Fantasy, Supernatural, Urban Fantasy, Fiction, Adult, Mystery, Paranormal, Magic, Romance
Audience (Grade Levels): High School; Adult, 11-12
Number of Stars: 2-Stars
Goodreads Link: Book of Night
Triggers: Dark themes, violence, murder, criminal activity
Review By: Lisa McPherson
Publisher’s Summary
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. She’s spent half her life working for gloamists, magicians who manipulate shadows to peer into locked rooms, strangle people in their beds, or worse. Gloamists guard their secrets greedily, creating an underground economy of grimoires. And to rob their fellow magicians, they need Charlie Hall. Now, she’s trying to distance herself from past mistakes, but getting out isn’t easy. Bartending at a dive, she’s still entirely too close to the corrupt underbelly of the Berkshires. Not to mention that her sister Posey is desperate for magic, and that Charlie’s shadowless, and possibly soulless, boyfriend has been hiding things from her. When a terrible figure from her past returns, Charlie descends into a maelstrom of murder and lies. Determined to survive, she’s up against a cast of doppelgangers, mercurial billionaires, gloamists, and the people she loves best in the world―all trying to steal a secret that will give them vast and terrible power.
In Charlie Hall’s world, shadows can be altered, for entertainment and cosmetic preferences—but also to increase power and influence. You can alter someone’s feelings—and memories—but manipulating shadows has a cost, with the potential to take hours or days from your life. Your shadow holds all the parts of you that you want to keep hidden—a second self, standing just to your left, walking behind you into lit rooms. And sometimes, it has a life of its own.
Review
Holly Black is a NY Times Bestselling Author of YA Fantasy Books such as The Cruel Prince trilogy which I loved. This is the first book she has written that is considered Adult literature. I loved her earlier work and thought this would be a great novel. I was disappointed. The Cruel Prince was a page turner with mystery and suspense around every corner. I was emotionally invested in the characters. That can not be said for Charlie. She comes across as flat and it is difficult to truly understand her motivation. The book reads like a first draft of a novel idea more than an actual novel. It was disappointing as I truly love her earlier work. The book picks up at the end, but then leaves the reader with a cliffhanger. Will another book come out? Maybe, but I am not watching the boards to see if it is.
Classroom & Curricular Connections
- English Language Arts (YA vs. Adult Literature Comparative Study): This novel provides a prime opportunity to study target demographic shifts. High school teachers can use it to compare how Holly Black modifies her pacing, thematic complexity, and character development when writing for a mature audience versus her young adult fan base.
- Creative Writing (Developing Protagonist Motivation): Because the reviewer notes that the protagonist feels flat and lacks clear motivation, this book serves as a useful diagnostic text. Students can analyze the narrative to identify where character choices fail to drive the plot and practice writing techniques to make character desires more transparent and active.
- Social Studies (Underground Economies and Class Disparities): The story features low-level con artists and working-class individuals colliding with powerful, mercurial billionaires who trade in restricted magic. This division serves as a fantastical parallel for socioeconomic classes and systemic wealth divides.
Readalikes
- Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo
- The Atlas Six by Olivie Blake
- The Everlasting by Alix E. Harrow
- Katabasis by R.F. Kuang
- The House of Saphir by Marissa Meyer
