To start off, I'm not a big Holly Black fan. I've found most of her books just "meh" and really disappointing, especially after BookTok rose to influence. I went into Book of Night basically with the mindset to have fun and hopefully enjoy her adult debut.

Mannnn... that mindset was perfect because I didn't expect to love it this much!

"It takes bravery to be an adventurer... And what better adventure than the discovery of our true selves?"

Book of Night is essentially a dark urban fantasy surrounding intense trauma, specifically children in the flashbacks. I'll be leaving my trigger warnings below, but if you do not think this book is something you can handle, please skip it. It takes a lot out of the reader in those moments, and I want to stress just how draining it can be.

Now I think part of the reason I enjoyed this book so much was my low expectations. It surprised me in such a unique way with the character dynamics, world building, and plot overall. This book is going to be very divisive for people because it has an extremely slow start, and the immediate flashbacks further slow the plot when the big events start to take place. I wanted to throw my ARC across the room because I was so tired of reading about young Charlie when she's about to interact with a shadow in present day—that may or may not murder her!

Moreover, many are probably going to consider the mystery and thief thinking as "convenient." I can already see the reviewers talking about how everything Charlie finds is too easy. Personally, I loved the additional genre of mystery and thriller to this piece because it helped move the plot along once the book picked up its pacing. Book of Night is an extremely short adult fantasy, so you have to know going in that the plot isn't going to let Charlie sit around doing nothing. Basically, I liked the trickle of information and search for answers that Charlie goes on. It allowed me to better understand both Charlie and her relationships— while also eventually giving me the appreciation for the flashbacks.

"Shadows are like the shades of the dead in Homer, needing blood to quicken them."

Now— what did I really enjoy? The world building! There's a few spots with some info dumping, but with the urban fantasy tone and easy explanation, I didn't find it hard to follow. It didn't detract from the story either, which I think is much harder to do when you blatantly explain it for a few paragraphs. I've never read novels where shadows can potentially be their own individual, and this concept alone drew me in because shadows are something a lot of people don't bat an eye at. The shadows drive this piece with immense conceptualization and intrigue from the blood feeding, trading/ stealing of one's shadow (sew it back on is such an incredible visual Holly uses), and solidifying into an actual being. I wish the novel were longer just so I could have more time with this world. I can't wait a year for the sequel!

"Do you think that stars have shadows?"

Also, if you know me... you know I love morally ambiguous characters. From Charlie to her boyfriend Vince, sister Posey, and the eventual billionaires gone wild, the darkness within any of these characters is fully present and unapologetic. Charlie constantly thinks she is cursed because of all the horrific and chaotic things that have happened in her life. She's done tons of criminal and morally bad things, but what makes her interesting is her distinct remorse for certain decisions. She has her own moral compass, and while it is biased at times, I loved that she stuck to it. She's trying to heal by ignoring and hiding secrets from her loved ones at the start of the novel, and I love that Holly pulled the rug out from under her. One of the distinct scenes that stuck with me was Charlie's argument with Vince near the beginning of the novel. People will have loads of opinions on how she reacts and blames him for everything while ignoring her issues within the relationship, but after all her trauma and indecision to look inward on herself, I think it makes perfect sense. It's a good scene to go back to once the ending comes because a lot of the characters hide their true feelings. It's a fatal flaw for the loved ones when "the devil" comes knocking. Plus— representation-wise— Charlie is plus size/ mid-size depending on someone's definition because she is a size fourteen. Personally, as someone who is a size twelve/ fourteen depending on brands, I loved this because fantasy books (adult fantasy especially) are not very inclusive of all body types, specifically plus size. Though, I wish it had been mentioned sooner than the halfway mark.

"There are lots of different kinds of lies. Fibs to lubricate society. Deceptions, to avoid consequences. Misrepresentations to hide behind, because you're worried another person won't understand, or won't like you, or because what you've done is bad and you're ashamed of it. And then there are the lies you tell because everything about you is a lie."

I had a million theories going through my head about certain flashbacks, and surprisingly enough, I did not specifically guess it. It's not a hard plot twist to figure out, but it's such a genius decision for the book. I refused to believe the obvious just like Vince says about billionaires, and Holly does the exact same thing to us— or me haha. I'll probably come back to this review to update once I can scream about spoilers because there's so much to unpack.

Thank you to Tor for sending me an ARC to review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

TW: Loads of blood depictions (pricking, slicing fingers to feed shadows is a notable one), self harm (usually to feed shadows), death, murder, child abuse/ trauma, child neglect, toxic relationships (parent/ child & romantic), gun violence, kidnapping, panic attacks/ anxiety, depression, drinking, alcoholism (brief scene), captivity, drugging (adult and child), violence, PTSD, Emesis (forcibly but not bulimia), intense grief, cancer (mentioned), manipulation, elitism

Immediate response at ending:
WHAT. HOLLY THIS IS JUST PLAIN RUDE AND HEARTBREAKING.