What I liked about this book:
the writing, the concept, the twist,
and everything up from chapter thirty.

What I didn‘t like about this book:
the pacing, the protagonist, the plot,
and everything up until chapter twenty-seven.

Okay, I might be a bit exaggerating on the last part. But to be honest, it‘s rather hard to explain all my feelings for this book so let me try to put it this way: Nothing really excited me throughout up until I hit the last 50ish pages of this book. And those last chapters? They were formidable, brilliant, full of twists and reveals, making a great exit and leaving us with crumbs to feed off until we wait for the sequel. But the question that I‘m posing here is: Is it really worth it to push through 250 pages that feel rather bland only to have a big bang at the end? No, but also yes. But then again, no. Let me explain here.

I‘ve got three main issues with this book: the pacing, the protagonist and the plot - as stated above. And while I can overlook a lacking protagonist when the plot is well done or a underdeveloped plot when the characters are intriguing, I can‘t really ignore the issue when both of these elements feel off. The premise itself is intriguing. Our world as we know it, but with shadow magic out in the open. Didn‘t we all wonder what it would be like if our shadow had its own will or the very least some magic? I certainly did after watching Peter Pan, I won‘t deny that. This is why I was excited to see what Holly Black exactly will do with these elements. Shadows have been a very popular element in the fantasy genre, after all, and I always like to see a new twist brought to them. However, the plot felt anything but exciting. We barely get a glimpse of the magical world aside from some alternated shadows and whispers of those gone rogue. The plot itself resolves around the mysteries, the secrets and thievery of old tomes. Which still could have been exciting if all of that wasn‘t tied to our protagonist Charlie Hall who was my second issue. As the main character, we spent most of our time in Charlie‘s head, and therefore there‘s lots of time the story takes for us to get to know her. However, we never truly get more than what is already established early on, and that is: “There‘d always been something wrong with Charlie Hall. Crooked, from the day she was born. Never met a bad decision she wasn‘t willing to double down on. Had fingers made for picking pockets, a tongue for lying, and a shriveled cherry pit for a heart.“ Reading those lines, you know the character. Anything else is just a repetition of what has already been told. Yes, told and definitely not shown. Because as much as Charlie Hall has a reputation and is one to make bad decisions, we don‘t really see that side much until maybe the last 50ish pages. Charlie Hall is not more than the words being used to describe. No, let‘s scratch that. She isn‘t even truly what the words describe her to be. She might be introduced to us as a morally grey character, but there‘s nothing really morally grey about her aside from a past as a con artist and a thief, and her constant pull to go back to it. And that was rather tedious. Now add to a plot that doesn‘t really give much away, and a character that feels rather dull a pacing that is so slow, and it‘s hard to keep up with the story. Because let me tell you this book is very slow. And whenever we get some climatic events, those are interrupted by chapters of flashbacks that feel a) out of place b) unnecessary as the information could have been included differently and c) uninteresting for the plot or character aside from maybe two exceptions.

Now why did I end up not disliking the book at all? And I truly don‘t. Mainly because the last fifty pages were a true hit, that were tying all the elements nicely together, revealing twists I didn‘t see coming (but to be fair, I lost all interest to even try to spot any twists), and is leaving us eager for the sequel. Having managed to finish the book lots of things that have been an issue for me while reading became less infuriating once I knew why there were needed. The ending offers new paths and an intriguing insight to the magical world, and is closely tied to the only character that was somewhat of interest: Vince, Charlie‘s boyfriend. When I tell you the last fifty pages were brilliant, I mean it.

However, considering that my edition of Book of Night is 300 pages long, and 250 of those feel more like a chore, the question whether one really wants to push through those to figure out why the twist is so formidable, is one I need to leave up to you. Would I have picked up the book knowing that? Maybe, depending on my curiosity and the time I had on my hands. What I know for sure is that this would have easily become a DNF if it weren‘t for the fact that I was reading it for a readalong that I co-host. So maybe that bit of knowledge is helpful in terms of motivating you to push through it.

Now, not everything was bad up until the point of excitement which for me started shortly before chapter thirty. The concept in itself is interesting and fun, letting me pose questions about what magic shadows truly hold. The writing is simply beautiful, and was what kept me going even if I really wasn‘t intrigued by the content of it. And there were some moments and scenes which were fascinating and thrilling. Unfortunately, that just wasn‘t enough to make me get invested in the story at all. The ending being the big exception here. Again, that one was just what I wished this book would have been from the start.

Generally, I didn‘t dislike the book. But I also didn‘t like it as a whole. The ending pays off, yes. But the question is who is strong enough to push through until that point. Yet, I am excited for what the sequel has in store for us as of now. I can‘t tell whether I will keep up that excitement until the release day or whether I will completely lose my interest when it comes out, but that‘s a worry for the future me. Overall, this story is pretty much okay which is the reason why I‘m settling on three stars as a rating.

Oh, and before I end this review, there‘s no such saying as „no man can jump over his own shadow“ in German. The saying that does exist is to „jump over you own shadow“ as in to overcome your limits, to dare something you usually wouldn‘t do. Pretty much the opposite of what is being explained in the book. Which is a bit of misinformation I just couldn‘t overlook, and I was massively annoyed by it.