It’s surprising to me that Book of Night is only Holly Black’s first adult fantasy novel. Given the delectable darkness of her excellent YA Folk of the Air series, I found myself wondering just how much more adult she could get. Turns out, a whole lot more — and it’s fantastic. While Holly Black fans will not find The Cruel Prince 2.0 in Book of Night, they will find something equally as twisted. Come for the morally grey vibes that are by now Holly Black’s trademark, but make sure you stay for the chaotic mystery that unravels.
Holly Black
In a sinister version of our world in which you can manipulate your shadow at will to gain power and status, talented former con artist Charlie Hall is determined to stay on the straight and narrow. If that means monotonous nights spent bartending while trying to stop her sister from experimenting too much with shadow magic and keeping tabs on her suspiciously wonderful boyfriend Vince, she’ll just have to deal with it. But it doesn’t take long for trouble to find Charlie, in the form of a scheme to track down the Liber Noctem, a mysterious book which could put her back in the path of a dangerous enemy … and which also offers Charlie the possibility of sweet revenge.
Most thrillingly, Book of Night is a crime novel disguised as a dark fantasy, although there’s plenty of magical mayhem to go around. Any object as powerful as the Liber Noctem is bound to have a string of bodies attached, and Charlie finds herself following a trail of murders before long to get to her prize. But you couldn’t wish for a better heroine to lead you through the dark. Smart and fearless, Charlie Hall has the grit of an unscrupulous grifter, but the heart of a girl belonging to a much more wholesome novel (if you can find a way past her hard edges, that is). She’s the perfect lead for a narrative as murky and twisty as this one, and while her choices might raise your pulse from time to time, you’re guaranteed a good time as you follow her through the criminal underworld.
If you like your fantasy novels with a serrated edge, then this one’s for you. Perfect for fans of Leigh Bardugo’s Ninth House.
—Book of Night by Holly Black (Penguin Books Australia) is out now.
Book of Night
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. 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.
Charlie is a low-level con artist, working as a bartender while trying to distance herself from the powerful and dangerous underground world of shadow trading...
About the Contributor
Olivia Fricot
Olivia Fricot (she/her) is Booktopia's Senior Content Producer and editor of the Booktopian blog. She has too many plants and not enough bookshelves, and you can usually find her reading, baking, or talking to said plants. She is pro-Oxford comma.
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