Book of Night by Holly Black
Holly Black, author of the highly acclaimed Folk of the Air trilogy, has always been edgy — in a whimsical way — but with her latest release, Book of Night (Tor Books), she embraces a grim, nightmare-fueled setting. And this new darkness suits her.
Book of Night centers around Charlie Hall, an accomplished con artist, passable bartender and keeper of more than one dark and tragic secret. Her latest goal is flying under the radar; she’s doing her best to stay out of her favorite kind of trouble for a change. But all hopes of that fly out the window when she stumbles past a mutilated dead body, catching a glimpse of a man with shadows for hands, and her world opens up to more danger than even her worst years knew. With the help of her equally enigmatic boyfriend, Vince, the man without a shadow, she begins to battle the evil that has followed her for decades. These two pull cons, stage heists and battle against the shadow magic they crave in pursuit of saving each other, even as they’re pulled apart.
Book of Night is an incredible urban fantasy. Its world of shadow magic slowly unfolds, eerily building and leaving you with the feeling that something is very wrong. It’s the kind of book you want to read slowly because you want to enjoy it, because you don’t want to miss a thing. But with some chapters, you’ll find your eyes jumping to the end of the page, rushing into what’s next. This is a book you want to immediately reread because knowing the truth of the story changes everything. Get ready for twists, depth and last-minute reveals that will leave you immediately looking up a release date on Book Two (which, I’m sorry to have to inform you, hasn’t been announced).
A BRILLIANT FORAY INTO A NEW GENRE
One of the greatest hallmarks of Holly Black’s novels is her incredible character development; Charlie, Vince and the cast of supporting characters, who are by turns fascinating and chilling, exceed every expectation. Charlie is a woman deeply damaged, seeking what we all need: love, acceptance, trust, but she’s always finding 
fool’s gold in the wrong places. Vince is a man and not a man and maybe a monster, and yet easily becomes the character you root for the most. And just wait until you meet Posey, Odette, Balthazar and even Lionel Salt — because what novel is complete without your resident homicidal sociopath with ideals of grandeur?
As Black begins her venture into adult fantasy novels with Book of Night, readers get to see a new side of this internationally accomplished young adult author. Although many of her previous novels center around 16-20 year old protagonists in high fantasy worlds, including Fae, goblins and changelings, this seamless transition into urban fantasy and adult themes shows the breadth of her talent. And I, for one, can’t wait to see how she takes us further into the night.
