BoN diverts away from the YA work we know from this author. Gloamists - those who can command the shadow magic are revered and feared. I became quite taken with this world of magical shadows - with their capacity to become sentient beings, that can communicate and perform activities. If you’ve ever pondered what it would be like to have your shadow come alive, then Book of Night explores the notion for you. Remember while you listen, light isn't playing tricks in Book of Night, the people are.Įnter a dark fantasy world of shadow magic

With sharp angles and prose, and a sinister bent, Holly Black is a master of shadow and story stitching. Determined to survive, Charlie throws herself into a maelstrom of secrets and murder, setting her against a cast of doppelgangers, mercurial billionaires, shadow thieves and her own sister-all desperate to control the magic of the shadows. She gets by doing odd jobs for her patrons and the naïve new money in her town at the edge of the Berkshires.īut when a terrible figure from her past returns, Charlie's present life is thrown into chaos and her future seems at best, unclear-and at worst, non-existent. 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.Ĭharlie 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.

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.

In Charlie Hall's world, shadows can be altered, for entertainment and cosmetic preferences-but also to increase power and influence. Number one New York Times best-selling author Holly Black makes her stunning adult debut with Book of Night, a modern dark fantasy of shadowy thieves and secret societies in the vein of Ninth House and The Night Circus.

Book of night holly black review