Actual rating 3.5 ⭐

I can't say much because I only read for 3 chapters. In this chapter we mainly just follow Charlie and look at her characters, little bit of her past and I was not really able to tell what will happen next with just 3 chapters.

An interesting first look at the book. The world is being set up well and I like how distinct the writing feels. You can tell that something exciting and unique is brewing in this novel and I will definitely be checking out the rest of the book to see where it goes.

Absolutely loved the shadows concept in this book, it was so unique and the mystery surrounding what these underground groups where up to really shocked me when we found out the whole truth. I love Holly Blacks writing, the cruel prince is my favourite series, and this book did not dissapoint. Vince was my absolute favourite and I can't wait to see more of him

A beautifully written book. Really enjoyed reading this. Thanks to publishers and NetGalley for the opportunity to read

I was disappointed to only receive the first few chapters when I was accepted for this, as it wasn't made clear when I requested it. That being said, I didn't mind the first few chapters. I've heard very mixed reviews on this, and I can't say there's much bad about what I've read, other than the main character being a bit unlikable. However, I'm also not particularly excited or intrigued to read more. I'm not sure I'm going to buy this because I don't think I'd spend money on it - I may read it one day if I can borrow it or it goes on sale on Kindle. If I had been given the whole book arc I would have read it and probably been able to give a more thorough review!

I’m already intrigued by the story and its fascinating setting, and I can’t wait to read the rest of Charlie’s story!

When I got approved for this I didn’t realise it was a sampler. But after reading the first 3 chapters I’m really glad I brought the book. I can’t wait to see what happens with Charlie and also that guy with blurry hands. It really had an underlying spooky element and I hope I’m right.

Although I read only a short extract this was enough to have me intrigued. Having loved The Folk of Air trilogy I will be eagerly awaiting the release of Book of Night

I was only able to secure a sampler of this eARC (up to the end of Chapter 3), but it was enough to get me to purchase the book. I haven't quite connected with Charlie (yet) but I can tell the characters will grow on me. I love this alternative world that seems so normal, yet with dashes of magic that are widely known to the inhabitants. I love the creativity and made up concepts, that Holly Black is so well known for!

Then there are phrases like "disreputable ponytail" and "three-quarters child, one-quarter yearning - phrases that bury themselves in the depth of my mind.

Also, they have a cat.

(Four stars because obviously this was a sampler - so I don't know how the rest goes yet.)

Holly Night is best known for a long back catalogue of Young Adult speculative fiction including The Spiderwick Chronicles. Like other YA authors before her, including Leigh Bardugo (Ninth House) and Veronica Roth (Chosen Ones), Black has moved into the more mature end of the fantasy spectrum with her latest – Book of Night.

Charlie ‘Charlatan’ Hall was ‘crooked from the day she was born’ but is trying to go straight. She has a job at a bar and has sworn off her previous thieving ways. But things are not always that simple, particularly in the world Hall lives in. Hall lives in a modern world of shadowmancy. The most powerful are those who can control their shadows (a power known as gloaming) and shadows that have ‘quickened’ themselves can develop their own power. But after witnessing the aftermath of a murder and being given an offer of some easy money Charlie is dragged back in to her old life. And she starts to wonder whether she can find and make some money from a missing book that everyone, including the staggeringly wealthy Lionel Salt, is after.

In Book of Night, Black has created a rich and dark world of shadows and magic for her first foray into fantasy for more mature readers. And through Charlie she has created the perfect guide – living just on the edge of the law, with a particularly chequered history, hard drinking, hard living but whip smart and quick thinking in a crisis. Charlie’s upbringing and her ‘training’ are told in flashback chapters which both serve to make more sense of Charlie herself, the current events and to develop Black’s world further.

In the end, Book of Night is a crime novel in fantasy clothes. It has a series of murders, the hunt for a lost book and a heist of sorts towards the end. And it is an effective one at that – with great twists that emerge from the reader’s developing understanding of the world that the action is taking place in. Some of the best reverses are saved until the final pages, all carefully and satisfiyingly built on hints that have been dropped along the way.

With a back catalogue of over thirty books for younger readers and teens there was no doubt in Holly Black’s ability to spin a great tale. In Book of Night she takes those skills and delivers a darker, more mature fantasy novel which will not only appeal to those who might have grown up with her YA fiction but anyone looking for some engaging modern fantasy. And while this can be read and could easily remain as a stand alone, there is plenty of scope for this world to be further explored and a stinger that will make readers hope that it will be.

That teaser was so good I immediately ordered the book. Love a good urban fantasy and this one is a little different than the usual. Highly recommend

An enjoyable sampler that would encourage me to pick up the book. There is a lot of promise and I have previously enjoyed other books by this author whose writing style I enjoy.

from the first few chapters i can already tell how different it is to the authors previous books and i’ll be definitely buying it to read the rest of it as i’m really intrigued into finding out more about charlie.

I had been looking forward to the release of Book of Night, by Holly Black. I'm a big fan of her work. It is well written, and a great story. I highly recommend

When I requested an eARC on Netgalley, I didn't realize it was just a sample.
I can't say much because of that, but I was really intrigued by these first three chapters and enjoyed the dark and gruesome vibe of this book.
This sneak peek left me wanting more, but I cannot give it more than three stars: I simply don't know enough about the whole book to give it an honest review.

I enjoyed my short introduction and I couldn’t wait to finish the book on release day!
Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for allowing me a sneak peak!

So, I'm probably one of about 20 people in the fantasy fiction loving world who actually haven't read any Holly Black book before. Which is why I went into this with certain expectations due to how well her work is perceived in said world, but other than that with a completely open mind.

Now, when I requested an arc of "Book of Night", I didn't know it only contained the first three chapters - sadly, this info is not on Netgalley's request page for the book. I can't say much because of that, but these three chapters are exciting and definitely intriguing, and there is a dark and gruesome vibe to it that I really enjoyed. Charlie seems to be an interesting character with a dark and checkered past, and I'd love to find out more and see where this story takes her.

I will most probably get the whole book when it releases, but cannot give more than three stars because while I liked the chapters, I simply don't know enough about the whole book to give it more than that. It looks like a winner though.

This was only the first three chapters but I’m already very intrigued. I’m excited to find out more about the magic and Charlie, I think the rest of this book will be amazing!

"Charlie hall. Drawn to a bad idea like a moth to a wool sweater. Every hustle an opportunity to let her worst impulses out to play"

"Charlie Hall, with a furnace inside her that was always burning"

Charlie Hall, my favourite thief, my favourite con artist, my favourite girl.

Book of Night is an amazing book. I loved it and I absolutely loved Charlie. Her character was really well written, is she supposed to be this obviously liked character? No. She makes bad decisions, so so many bad decisions but thats exactly what makes her so likeable.

Vincents story was particularly interesting, this mysterious boyfriend who was with Charlie but she didn't really know anything about? His storyline was so well done and I loved how well it tied into the whole story. I really enjoyed his character and the interesting dynamics of his and Charlie's relationship and how they showed they cared for each other.

The storyline was incredibly intriguing, every page had me hooked. There was an appropriate amount of twists that actually worked in the story and the story progressed at a good pace. It didn't feel like the book was starting to drag at any point, something i find a lot of fantasy books struggle with, they tend to hit a point in the middle of the book where the story slows down and loses it's appeal. I don't think this was the case at all with Book of Night, the story was great all the way through and got more and more appealing as it went on.

I also found myself actually enjoying the chapters that went to the past to explain the backstories of the characters. I usually find chapters like these boring as I'd rather just get on with reading about the present timeline but the past chapters in Book of Night were really good and it was obvious when reading them that they were really important to the overall storyline.

The last couple chapters were great with lots of twists and left the book at a really good point. I can't wait to see what Charlie and (spoiler alert) Vincent/Red get up to in the next book.

Holly Black has done a great job of transitioning from writing YA books to an adult book. The book was obviously 'Adult' without having extreme amounts of gore, swearwords and sex in them to prove itself as an adult book, which I have found a lot of YA authors fall trap to when writing an adult book. YA authors wanting to write an Adult book should take notes from Holly Black.

4.5 stars out of 5

The premise is interesting and I was really intrigued by the first several chapters of the book. However, I wasn't aware at the beginning that this arc would only be a sample.

Based on what i've read so far, it certainly has promise and I have hope that when I purchase the book that I'll actually enjoy it.

Would love to read more before I can fully give it an honest review.