Book Review: Book of Night by Holly Black

Book of Night by Holly Black is a urban fantasy. Charlie Hall has never found a lock she couldn’t pick, a book she couldn’t steal, or a bad decision she wouldn’t make. She's spent half her life working for gloamists, magicians who manipulate shadows to peer into locked rooms, strangle people in their beds, or worse. Gloamists guard their secrets greedily, creating an underground economy of grimoires. And to rob their fellow magicians, they need Charlie Hall. Now, she’s trying to distance herself from past mistakes, but getting out isn’t easy. Bartending at a dive, she’s still entirely too close to the corrupt underbelly of the Berkshires. Not to mention that her sister Posey is desperate for magic, and that Charlie's shadowless, and possibly soulless, boyfriend has been hiding things from her. When a terrible figure from her past returns, Charlie descends into a maelstrom of murder and lies. Determined to survive, she’s up against a cast of doppelgangers, mercurial billionaires, gloamists, and the people she loves best in the world—all trying to steal a secret that will give them vast and terrible power.

Book of Night was a little of a mixed bag for me. I have enjoy Holly Black's books in the past, and I enjoy urban fantasy, so I thought this was going to be a hit for me. I thought the story and writing were very well done, and I liked some of the slow reveals. However, I found the much needed timeline hopping a little jaring. I completely understand the why behind it, and think it might have been the only way to get the reveals in there, but I prefer a more linear stoeytelling style. I thought the characters were well built, as were the connections between them. I really liked Charlie as a character, and often wanted a little bit more of her personal interactions with Vince or Psey to give me just a bit more of her personality. I thought the world building was also well done, and the only downsides for me were ones of personal preference rather than mistakes or lacking skill on the author's part. Maybe it has just been too long since I read other books from Black, or perhaps it is the real world intruding that wqas making it hard for me to get lost in the story. Once I finished the book I was still intrigued by the set up, and wanted to know what happened next and more stories from the world Black created. So, while I might have had trouble getting engaged with the story, honestly three books later and it still has not let me go. 

Book of Night is a book that fans of the author will want to pick up, and those that enjoy darker urban fantasy will enjoy. 

Book Review: Red Right Hand (Mythos War) by Levi Black

Red Right Hand is the first book in the Mythos War series by Levi Black. Charlie Tristan Moore isn't a hero. She's a survivor. On a night when her demons from the past are triggered, she arrives home to something even more harrowing-an attack by three monstrous skinhounds, creatures straight out of nightmares. She fights but is outmatched. Just as hope seems lost, in sweeps The Man In Black, a rescuer even more monstrous and unlikely, dressed in a long, dark coat that seems to have a life of its own and with a black-bladed sword held in his terrible, red right hand. Her rescue comes at a cost. She must become his new Acolyte and embrace a dark magick she never knew she had inside her. To ensure she gives it her all, he takes her friend and possible love, Daniel, in thrall as a hostage to her obedience. The Man in Black, a Lovecraftian chaos god, claims to be battling his brethren gods, other horrors who are staging an incipient apocalypse. But is he truly the lesser of all evils or merely killing off the competition? Either way, will Charlie be strong enough to save herself, Daniel, and possibly the entire world?

Red Right Hand is a gory horror/ urban fantasy that is darker than my normal fare. I think it started off slow, and it took more than half the book for me to feel like I was fully part of the story rather than just along for the ride. As I am not a fan or the more gory aspects of this genre, it was particularly hard getting lost in the story. Part of that was because part of the Lovecraftian style to to mark people as unimportant- and I never really came to care about any of the characters because of this. REaders know that something bad happened to Charlie- but it is hinted it so often that it became annoying rather than compelling making it hard to care about her. There are plenty of people that will love this series, and will be eager to explore this series- but it just is not me. The cover and description had me thinking this was more urban fantasy than horror- but it is much more horror and gore than fantasy. 

Red Right Hand is an unnerving and gory urban fantasy. It was a little too much for my personal tastes, but I think that Lovecraft fans and those that like the idea of being a Lovecraft fan will enjoy the book, and likely the series. New adult readers that were fan of Darren Shan's horror series as tweens and teens (or adults) will find this right up their alley. I had trouble getting into the book, because while I know and enjoy some Lovecraftian lore- I am not a huge fan of the gore that generally comes with it.