Holly Black - Book of Night

Back in the 1990s we were told that the internet would allow us to communicate with people around the world, sharing ideas, learning from each other and making friends. New communities of like-minded internet users would construct virtual spaces in an atmosphere sharing and friendship. To be honest it sounded like bollocks back then, and it has turned out like that today. However the internet did allow certain groups of people to find each other - conspiracy theorists for one. In Holly Black's universe though, magical users learnt that they were not unique and they could share ideas and information and suddenly, the world had magic.

That's the fantastic premise to Black's first adult novel. Her YA work has been well received and certainly this story demonstrates her talents. I was immediately drawn into a world were much is the same, except that the magical users are greedy and jealous and people like protagonist Charlie Hall are hired to steal secrets.

In this world, even your shadow can be stolen and then magically grafted onto another. But some people have much more dangerous skills and will do everything to protect them and extend them. Others dream of the powers they could have if only someone like Charlie can steal the right thing.

While I enjoyed the world Black has made, I did at times find it overly complicated and I'm not quite sure I really got to the bottom of what she intended readers to understand about how magic functioned. I was much more enamoured by Charlie's exploits, her somewhat dysfunctional life and the confidence tricks the criminal underworld got up to. That said I was gripped hard by the story, and barely let up until I'd got to the end. I imagine there'll be a sequel and I look forward to seeing how Holly Black builds on this solid foundation.