It’s been over 3 years since the first novel in this duology came out so common sense would imply that I would have reread Book of Night before jumping into this but no, of course not. I vaguely remembered some of the bigger points and twists (although I also slightly blended one idea with a concept from a different book) but Black did a good job of mixing in enough reminders and context throughout the novel to guide the reader without just giving a plot summary in the beginning. So if you have reread recently, I don’t think the recap vibes would be overly strong or repetitive but she also gives enough if like me, it’s been a while.
Charlie is a con artist and thief who also got mixed up with the magical world. In this reality, shadows can become “alive,” and people steal and trade in other’s shadows. A sentient shadow that is not bonded to its original person or someone else is considered a blight, and many of these are dangerous since they feed on blood to remain sentient and increase their power. Towards the end of the last novel, Charlie discovered that her sweet boyfriend Vince was actually the manifested shadow of now deceased Remy Carver, and had been made so strong that he was able to pass as a human for more than a year. To free him after he was retaken by the Cabal of sinister magic users (including Remy’s grandfather), Charlie agrees to work for the Cabal as the Hierophant, responsible for keeping down the blight population.
It’s been a few weeks since all that went down, and Charlie is still adjusting. Vince is gone – the shadow lost some of his memories when he was bonded to Charlie so he doesn’t remember their relationship or that year, and has reverted to his earlier name and personality, Red. He remembers the life he had as Remy’s shadow, and he doesn’t trust Charlie because humans have always failed him. It makes for a very tense and tiring situation for Charlie because she aware of Red’s power and danger in a way she never felt with Vince and Red also doesn’t seem to like her.
When the new leader of the Cabal sends her on a secret side mission to explore a massacre in a church, it only adds more complications to her life – not to mention danger.
With Red and Charlie, Black truly seems to explore an adult relationship between two people that have been damaged before – it’s all handled in a way that felt mature and earned. They both don’t trust people, have baggage from previous relationships where they were hurt or let down, have previously been used as tools, and have developed different types of walls. We see vulnerability from both, as Charlie worries about fitting into Remy’s world, where Red has a place, while Red questions his own humanity. Black really does a great job of balancing this fragile yet thorny bond while also expanding more on the politics and world building, and driving forward the mystery/plot.
I feel like the reception to Book of Night was originally a bit lukewarm because it is so different from her YA but I quite enjoyed both novels and the duology as a whole. I appreciate how both Black and Leigh Bardugo have used their adult novels to explore more complex and mature themes and story lines rather than just deciding that sex alone makes something adult.