Review: Thief of Night (The Charlatan Duology #2) by Holly Black

*I received an advance reading copy of this book from Raincoast Books in exchange for an honest review.

Thief of Night

(The Charlatan Duology #2)

by Holly Black

September 23, 2025

Goodreads Summary:

The highly-anticipated sequel to the #1 New York Times bestselling author Holly Black's stunning adult debut, Book of Night.

Night is made of shadows and shadows have teeth.

Charlie Hall, glue trap for disaster, crooked from the day she was born, who’d never met a bad decision she wasn’t willing to double down on, may have finally met her match.

After defeating Salt and stealing her lover—the powerful shadow, Vince—back from under the noses of the powerful Cabal leaders, she thought she’d won. Agreeing to become the Hierophant and risking her life hunting down dangerous rogue shadows seemed a small price to pay if she got to do it while being tethered to Vince.

But Vince is no longer the man she loved. The tethering process wiped away his memories of the last year, leaving only Red—the ruthless shadow who spent years as a killer for a cruel, mercurial billionaire. Red doesn’t remember Charlie and doesn’t like her.

So when Charlie is ordered to track down the Blight responsible for a massacre at a local church, she’s worse than just alone, heartbroken, and outmatched. She’s vulnerable. In a world where shadows have wills of their own, the question isn’t just how to survive. It’s how to protect yourself from the one thing you can never escape—your own shadow.

Review

Book of Night released over 3 years ago (wow!) so going into Thief of Night, I knew I needed a refresher. Holly Black does a great job reminding us of all the important pieces. Armed with that knowledge, Thief of Night had my adrenaline pumping!

Being previously acquainted with the world, Thief of Night was easy and exciting to read. The foreboding atmosphere combined with the shadow magic made the story come alive. I loved investigating alongside Charlie. It was nerve-wracking but also thrilling to follow the creepy trails. When all the dots connected, the final image was an unexpected one.

Charlie's rash nature often landed her in hot water, but her self-deprecating humour (my favourite thing about her) always lightened the mood. While Charlie was never trained to fight, her worldly experiences (and perhaps some luck) allowed her to react quickly in dangerous situations. I desperately wanted Charlie to come out the winning side. I also rooted hard for Charlie and Red because as much as he didn’t remember her, they had a soul-deep connection that defied reasoning. They were a pair not to be overlooked.

The ending of Thief of Night felt a little rushed but the story managed to come full circle. I was very satisfied with where the characters ended up. However, I am holding out hope on returning to this dark and gritty world like no other!

*I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own and not affected in any way. Any quotes included in my review were taken from the copy I received.