Praise for Holly Black and the The Charlatan Duology

“Black is a master at world-building.” — The New York Times

"Dark, strange, thick with mystery and twists—a story so believable in its magic, you'll be keeping one eye on your shadow as you turn the pages." — Leigh Bardugo, New York Times bestselling author of Ninth House

"Scintillating prose, whiplash twists, and a voice of character that demands to be heard from again.” — James Rollins, New York Times bestselling author of The Starless Crown

"A dark romp full of danger and shadows with a razor sharp heroine and vivid magic." — Zoraida Córdova, Nationally bestselling author of The Inheritance of Orquídea Divina

"A deliciously clever page-turner." —Paolo Bacigalupi, New York Times bestselling author of The Water Knife

"A dark and glittering cocktail of a book, heady with glamour and seediness, deep magic and desperate grifters. Black's spiky, irresistible heroine will lead you like a will o' the wisp into the dark." — Melissa Albert, New York Times bestselling author of The Hazel Wood

"A delicious, dark, adrenaline rush of a book. I'm already dying to see Charlie Hall's next con." - Alix E. Harrow, New York Times bestselling author of Starling House

"Heart, soul, and a bit of kink—Book of Night is smart, decadent fun." —Kelly Link, Pulitzer Prize finalist

★ 2025-08-16
After the events ofBook of Night (2022), Charlie Hall is forced to hunt down the perpetrator of a terrible massacre.

Charlie Hall is the Hierophant: It’s her job to be tethered to a powerful, independent shadow—a “Blight”— and hunt down other Blights for the Cabals, the heads of their respective shadow-magic specialties. The Cabals use the difficult job of Hierophant as a punishment, but Charlie agreed to take it on so she could be the person tethered to Vince, aka Red, the Blight who posed as a human and ended up dating and falling in love with Charlie. The Cabal leaders used magic to steal the part of Red’s memory that contained his relationship with Charlie, and so Charlie is determined to steal Red’s memories back. And she needs to move fast, because if Red doesn’t remember loving her, he just might be OK with Charlie being killed if it means his own freedom. Meanwhile, Mr. Punch, a terrifying Cabal leader who specializes in using shadow magic to possess other people’s bodies, has a job for Charlie: He wants her to find the culprit behind a terrible massacre that was attributed to a cult. He suspects that the people were actually killed by a Blight, and he doesn’t want the Cabals to face the blowback if the truth becomes public. Mr. Punch could do terrible things to Charlie if she fails, but if she succeeds, he’ll help Charlie and Red be free of the Cabals for good. The sophomore novel in a series is always tough, but this sequel proves that the second book can be even better than the first. Black turns the screws on the magical world she set up in Book 1, creating complicated political motives between Charlie and the Cabal leaders and making the question of what it means for a shadow, like Red, to have their own consciousness more interesting. Veteran con artist Charlie makes some truly brilliant moves, especially toward the end, where the last few chapters have one terrific surprise after the other.

A smart and highly original work of modern fantasy.

2025 Barnes and Noble Best New Books of the Year, Long-listed