I had no idea what to expect from this book, but the description sounded intriguing and I liked the cover so I thought "why not?". The first 20% or so was a little slow but it soon picked up and I found myself really enjoying the story. This turned out to be more of a mystery rather than a gothic thriller but I still had fun with it. I do wish that the magic was a little better explained (especially Hal's), but that didn't detract. What I was really happy to see was how all of the characters praised Wren for her kindness and compassion, even to the point of saying that her compassion is what saved the day. That will make all of the Hufflepuff's proud to see one of their own being the hero.

While this felt like a fairly typical YA fantasy, I did find myself wanting to constantly pick it back up and keep reading so I take that as a good sign. This was a good debut. If the premise sounds interesting to you then I would recommend you pick it up.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

First, thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Overall this was good and I liked it. It’s got a bit of everything: political intrigue, murder mystery, a creepy gothic house, enemies to lovers, a race to prevent war and provide justice, and magic. I’d say the first 20% is a little slow and I had to push through it. I also wish the magic was a little better explained. This was definitely an in-the-moment book, and I’m not sure it will really stick with me, but that doesn’t take away from any of the enjoyment I got while reading it.

3.5 stars

Down Comes the Night by Allison Saft centers around Wren Southerland, a healer in the Queen's Guard whose reckless use of magic and disregard for rules has left her in disgrace. She is invited by the mysterious Lord Lowry to his home at Colwick Hall to determine why his servants keep falling ill and dying. She takes him up on the offer, hoping to get back into the Queen’s good graces (and the Queen just happens to be her aunt).

From the very beginning of the book, I was hooked by Saft's adept world building. When bringing readers into a fantasy world, it is incredibly important to establish the "rules." I immediately understood much about Wren's world, the Queendom of Danu. Saft immediately establishes who Wren and the Queen’s Guard view as their enemies, including Hal Cavendish, the Reaper of Vesria. The first pages of the book also ground the reader in Wren’s brand of healing magic.

Saft's vivid imagery paints pictures of everything through the novel, really making it come to life. This begins even on the first page: "Shadows hung heavy as fog in the copse, and what little sunlight leaked through the alders turned sallow, gleaming cold on the shard of bone. It jutted from his wrist like a splinter waiting to be pulled loose." These vivid descriptions engaged me immediately and really brought me into Wren's world.</p>

The characters' moral ambiguity in Down Comes the Night is incredibly compelling. Upon first meeting, Hal Cavendish might be Wren's sworn enemy who has murdered many with his magical eyes. As the story progresses, the reader learns that Hal struggles with that violent past and sees him show compassion. Even Wren, who begins the book by taking pity on an injured enemy, has moments where she feels the lure of ruthlessness. These shades of grey made the characters more interesting.

Wren's relationship with her best friend (and the woman she loves), Una, also intrigued me throughout the novel. They complement each other so well: Wren always leads with her emotions while Una is a stalwart rule follower. It broke my heart when Una tried to prevent Wren from leaving to answer Lord Lowry's summons, and it is so clear that there are so many romantic feelings left unaddressed. I was invested in whether or not Una and Wren would meet again later in the book and how that would turn out.

Going back and rereading pieces of Down Comes the Night,I noticed several pieces of foreshadowing. Saft has expertly crafted this book, and I certainly will need to read it again to catch all of its nuance.

Sadly, this book just didn't do it for me. I had high hopes based on the description (I love YA horror/thrillers), but I found the writing hard to get immersed in, and the level of detail put me off a bit. The plot was somewhat intriguing, once it really got going, but it still didn't grab the way I hoped it would.

First I would like to thank St. Martin's Press for providing a digital copy of this novel via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Wren Southerland is a member of the Queen's Guard for Queen Isabel ( her aunt) in the kingdom of Danu, which has been at odds with Vesria for centuries. She is born with healing magic. In this world, about 10% of the population possess magic. Anyone who is born with the type of magic Wren has is expected to become a healer. Wren's commanding officer is Una Dryde, her best friend. Hal Canvendish ,known as the reaper of Vesria, is its best warrior and an enemy of Danu.
Wren's life takes an unexpected turn when she is removed form the Queen's Guard after disobeying an order. Meanwhile she hopes that by solving the case of why seven Danu soldiers have gone missing, she will be able to rejoin the Queen's Guard and get back what she's lost. I found the plot engrossing and enjoyed what the author did with the concept of magic. Here, magic is described as a recessive trait in certain individuals. You have two kingdoms, Vesria and Danu, with a population than can possess magic while those born into a third kingdom, Cernios, cannot. This made for an interesting dynamic that played out throughout the novel. It helped frame the motivation behind many of the actions of the characters of the novel. The novel also addresses many of the complexities of war, including how notions of bad versus evil can be subjective during times of war. The main mystery of the novel is resolved towards the middle with the second half involving the protagonist trying to make things right. This format kept me wanting to keep reading to find out how our protagonist would fare with so much at stake. I enjoyed this novel throughout and I highly recommend it.

DOWN COMES THE NIGHT is an atmospheric book in a world undergoing an industrial revolution but clinging to its past as war ravages the borders and a slow-burn romance threatens to change the world.

As is often the case with me, stunning world building is what gets me most hooked onto a book. I loved the dichotomy between the magic and the religion at its heart, and the industrial revolution. We don't get to see much of it as it's in the background of Wren heading to the neighbouring country, but it's so subtly pervasive that you can feel that this is a world on the brink of everything changing, and that two of the three countries are trying to hold it back. There is electricity being installed, a river turned to acidic sludge, and thick smog in the air, but all balanced with magic.

The magic itself has a very scientific feel to it, as the main magic we see is a healing magic that's paired with Wren's medical training. The injuries she heals are described from the exact names of the bones and muscle groups, knitting together (the technical terms stop it being overly graphic, but I winced at some of the injuries.)

It is very atmospheric - a gothic mansion isolated in the snowy mountains, mixed with an edge-of-steampunk mystery some Frankenstein for good measure. Trapped by storms, eerie noises creaking around the house, odd rules, and two men you can never be sure how much to trust. It's a book to read wrapped in blankets and with the lights on!

Slow-burn romance is my favourite sort. I suppose, given the time-scale of the book, it's not really "slow", but given the pacing and how the characters act on it, it feels like a slow burn. It's a classic enemies-to-lovers, with tropes such as "have to touch to heal" and "there's only one bed" (for those who have specific tropes they love).

Overall, it is a wonderful debut, and I look forwards to see what Allison Saft writes next.

3 stars

Down Comes the Night, the title alone had me screeching for joy as I got approved for this arc. The synopsis had me dying in anticipation because of gothic vibes + magic, I mean what’s not to love. And while I did like this book, I also didn’t love it.

The first 10 chapters were extremely hard to read. I felt myself reading a few pages and setting it down for the day. But the moment our main character, Wren arrived at the mansion, I was immediately hooked. It was very obvious from the moment we meet Hal that this was going to be an enemies to lovers story. And we all know I am a sucker for those.

Now my two main frustrations with this book were that it was heavily marketed as gothic and the rushed plot. If this book was marketed more as a mystery and was a bit longer, then I think I would have appreciated it more. But those two things really hurt this book for me.

I did really like Wren as a main character, I felt like she had a lot to offer even if she made some questionable decisions. Her romance with Hal was the highlight of this book. I loved how they started and the progression of their relationship. I did have a soft spot for Una and I wish she would have been around more.

Overall, not a bad book. It had its good moments for me, I just wish the plot had more time to naturally grow over time instead of being rushed. Would totally read this author again.

Down Comes the Night is Allison Saft's standalone YA fantasy debut. Wren is a member of the Queen's Guard, and one of the most powerful healers in her nation. When she disobeys a direct order and heals an enemy scout, she is suspended from the guard and send back to the abbey she learned in she looks for any way out. her escape comes in the form of tending to the eccentric lord's servant in another kingdom. When she arrives, she learns the injured party is none other than Hal Cavendish, the notorious political figure from Vesria, enemy of Wren's queendom.

I am a huge fan of this book of read the whole thing in one night. The story quickly drew me in with Wren's character and her friendship with Una, and the action started quickly. There is also a thriller/mystery feel to this book mixed in with the fantastical elements of magic. Hal's character is also so well developed and his arc is so interesting with Wren's. The antagonist is suitably creepy for the setting and I enjoyed how everything went with that plot line.

I would have loved more information about the magic systems. Basically two kingdoms have magic but not all of them, but it doesn't really explain how the magic works outside of Wren's healing ability. I would have liked more information on that front.

I am a huge fan of this one and would love to read even more within this world if it were to be done in the future.

**Thank you to Wednesday Books and Netgalley for an early copy in exchange for an honest review**

This book had a strong start, but just wasn't for me. I felt like I was being told how to feel instead of feeling those feelings. It might have also just been because my name is "Wren" and it was weird to see my name as the MC. The ending was rushed, and I just don't think it was for me.

Down Comes the Night questions whether we can see beyond the illusions. Whether that's our history, censored and manipulated. Or the relationships that seemingly protect us, while secretly smothering us. Or even loyalty which so quickly becomes a conflict of us versus them. Wren has always been told that her compassion is a weakness. That during war, her mercy and kindness make her unfit to rule. Determined to prove them wrong, Wren embarks on a quest that will call everything she's known to question.

Delightfully queer, Down Comes the Night gave me "Crimson Peak" haunted house meets luscious world building vibes. (I also want to say I haven't seen "Crimson Peak" because I'm terrified). But it's a detailed, mysterious, frost covered world. Nothing seems to be what they say they are and we aren't the images we appear to be. The beginning half is character driven, focusing on creating an immersive atmosphere and introducing us to both Wren and Hal. All these games hidden behind gilded rooms and sneers behind masks.

Set in-between three fictionalised countries on the brink of war, we follow military healer Wren Southerland, who is also the niece of the reigning queen of Danu. After being disgraced she is sent a mysterious letter which leads her to Colwick Hall and its reclusive lord. He wants her to heal one of his employees, which turns out the be the very man who is responsible for hundreds of deaths of her people. As the snow falls harder on the estate, Wren finds herself stuck between healing the man who hurt so many or forming an alliance to figure out what is really going on and why soldiers from both sides of the conflict have gone missing.

'Down Comes the Night' is more fantasy than it is gothic. I would even argue that it is more of a political fantasy as well. I think that while there was definitely imagery and atmosphere that leans into the gothic genre I don't think it embraces it fully. More mystery, more macabre details, more of a tragic story regarding the man who has been used to kill hundreds. I also didn't feel the snowy atmosphere as much. The reader knows that it is snowing outside, an almost blizzard but the writing tells us, not shows us.

Despite this, I did enjoy the characters and their interactions and characterisations, Wren's ability as a healer is deeply reflected in her character as even if she has the moment to kill a dangerous person she refuses and heals them instead, even if that almost leads to her dying. Her kindness is emphasised as her greatest strength. She's the best written character followed by Una, a girl she loves but is far more bound to her duty.

Overall, I think this worth while read. The ending is a little too happy for me, especially for a "gothic" book, but it didn't hurt the reading experience.

I confess that, as first, I was not sure how I was feeling about this read but by the time I turned the last page in this book, I was completely won over. Between the fascinating world-building where magic and electricity seem to be exclusive of each other, a setting that is potentially a house of horrors, and a enemies-to-lovers type of romance (AHEM, my fav!!), I enjoyed it!

I do think the summary makes it seem like it is going to be a creepier book than it really is. I would not sort this into YA Horror by any means and I think if that is what you are looking for you might be disappointed. However, if you enjoy YA fantasy with some strong world-building and romance then I think this might just be for you. It was for me.

I read this quickly because I as so engaged. The story interested me. I did find the main character slightly obnoxious and sometimes characters made decisions that felt particularly silly. I enjoyed the story so much that I forgave the characters for these decisions! Just be prepared for reactions while reading that consist of, "What are you doing?!"

If YA fantasies with all the fun above sound like something you would enjoy, I would say pick this one up!

So when I got to the end of this was reading the acknowledgments, I noticed the last person she thanked was Masashi Kishimoto. If you don't know who that is, he's the mangaka for Naruto. I quote, "I've dedicated over a decade of my life to shipping two of you characters who never once spoke to each other, so that says a lot about your work (or me)" end of quote. So the gears I working in my head trying to figure out who it is and clicks "IT'S FREAKING SAKURA AND ITACHI". It'll make more sense if you read the book and you'll pick up on the subtle hints on these to main characters. So this like fanfiction for that ship.
But back to this book. I thought it was good and felt if the author just left out the romance between the two main MC's, this would've been a better book. Wished I had seen more of the world besides just in the manor and got to learn more about Danu and Vesria.

Wren Southerland is kind by nature, causing the Queen of Danu—who happens to be her icy aunt—and
her own best friend both to dismiss her as anything but a reckless liability. When she&#39;s discharged from
the Queen’s Guard, Wren believes she’s lost everything... which makes her even more willing to accept
the invitation she receives from a gossipy lord to use her healing magic on his sick servant in the next
country over, hoping it will make her aunt respect her and gain her reinstatement in the Guard. But
things aren’t as they seem in Colwick Hall, and Wren might just have to work with her sworn enemy to
save them all.

Although a bit slow to start, as is common with many fantasy novels that must establish the world and
magic system, Down Comes the Night was an absolute blast to read. Wren is an immediate sympathetic
protagonist; she’s in love with her best friend, Una, who doesn’t feel the same way, her aunt has all but
disowned her, and all she has is her healing magic. The atmosphere and worldbuilding are vivid: bleak
and snowy and mysterious. Wren and Hal’s relationship is the highlight of this novel, though. They’re
genuine enemies from opposing countries who have false beliefs about one another, but as they slowly
unveil the truth, neither one can hide their feelings. Hal validates Wren’s compassion, and she reassures
Hal that he can redeem himself for his past actions. All in all, Down Comes the Night is an atmospheric,
enemies-to-lovers fantasy with an original concept and gorgeous writing.

(Pine Reads Review would like to thank NetGalley and the publisher for sending us an ARC in exchange
for an honest review. Any quotes are taken from an advanced copy and may be subject to change upon
final publication.)

This was the first time I read a Si-fi and I absolutely loved it. A complete 5 stars for the story line and the writing style.

As pretty much everyone knows at this point, I’m really not a big reader of fantasy. Sometimes I make an exception though, like I did when I requested this book. Sometimes, certain fantasy books prove me wrong and I’m happy with that.
I finished this book nearly three weeks before I sat down to write this review and truth be told, now that this book has ‘sunk in’ a bit more for me, I’ve decided I’m going to lower the rating. I originally went for 4 stars but I’ve come to realize this book was probably more of a 3.5 star read. The reason why I lowered the rating is pretty much the amount of time I spent being bored, to be honest. Your milage regarding this may obviously vary, though.

In terms of the fantasy elements of this book, I found the magic system and the whole world building super interesting. You could tell there was a ton of backstory involved, where Wren and Hal’s countries had been at war with each other. I really enjoyed how the magic worked in this book overall, and I found the way the magic was being combined with medicine super interesting. However, this book was mainly a murder mystery story. Which is fine, that part was interesting too and normally I think I would have preferred to read that over reading a “normal” fantasy story…but with this book, I wish the fantasy story would have been more central to the story. Basically, I found myself caring more about the backstory of the book and the magic and healing than I found myself caring about the mystery at hand.

I’m notoriously bad at reading who dun its because I never figure out who’s done it or why; with this book, I pretty much had it all figured out from very, very early on. That being said, I don’t know if it’s the book though or if I just had a moment of brilliance, haha.

One thing this book did well, though, was that it involved romance without the romance completely taking over the plot – something I sadly have noticed is a trend in young adult fantasy. I thought Wren and Hal’s romance was pretty cute and not at all forced. Also, I really enjoyed Wren as a character. This is the brand of female main character in YA fantasy that I actually enjoy!

Overall, I thought this book was good. If you’re into darker/gothic murder mystery-ish type of fantasy with a badass female characters, this will probably satisfy your hunger.

Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review of, Down Comes the Night, by Allison Saft.

Wow, this book gave me all the feels. I was hooked from the first chapter. The entire book was exceptionally emotional, cleverly creative and wonderfully written.

Wren was a fantastic main character. Her kindness and morals above all else were inspiring and endearing. After everything that she endured since childhood, she never faltered in her journey to help others who were deserving and not so deserving, even if it cost her everything.

Hal was a dashing male MC. He grew into all the desirable traits of a book boyfriend. I enjoyed how his character progressed throughout the book. He had commendable qualities even though he's committed atrocities. It's not easy for an author to create a believable character who commits nefarious acts yet desires and accomplishes becoming beneficient.

However, Allison Saft completed this with not only wonderful character development, but also with eloquent writing and captivating plot advancement.

I wish that this were the beginning of a series. I thoroughly enjoyed getting to know the MC's as well as the secondary characters. I'd love to see the burgeoning relationship between Wren and Hal as well as following Isabel, and her journey from a poised, pretentious personality, into a modest, meaningful matriarch due to her softening internal asperity.

This was such a powerful story. Wren spend her life feeling like she’s not good enough. That her kindness and compassion foe others make her weak. All she seeks is love from her Aunt, the Queen and her best friend that she’s in love with. They both pain her to change to be ruthless and somebody she’s not. The journey Wren takes leads her to the enemy of her people and the choice to save him or not. Everything about this story was amazing and incredibly powerful.

First of all, thank you to Wednesday Books for an ARC of this in exchange for an honest review!

Down Comes the Night follows Wren, a healer who is on the path to redemption. When the Queen (her aunt) dismisses her from the Queen's Guard and a letter from a powerful lord shows up with the potential to provide her kingdom strong allies, Wren takes a chance, but when she show up to heal Colwick Hall's servant, it turns out to be none other than Hal Cavendish, the Reaper of Vesria, her kingdom's sworn enemy.

I think, more than anything. I'm disappointed. I was so excited for some good bi rep in YA Fantasy, but the characters and the romance just really fell flat for me. It felt like it happened so quickly, and there wasn't a lot of oomph. On top of it, it felt more like a castle, and not really a gothic mansion. It wasn't creepy or gothic, and ugh I just wanted to love it!

This just had so much potential, but the book didn't fit the synopsis great for me. 3.5 stars, rounding up to 4.

I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review

My Rating: 3 Stars

As you may know if you’ve read my reviews, I always like to start with the things I loved about a book. This was a really quick read for me! The writing style made it easy to devour, with a solid mix of dialogue and description. Overall, I enjoyed Wren’s narration and found her to be a relatable character. The villain, while easy to guess, was appropriately blood thirsty and intriguing.

So, there are a few things that could have completely saved this book for me. I really wish that the publisher had pushed this book in a different way. it is said to be a gothic story, but I didn’t get that impression at all while I was reading it. While the ending was a bit macabre, nothing else really was. The setting certainly wasn’t gothic, as the house was described as creepy but the tone wasn’t set that way by the writing. I just wish the book was being pitched as a fantasy murder mystery – which is a much more apt description of the plot.

I also wish that the book had either been longer, or written as part of a duology. There is so much interesting world building to explore, and I felt as though more time could’ve been spent on both the politics and magic. It sadly felt a bit watered down to me, and I just wish that these aspects had held more depth. We knew that residents of two countries had magic, but the third didn’t. There was also talk of how each country viewed magic in religious and governmental ways, but that was again glossed over when it could’ve been explored in a great way had the book been longer.

Finally, although the romance is billed as love to hate, it never really felt that way to me. The hatred was immediately one sided, and even that dissipated rather quickly. This is another issue that I think could’ve been solved by a longer book, or just a second book. Standalones are difficult to write because most readers expect full world building with fleshed out characters and a resolution that doesn’t feel rushed. I feel as though that is such a hard thing to deliver in a single 370 page book.