Romantic, chilling and eerie, this atmospheric tale has a little bit of everything that a reader could want. Wren is a soldier and happens to have the magical ability to heal, which certainly comes in handy in her war-torn country of Danu. However, a mishap lands her in hot water with her Aunt, Queen Isabel, and she believes her career as a soldier is over. While Wren is pretty much banished to a monastery, she receives a letter from a neighbouring country that could possibly change everything. And, to be honest, it does change everything. This book has the spooky vibes of a secluded, snow-covered mansion mixed up with a slow-burning romance that I did not see coming. This is a must-read for 2021! And thank you Netgalley for this ARC!

Thank you Net Galley for an ARC of Down Comes the Night. The forbidden romance was beautiful start to finish. Thank you

A magic healer accept a request to mend the nobility. Wren does this to avoid her superiors and the tense situation. But at the dark and old mansion she finds out the guy she has to heal is the enemy of the empire. I really liked Wren as a character. Just , empathic and kind even in war but she does have to struggling with helping the enemy. It's great to see a bisexual female character falling for a guy, to only depict on kind of love is bi erasure. I really enjoyed the writing but Saft was to verbose. And the pacing was of at times. I expect a gothic queer novel what the marketing promised but I found a warring wintery fantasy novel. Which many people will love .Were comes the night has debut problems but I can't wait to read Saft future work .

A fantastic gothic story with magic and romance.

This story is a detailed world of healers and mages. A young girl must find a way to save her country from the enemy but that could mean working with the enemy to save them both.

A must read for fantasy fans!

I really thought this book would be great and I'm glad to say it was! I really liked the world created and the characters too. The story was really captivating and escalated quickly while still staying interesting even when everything was at its peak.

If I were to critique one thing about this, it would be the characters of Jacob and Una. They seemed to only be developed as Wren knew them with no backstories that didn't involve Wren, and due to lack of information about him, I wasn't sure why Wren was so committed to finding Jacob in the first place.
In addition to this, I think the villain might've been revealed a little too quickly and obviously. However, I do think that this book was otherwise quite good and had a certain element of mystery.

This is great for people who like dark fantasy. Like I said before, it's very mysterious, although the enemies-to-lovers piece takes the stage more than the possible kidnapping/murder investigation. It's a great romance and better than okay mystery and I'd definitely recommend it. Again, my main issue was just with the supporting characters, not the book itself.

I did not love this book. I wanted to, it had all of the right ingredients--countries at war, magic, royalty, etc. But, in the end, there were just too many ingredients competing for prominence in the story. There was a love triangle, countries at war, forbidden love, family drama, magic, disappearing soldiers, religion, a mysterious lord, it was just too much. I think that the piece that seemed the most off to me was the love triangle (I am not a huge love triangle fan). I skimmed to the end to find out what happened, but the book failed to hold my deep attention.

Thanks NetGalley and publishers for the free EARC

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC of Down Comes the Night.

The synopsis really sounded fantastic to me. Unfortunately, it didn’t deliver. This wasn’t particularly Gothic, although the setting had potential. Who doesn’t love a creepy castle in the middle of nowhere? But otherwise, the writing really lost me. It’s very detailed (which is fine) but I found the plot was lost beneath it. The beginning of the book had a totally different tone than when the MC ended up at the castle, and I didn’t love the transition.

I appreciated having a bisexual MC and her struggle to come to terms with her morals, values, and vows as a healer against the morally difficult situations she often found herself in. But the plot was more of a romantic murder mystery for me, and it just didn’t give me the story I craved. The romance wasn’t my favourite, I’m not a big fan of enemies-to-lovers.

I recommend checking out some other reviews however, as many people really enjoyed this and maybe it was just me!

This book was filled with gorgeous prose and a completing romance! Enjoyed seeing the main character's medical knowledge mix with her magic in a unique way!

I received this book for free as a review copy.

I had such high hopes for this book. Really I did. But unfortunately I DNFed it 238 pages in.

My two main issues with this book were that there was way too much telling and very little showing and the characters felt held at arms length. Both of those things conspired in a way that I just couldn’t connect with this book or feel invested in where the story was going.

I think Saft had a decent world to work with, but it felt underdeveloped as a whole. While the political/war aspects of it were given a good amount of detail, the hierarchies and general environment of the world were lacking in detail. The magic system also felt like Saft needed just a bit more time to fully develop it, though I know from peeking ahead that the magic system is discussed further along, so it’s possible this was better developed before the end of the book, I just felt like 200+ pages into a 400 page book, I should understand how the magic system functions.

Wren was the best developed of all the characters, which makes sense, since the book is from her perspective. All of the other characters felt a bit hazy. Even Hal, who we sent a considerable amount of time with felt flat. It felt a bit like the side characters would pop in and out of the story without any real rhyme or reason.

I feel like i’m being overly harsh, which i don’t intend to. It’s not that it was problematic or terrible, it was just average. It had the feeling of a 3 star read for me, and at this point in my life, I know I have books on my selves that I will enjoy reading much more.

Book: Down Comes the Night
Author: Allison Saft
Rating: 1 Out of 5 Stars

I would like to thank the publisher, Wednesday Books, for sending me an ARC.

I think I am one of the few people who did not enjoy this book. There really is no other reason than the fact that it wasn’t for me. In terms of YA, I would call this one average. However, it’s win this book tries to stand out that makes me lower the rating. I can tell that the author did try to make this a little bit different than other YA books. However, it was missing something to make it really stand out. The author did attempt to make this different, but it just didn’t stand out. That is getting to be the struggle with YA that I have. It’s getting to the point where each story is starting to become the same and nothing really stands out anymore. Now, there are exceptions to this and, sadly, this isn’t one of them.

I felt a really deep disconnect from the characters. I could tell that they were really complex and thought out, but I just felt nothing for them. There was just something missing from them. I found myself really wondering if I was supposed to be cheering for them or what. The fact that the author was at least attempting to make her characters stand out. However, it felt like we had seen this done before and it just doesn’t work. It felt like Allison was trying to work all of the aspects of YA that she enjoys into her characters and it doesn’t work. She should have stepped out and thought a little bit more about the elements of YA that she liked and made them her own. I really don’t know what they needed to make me feel for them-I guess.

The world was interesting at first, but I soon found myself like of disconnected from it as well. The first few pages did manage to grab me and hook me, but I just found myself losing interest in it the more I read about it. It almost felt like the author was trying to make her world stand out, but failing at it. It felt like a cookie cutter world, which is normally fine. However, it felt like the author was trying way too hard to make her world fit into what she had in mind and it doesn’t work. She should have let the world form on itself and let it go from there. I think this would have given the book a better touch and take.

However, I do think that this comes all down to the writing. Like I said earlier, the book did hook me in the early stages, but I found myself losing interest. It’s clear that the author can hook an audience, but something needs to be done to keep that interest. I read a lot of fantasy and I’m used to the first book in the series being about the world. However, this just didn’t work. The writing was very detailed, which is fine. However, this detail got in the way of the story and caused the story to be lost. This is a problem and one that needs to be fixed. The writing is supposed to carry the story, not lose it.

This was just a case of the book not being for me. This book comes out on March 2, 2021.

Not really feeling the gothic much, more fantasy, mystery. Was slow going to me and I didn't care for the main characters either. the story could of been shorter, seemed to just drag on and I kept hoping it got better but it never really happens for me.
I received this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion from NetGalley.

Thank you, NetGalley, for allowing me to read this book!! I still can't believe this happened! :D

In my honest opinion, I think this is a quite enjoyable read, a fun mix between a murder mystery novel and a gothic forbidden romance.

The aesthetics in this book are immaculate, strong Crimson Peak vibes. It does not read like a horror novel but the slight spookiness of the place creates a nice atmosphere.

I enjoyed the forbidden romance, not because it is a trope that I enjoy in general, but because their relationship is so wholesome and soft and they are so cute.

The whole emotion vs. reason trope is probably my favourite part in this book. Wren's character development is fantastic. I think Wren fighting her emotions to be what other people want her to be is a great parallel of the villain's duality.

The storyline is probably what's keeping me from rating it 5/5 because, although it is interesting, the first half of the book seems a bit too slow and at times predictable. Aside from that, I liked it and I think the idea was nicely executed. The ending is satisfactory, in my opinion.

*Thank you to @Netgalley and the publisher for sending me this digital copy in advance, in exchange of an honest review*

I had lots of expectation for this title because the setting seemed to be very difficult to write but also so original. Plus, the trope enemies to lovers is one of my favorite, so I was eager to read it.
Unfortunately, it wasn't entirely my cup of tea.
The idea was good, really, but too predictable. I couldn't believe the only villain of the story would be so obvious. The more I kept going, the more I found myself losing interest in the whole story. For that reason, I was bored even when something really remarkable happened and I felt just the need to finish the book, without enjoying it..
The main characters are interesting, but if I was emotionally drawn to Hal, I hadn't the same connection with Wren. Sometimes she was so annoying in her reaction I wanted to enter in the book and shake her; at the same time the author, through her, expresses properly the theme of prejudice between two countries.
Unfortunately the rest of the characters was too flat and common to be mentioned.
In other words, I think this book needed an additional run of revisions and work on both plot and characters before thinking to release it.
And I'm really disappointed because the idea of the conflict between technology and magic would be very interesting to exploit! Not to mention the different kind of powers mentioned. Why was it all in the background?ç_ç The love story was very cute too but it could be developed with more depth.


It could be amazing, instead it was a good but forgettable.

My review as posted on goodreads (not linking through here because it tends to mix up the progress and edition read):

I don't quite know what to say. There's these kinds of books out there that you take one glance at and you know you'll love them. I don't even mean just because of a pretty cover - I'm pretty sure DCTN didn't even have one when I first heard of it - but rather because of something not fully palpable about the book itself.

This is one of them. I knew I would love Down Comes The Night and I do, I do, I do. I haven't read a book that managed to give me exactly what I wanted in such precise, perfect measurements in ages and to say that I wholeheartedly recommend it is the understatement of the year.
If the title, the synopsis, the cover - whatever it may be - speaks to you, please trust that voice and pick it up. It's a beautiful story about kindness and forgiveness that comes wrapped in wintery, gothic goodness. What's not to love?
I should also mention that the writing is stellar. Very beautiful, almost lyrical at times, but never too much and always fitting to carry the right atmosphere for the scene.

I will probably add some plot and character specific snippets to this review on goodreads closer to release date because it's still so many months away, but I'll let the star rating speak for itself until then.


Thank you so much for Wednesday Books and Netgalley for letting me read this gem early.
I cannot WAIT to hold a finished copy of Down Comes The Night in my hands

For me, finding an author who writes a clean, sweet romance with magic involved? SIGN ME UP.

I loved this little alt universe nod to historical romances. Like, I fell in love with the dialogue, the characters, everything really. It flowed nicely and it wrapped up well.

I honestly have no qualms with this book. I think people would or could say the down-point would be the magic and it's use. However, I found the story stronger without it to be honest that the use of magic was not entirely needed or something that I dwelled upon. However, I can see it as a fault people would and or could have with the book.

The first 50% hooked me. The second 50% lost me. What started as an electrifying premise faded into a confused middle and a bit of a rushed ending.

The good: I was delighted by the presence of our bisexual MC. There isn’t nearly enough explicit bisexual rep in SFF literature, and I thought the f/f/m love triangle was an interesting take on the typical YA genre (Although, to be honest—I really wanted Wren to end up with the f/f side of the triangle) Still, I did appreciate the acknowledgment that her romantic feelings for another woman were still REAL regardless of the fact that she ended up with the man.

I also really enjoyed the atmosphere of the first half of the book. It takes place in a fantasy world reminiscent of Victorian England, with dirty rivers and factories and electric lights warring against ancient healing magic. The novel takes place in the middle of winter, and the entire story feels deliciously cold and claustrophobic as Wren is hemmed in by the endless snow. The magic system was also really interesting, with all of it fundamentally rooted in the human body, healing, and anatomy. Wren’s magic felt more scientific than I was used to, and as a scientific researcher professionally I must say I did love the nod to her experiments and the scientific method.

The bad: Unfortunately, things seemed to fall apart a little bit in the second half. I was hoping Hal and Wren would get to creep around the manor investigating, uncovering grisly secrets (a la Mexican Gothic or Jane Eyre) but it quickly descended into a lot of canoodling, a lot of rushed pacing and not a lot of motivated decisions. Wren’s character fell a little flat to me from the beginning, and I became frustrated by her routinely impulsive decision making (like, of COURSE the army is going to look for you at the home you grew up in…). The most tender relationship for me was the friendship between Una and Wren. I would have loved it to be more romantic, but I did appreciate the idea that you can fall out of love with someone and still remain fast friends.

All in all, a vividly atmospheric world that lacked a straightforward plot and memorable characters.

This book was beautifully crafted and a brilliant combination of fantasy, romance, and adventure. I'm usually not one for fantasy novels unless they're done in a certain way, and this book certainly swept me off my feet. From multilayered characters, to a well-spun plot, I would recommend anyone looking to support a new and upcoming author to check out "Down Comes the Night" by Saft.

Something I wish there would have been more of in the text is the overall world. We hear a lot about it, and there are some good moments of imagery painted here and there, especially when Wren speaks on the war, but it felt disconnected. Now, as I go back and try to remember the world, all I can really recollect are the insides of a few buildings and the remembrance of a castle where Wren's aunt lived. For any novel, especially a fantasy novel, the world building is essential. It is the book. It's where the journey unfolds, and it's where the plot routinely tests the characters. Without the world, there would be no story, so I definitely feel this aspect of the novel could be painted a little better, so it didn't feel so distant.

Overall, I absolutely adored the plot line and falling into this world. I could easily see this becoming a series along similar lines of "Red Queen" series, and I hope it does. There're tons more I want to read about Wren and her story and what comes next after Down Comes the Night, so I hope Saft takes her writing expertise and craft us a second novel.

Review to come on my website 12noon EST

I am... disappointed. <b>Turns out, this is not the book for me.</b>

Listen, I heard gothic vibes and an enemies to lovers romance and I was automatically HOOKED. So when St. Martin's Press/Wednesday Books granted my wish on NetGalley, I celebrated like it was Christmas. <b>I enjoyed the first 20% immensely, but after that my enthusiasm waned.</b>

First of all, I really love the worldbuilding. I know this is meant to be set in a Victorian-inspired universe but it gives me early 20th century Europe in anime vibes. A war reminiscent of WWI, gaslamp fantasy elements, lavish nobles and war-torn countries and wow. Exquisite.

<b>However, my biggest concern is that I enjoyed the initial doomed f/f romance more than the main m/f one.</b> Una is Wren's best friend and commanding officer, and their forbidden romance was the perfect mix of tragic and swoonworthy. I don't see this situation in a lot of YA fantasy, so I was immediately hooked. Unfortunately, they can't be together, and soon Wren is whisked away into a manor in another country, and there she meets an enemy she's previously warred with on the battlefield... Hal Cavendish.

<b>This is probably my favorite instance of bisexual MC rep in YA fantasy.</b> The fact that Wren has such clear emotional (and physical) attractions to male and female characters... That Una is a major part in her life, and not just a dead ex or some random girl she slept with... I don't know. I really appreciate it.

<b>The moment we hit the 20% mark, it becomes a different story entirely: a more gothic one that reflects the summary.</b> A spooky house, another forbidden romance, a murder mystery... Sounds excellent on paper. Sadly, I was bored.

<b>Saft has a tendency to over-write.</b> The pacing is already off at times, but her insistence on describing every little detail just made it worse. I know that's a staple of the Gothic genre but I felt like a lot of it was unnecessary, boring, and didn't even contribute to the spookiness. Also, meh, the Wren and Hal romance lacked chemistry, especially after Una.

<b>I DNFed this before I even reached the halfway point. It's not you, book, it's me.</b> Maybe <i>Mexican Gothic</i> has set my standards too high.

<i>Thank you so much to St. Martin's Press/Wednesday Books for granting my wish and providing me with a free e-copy of this ARC in exchange for an honest review.</i>

As soon as I read the description of this book I knew I had to read it. YA; gothic romance; enemies to lovers -all my favourite subgenres and tropes combined. And I liked this book, I really did, but I cannot help to be a bit disappointed as well and that's why I'm only giving it 3.5 stars.

This novel is a great YA mystery with a touch of fantasy and romance, but it wasn't gothic. Gothic is more than an old house and a somewhat Victorian setting. It didn't have the emotion of a gothic romance. Instead we got a heroine who cries about everything and a love interest that doesn't talk much. I had such a hard time relating to any character in this novel -despite being a person who also cries about everything. Wren, Una and Hal were all fine characters, don't get me wrong: they were not too flat, but also not rounded and complex enough to truly fall in love with them.

The romance was a saving grace. I very much enjoyed it, although the love was somewhat instant. It seemed like some of their bonding moments took place in between chapters and the love was therefore slightly sudden and perhaps even a little unbelievable at times.

I don't know for sure if the book is a standalone, but I do know the story would have worked better if it had been split up into at least a duology. Around 70% in it seemed like the story was mostly over as the "big mystery" was solved, and the last 30% read like the perfect start of a sequel. I think especially that first 70% would have benefited from getting an extra 100 pages for more world building, better character development and a proper 'enemies to lovers' romance. Plus the last 30% was incredibly amazing, but it was also very rushed and some things were left unmentioned, so giving it an extra book would have definitely helped me love it even more.

All in all, despite me being an annoyingly critical reader, I did truly enjoy it and I would not be surprised if this book became quite popular. This is an author I will definitely return to once she releases more books (and hopefully one of them will be a sequel to this).

Thank you to the publisher for granting me the wish to read this book. Unfortunately, I did not enjoy it. I had thought it was going to be a traditional gothic story, but instead it was about warring kingdoms in a fantasy realm meant to be Victorian England? I do not enjoy books about kingdoms and warriors so I didn't connect to the story. If this was a traditional gothic story with a classic moody atmosphere, it would have been a better read.