Somewhere between a 3 and a 3.5 star! Overall, I enjoyed Down Comes the Night, but I did have a few issues with it.

Firstly, this book was described as a deeply romantic, gothic story with a slow-burn enemies-to-lovers romance, when, in actuality, it is none of those things. The romance between Wren and Hal felt pretty generic to me and while they had some cute moments, their relationship developed a little too quickly for my liking. I question the “enemies-to-lovers” part because neither Wren nor Hal actually seemed to ever *truly* hate each other, but perhaps Wren and Hal’s relationship is described as enemies-to-lovers only because Vesrian and Danu (their respective countries) are rivals—I honestly don’t know. The only gothic part of this story was the setting, but overall, it veers more toward a dark fantasy than a gothic story.

Also, a couple important events in the story were skimmed over, the most notable being the scene where Wren finds the cure for the mystery illness that has incapacitated Hal. She apparently spent days researching and testing, but all of that is just briefly mentioned and then suddenly, she just...finds it and cures Hal, and then they move on. I wish the process had been written a little more in depth to actually show that it was difficult to find the cure, since that was the reasoning for Wren’s being at Colwick Hall in the first place.

And lastly, the mystery—I had really hoped that the mystery would be more captivating and shocking. I wasn’t at all surprised when everything was revealed. However, I was still intrigued to see how Wren and Hal would defeat the person behind it, and I found myself almost unable to stop reading.

Despite these three things, Down Comes the Night has redeeming qualities. I was able to appreciate the unique magic system, the lovely writing, and the themes this book delivers.

I had a fun time reading this book and I’m very glad I had the opportunity to read it. I would recommend this book, because maybe others will enjoy it more than I did.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the eARC.

I received a copy of this book via NetGalley and here is my honest opinion:
This book took me longer to really get into the story but I fully blame that on a book hangover. Once I got interested in the story this quickly became a great October read. I only give 5 stars to books I would re-read again and I definitely will be purchasing a copy of this book!
This is my opinion and I hope it helps you decide to read this book!

Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to review this book for my honest opinion.

I thought Allison Saft did a great job with Down Comes the Night. With most novels, it takes a bit to get going at the beginning but then the storyline speeds up and becomes more interesting. This novel is not much different from other YA novels since it has adventure, love story, tragedy, a character wanting acceptance, war, etc. However, the way Saft weaves everything together is really quite good.

The story follows Wren Southerland who is ousted by her Aunt who is also the Queen of their country. Wren’s father was a commoner and not of nobility. After Wren’s mother dies when she is quite young, the Queen sends her off to the Abbey to be raised. She learns that she has magic and evolves to be a great healer in their military. The countries in this world have magic and it is war torn. One country is isolated and does not have magic, only technology like gas burning electricity the others countries do not possess. I do not want to give too much of the plot away, but I highly recommend this book.

This was a really good book and I give it 4 1/2 stars. I look forward to reading more from Allison Saft in the future.

What a great Gothic standalone! Down Comes the Night had detailed, descriptive writing, complex, soft characters, and an intriguing storyline. Wren Southerland is a royal bastard and the most talented healer in the Queen's Guard. However, her biggest downfall (or so she thinks) is her soft heart. When Wren is given an opportunity to finally impress her cold aunt Queen Isabel, she jumps at the chance and travels to Colwick Hall (without permission) to heal an eccentric lord's favorite servant. But when she gets there, she realizes her patient is not a servant at all, but the most dangerous soldier in the opposing army, Hal Cavendish, who can kill with a single look. As Wren gets to know Hal, she starts to question whether he is as evil as she's been taught to believe, and she must put aside her hate to work with him to uncover a plot that could destroy both their kingdoms.
Wren and Hal start off so solidly as enemies that even though the summary said they would fall in love, I honestly had no idea how that could be possible. Their relationship is incredibly complex and I loved reading all of their interactions. I also liked the focus put on emotions. Wren is considered too soft by her best friend and commanding officer Una, as well as her aunt, but it turns out that her kindness and gentleness are her greatest assets. Hal, on the other hand, is not necessarily a good person, but he is incredibly kind and loyal. I found that Hal's character and his backstory were somewhat a commentary on the nature of war. I really liked how Hal could have all of these horrible things in his past, but he never tries to justify them.

I received an e-arc of Down Comes the Night by Allison Saft from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
This story follows a healer named Wren who is too emotional and reckless for her position on the Queen's Guard, so when she is reassigned from her current position she takes up the offer of investigating and curing a mysterious illness that has befallen a lord's estate. Once Wren arrives at Colwick Hall, she realizes that one of the servants that she has to heal is in fact Hal Cavendish, the Reaper of Vesria, her sworn enemy.
This book took me a bit to get into as it was very slow-paced, but around halfway through it had my attention.
I was interested in the slow burn enemies to lovers romance between Wren and Hal, and I'll be honest it's why I kept reading even though I wasn't that interested in the plot. I was getting vibes of Elide and Lorcan from Throne of Glass from Wren and Hal,
I agree with this book being pitched as an atmospheric, gothic novel, with a romance at the core of the story... if you're a fan of the 'there's only one-bed' trope then you won't be disappointed.
The book was twisted and dark at times and I thought I knew what direction the plot would go, but I was surprised in the end.
I would advise readers of a content warning for graphic medical descriptions if you're squeamish about any sort of medical procedure especially involving eyes proceed with caution.
Overall I gave Down Comes the Night 3 out of 5 stars, it was a good fantasy debut and I was here for the romance.


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Down Comes the Night is a YA fantasy gothic set in a world akin to our own 19th century, with the main difference that magic exists and is used in a bloody war between two countries: Danu and Vesria.

The main character, Wren Southerland, is the niece of the queen of Danu and a talented healer. She is keen to prove herself in the conflict of her queendom with its rival, so she accepts an offer which might help turn the tide of the war. She arrives at a mansion plagued by death and has to solve the riddle of what is happening there, as well as why Danu’s most horrifying enemy, Hal Cavendish, the Reaper, is in the same estate.

I quite enjoyed going back to YA novels after a rather long break. The book was interesting and fun to read, with lots of mystery and a juicy romance. I hadn’t read the description carefully enough to understand that magic is involved, but, after my initial surprise, I was pleased with the situation, as the magic was an important but not overwhelming part of the story.

I can’t lie that Wren was my favourite character – partly due to the fact that I, not unlike her best friend Una, am not a huge fan of emotional and impulsive reactions (which were what Wren had most of the time), but she was far better than many other YA characters. I don’t particularly enjoy the usual overhyped, can-do-everything type of heroines, so Wren felt quite fresh. I liked Hal a lot – he was very self-possessed and his attempts to repent for his previous actions were a nice change. (That’s not to say that it didn’t bug me that he was 19 and already an infamous war criminal.)

The book definitely sparked my enthusiasm for reading YA once again, so I’m really happy about that, hence the additional half a star in the rating, and I’d recommend it to the fans of the genre.

I was drawn to this debut novel by Allison Saft over the cover art, its gothic elements and the promise of enemies to lovers!

I can safely recommend Down Comes the Night to anyone who wants to read a novel with characters who possess a gradual and natural enemies to lovers dynamic, mystery elements and political intrigue. While the main character might not necessarily be considered as a gray character, almost everyone else is, and in a convincing way that doesn't overlook their past mistakes.

The theme of redemption, one's worth beyond their work, the murder mystery were all things that kept my attention alive beyond the main characters falling in love.

I think it could be said that it takes some time for the story to actually start though, so if you find the first few chapters a bit slow, I recommend you stick along.

I went into this book with an open mind, the cover is amazing and I am still a cover judge! The plot was interesting and I connected with Wren. I enjoyed her journey and the mystery around everything she thought she knew. Solid 3-4 star read.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the granted wish. The premise was really interesting, I loved the gothic vibes and the "haunted mansion" setting. I found the beginning of the book strong, but things got complicated towards the middle, particularly when Wren, a healer and the protagonist, entered the mansion and met her patient. It was in the blurb that the novel was a deeply romantic YA fantasy, and it was exactly that, but the romance ruined it for me somehow. I enjoy slowburn enemies to lovers, but I wasn't super invested in this one. As for the characters, I found them to be okay at the most, I don't think any of them would be my faves but I didn't think they were bad- they had their moments, good and bad. I was intrigued by the plot at first but I started to feel detached from it as I read along, and I felt like there were still a lot of plot holes. Aside from those, I thought the writing was good.

“She wasn’t weak for feeling. Hardened hearts were breakable. But hers had endured again and again”


2.5 stars.

I think the biggest issue with this book was the marketing (but hey, there's still time to fix that!). Or really, it's just how it was presented to me and the rest of those readers I see anticipating the release of this book. This book isn't bad, but it's not great either. Goodreads says two stars means it's okay and really, this was okay. Down Comes the Night felt more young adult-y (in all its trope-y young adult-y ways) than what I was expecting: a slow-burn, gothic, enemies to lovers. This book was none of those things. For someone who enjoys young adult novels, especially the fantasy kind, you'll probably really enjoy this. However, if you're looking for a delicious gothic tale that leaves you claustrophobic and scared with some romance mixed in ... this isn't it.

My other gripe with this book was how long it was. I would have shaved off at least a hundred pages, easily. So little happened in so many pages that I considered skimming the book instead, but stopped myself and kept waiting for the book to pick up. It sort of did but nearly towards the end which, for me, was too little too late.

We start the story with Wren Southerland, a healer in the queen's army. Her and her commander, Una, are on a mission trying to find any information regarding fellow soldiers who have gone missing while on patrol on a border shared with a neighboring country they're on rocky relations with (and have previously gone to war with). Wren has always tried to prove herself to the queen but her compassion has often led her to choices that have left her on thin ice. While I admire compassion and a kind heart (something the book really wants you to know is so important), I have to say that the book didn't really start off too great for me. Wren's empathy or whatever we want to call it is important, but as a member of the army, should be balanced with rationale, which we see none of. I get it, the message is to be kind no matter what, that kindness is a strength, not a weakness but it's a little too in your face and kind of impractical. Or just a little bit far-fetched. Not to mention how this soft-heartedness is contrasted in a way to make another character's (Una, my favorite and the true gem in this book) less "emotional" demeanor look really bad.

Now, after making yet another bad decision, Wren is taken off the guard. An opportunity arises where Wren believes she can prove her worth to the queen and get reinstated, yet when she gets there, nothing is as it seems. When she gets to the house that has requested her services as a healer, she finds the place eerie, cold, full of odd noises at night, and worst of all, harboring her country's most notorious enemy, war criminal Hal Cavndish. To make matters worse, he's who she's been asked to heal.

It is important to note that when this book mentions heal, it doesn't mean healing in the traditional sense but in a magical sense. There's magic in this universe, some are able to heal with it, other to kill and ... some other stuff I'm assuming that isn't really delved into. That's the other thing, I wasn't expecting there to be any magic and that definitely changed the tone of the novel for me. When I saw healer in the synopsis, I thought it meant healer like a medic. This might have been my bad, but with this added element of magic, this book felt more fantasy than gothic novel. I would have liked to have known more about the universe and how the magic works exactly, but this isn't really expounded upon.

Actual meaningful interactions between Hal and Wren are scarce, yet we're supposed to buy that how they start to grow, understand, even care for each other. I just didn't feel it. Wren's behavior towards Hal is downright confusing and frustrating. He even calls her out on it.

“I can’t figure out what you want from me.” He sounded almost anguished, but his eyes still held accusation. “If I keep my distance, you needle me. If I’m vulnerable, you burn me.”


She's mostly awful to Hal, with the occasional "kindness" when she ... you know, doesn't kill him when she could. That's really it. It's frustrating because every time you think a step or two towards trust or some sort of progress is being made, Wren says or does something that takes us three steps back. This is especially confusing to read because we've been constantly told how compassionate and loving and soft-hearted Wren is. I felt nothing for the two of them, although I was slightly intrigued by Hal as a character. (Once again, Una is the unsung hero of this novel.)

The only gothic part of this book is the setting sort of but it's only a fraction of the story. This feels more like a mystery than a gothic novel. I was under the impression I'd be reading a slow burn with forced situations where two enemies had to work together, only having each other to rely on and begrudgingly trust. Instead, we get I think one instance where that happens and it's very brief. (view spoiler)

At the end of the day, the idea was interesting but I think the execution just didn't work out for me.

Please note that I received an advance reader's copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

My most anticipated read of 2021 became one of my favorite reads of 2020. Luscious and exquisitely gothic, this story is written so well you will feel like you're a character in the mansion. My only gripe is a very slow start (about the first 1/3) with pacing that did not flow with the rest of the book, and that is what kept my rating from being a full 5 stars. The writing style, character development and world building were executed with natural passion and mastered talent; I'm very surprised the author has no former published works. This will be a book (and author) I will be sure to recommend to all of my friends. Thank you to #NetGalley for granting my wish by providing an eARC to review.

Thank you Wednesday Books and NetGalley for providing me an e-arc in exchange for an honest review. My review is my own and not influenced by others.

I just finished reading Down comes a night by Allison Saft.
While I think many readers will enjoy reading this book, it didn’t work for me. I couldn’t feel any connection with the characters. And the story was to long-winded in my opinion, this is why I couldn’t hold my attention at the story.

I think this book is a one in a dozen for me and it doesn’t have to matter if the characters, the world building or the writing style draws me into the story. This book however lacked in every way for me. But like I said before, I think it really can work for other readers.

This is an absolutely stunning, sparkling debut. The characters are fully-realized, the world immersive and full of intrigue, and the plot page-turning. I can't wait to read more of Allison's books!

I'm not usually a fan of a murder mystery, but I found this book to be really interesting. The slow burn of the romance was great but I feel like it was missing something. It's not your typical fantasy and the gothic touches made it really stand out. Overall, good book. Not necessarily my favorite, but I enjoyed the read.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this arc.

3.5 stars.

I liked parts of this story, but it mostly just dragged on. The MC was annoying and childish. She basically did whatever she wanted regardless of the consequences. The only character I remotely liked was Hal. The plot wasn’t strong enough for me. I didn’t know if the focus was on the MC getting her position back, figuring out what happened to the missing soldiers, or something else. I guess they’re all intertwined, but it didn’t flow enough for me. I had to struggle through some parts. I loved the healing aspect; it was one of the best things about the story. Overall, it was just lacking for me.

Thanks to the publisher for providing an eARC of Down Comes the Night in exchange for an honest review.

First of all, this is a really good romantic fantasy standalone. It's not, however, an atmospheric read. The description puts so much emphasis on the 'crumbling mansion' they're trapped in and reminds you over and over again that this is a gothic story but its not. That's okay, but if you were expecting something gothic, this is an enemies to lovers standalone (with a bi lead!!)/ murder mystery. Heck, I wouldn't even call our romantic leads 'trapped' in the mansion. It's more like someone asked really politely for them not to leave.

That aside, I liked this. It's a little predictable plotwise, but the romance was sweet and I liked watching the character dynamic there shift. Also books with bi leads who treat love interests of multiple genders as equally important plotwise regardless of their gender? Very cool. If you like enemies to lovers, chances are you'll love this. If you like gothic stories, you'll be let down.

A solid read - atmospheric with engaging characters and something to say. It took some time to warm up to Wren and Hal, and there were occaisonally scenes that were distractingly on the nose in the things they were trying to accomplish, but overall I enjoyed their journey a lot, and they had a lot of touching, funny moments that stood out, too. I think if you are able to root for them, it's an easy read, but I can see why this romance isn't to everyone's taste, since a lot of the narration and conflict is internal. The payoff for the romance and the plotline is really sweet at the end!

Unfortunately, this wasn't the book for me. I had such high expectations, but it just couldn't quite meet them. The characters weren't relatable, and was confused in what time period the story took place. Sadly, this wasn't my kind of read.

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with an EARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was an easy 5 stars. I don't usually go for books like this, but my attention was grabbed from the very first line of the synopsis.

There are so many things I loved about this book. The enemies to l0vers was wonderfully executed, the slow-burn was just right. There was no annoying insta-love, our characters slowly but. surely got to know one another and warmed up to each other.

I particularly loved that despite the fact that our male protagonist shows remorse for what he has done in the name of his country, there is no immediate pardoning for the things he has done. The writer doesn't try to pass off the things he has done, there is a great emphasis on the fact that even if he has regrets, he cannot go without punishment. This is perhaps one of the greatest parts of this book.

The mystery throughout this was a delight to read. I wanted so badly to figure out who was behind the disappearances and in the end, I was not disappointed.

I loved the writing style as well. There were some damn beautiful lines in this book: "As she stepped into a corridor as dark as sin, the temperature dropped--a gradual slither across her body, like surrendering to the crash of an ocean wave. Her breath unfurled in white, uneven bursts. Here is a place where people went and never returned."

This was kind of amazing. It was dark and lovely and told the story of two soldiers on opposite sides of a war coming to realize they aren't as different as the propaganda in their countries have made them out to be. They aren't the monsters they always thought. They are more alike than they ever could have imagined.

Wren Southerland is a healer who wants more out of life. She has only ever wanted to be accepted and loved for who she is, but has only ever been used for her abilities and seen as the soldier she never wanted to become. Hal Cavendish is the Reaper of Vesria, reviled by Wren's people and feared by his own. He has only ever wanted to get away from his dark reputation and to fix the world they've broken by facing the consequences for the things he's done.

I really enjoyed these two coming together and working through each other's walls and learning about one another. I loved watching them start to care for one another and how they protected and defended each other. My heart went out to Hal and everything he had done and regretted.

This was such a grand, dark tale of love and loyalty, of soldiers tired of war, of two people broken down by the world around them but still willing to fight to make things better, no matter what <3