DNF around the 30% mark. I'm just not vibing with the writing style, and honestly I'm very bored. I was hoping for more Gothic vibes, and maybe they happen further in, but that's not enough for me to keep going.

Wren Southerland always felt more like a healer than a soldier. It’s a talent passed down for generations in her family and it’s one of the only things that gives her life any meaning – her magic and her best friend, Una. She longs for a place where she can be more than just the Queen’s poor little orphan niece. A place safe from war. A place free of death.

So when a single act of mercy during a mission threatens to take away all that she holds so dear, Wren will do anything – no matter how treasonous it may seem, to find her way home.

Hal Cavendish is best known as the “Reaper of Vesria”. His magic is almost as legendary as his thirst for his enemy’s blood. Wren can hardly believe that it’s actually him that is teetering so close to death in Colwick Hall.

Regardless of her patient’s past sins, Wren plans to live up to her part of the bargain she made with the inscrutable Lord Alistair Lowry. Heal the boy and win the forgiveness of the Queen.

But the more that Hal reveals of himself, the more she feels her world beginning to shift. If they can work together to solve the mystery that lurks in the long dark hallways of the near deserted mansion, they can stop a coming war. But if they’re not very careful, they could lose their lives as well as their hearts.

Down Comes the Night is everything that a gothic romance should be! Allison Saft immerses her reader in a world that is both dangerously seductive and bravely hopeful at the same time. Seething with a suspense that never surrenders, I couldn’t look away for an instant. From the sophisticated characters to the multi-sensory landscape, this is a story that will quicken even the blackest of hearts. And what could be more thrilling than that?

I was super hyped for this one, as the synopsis sounded amazing, and in the end I was sorta pleased with how it all went? It was atmospheric, and I ended up being really into the romance and everything else, but it always felt like there was something missing, just barely not making things perfect for me.

It's kind of hard to pinpoint what that missing piece exactly was, but I think a bit of it may have come from me expecting a stronger gothic feel to the whole story that wasn't always very strongly there. It was almost always present in the background of the story, but sometimes I could almost forget that this was a gothic fantasy at all. In that sense, maybe this story sometimes had trouble blending different elements and genres present together, as moments where the magic system and royalty of the world took over meant the gothic aspect faded. This was also true when the romance was the focus of the scene. I think this lack of consistent 'vibes', for lack of better word, may have been what made a bit of a disconnect for me. It sometimes felt like I was swapping stories, but with the same characters.

Besides that, I really enjoyed the book. There were many moments where I was on the edge of my seat, waiting to see if the characters would make it out of this next harrowing moment okay. There was also no shortage of twists, meaning I went into every chapter curious what it would bring next. I also loved how the magic system weaved into the plot, and how having a magic system so focused on anatomy only strengthened aspects of the plot/gothic atmosphere.

Wren and Hal individually were also quite interesting and strong characters, and for most of the book, I was most interested in them. I loved how Wren grappled with being kind in a world that didn't want her to be, and how Hal struggled similarly as well, except with learning to forgive himself for past unkindness. Their discussions about morality and it's relation to nationalism and duty to their respective kingdoms were interesting, and I love how that played into their perception of self and each other.

Overall, I think I loved the romance the most, though. It still wasn't one of my top romances ever, but I loved what it brought to the story, and there were so many moments where I loved these two together, and how they tried to hold the other up when they would falter. (Also, I really love the bi rep here! And how it just exists without having to be dissected or explained.)

Overall, I definitely will read future books by this author, and can't wait to see what's next!

Gothic fantasy, enemies-to-lovers romance complete with the sort of yearning that makes a reader's heart tremble, and truly gorgeous prose. Bonus points for my main girl Wren, a truly disaster bisexual if I've ever seen one, and love interest Hal, who was basically plucked directly from my id.

This is perfection I would like to have directly injected into my veins on all future re-reads.

Ah, high fantasy…The sun is shining, the birds are singing, the magical murderers are magical murdering…

Pretty standard setup here, Romeo and Juliet style male and female magic users on opposite sides of a turf war come together after realizing that (shocker!) they’ve been fed a pack of lies by their respective governments. Not terribly original, but a-ok by me as a fantasy premise.

Healer Wren is a powerful battle medic who just wants everyone to play nice—a laughably naive perspective in the world Saft has built—but it’s Wren’s party and she’ll flower child if she wants to.

Wren and Hal (the ex-killing machine Romeo to her hippie Juliet) come together to solve the mystery of who is killing off servants, who is angling for world domination via murder, and how it would be so great if everyone could just get along.

Sigh.

It may not sound that way, but I actually did enjoy much of this story. The writing is good, the world building is excellent, and the characters are actually fine…until our protagonist lets us down in the end.

Wren (in case it wasn’t clear) really, REALLY does not want to kill anyone. No way, never. Ever. Not even when it’s the story’s big villain and said villain is actively trying to kill her. Wren would apparently rather die than attempt to off the person who is in the process of murdering her. How…noble?

Conveniently, Wren gets to lay there and voluntarily attempt to literally die on this hill, because (of course!) the male hero of the story arrives at the last moment to save her! Pure as the driven snow Wren can maintain her peaceful, kind-hearted existence, because the men (thank god!) can do the killin’ ‘round these parts.

Yes, Hal was a trained killer and Wren a healer, so it makes sense that she would be more hesitant than he to take a life. But the fact that she won’t even save herself and then has to be rescued by a strapping lad…What century was this written in? I mean, we all love a good Sleeping Beauty style nostalgia trip, but in 2021, I don’t think many of us want our protagonist to be a helpless damsel in distress.

The rest of the ending also packed up a bit too neatly. The Queen appears to have had a personality transplant! And Wren will get a new job (with some nifty travel perks!) in the deal.

And then there’s Una, who should have been one of the more intriguing characters in the book. Surly military captain and one-time love interest of Wren Una goes from dudebro “I was only mean to you to protect you!” style manipulation (Wait, was she my college boyfriend?!) to raking herself across the proverbial coals in a quest for forgiveness. Credit to Wren there: She did do a good job of standing up to Una when it mattered.

There’s a lot of good elements to this book, but it’s got some major (and majorly irritating) flaws. I really enjoyed the world building of Down Comes the Night, but the plot critically misses the mark when it counts.

I really, really wanted to like Down Comes the Night, but as much as I enjoyed Saft’s writing, this book just wasn’t my cup of tea. The promise of an enemies-to-lovers story in a dark, gothic setting drew me in, but the slow pacing and a romance that fizzled instead of burned failed to keep my attention. Based on how the book was marketed, I had expected a classic gothic novel in all its eerie glory, and while the atmosphere did occasionally conjure gothic undertones, it ultimately fell short of my expectations. The plot seemed to meander at times and the world-building felt thin, leaving me teeming with unanswered questions (about the magic system in particular). That being said, I'll be keeping an eye out for Saft's future work! A solid 3 stars.

This book let me down a little bit. When I originally read the synopsis, it had me so excited to reach for it in my TBR pile, but unfortunately, it was a miss for me.

I think what let me down the most is that from the synopsis and general marketing of the book, I expected the book to be more of a gothic story than it actually turned out to be. Yes, there is a castle and a little bit of a gothic vibe there, it wasn't nearly as strong of a vibe as I expected it to be, especially from a book that is seemingly being categorized as a gothic novel. Overall, I feel like it lacked atmosphere.

The other reason why this book wasn't a hit for me was because of the writing style. There were large descriptive passages of essentially just info-dumping. During these passages I felt like I was being removed from the story rather than being further immersed in the book world and history.

Overall, my experience with this book was rather lukewarm, but this book does have a ton of positive reviews on Goodreads so if you are interested in reading this one, I wouldn't let my review deter you too much. It was just not my cup of tea.

Not entirely the type of book I'm usually drawn, too. Slow start, but I really didn't mind. I sort of took it as a summer beach read! Sounds ridiculous as I write this, but seriously, it's quick, easy read, has some drama, some romance, it's a summer read for teens who will likely enjoy it. It has lots of magic in it, so plus, plus!

Down Comes the Night was a fun, exciting read. I was most excited to start it because the protagonist was a healer (and either bi or pan). However, this book was way too overhyped. The plot really started 40% of the way in, which made it difficult to power through, and wasn't as atmospheric as promised. The character development and romance felt rushed and sloppy but came to a satisfying end. It wasn't my favorite read, but it showed a lot of promise.

Unfortunately, this book wasn't for me. The pacing was way too slow and while the writing was beautiful, I felt that the story got too bogged down by overly done descriptions. I didn't really care about the romance either - Wren and Hal's relationship just bored me and I didn't feel any spark or chemistry between them. I also didn't like how we barely got an explanation for the magic system and the worldbuilding felt weak to me too. Also, the plot was fairly predictable and the antagonist wasn't interesting either. However, if you're into gothic atmospheric stories and you want bi m/f rep, I'd say give it a shot.

I had a hard time getting into this book. It wasn't a bad story, but it just wasn't for me. I'd try something else by the other if given the chance.

4.5⭐️. This was such a great debut novel. Allison Saft did a great job with the gothic atmosphere, the characters and the plot. There were quite a few plot twists that I didn't see coming. Here writing was beautiful and I literally read 300 pages one night because I could not put it down. I am not usually a huge fan of enemies to lovers, but she did it in a way that was not "insta-love"

I also really loved the magic system. The MC, Wren has healing magic, and I love how the author intertwined science and biology with the magic system.

I will definitely read whatever Allison Saft writes! Thank you #netgalley for an ARC of #DownComestheNight

"When the night falls, I won't be the one left alone in the dark."

Down Comes the Night is a gothic murder mystery fantasy that tells the story of Wren, a healer whose emotions has cost her everything she wanted and loved. Until a certain someone offers her a job that could restore her worth, and that's when it all starts.

Let me say this first: I loved this book. It was so fun and at the same time, so intense. I must say though, that the first 100 pages felt way too dense and in general, descriptions were a little bit too long. I think it took me a while to get used to the world because I didn't understand it, nor the magic, and I felt a little lost with the names of the countries and the cities. But once we get to Colwick Hall and I got used to the magic system... OH MY GOD I just couldn't stop reading!

The atmosphere the author created is beautiful. I truly like my bisexual child Wren and I can actually relate to her and her feelings a lot. Hal Cavendish was and amazing character. I really loved getting to know him and how he felt about his crimes. And their enemies to allies to lovers dynamic I just can’t even, right to my top 3 ships of 2021. I will never forget the slow burn just wow.

The fact that most of the characters are morally grey made me love the story even more, and even though it shocked me so much the villain was reveled so soon, I ended up liking the result.

I usually say I love sad and open endings, but I literally don't know who I’m kidding, this ending was so happy and beautiful, I felt whole again after finishing it.

Thanks so much to the publisher and Netgalley for the e-arc.

This was a very cute and horrific murder mystery! It was not at all what I was expecting going in, but I definitely enjoyed my time with these characters. I loved the gothic feel, it took me back my time as a Literary Studies student. It also gave me very Stalking Jack The Ripper Vibes, just... with magic. It was an enjoyable read.

Down Comes the Night by Allison Saft is a young adult romantic fantasy standalone novel with a gothic feel. In this story we meet Wren Southerland who isn’t exactly cut out to be a part of the Queen’s guard but that is where we join her out on patrol. When Wren’s group captures a prisoner Wren can’t control her own compassionate nature as she is a healer, not a fighter and when Wren heals the prisoner and her escapes she is sent back to the abbey.

Despite Wren being the niece of the queen she finds herself at a loss as to how she can fit in so when a letter arrives requesting her healing powers Wren thinks it’s the chance to get back into the Queen’s good graces. After arriving at the Lord’s manor Wren finds out that the servant that the Lord desperately wants healed is none other than Hal Cavendish, a wanted enemy of Wren’s people.

Down Comes the Night was a fantasy read that had it’s ups and downs for me but by the time it was over I did find it an interesting story. Wren had her moments all throughout that didn’t make her the strongest most compelling lead but she was likable enough and once with Hal the story seemed to pick up. Also, the plot at that point felt as if I were reading a mystery novel and was actually enjoyable to follow. By the time I was finished with this one I settled on a rating of three and a half stars and enjoyed the gothic twisty atmosphere of this fantasy.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

CW: eye gore, gore, murder, surgical procedures

Wren has healing magic, but when her emotions get the best of her while on the job, she finds herself dismissed from the job she loved. When a letter arrives asking for Wren’s help to save one of his sick servants. But, when she finds out who the servant is, things get complicated. And only more complicated when they need to join forces to save the kingdom.

This really is a hard book for me to rate. I did enjoy it, but there was also something missing with this one that makes it mediocre for me.

Coming in, I knew this was supposed to be a gothic fantasy, so I was really eager to experience those vibes. While they were there, it was not as strong as I was expecting. It felt a little watered down for me. I was really waiting for this creepy feeling. Every now and then I got that feeling, but overall it wasn’t there for me.

Wren and Hal are interesting characters. They are each grappling with their own struggles and I loved seeing them come to terms and overcome some of the things that were plaguing them.

I also enjoyed the romance. It was this slowburn enemies to lovers. It took me a moment to enjoy it, but once I did I was glad to see the romance in here. Though, I will say at times the romance did overshadow the fantasy aspects from time to time.

Overall, this was enjoyable, but there was something that was not clicking with me that made it a more mediocre read.

I just couldn’t get into this one. The premise sounded good, but it seemed to miss on the gothic theme promised. The characters and plot were okay, and I enjoyed the magic inclusion. Just not a standout for me.

Holy smokes, what a debut novel. The gothic atmosphere, the enemies to lovers and slow-burn, forbidden romance... sign me up!!!! This made my heart so happy.

Wren is a healer and niece to the Queen of Danu, but that hasn’t earned her any favor. In fact, the Queen seems to hate her and makes it hard for Wren to move on to something better. Wren’s constant misconduct has landed her in trouble for the last time and the Queen banishes her from the army, sending her back to the Abbey in which she grew up. Wren receives a letter from Colwick Hall, in a neighboring country and decides to risk everything for her country in hopes to end the war that has plagued her country, once and for all.

Colwick Hall was super creepy but done oh so well. At first the house and the enigmatic owner seem pretty trustworthy, but as Wren stays longer, she notices things are just a bit off. This is definitely where the story gets it’s gothic ambience from and being stranded there in the middle of winter....yeah creepy.

I loved Wren and how emotional she was; she just wants to help everybody. But she was also quite stupid at times, and it made me want to strangle her. She’s such a deep character, even though there really is no backstory to her, but all of her actions are justified and made sense of why she acts the way she does. And Hal, was so lovable. He was such a sweet guy at heart and not the monster his country made him out to be.

The writing and dialogue were quite humorous. The worldbuilding was amazing and I enjoyed the different scientific aspects of the story, like those born with magic have a different set of “fola” which are basically arteries or another set of veins, that supply the magic to the user. This was so intriguing and would have loved a little bit more depth to the descriptions but it didn’t hinder the story in any way, that’s just what I personally would have preferred.

All in all, I loved this book and can’t wait to read more by the author!

2.5 stars

A whirlwind romantic fantasy with forces at play that are darker than what meets the eye, Down Comes the Night follows Wren, a soldier with healing magic whose life changes when she once again makes the mistake of letting her emotions get in the way of her job. In an attempt to save her life as she knows it and her country, she accepts employment from a mysterious foreign lord, leading her to meet her country’s enemy and fall into a dark plot where they must work together to save their kingdoms. While promising everything from a delectable gothic setting to a romance full of yearning worth rooting for, Down Comes the Night ultimately fell a bit short for me.

First of all, I think if you love beautiful writing, you will really appreciate the prose of this book. There were times, especially at the beginning, where there were endless paragraphs of extensive descriptions that bogged down the story, but it got better over time as more action happened. The details in Saft’s writing are vivid and luscious, and help make the creepy atmosphere feel more palpable, especially in parts where such atmosphere was lacking.

At the forefront of this book is Wren, who grapples with self-acceptance and handling her own emotions. I loved how throughout the story, she also had to decide what (or who) was good for her and what she needed for her personal fulfillment. Her arc involves themes regarding emotional strength and what that actually means, especially for women whose emotions are always dictated and scrutinized. While empowering and overall well-written, sometimes those messages were too on the nose for me, to the point where it got a bit annoying. Hal’s character was also interesting to me, particularly in how he carries the weighty legacy of war and struggles to meet the desires of a people desperate for salvation. It is this that makes Down Comes the Night compelling: its study of characters being forced to grow up in the shade of war, of what is deemed monstrous and what constitutes as strength and what deserves kindness, when war has a tight grasp on your identity and your life.

One of my main issues with Down Comes the Night, though, was that I didn’t care for the romance—the book started off strong but as it began to focus more on Wren and Hal’s relationship, it fell flat for me. I honestly didn’t feel the yearning between them, and while I thought they had a great dynamic, I felt that they would have been better off as friends. (Also, this is a bit more of a me thing, but I didn’t really love the power imbalance with how Hal was a war criminal while Wren was only a healer.) Because the romance was such a significant part of the plot and I felt so indifferent about it, this unfortunately tainted my opinion of the book as a whole.

Another major issue for me was that this was marketed as a gothic fantasy, and while there were creepy gothic vibes, it definitely was not as much as I was expecting. I actually enjoyed the book a lot when it delved into some more sinister things (such as exploring the mysterious house) or took on a darker atmosphere (as it did in the beginning), but for the most part, I wanted more. And I think part of the reason why this lacked the creepier quality I was looking for was because this book kind of just went all over the place—there was an ongoing war plus people disappearing plus a mysterious mansion plus a strange sickness; the expected gothic atmosphere would have been a lot more evident if the book had felt less chaotic, in my opinion.

While Down Comes the Night doesn’t live up to everything it promises, lacking in both its romance and atmosphere, it was still relatively enjoyable for me and explored interesting ideas. I’m not sure I would recommend this, because I honestly feel more indifferent about it than any other extreme feeling, but definitely go into this book with adjusted expectations about its supposed gothic-ness if you decide to pick it up, and hopefully you will find more enjoyment in its romance—and therefore the book as a whole—than I did.

I was recommended this book by a friend and it was SO GOOD! This book is enchantingly dark, and gothic. It was an easy read mixed with magic, medicine, rumors of war, lgtbq+ characters, and longing between the love interests. We follow Wren in a journey of redemption that very soon becomes more than she expected. With war threatening on the horizon, forbidden longing and desire, and lies around every corner, Wren has to trust her heart even when it promises to doom her. The more Wren seems to unravel, the more tangled she gets in the webs spun around her. Its up to Wren and a bitter soldier-turned friend (and perhaps more) to secure to future of their kingdoms before its too late.