Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for giving me an advanced copy of this book to read and review.

Could not for the life of me get into this story. I wanted more about the magical workings of the world but the plot was lagging too much to keep my interest.
I received an ARC of this book via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you so much to netgalley and the publisher for a copy.of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I just want to start by saying that this book is beautifully written! The author has such a way with words and is very detailed in how things are described. I felt like I was part of the book. This is something that I look for the most in a book and so many other books lack. If you love a book with great detail, then look no further!

The one issues that I could not get past was the relationship between Wren and Hals. The author did such a great job with descriptions eight from the start of this book, but that description did not continue when it came to Wren and Hal's relationship. I could have used a little more detail. I kept thinking that they just seemed more like good friends then anything else.

I definitely got the creepy vibe from this book and really enjoyed reading this!

At the beginning of this book I did not connect with Wren nor particularly like her but that changed by the end of this story. I appreciated the twists that were revealed to Wren, a couple of them were expected and a couple of them were not. Overall, this was a quick romantic, fantasy read and I am looking forward to reading more novels from Allison Saft in the future.

I thoroughly enjoyed this one and I usually am not a big fan of fantasy romance with enemies to lovers - so if that's your jam you'll want to pick this one up. Wren is trying her best but it's not good enough for everyone else - specifically, the Queen, even if they are related. As the synopsis states there are some mild LGBTQ+ elements within the book but it is more mentioned than actual scenes - same with the romance brewing between Wren and Hal. I do feel like Wren fell a little fast for Hal but... in reality, he could more or less be akin to a rebound. Honestly - I'm always here for the fantasy over the romance portion of a book and sometimes when the two are blended together one suffers.

The dark, dreary, and snowed-in mansion sets the perfect place for this story to unfold. I do wish that a little more time was spent on building the world out or explaining things a little bit better - especially for the two sides to be at war. Industry/technology versus magic is an interesting premise that deserved a little bit more page time in my opinion.

I would like to thank Wednesday Books and Allison Saft for the opportunity to read this cold and dreary - at least on the outside - fantasy romance. All opinions are my own.

This was SUCH a great YA Fantasy. I’ve been moving away from the genre recently so this was a nice reminder of just how great it can be. It was so atmospheric and the tone of the story was perfect- I felt really immersed in the story & setting. Loved the subtle LGBTQIA rep too, I liked that it was present but didn’t over explain things or make it a big deal. It was just who Wren was and no further discussion needed. And we love when a villain becomes the lover 🥹

I listened to the audiobook and I’m so glad I did! Narrator was 10/10.

Down Comes the Night by Allison Saft is a solid option in the YA fantasy genre. As the cover suggests, it has some darkish, gothic vibes. I would definitely recommend it for your TBR as a great standalone book option, which are often definitely more difficult to find in this genre.

Great gothic fantasy! I love that it’s a romance, tied with a mystery. A female lead that is all up in her feels and feels so strongly? Perfect! I just loved it even if it was a bit slow paced.

I am sorry for the inconvenience but I don’t have the time to read this anymore and have lost interest in the concept. I believe that it would benefit your book more if I did not skim your book and write a rushed review. Again, I am sorry for the inconvenience.

It took me a little bit to get into this book, but once I did I was hooked! There's magic, enemies to lovers, great characters, and wonderful writing. What's not to like?

One thing I really appreciated about the magic system Saft created is it has clear limitations and is treated more like a biological part of the character, rather than this mystical ability that no one truly understands. It made it easy to believe the magic existed and figure out how it fit in with the story. And I loved how magic and politics intermingled with the different cultures introduced in this book.

I also loved the characters. Each one was so well developed and strong in their own way. Especially the main character, Wren. It took me a few chapters to feel like I knew Wren, but once I understood her she became one of my favorite characters! I loved her mix of sass and compassion.

If you like books with political intrigue, multifaceted characters, magic, and romance, I'd recommend giving this a read. It might take you a little bit to get a feel for the story, but once it gets going I think you will enjoy it as much as I did!

DNF. Couldn't get into this book, this book just wasn't for me, sadly. Thank you for approving me and I'm sorry I didn't enjoy the book.

I'm a big fan of gothic stories. There’s just something about the setting that always gets me. And this was no different. Amazing.

I don't remember requesting this book and I was really confused because this is not the genre that I read. But that being said I was surprised by the dark setting and how amazing everything tied together

This had very interesting themes, among those, what a heritage of war and hatred do to children/people/soldiers and how often empathy is seen as a weakness when in fact it is the one important thing that can save humans from destroying themselves in senseless wars over old, long ago forgotten reasons.

Here the main character works together with her enemy to achieve peace for both their people, and I enjoyed how the plot was about going over mistrust to stop hatred and bring forth cooperation and union.

All that said, I wasn't the right audience for this book. Its high level of young adult/new adult romance angst and long winded description for the Gothic atmosphere made for slow plot advancement. Therefore three stars, but if you enjoy Young Adult Gothic romance with all the doubts and evocative, atmospheric descriptions, this might be for you.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Down Comes the Night was not much better, if anything it was the most disappointing of the the three. It presented an intriguing magic system and the plot scheduled more political than adventure like the other two. it also treaded beautifully close to horror at times. I also thought the romance was compelling, the most compelling of the three. However, the focus was split between the romantic elements and plot elements, a near constant tug between the two that kept either from really shining. They felt like two different and distinct stories that happened to share the same characters rather than one. It was disjointed and it led to a frustrating reading experience.

Down comes the night has everything for the perfect fall read. Gothic, disturbing vibes, a blooming true romance, hateful kingdoms, references to Darwin’s theory of natural selection and Frankenstein and pure magic dances with fantasy genre. This combination is an intriguingly fresh, riveting, enjoyable debut novel!

I apologize. I will not be giving a review of this book at this time. I did not read before it was archived. I appreciate the opportunity that was given. I hope this will not dissuade from offering me ARCs in the future.

I liked this book but have to say that it was very different from what I expected. I guess I made a few assumptions based on the cover that didn’t quite pan out. That’s okay because this was a very worthwhile story that was definitely worth a read. I listened to the audiobook, narrated by Saskia Maarleveld, which proved to be a great choice since she did a fabulous job with the narration.

Wren is a healer who really wants to make people feel better if it is in her power. She loses her position in her unit for not following a command and decides to take an offer to care for someone at the home of a powerful man. She hopes that her work could also help bring some peace. She finds that the man needing care is none other than the Reaper of Vesria who happens to be an enemy of her kingdom. As she gets to know Hal, she finds that he is very different than what she imagined.

I liked the characters in this book. Wren had a lot of spunk and I loved how brave and caring she proved to be. Hal had a very interesting story of his own and he was a genuinely nice guy underneath everything. I thought that they were great together and enjoyed seeing them work together to achieve their goals. This was a fantasy and I really liked the extra abilities we say in some of the characters. The mystery was incredibly well done which helped to make this a very engaging read.

Saskia Maarleveld did a fantastic job with this story. I thought that both her male and female voices were well-done and I liked the fact that she added just the right amount of emotion to her reading. I really felt like she brought this story to life and I found myself wanting to listen to it for hours at a time. I believe that her narration added to my overall enjoyment of the story.

I would recommend this book to others. I found this to be a very entertaining read with great characters, just the right amount of romance, and an interesting magic system. I do hope to read more of this author’s work in the future.

I received a digital review copy of this book from Wednesday Books via NetGalley and borrowed a copy of the audiobook from my local library.

I typically love books like this, but this one had potential to be so much more than it was. It was a decent enough novel, but was missing something and began falling flat for me.

5/5 stars

Whenever Wednesday Books sets their eARCs to “Read Now” on NetGalley, I always make sure to download at least one of their titles (because they are one of my top favorite imprints). My latest digital review copy is DOWN COMES THE NIGHT, which is pitched as a YA gothic fantasy romance.

DOWN COMES THE NIGHT does have gothic elements—the story is centered around an ancient mansion that conceals terrible secrets; the setting boasts dark and chilling (yet picturesque) scenery; the tone is one of fear, mystery, dread, and macabre terror—though I wouldn’t call this *pure* gothic fiction.

This book certainly does belong in the fantasy genre, though. We don’t know much about the world beyond Vesria, Cernos, and Danu (the three countries centered in this story), but we do get to know each country quite well. Danu and Vesria have been at war for centuries despite what their recent armistice would make you think. Meanwhile, Cernos remained neutral and spent their time being industrious—inventing new technologies, progressing medically; however, the one thing Cernos couldn’t accomplish: acquiring magic like that of their neighboring countries. Now, with Danubian soldiers suddenly disappearing (and Vesria the likely culprit), Wren must discover who is really behind the kidnappings before another war starts. Unfortunately, her reckless use of magic has cost Wren her position in the Guard. So, when a letter arrives from Cernos promising an alliance in exchange for her healing expertise, she hopes to redeem herself and potentially stop thousands of innocent lives from being lost. Overall, the plot, mystery, stakes, and ticking clock were all set up so well that the rest of the story just seemed to fall into place. The world-building (the history, the magic system, the religions, etc.), though it's actually quite simplistic, also becomes a complex entity that becomes almost as important as the characters themselves.

And, oh, the characters! I loved all of them. Especially Wren Southerland. I’ve seen some reviews saying that Wren is too eye-roll-worthy in the beginning or that her background isn’t fleshed out enough, but I disagree. I think her past and her present, and her motives, were all thoroughly explored and gave me a great sense of her character. Yes, she makes mistakes and is impulsive (especially in the first half of the book), but she learns and grows so much based on her experiences and emotions.

While DOWN COMES THE NIGHT is also pitched as a romance, the romance is actually my only criticism of the book. I simply don’t feel the chemistry between Wren and Hal. I’ve been trying to piece together why I feel this way, and what I’ve determined is that the other characters are just too strong. Hal, though he has the potential to be one of the most interesting characters, pales in comparison to Wren and Una and Isabel and Lowry (and even Hannah). Everything needed to make Hal a desirable love interest and an interesting character is technically there . . . but I still don’t feel like I truly know him. Perhaps what is lacking here has something to do with Wren’s narration or with how Wren’s romantic love for Una (yay for bi rep!) feels so overpowering.

That being said, I still enjoyed reading Wren’s POV. The writing and voice was incredible, with on-point similes and metaphors, balanced narrative techniques, and mood-setting descriptions. This book also dives into topics, such as war, love, emotion, and prejudice, so deeply that everything ties together through these themes.

In fact, I think that’s my main selling point for DOWN COMES THE NIGHT: everything comes together *so perfectly* (except the romance, in my opinion . . . though I did enjoy the “enemies-to-lovers” and “there’s only one bed” tropes). From both a reader’s and writer’s point of view, this book is a masterclass on character arc, pace, stakes, and having every little detail come together to create a satisfying story.

**Content Warnings: gore/blood, implied torture, death/murder, war, surgical procedures, kidnapping, ableist language ("hysterical," "insane," "blind(ed)," "idiot," "stupid")**

***I will post my review on Amazon and Barnes & Noble, and will update my Netgalley feedback with these links, after the title releases in March.***