Wren Southerland is probably the best healer in the Queen's Guard but she's been a bit reckless with her magic so she's constantly in trouble with her superiors. When she receives a letter from a lord asking for her help to cure a servant, she only sees the opportunity to redeem herself and improve her name. But she arrives she discovers that nothing is as she imagined. The patient is actually the lord himself and he's the sworn enemy to her kingdom.
Wren is deep in snow-covered mountains and it is impossible to leave. During the time Wren and the lord, Hal Cavendish, are stuck together a romance between them blossoms. But a love between them could bring complete devastation to both their kingdoms.

If ever there was a book that one would label a gothic romance, this is it.

There's the forbidden romance, the exotic location, magic, and a young woman going through a slough of emotions.

Author Allison Saft does a tremendous job providing some moody atmosphere and creating a strong, identifiable YA main character. I really enjoyed the healing through magic, which is still tough (not just a wave of a wand), brutal, and bloody.

The dangerous, forbidden romance between Wren and Hal is stereotypical, though Saft handles it well it doesn't really rise above the many, many other forbidden romances in YA literature.

And while I liked the magic and the tone of the book, I never really got into this. I never felt strongly for any of the characters - they were all cardboard to me, moving about in a cool setting

Looking for a good book? Down Comes the Night by Allison Saft is a YA gothic romance with some good, moody atmosphere, and some great ideas, but doesn't really pull the average reader into the book.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.

I gave this a four out of five stars. I really enjoyed this story and the characters. I liked the character growth and relationships. I liked the the love between the two main characters. The mystery and the magic. If this is/was a series I would love it. I would love to read more about these characters. I can’t wait to read more by this author.

I reallllly wanted to dnf this book about 65% in but I forced myself to finish it bc mama didn’t raise a quitter 😩
Idk if it was just this book or if I’m just not that into fantasy but I just couldn’t get into it. The first chapter was great and it just went downhill for there :/

Thank you for the chance to review this book. This thriller kept me on the edge of my seat the whole time,. I really enjoyed this one.

Absolutely stunning and exhilarating from start to finish. I live for gothic novels, and Down Comes the Night is everything I could have wished for. The plot was tightly paced, and Wren and Hal are engrossing characters to follow.

What a amazing book! I feel in love with this one. The story is spectacular, all the characters are super vivid. I recommend with my heart.

Going into Down Comes the Night, I had somehow twisted my expectations to hinge more on a deeply gothic manor story and less of a magical fantasy, which was a total misconception on my part. That said, the magic was actually a really beautiful part of this story that I found myself pleasantly surprised by. unfortunately, I found some of the characters that we're supposed to be rooting for (Una, in particular) flat for the first 70% of the book, making much of it a drag to get through. I really loved that Wren is a bisexual character torn between her complicated feelings for two people, but I wanted to believe that she would really love both of these people, rather than be told that she does and expect myself to agree. For that reason, I couldn't invest myself fully in the story and found that it just wasn't a great fit for me. I think anyone who enjoyed the crisp magic of the Grisha trilogy would enjoy this story though!

This book is a truly amazing read. It is a gothic tale filled with love, darkness, and magic. Readers will feel the emotion steeped in these pages as well as connect with the characters.

What a wonderful read! I listened to the audiobook and the narrator was excellent.
It's not your typical fantasy - I love that we are dropped right into a country at war, instead of most fantasies where the protagonist is an unwilling hero who gets involved in battle.
The mix of magic and medical was also unique, and a tad gruesome at times which I loved!
I also loved the gothic feel of the mansion where Ren, our main character, is sent. I feel the book also benefitted from being told in the third person. First person narration is so common lately in YA that this felt refreshing.

This book is so far removed from my usual genre that I wasn’t sure what to expect. Surprisingly, I had a decent time reading this novel. Whilst Wren is an annoying main character, I like that her strength is her ability to empathize with others. The mystery elements of the story are not that surprising but they were well done so I enjoyed the plot. I don’t think the romance was that great; there was a strong insta-love quality to it, which wasn’t helped by Wren’s stupidity. For me, this was a quick read and not a bad book, as far as debut novels go. For those reasons, I’m giving this 2.5/5 stars (rounded to 3)!

One of my favorite reads of 2021, DOWN COMES THE NIGHT is the perfect chilly gothic fantasy romance.

I was reading by Chapter 12 and told myself that if, by Chapter 15, I’m still not interested, we’re marking it as dnf. And so I reached Chapter 15, and I still wasn’t interested.

I usually know early on if I’m not going to enjoy a book or possibly mark it as did-not-finish if the characters aren’t working for me. Either I don’t like the way they speak, the way they treat others. I also dnf early on if I don’t like the narration or if the 1st POV just doesn’t work for me. With this book it was the main character. Wren. I didn’t like her character early. I couldn’t get myself to care for what she cared for, get angry at what she was angry at. If she was interested in something, I could not get myself interested in it.

I also didn’t like the way magic and the magic system/rules were written into the book. I don’t know if there were any other magic other than healing and destructive magic. From what I read, healing magic was only to be used either in the military or in the clergy. I didn’t like that they force you into one of two roles in order for you to use magic. What’s the penalty if they catch you using magic and you’re not in the army or a nun? They kill you? That’s even more restrictive.

I liked Hal enough to try to reading (at least until 40%) but his personality didn’t shine enough to intrigue me. The plot played a disappointing factor as well. I was sort of interested in carrying on to see what the plot would shape into and how the characters played a role in it, but ultimately, it couldn’t give me the boost to carry on.

Down Comes the Night by Allison Saft, 400 pages. Wednesday Books (St. Martin’s Press), 2021. $19. LGBTQIA
Language: PG13 (19 swears, 0 “f”); Mature Content: PG13; Violence: PG13
BUYING ADVISORY: HS - OPTIONAL
AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE
Having the Healing Touch is Wren’s only redeeming quality. Her aunt, the queen, only tolerates Wren as long as she’s a useful member of the Queen’s Guard. But Wren has always let her emotions get the best of her, and her friend, Una, can’t save Wren from the consequences of her last blunder. Desperate to regain what little favor she had, Wren considers taking the biggest risk: deserting.
The premise drew me in, but annoyance with Wren’s actions nearly made me set the book down – multiple times. Saft challenges her characters and readers to consider the roles of magic versus technology, vengeance versus mercy, duty versus compassion. I liked the mental exercise of considering the viewpoints of different characters on these subjects more than enduring Wren’s wishy-washiness. The story ends well, getting there was more painful than I wanted it to be. The mature content rating is for alcohol use, innuendo, nudity, and sex. The violence rating is for gore and murder.
Reviewer: Carolina Herdegen

This book hit all the gothic vibes for the most part I wish the romance was a bit more of the focus but it was an enjoyable read

This was a low-key but nevertheless intense YA gothic fantasy with a solid enemies-to-lovers plot and mystery.
It centeres around Wren, unwanted niece of the Queen and talented healer. My favourite part of the book was how much of Wren's character development centers on her compassion and empathy, which she is repeatedly told is a flaw and something to be supressed and ashamed of. Her path towards cherishing that quality, and accepting that mercy is the harder path to take, was done lovely.
Hal was a somewhat stereotypical initial antagonist and love interest, but it was all stereotypes that work for a very well reason. I enjoyed their dynamic and the romance that developed between them.
The mystery was well executed as well.
The book wasn't action heavy. I liked the way it was written, and it wasn't lacking anything overt, but it also didn't entirely keep my attention while reading it. The politcal situation of the countries and magic system wasn't anything out of the ordinary - it didn't need to be, I think the book more relied on its overall atmosphere, but something there was missing for me. I think I would have appreciated more of the creepy horror and gothic shivers.
There is quite a bit of gore and surgical details, which made sense from Wren's background as a healer, and I greatly enjoyed those details and how they were integrated as something mundane, even if the realities are objectively gruesome they were just normal for Wren.

So I finally gave this book a try for spooky season and I made it about five chapters in before DNFing. I just wasn’t drawn to Wren and her story no matter how hard I tried to be. I might give it another shot but for since I keep putting it down and not making much progress, I’m going to walk away for now.

The title caught my attention. The writing was strong, interesting characters, but I just couldn't get into it.

I received an ARC.

I enjoyed this book so much. The gothic fantasy element and romance intrigued me so much that I'm still thinking of it. I loved the discussion of morality especially and cannot wait to read more of Allison Saft's work.

Initial Thoughts
I was a little on the fence about wanting to read this debut. It sounded good but I thought it might scare me too much.

Some Things I Liked
Complex political plot. I loved that this was so much more than just a haunted house story. The warring countries and the complexity of the different armies gave the world a richness that I really enjoyed.
Morally grey characters. Everyone was a little grey and I loved that. It made the characters feel real.
Medical themes. This book is not for readers who don’t enjoy detailed medical procedures and terminology but I do so I loved this. It was so unique and I loved that Wren is a strong and sassy lady of the sciences.
Closure as a theme. Wren spends a good chunk of the story hung up on her commanding officer and I really liked that such a large part of the romance plot was her gaining closure and learning that she deserves to find happiness again.

One Thing I Wasn’t Crazy About
Again, I find myself complaining that the ending of a stand alone felt rushed. I think it all revealed and happened too fast. I wanted more.

Series Value
I think there could be more in this world and I’d definitely read it. But, I think the best way to continue this series would be in spin offs. Wren’s story feels complete.

Final Thoughts
I thought this was going to be a story of a haunted house and I was so wrong. Don’t get my wrong, it’s spooky, dark, and a twisty mystery, but there’s so much more to this story. Don’t miss it!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

4.5 stars!

There's been a lot of buzz around Down Comes the Night and that usually portends great things. Allison Saft's debut novel certainly delivers on those promises. It's riveting and filled with unexpected moments that thrill and move you. I found myself unable to put this book down.

Out of all the things Wren Southerland is, empathy is seen as her greatest weakness. I am an empath myself and can see how it could weaken a person, but I also personally see it as one of my greatest strengths as well. I loved how no matter what, when it came time to do something, she never doubted her instincts.

Wren is truly the star of this story. I loved seeing her with Hal and how they changed each other. I truly wish there was more to the story, because while the ending is satisfactory, it doesn't feel like "The End" of Wren and Hal's journey. I also loved seeing her with Una, the deep bonds they share made me feel both happy and wretched at times.

I'm really impressed with Down Comes the Night and look forward to more goodness from Allison Saft.