✧ non- spoiler review: down comes the night

〝 “𝗠𝗮𝘆𝗯𝗲 𝗜’𝗺 𝘄𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗴,” 𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗮𝗶𝗱 𝗽𝗲𝗻𝘀𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗹𝘆. “𝗜 𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀 𝗜 𝘄𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗸𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗳𝗼𝗿. 𝗕𝘂𝘁 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗵𝗮𝗽𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀—𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗹𝘆 𝗱𝗿𝗶𝘃𝗲𝘀 𝘂𝘀—𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀 𝘄𝗲 𝘄𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗱𝗶𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿.” 〞

𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤: down comes the night
𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫: allison saft
𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠: ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰/5

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𝐦𝐞𝐥’𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬:
this book had a refreshing take on mixing up genres and the synopsis completely had me sold! however, i truly didn’t expect it to really follow more of a murder mystery plot, which is not really my cup of tea per say. nonetheless, i really enjoyed reading this gothic fantasy of two protagonists who are sworn enemies being stuck in a mansion to uncover hidden secrets. the build up of the world was creatively written to say the least. down comes the night really expanded and allowed me to step out of my usual reading comfort zone. the slow burn, enemies to lovers relationship between wren southerland and the swoon worthy hal cavendish really ignited my interest. i appreciated how it wasn’t the center of the plot as where the magic properties and the kingdoms were immensely intriguing. i really loved the bi representation with our mc wren and overall, her personality trait of empathy really stood out to me because i could align myself with her and the constant question of whether or not do her emotions make her weak.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for this digital arc in exchange for an honest review! ᵕ̈

trigger warnings: murder, gore

Thankyou for a copy of this book. It took a little while to get into the book, but once Hal and Wren met I was hooked. I felt it was lacking the gothic themes I was hoping for based on the setting; however, I know my students will enjoy the action and the romance.

I did not finish - I have tried reading this book on multiple occasions and just could not get into it.

This is an atmospheric tale that absolutely enchanted me. A romantic fantasy with gothic vibes and a beautiful writing style, DOWN COMES THE NIGHT is an utterly engaging read.

Two pages in and I couldn't read anything else. That's just impressive. I had to return all my other library books so I could read this. The characters of Wren and Hal were so well done that they truly felt like real people. I adored their relationship. The end was pretty good too -- and I usually hate the ending of books I've really liked. Also got to say I love all the casual but wonderfully well done rep in this book. I've finished another book since reading this and yet I still can't stop thinking about it.

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, and Wednesday Books for providing me with an e-arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this book and have no idea why it took me one and a half weeks to finish it, but anyway... wren is honestly the sweetest and one of my favorite fantasy MC's because it's so refreshing to see someone who remains considerate and caring until the end (not to say I don't like corruption arcs, but they're usually not done that well??). Wren and Una's relationship was also written really well (especially near the end), and I love love love wrenhal.  I do know this was entirely wren's book, but I wish there had been more exploration into Hal's, Una's, and Isabel's past. Lowry was a great villain because he was the true polar opposite of Wren, and I thought his vibes were sexy, so I liked him. Overall, a really good read that I'm glad I checked out.

This is another book that I read super fast. I was drawn into the story so quickly. Okay, fine, I’ll be honest, I was already likely to love the story because Wren is a magical healer and I play clerics about 95% of the time when I play D&D, so healing is an interest of mine, and I love seeing how healing magics work in various fantasy worlds.

There was more political intrigue than I originally expected with this book, and I enjoyed it. Because obviously when you’re trying to figure out a mysterious illness while being stuck in an eerie, creepy, seemingly haunted house…obviously there’s some mystery and intrigue going on.

Within this story you will find romance and magic and mystery and politics and war…and it’s just a really interesting time. I think this was the book that started to pull me out of my reading slump a few months ago, a slump that surged up again after some bookternet drama and some stuff going on at home.

But, if this book got me out of my slump, then maybe it will intrigue you enough to get you up and reading. Then again, I can also see how this book could be entertaining in a way that leads to a book slump. That’s an interesting dilemma, to want to talk about a book because I found it to be really really good, but also knowing that it could lead to a dreaded reading slump because of not knowing what to pick up next.

Sorry, I wanted to write a better and more cohesive review for this book, but I’m not having an easy time focusing right now.

So I’ll just say that I enjoyed the characters, the atmosphere, the creepy setting, the mystery of it all…and if I had any complaints it’s that this book came out in the spring when the haunted house feeling makes me feel like this should have been a fall book. Is that really a complaint? I don’t know, but that’s a thought I have about this. I’m probably going to read this book again soon enough…and I’ll actually be starting Allison Saft’s next book pretty soon, because I was just approved for it on NetGalley, so I’m really excited.

THIS IS HOW TO DO A STANDALONE!
This book accomplished it all; a story that was perfectly balanced and had characters connections, backgrounds and stories fully connected to the story while also separate. In addition, we had complicated relationships and political debates with war and other countries. Down comes the night gave me everything with my lgbtq+ representation (bisexual/pansexual characters that I identify with), alliances, magic AND science. God, this was a blessing!

I just got approved for Allison Saft's next book, Far wilder magic, and I am ecstatic now!
P.s I would like to thank my friend Taylorreads because they got me to buy this book (life got in the way of reading it for a while after my arc expired), but I trusted their HIGH praise, and it was so correct!

I am a sucker for books in the same realm as Down Comes the Night. You don't even know.

AND ENEMIES TO LOVERS I MEAN YES PLEASE AND THANK YOU. The Victorian energy, bi rep, and BROODING LOVE INTEREST made me feel like this book was written just for me. Because it is everything I'm weak for.

Saft does an amazing job crafting a tale that sucks me in and makes me feel like I'm cozied up in a chair with a blanket in front of a fire in a cottage in the English countryside. It's one of those books that I will go to over and over again because of the overall experience I had reading it. The imagery is second to none.

Saft became an insta-buy author for me with this book.

I was pleasantly surprised by just how much I enjoyed this book. I really liked the characters, the setting, the worldbuilding, the pacing, and the way it was written.

Was super excited for this book. I’m a big fan of gothic novels. While I adored the setting and the atmosphere, I could get past the medical jargon. It confused me quite a bit and was distracting from the story.

okay okay, this book was amazing! i am loving this gothic novel story trend that has been taking over the ya genre.
the atmosphere in this book was so vivid and lush. i could get lost in this book again and again. Saft's prose is so lovely.
this standalone wrapped up very nicely and definitely left me satisfied for sure.
i loved wren and hal with all my heart. the romance in this was fantastic.
i loved the worldbuilding and the different kingdoms and all their different elements.
overall a fantastic read. i will definitely be reading anything that Allison Saft writes in the future.

↠ 5 stars

This book was every gothic-lover and fantasy-obsessed reader's dream. This is one of those books that I wish I could read again for the first time it was that good.
The author built up a very good enemies-to-lovers trope and while that is a very common trope in books nowadays, it didn't feel overused or too predictable. In fact, there were only a couple of plot twists that I could figure out but even then, the book still kept me going. Now on to probably my favorite part of the novel. The gothic aspect. This book made me realize how much I love the gothic aesthetic and how many more gothic YA novels I want to read. This is a realtivey new genre for YA books (in my opinion) and lately I have been seeingmore and more come out. I cannot wait to read more books similiar to this one, but I do not know if any of them will quite measure up to this one.
The characters were also very well written. They are in fact polar oposites, or so it seems. Hal appears to be a emotionless killer while Wren seems to be so emotinal she never seems to make the right decisions. However as the book progresses you see that there is more to each character than first meets the eye. While there emotional state may at first appear to be each of their own weaknesses, that changes throughout the book, and all is not what it seems.
This was easily a five star read. It was so beautifully written and the descriptive language in the book was so well done. I have not read a book this good in a long time. I cannot wait to see what elese Saft does in the future.

Wren Southerland is a talented magical healer attached to the army of the country of Danu. She is also the niece of Queen Isabel, although due to her illegitimate status, her aunt appears to dislike her intensely. Danu is at war with neighboring Vesria, and when Wren’s compassion for an injured enemy soldier allows him to escape, the queen banishes her to the convent where she was originally trained in healing. While there she receives an invitation from Alistair Lowry, of the neutral nation of Cernos, asking her to use her skills to heal one of his servants. Leaving the convent against the queen’s orders, she finds that her patient is actually one of the most feared magical killers of the Vesrian army. As time passes, however, she finds that what is happening is more complicated than she could ever have realized - that her patient may not be the monster she thought him to be and that Lord Lowry is playing a far deeper and more dangerous game than his outward appearance as an amiable dilettante would suggest. The two enemies must join forces to save their respective countries from escalating warfare, even if it means giving up the feeling that has slowly grown between them.

Although it had a bit of a slow start, the book eventually hit its stride and I found Wren, Hal, and Wren’s commanding officer and dear friend Una to be strong, complex characters. Secondary characters like Queen Isabel, Lord Lowry, and his housekeeper Hannah were also well-drawn. The book also deals, while still having an engrossing plot, with serious issues like friendship and betrayal, the lies those on opposite sides of a conflict are told about each other to demonize the “enemy,” and the importance of strong feelings and empathy, which Wren has spent most of her life fighting as weaknesses but by the end of the book comes to realize are strengths which give her a needed perspective that is otherwise lacking.

I received a copy of Down Comes the Night from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I was unable to finish reading this before it was archived, so bear that in mind as I submit this review. I plan to finish it with my own copy soon! It is doing well circulating in the library collection.

Down Comes the Night drew me in with the cover art, and then the premise as I read the summary. I did enjoy the 50% I was able to read! I enjoyed the atmosphere and the gothic elements of the story, and it was suspenseful and kept me on the edge of my seat at points! I also appreciated the bi-rep in the book, as it's not that common in gothic romances.

I was honestly expecting a lot of great things from this book. It was being touted as an amazing gothic romance with lgbtq+ rep. I admit to being a bit disappointed. I don't feel like the rep was done very well, and while the book was atmospherically dark, it fell short on gothic appeal. The story itself I think was very basic, and predictable, and had the requisite happy ending (which I normally love- but my overall feeling of eh for this book sort of marred my enjoyment).

I read this awhile ago and it was alright... not sure if I was in the right mood for it at the time of reading but I did like it. Just wasn't anything spectacular compared to other books I was reading at the time. It has been circulating nicely though in my library system and overall people seem to have enjoyed it!

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!