The description of this book caught my eye immediately so I was so excited when I was able to read this from NetGalley!

It was really good. It was a slow pace read, but it held my attention the whole time. Wren and Hal were both complicated and interesting characters who I rooted for all the way through. Every other character was awful, but they were meant to be that way so it worked.

My only complaint is that the author got too carried away with the medical terminology. She obviously did a lot of research into anatomy and that’s really cool, but there were definitely a lot of unfamiliar medical terms popping up in analogies and descriptions that might have been unnecessary considering the regular reader won’t recognize them. But this was an ARC so maybe some of that will get trimmed back by publication time.

I’ve had a hard time trying to rate this book. I did not like the beginning of the book. In my opinion, this is just a murder mystery. There is a castle and it had the opportunity to be a gothic story but it just wasn’t.

I love the name Wren and was so excited for this book. Wren was an idiot during the beginning of the book. I guess it was the 30% mark it started to get relatively interesting. And I love the cover!

I enjoyed Wren more when she was at the castle taking care of Hal. I enjoyed the slow burn little romance but it was mostly a let down for me. I will say the ending was good and that made me happy.

I’m in the minority as most people love this book so you need to read it and make up your own mind.

*Thank you to Netgalley and Wednesday Books for a digital copy of this book.

Mel 🖤🐶🐺🐾

A gothic story rich in detail, deliciously dark and a little bit of something for everyone. Truly a book for those looking for something different, something extraordinarily and something that will keep them turning the pages coming back for more.

First off, my thanks to Netgalley and Wednesday Books for providing me with a copy for review.

This book would've been the perfect read on a cold, stormy night cuddled in a blanket with a mug of hot chocolate. As it was, I read this book in the middle of summer, but it definitely did not impact my enjoyment of this novel. Down Comes the Night is a young adult novel that is full of emotion, strong characters, and a heroine who manages to be strong-willed yet vulnerable at the same time. I definitely got some elements of Beauty and the Beast that were flipped on their heads.

Wren Southerland, the main character, is constantly reminded of her failures by nearly everyone in her life. She sees a chance to redeem herself when in invitation comes to a secluded mansion to heal the lord of the mansion's favorite servant. Ignoring the advice of those around her, she accepts the invitation, only to find out that the person she's meant to heal is Hal Cavendish, her country's enemy. As the events of the novel unfold, Wren and Hal are forced to work together to get to the bottom of a mystery involving both of their countries. As they continue to work together, they realize their feelings for each other are more complicated than they'd first expected them to be.

What I really enjoyed about this novel was the setting. It felt like we were visiting Victorian England , if Victorian England were plopped in the middle of a fantasy world. Some people are gifted with magic while others are not, and that magic can take the form of many different things, from healing to causing immense pain. The world truly felt real. I think readers are in for a treat come March 2, 2021, when Down Comes the Night is released. Fans of young adult, magic, strong characters, and gothic settings will devour this book, and I highly recommend!

This book gripped me from page one. I quickly fell in love with both Wren and Hal. Down Comes the Night is amazing. One of my favorite reads of the year.

Sometimes I request books on Netgalley and I'm not too certain what compelled me... and then they turn out to be real gems! (Could I be 'book psychic' ?!) Anyway, just saying I was pleasantly surprised by this title.

Saft's world-building is first-rate, the characters were well rounded (well maybe with the exception of Una and Isabelle, but they are pretty secondary). Dark, gruesome, and pretty darn sexy, I'm hoping this is the first in series so we can see what Wren and Hal get up to next.

I think one of the things I most liked about the novel is that it didn't necessarily read as YA, this is gritty, real and I appreciate not being coddled as a reader.

I look forward to seeing what Saft has in the works!

Wren has healing magic, but her superiors feel her emotions make her too reckless. Her aunt, the queen and a woman who has no love for Wren, pulls her from military duty Wren choose to accept a mysterious letter from a reclusive lord asking her to come heal one of his patients. But her patient isn't who she expects. Instead he's her country's sworn enemy and she doesn't know if she can trust the dramatic lord of Colwick Hall. Not to mention the mysterious groans and screams she hears in the night that can't be the wind. The mountains and snow storms keep her trapped at the mansion, but investigating leads to her to a sinister plot that could destroy everything she longs for.

I enjoyed the mix of fantasy and gothic mystery surrounding Colwick Hall. The romance also added tension and stakes to the mystery. Those who love enemies-to lovers-romances will enjoy this one. The story pits magic against science at times in a way that added some interesting elements to certain characters and I liked the way the story kept me guessing about the lord.

My biggest regret about this one is not reading it during the winter to really get into the snowy atmosphere surrounding the mountains. It would be such a cozy winter read with a hot drink.

I received an eARC of this book in return for an honest review.

This book wasn't quite what I expected (for some reason the description and cover made me think it would be a little... spookier?) but I enjoyed reading it. The main characters were intriguing and believable, the plot was suspenseful if a bit forced in places, and I liked the consistent writing style. I wish the romance had taken up a little less time and there had been a little more fantasy and worldbuilding, but I can also see a lot of readers really liking the romance.

There were a couple plot points that pulled me out of the story. Of course, it's a fantasy novel - some suspension of disbelief is required - but that didn't really apply to a couple of choices made by the characters. There was one choice a character made near the end that I felt was really forced in order for the plot to proceed, and I didn't think it was foreshadowed or earned. There were also a couple parts that felt a little tropey (oh no! we're in an inn and there's only one bed!) that sort of made me roll my eyes. But it was cute, and again, will probably appeal to many readers.

As Saft says in her dedication, this truly is a book for all the girls who feel too much. I loved brave, smart, ridiculous Wren so much. The book has a haunting Gothic feel to it and truly creeps you out at times. Enemies to lovers is my absolute fav relationship trope and this book does is wonderfully. The tension between them is palpable and I love every bit of it.

(8/15/2020) Thank you Netgalley for granting my wish and providing this e-ARC! (5 stars)

Down Comes the Night is an incredible, eerie, edge of your seat, heart wrenching tale of a girl who can't help but feel an incredible amount of emotion. Wren Southerland is the star healer of the kingdom of Danu and the niece of the Paper Queen, Isabel. Always chastised for feeling too much, Wren finds herself in sticky situations because she cannot suppress her compassionate heart. The novel starts out in one of these situations where Wren goes against a direct order from her superior officer, best friend, and former lover, Una, and decides to heal a captured prisoner who then is able to escape. Wren's punishment? A banishment to the abbey and the contempt of her aunt. The events that follow are Wren's journey of self-acceptance, forgiveness, and her fight for what's right.

Saft presents three kingdoms, Danu, Cernos, and Vesria. Cernos serves as the Switzerland (aka neutral) land while Danu and Vesria are rival kingdoms. While they are currently at peace, Danu and Vesria's shaky truce is being threatened by Danu's string of missing soldiers, including Una and Wren's friend Byers. While Danu and Vesria both have denizens "blessed" with magic, Cernos is a magic-less land, which presents an interesting motive for the story's antagonist.

Saft has created an interesting magic system, one that is woven together with real life science and physiology. Throughout the novel, we see Wren use actual medical terms when she heals others. The magic is described as particles (fola) that activate on receptors, grounding this magic as a real world possibility.

The antagonist identity and motivations are predictable but that is not a bad thing. If an author weaves a story that lays clues in pointing towards a certain character and that comes true, it means the author did their job. Not everything has to be shocking. The tension was still incredibly palpable and I was stressed out as the story progressed.

Saft presented two contrasting romances for Wren. The first was Wren and Una, shown to be Wren's first, puppy love. Unfortunately it doesn't work out for them due to Una's loyalty to her post and her duty. It's fine though because Una's treatment of Wren infantalized her, suffocated her, and allowed for no room for growth. She constantly defended Wren instead of letting her stand up for herself, talked down to her for being emotional, and pushed her to become a colder person. Essentially, Una pushed for Wren to become someone she wasn't nor wanted to be. In contrast, we have Wren's sworn enemy providing her with the understanding and acceptance she always wanted and deserved. It comes as a surprise to Wren that she and her enemy have more in common than they thought. Both being used as tools of war, both negatively affected by it and driven by loyalty to their countries. The exploration of the romance also showcases the ravages of war, the propaganda that is used to motivate loyal subjects into dying for the cause, and the injustices the normal citizens face due to the pride and posturing of royals.

Now I'll move onto my fangirly feels about the romance. THE YEARNING. THE PINING. THERE'S ONLY ONE BED. STAR-CROSSED LOVERS. I'm not gonna lie, I felt a lot of *cough* a certain Star Wars ship *cough* in this couple, and I absolutely loved it. Certain aspects also reminded me of Air Awakens by Elise Kova (namely the magic tether and the man being seen as an unfeeling monster - don't worry I LOVE that angsty feelie stuff). Who isn't weak for an enemies to lovers romance and a man that deems himself unworthy of love because of the things he's done? The best part is that Wren is a heroine with a big heart that doesn't absolve him of his crimes. Instead, both Wren and her LI are all for accountability. He wants to stop the coming of another war, and do whatever he can to fix the wrongs between their two countries. I. LOVE. IT. Thank you Saft for giving this character that chance. Thank you for not doing a cliche redemption arc (which I won't define what my cliche redemption arc is to avoid spoilers).

I love Saft's writing and she successfully created a creepy, atmospheric gothic setting. And who doesn't love a scary haunted, house headed by a recent recluse?

I think this novel is fantastic, entertaining, and deeply romantic. I thought I knew what I was getting into but I was treated to even more. Saft says she based this story on a crackship from Naruto and I have a guess as to what it is but if that isn't enough to make this a five star read, the story stands for itself. What an incredible read.

This fantasy/romance is very atmospheric with a cold, dark Gothic vibe. Multiple mysteries keep the action moving. Add in intrigue, an enemies-to-lovers romance, a creepy castle with an unsettling host and an MC with all of the feelings for a adventurous debut novel.

Two countries, Danubia and Vesria each have magic. Magic that's allowed them to war with each other for generations. A third neutral country, Cernos has no magic so it's forced to develop technology instead.

Wren is empathetic, emotional and constantly in disgrace. She's also an incredibly talented healer with the Royal Guard and is constantly trying and failing to prove her worth to her aunt, Danubia's cold, merciless queen

After several career-ending mistakes, Wren receives an offer she can't but should refuse. Journey to a Cernos nobleman's remote castle, Colwick Hall, to heal a servant. In return, Lowry offers to help Wren set things right with the Queen.

Wren arrives to discover, unsurprisingly, that things are not exactly what she'd been told to expect. And now the weather has her trapped in a castle with an eccentric nobleman whose servants keep dying mysteriously. And the servant she was brought to heal? None other than Hal Cavendish, the Reaper of Vesria,

I enjoyed the development of the relationship between Wren and Hal, from enemies, to friends to coconspirators and lovers was sweetly satisfying.

For fans of Shelby Mahurin's Serpent & Dove duology.

This book was a delightful enemies-to-lovers set in a super creepy Gothic manor. I loved how it blended fantasy/mystery/romance into one plot. The characters felt totally fleshed out, and the enemies-to-lovers pairing had actual reasons to hate each other. I'll definitely be recommending this one. Also one of my favorite covers! Can't wait to get the hard copy.

A fresh, brilliantly told narrative! Allison Saft does not disappoint with her debut. Characters you connect to instantaneously, prose that transports you to a glorious new world. I really enjoyed this one!

I enjoyed the story of this book very much. The atmosphere is overall very grim, especially in the old manor with a mysterious illness, narrow and ominous corridors and creepy sounds at night. It was dark and disturbing and I loved it! The setting - Colwick Hall - has all the feels of a gothic mansion. It reminded me of Crimson Peak and also of Jane Eyre, nevertheless, the owner of the house, Lord Alistair Lowry, was no Mr. Rochester. He is rich, mysterious but also very creepy.

The kingdoms of Danubia and Vesria have magic while the third country, Cernos, relies on technology. It reminded me of 19th century Europe and the Industrial Revolution. In Cernos they have electricity (in some places), steamboat and train are mentioned, as well as means of transport without horses. I always love books with contrasts, whether it is a case of different believes or magic versus science. I loved that Wren did not rely solely on magic but took the scientific route. The medicinal or anatomical descriptions were super interesting and refreshing. I was delighted to read them. I praise this magic system which has its limitations. It takes its toll on magic users, which is something that I deeply enjoy in books. I do not like it when everything is possible with magic, because magic should always have its price.

I fell in love with Hal Cavendish, Reaper of Vesria, very quickly. He is an interesting character and love interest. Wren´s dilemma to heal him or kill him seemed thought through and very well written. It was captivating to read how she and Hal started to question their beliefs and understand each other. I loved the slow burn romance between them. The nursing-back-to-health trope was a treat. I enjoyed all their talks and also the scene with one bed at the inn! Marvelous! I rooted for them from the start.

I wish we got more information about all the three countries and their history. Plus more time to explore the whole world. Plus I personally found the mystery within Down Comes the Night to be fairly predictable. I knew what is happening early on.

Overall, it´s a great atmospheric book full of tension, likeable MCs and plot that will keep you on your toes.

Special thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press/ Wednesday Books for sharing this exciting ARC with me in exchange my honest opinions.

Ahhh! Oh my goodness, I absolutely adored this book. "A healer torn between duty and her heart, a solider broken by his crimes, and a darkness that threatens to consume them"---I mean come on! That premise alone made me feel all the feels!! From the first page to the very end, I was totally captivated. The gothic mystery aspect kept me guessing and I really loved seeing the Enemies to lovers trope come to life in this story--that's one of my favorites! I thought Allison Saft did an amazing job of crafting a richly emotional and powerful story, full of heart and suspense and enough mystery to keep you turning the pages long into the night! A truly wonderful debut!

The beginning of this book almost had me dnf. But I am glad I stuck with it. About 1/3 of the way through the story picks up and you finallyike Wren as a character. The whiny baby stops and some growth happens. While I think the book is great and I will definitely buy it the synopsis did nothing to tell me what the book was actually about.

I really loved this dark and twisty book!
The world building and characters were so great. I.also loved the enemies to livers romance this book has!
Thank you so much NetGalley for this arc!

Thank you to Wednesday Books via NetGalley for the wish-granted early read of Down Comes the Night by Allison Saft.

Overall this is a decent standalone? fantasy/romance, and seems to be pretty YA appropriate.

Overall this is a decent standalone? fantasy/romance, and seems to be pretty YA appropriate. The advertised age range is 13-18 on Amazon and I can see that.  The description gives away the first couple huge plot twists though, so there's that.

Let's start with the world building. The religious and political bits are pretty well explained, even the military structure, but the humanitarian bits are totally missing. Saft mentioned pollution and a black river multiple times but hardly mentions the industry causing it at all. (A train and steamboat are mentioned). What's causing all that pollution? Factories? When asked about what Danu holds over Cernos (strong with technology), all they ever say is Magic. Is the industry stronger? Steam or iron? Why neglect this and just say "magic"? Also how do the people feel in the city? What do they eat even? The world was flat.  Vesria and Cernos were both better described than Danu. On a micro level though, the Colwick house was described excellently, ominous and dark and huge, and so was the North Tower.  I thought all those clocks were a pretty chilling touch!

The plot is fairly well done with a war between two countries that seems mostly based on lies and a generations old power struggle. Why are they really fighting though? I couldn't find any real good reason except religious differences and some contested land of which the value was never mentioned. It just seemed like needless killing. The plot kept moving at a solid pace. I did skim quite a bit where the main character was just endlessly pining over another character.

As far as content, the most they ever actually do is kiss and make out and I THINK there was off page intercourse, but I wasn't sure. Either way there is so. Much. Pining.

The actual action and plot kept moving along pretty quickly though. The action was fairly steady, with plenty of suspense and even a murder mystery involved. Lots of close calls, narrow escapes, murders and poisoners, even a dastardly political plot. The book reminded me of Stalking Jack the Ripper.... Just a little bit.

As far as the characters, I do like Wren and Hal. I think if Saft was going to leave those two together there wasn't much point in doing the whole Una thing, but it did give Wren something to keep working towards even if the relationship was horrible. I didn't like how Una kept belittling her, like right or wrong she was just being mean. I don't understand the collarbones thing either, I guess we will soon find out how many fans have collarbone fixations. Wren is wishy washy and kind of an idiot but it was interesting watching her grow as a character. Hal was just sad but seemed to have a much older view of the world than his age.

I loved all the medical bits, I think the author almost has to be somewhere in the medical field. Some of the medical analogies were a stretch or just weird, but I enjoyed it all the same. This is where the SJtR comparison came from. My only real issue was ..... If a corpse has been expired, you really cant draw blood from it. That was the only thing that didn't make sense. Magical healers are one of my favorite fantasy things though.

Anyway: yes I would recommend this to those who enjoy fantasy romance, enemies to lovers, and aren't bothered by some light homosexual content. I am kind of hoping this ends up being a duology or trilogy. When not picking it apart it's a solid read, although I hope a few of the plot holes get shored up in the final version. 3.5 rounded up to four stars.  The book comes out in March so there's plenty of time to preorder or request on NetGalley if anyone wants to read it sooner!

Thank you again to Wednesday Books for my early copy! All opinions are my own




***just for NetGalley there is a spoiler under this line that I truly don't understand*****





Here it is the biggest plot hole: when Wren was talking to the queen and Una about Lowry, and the queen didn't believe he had attacked Danu troops... WTF Byers' corpse was sitting in the basement. Why not just walk them down there? Why not show Una? For all the bitching and needling and complaining and self loath she has over Byers, they totally neglected his corpse once Wren found him. Huge oversight IMO.

The idea of sitting down to write this review makes me want to pick this book up all over again to reread instead. I binged it in about three hours the first time around, staying up until gone midnight just to find out what happened.

And yes, the sleep deprivation the next morning was so worth it.

Down Comes the Night follows Wren, a healer in the Queen’s Guard who, wanting to prove herself to her aunt, the Queen, travels to help a reclusive lord in healing his servant of a mysterious illness. Only the servant is in fact the Prince of the country that Wren’s is at war with. Meanwhile, soldiers from both of their armies are going missing and they are forced to work together to solve the mystery.

This book contains one of my favourite tropes: enemies to lovers who are forced to work together to resolve some problem. For me, that works way better than enemies to lovers alone, because it forces the characters into proximity to one another and makes the breaking down of their animosities much more believable. Which was the case here, for sure. I loved the development between Hal and Wren, going from enemies to reluctant collaborators to lovers. It felt realistic and believable (and also was the driving force behind me wanting to read this book in the first place).

And they are, predictably, the reason I loved it quite so much. The mystery is fairly simple, and none of the twists all that surprising (not in themselves real problems, I grant, but I usually care more about that than here), but I loved the book for its main characters and their relationship. I would read any number of further books about Hal and Wren (just saying, Ms. Saft).

Beyond the characters, I also loved that this was a fantasy world without homophobia. I’ve read way too many that are, if not outright homophobic, then entirely heteronormative, but that was not the case here. It’s clear from the start that no one bats an eyelid and that is my favourite kind of fantasy to read.

The only thing is, I think I massively erred in reading it so early. Because now all I can do is beg you all to think about reading it… in 7 months' time.

A really fun and interesting read. I had an enjoyable time reading this and it held my attention the entire way through that I finished it within the day! I enjoyed every page and thought that the plot/story was very unique. Would recommend to anyone!