I was so excited when I saw that this book was temporarily on the read now section of NetGalley. This was one of my most anticipated books of 2021 and so I couldn't pass up the chance to get to read and review it early. Let me just say, it did not disappoint! This is a very strong debut that works within the conventions of gothic and mystery novels to create an enchanting story that draws the reader in.

So much of the strength of this book is its ability to build tension in the dark, cold, lonely atmosphere the author has masterfully created. The first 20% or so is slow, but after that, once the plot truly kicks in, the book never lets up. The tension and masterful timing of each intricate piece of information's reveal had me unable to put this book down. I read the first 20% or so over many days in short bursts, the last about 80% I read in one go through one day because I just didn't want to stop, I had to see where it was going.

The dynamic relationship from enemies to reluctant allies to I'd die for you without thinking twice, wait when did that happen? between Henry and Wren was so good. The initial tension slowly bleeding away as they get more comfortable together but also being still so tense because they refuse to think the other might share their same goals. Their relationship keeps the reader on their toes until the very end as to exactly how anything is going to pan out. The representation of a bisexual main character,

Wren, whose bisexuality is made evident throughout the book, and her bisexuality isn't minimized by the fact that she ends up in a relationship with a man is definitely an important piece of representation because it isn't often seen. Wren's relationship with Una and her relationship with Henry are shown to be so different from each other, for good reason, but neither is viewed as less important or valid. 

Wren and her aunt's journey from mutual hate to mutual understanding was something I didn't see coming based on Isabel's actions throughout the novel, but it also showed that women in power are stronger when they allow other women close to them rather than pushing away anyone who could make them seem less coldly professional.

<i>*This book was given to me by NetGalley in return for an honest review*</i>
The premise of this spooky gothic horror/fantasy had a lot going for it, but I'll admit, I struggled with this one. I thought the medical spin was well written and the dynamic love/friendship with Wren and Una felt believable. The story dragged for me and I struggled to connect with the characters, I wish that there was more time of Wren sneaking through the castle, hearing ghostly moans as that's where the story peaked for me. Overall, I thought I was going to get a haunted, creepy love story, but in the end, I got zero spooks. 2.5 stars

This book has got a complex magic system, extensive historic and political world building, warring nations, a murder mystery angle, a kind of love triangle and family drama.

This should have been right up my alley. I love gothic stories, especially when it’s sold as a love story as well, but this was disappointing. I found it extremely hard to engage with the story beyond the character interactions. I also didn’t find it very gothic. I couldn’t read it beyond 10% at a time without zoning out or desperately wanting to skim and skip pages. I actually ended up taking a break from it because it was so sluggish and I generally just lost interest at the 50% mark (but kept going to the end due to having an e-ARC). All I can really say is Down Comes the Night lacked the allure that books of this kind tend to evoke adoration.

I’ll go on to the good stuff: I was pleasantly surprised by how medically and biologically orientated the roots of this story were. It was very reminiscent to and will likely go down a treat with fans of Stalking Jack the Ripper, combined with the role of the Grisha Corporalki healer.

Wren was a decent and likeable character. As was Hal. Their interactions were the most enjoyable part of the book for me. And I definitely feel Wren’s bisexuality is positively portrayed, to the point it’s probably one of the book’s best accomplishments. The love triangle dynamic between Wren, Hal and Una actually reminded me of Kristoff’s Nevernight’s Mia, Tric and Ash. So that was verrrry nice.

The on page sex scene toward the end of the book was also enjoyable (sue me). It wasn’t particularly explicit, but it certainly wasn’t implied either. You know what’s happening and I was all the happier for it (sue me, again).

I’m sure many bookworms will like Down Comes the Night. Sadly for me it tried way too hard to be a bit of everything, with the subsequent result being an extremely overloaded story that made it very hard for me to want to pick it back up again.

I made it to just over 50% and I am so bored I have to give up. I'm really bummed because it held such promise. I was really gripped by Una and Wren's relationship and storyline, then Wren gets to the mansion and it just really lagged for me. I wasn't intrigued at all with the relationship between Wren and, we'll just call him the illness-stricken man. I just found the pacing lost me to the point that I'm bored by the prospect of continuing. Bravo for a bisexual character, though!

a massive thank you to netgalley and the publishers for giving me an earc of this book in exchange for an honest review!

to start with, this book was incredible. it was a joy to read and throughout i struggled to put it down. i instantly fell in love with both wren and hal – they're both such well developed characters and each relatable in their own ways. i loved the setting of this book – though it was clearly inspired by the victorian era it remained unique, and i'd happily read more set in this world saft has created.

the romance between wren and hal has almost everything i want in a romance, and saft's clever use of fanfiction tropes such as enemies to lovers, sickfics and more only made me love wren and hal further. despite wren and hal's arguably being the novel's most important relationship, i was also invested in the relationship between wren and una, and i loved una's appearances in the book, though i have to say some of them broke me slightly.

i'll admit that perhaps some elements of the plot of down comes the night were predictable, but for me that was entirely made up for by the strength of the characters. i would genuinely do anything for wren, hal and una.

all in all, i was thoroughly invested in the characters and the world throughout – i loved this book. i'm so excited for it to be released to the world and for other people to be able to experience saft's richly imagined world and wonderfully created characters.

content warnings: detailed descriptions of medical procedures, implied torture, gore, murder, poisoning

This is a book that seems exactly like my kind of book. It promised goth vibes, magic, romance, and adventure. Unfortunately, I had the hardest time getting into this book.

I think I just never really bought in to Wren’s personality and ended finding her pretty cringe worthy. To be honest, I had to DNF this book. I only got to about 30% but it was like a chore having to pick it back up again.

I can see this potential for some readers, unfortunately, it wasn’t for me.

This review is a little late in the making, but GODDAMN did I love this book.

From the very beginning of reading the description, I was hooked, and if it wasn't for the fact that I was alternating between reading two other books at the time, I would have devoured this one right up.

A mysterious large castle / estate nestled in a snowy tundra with a dark yet eccentric lord? Noises in the dark and countless mysteries to be discovered? Frozen lands making it impossible to leave? It gives off a refreshing Crimson Peak feeling, but it is so much more than that.

Neighboring kingdoms in a never-ending war? A unique magic system? A beautifully crafted world with rich histories and realistic portrayal of the political positions that rule?

And then there's the romance . Mutual pining between best friends that are forbidden to act upon such feelings due to their positions in their country's military. Then the enemies to lovers romance that comes later through a nicely-packed slow burn as Wren and Hal find themselves trapped within Colwick Hall; with only one another to depend on and trust.

From start to finish, this book is stunning, and such a delight to read. The characters are all realistically flawed and crafted together in a way that you can find yourself empathizing with even some of the worst of them. There's so many small conflicts and obstacles to overcome that it kept me on my toes the entire time reading it, but neither did it feel as if it was too packed.

If I had any complaint about this book, is that I wished it was longer, or the story was split between a sequel. There was so much in this world, that I found myself wishing that there was more time to slow it down and appreciate the world more. Saft did a beautiful job weaving so much into this single book, but I just wanted more

Thank you for giving me the opportunity to read an ARC of this exciting and fun YA fantasy!

Overall, I really enjoyed Down Comes the Night. It's a YA fantasy novel set against a backdrop of warring nations, and the main character, Wren, comes from the royal family of one of those nations, Danu, and possesses powerful healing magic. Danu and its enemy Vesria both have magic, while their neighboring country, Cernos, does not, but instead has used science instead of magic to get ahead. I really loved the mixture of fantasy elements and science elements, and I thought it made the world feel very rich and real. I also very much enjoyed getting to know Wren and watch her struggle with herself and her relationships throughout the book. The relationships Wren forms with other characters, especially her friend and first love Una, are extremely deep and I enjoyed watching those relationships develop and change.

The one thing that bothered me a little was that the main romance in the book between Hal and Wren felt a little too contrived, and I felt that there were too many romance parts for the kind of novel that this was trying to be. I absolutely don't mind romance, but I felt that here it detracted a bit from the rest of the plot. I also felt that the plot twists were also a bit too obvious, and I wasn't at all surprised by the ending. I don't mind straightforward plots or obvious endings, but I don't like it when I feel like the author is trying for plot twists and not quite hitting the mark.

Definitely an enjoyable read, though, and I'd certainly recommend it to fans of YA fantasy!

Five stars for Down Comes the Night. The characters are lovable, the mystery was captivating, and the romance was an amazing slow burn. It took a while for me to get into it, but once I did, I couldn’t put it down! I can’t wait to see what Saft does next!

YA fantasy meets Frankenstein. I didn't know that was something I needed in my life, but it absolutely is.

The first few chapters I was a little bit hesitant. It didn't quite seem to fit the cover or gothic description and it was difficult to pin down exactly where the world was, (at first the magic made me picture middle ages but eventually realized it had more similarities to turn of the century London)...

BUT as soon as Wren arrived at the manor I was hooked. Great character development and relationships, enough twists that you think you know what's going to happen, without ever being sure, and beautiful combination of magic and science.

In her world of black and white, Wren sees all the grays, and that is something that we need more of in this world.

Allison Saft's Down Comes the Night is a wonderful world of magic and mystery. The story follows Wren Southerland, a healer for the queen's military, as she explores the mystery of her missing comrades.

The premise of this book had me hooked immediately. Enemies to lovers trope? With magical elements? In a gothic castle setting? Count me in! And Saft did not disappoint. However the first few chapters were a bit slow for me and I really wish Hal's POV would have been added into the book. Even though it started slow for me, once I was hooked I couldnt put this book down and I stayed up way past my bedtime to finish it! I loved watching Wren and Hal's realtionship develop while she's healing him and coming together to find who's responsible for their missing soldiers.  Although the book does little to hide the main antagonist it was still fun to watch the story unfold!

This is a great standalone novel, but I cant help but hope we will get to see more of Wren and Hal in the future... and possible a book for Una? I would love to see Una have a HEA.

If you love enemies to lovers, magic, and murder... I highly recommend this book!

Thank you Netgalley and Wednesday Books for providing me with a copy to read and review.

The premise for 'Down Comes The Night' drew me at an instance.

Two people trapped together in a strange and creepy mansion who hate one another, but have to work together to save their kingdoms? Yep, I am in!

Unfortunately, the story itself fell flat for me - I was super disappointed.

Everything about this book was intriguing and the description had really hooked me but I found too many things that I really disliked.

I did loved the main character, Wren. She was an interesting character, as well as being kind-hearted and caring.

I could tell from the beginning that she was a good person who would struggle with herself if she did the "wrong" thing.

I also loved that she is bi-sexual and so it was wonderful to have that representation within the narrative.

But at the same time, I HATED, her relationship between her and Hal.

It almost felt that Wren could never seem to stick to a feeling or an opinion.

She seemed to quickly 'changed' into a different person to the one I was growing to like and it did not suit her, or the story for that matter.

I knew where their relationship was heading too – it was pretty obvious from the start. But there was no real development and so their relationship felt painfully forced.

Because of this, I think this story could have been better if it was a duology. That way we could have seen the characters develop more and the relationship. A nice slow burn!

Another thing that bothered me was the character, Hal. By not having his POV in the book I felt that really lacked in his development. I never really felt that we got to know him, the real him.

It kinda felt like guesswork.

Lastly, the ending of the book was so rushed, I could not make heads or tails of what was really going on.

This was great!! The right amount of magic, mystery, intrigue, and romance. In a race against time two enemies must work together to solve a deadly mystery. Soldiers from neighbouring countries are going missing along their borders without a trace and an uneasy truce has been shaken by the disappearances. To prevent war from breaking out again Wren, a healer, must help Hal, the most deadly mage of the neighbouring kingdom, to recover from an unknown illness as well as find the missing soldiers. As they circle closer to the truth a tangled web of lies and madness is revealed.
I was sucked right into this story. I couldn’t put it down. I thoroughly enjoyed the interplay between Wren and Hal. As they uncover mystery after mystery they realize they must trust one another in order to survive. If you love enemies to lovers, magic, murder, and political intrigue you will love this novel. I highly recommend and hope to read more from this author in the future.

I really enjoyed the way that the author wrote. However I felt that the romance was a bit heavy-handed too early. The character seemed to give up really easily on previous relationships and the tension that should have existed between enemies. I would definitely read something else by the same author because I enjoyed her writing, but the book itself fell flat for me.

Oh how I loved this book! I admit I went into this with some level of expectations because I've heard good things, and these expectations were absolutely met. "Down Comes the Night" has a beautiful cover and an intriguing premise, its atmosphere being likened to Guillermo del Toro's movies which is the aspect that got me the most interested. Admittedly, it started a little too slow for my taste and it took me a moment to really get hooked, but once the book moved into its more gothic scenery, I was sold. Once Wren, the protagonist, arrives at the eerie mansion of Colwick Hall, the atmopshere gets darker and grittier and I couldn't put the book down until I finished it.
Saft has a beautiful writing style that she uses for rich world building and great character development. Wren is sympathetic and endearing, and her love interest Hal appropriately dark, mysterious and different-than-she-thought. They have chemistry and the perfect amount of enemies-to-lovers-tropeyness to make the reader root for them. While the book never really hides its antagonist, the mystery is still fun to solve especially due to the tense, dark atmosphere of Colwick Hall.
Some aspects of the story would have needed a bit more development - the relationship between and reconsiliation of Queen Isabel and Wren being one example - but these little things never took away from the enjoyment of reading this gothic little gem.

I'm confused as to what Down Comes the Night is trying to be. It's an okay read. With a slightly gothic atmosphere. And I'm here for all the enemies-to-lovers stuff. And I absolutely loved that the MC was bisexual. But the overall story was just... okay. I'm not sure what I expected going into it but I sadly didn't get it.

Thank you to Netgalley and Wednesday Books for providing me with a review copy.

trigger warning
<spoiler> child neglect, trauma, grief, mutilation </spoiler>

Hoping to redeem herself, soldier and healer Wren Southerland accepts a post that seems fishy at worst and mysterious at best. If she succeeds, she could be reinstated to her post at the side of the person she loves. But what if she fails?

The predicament is simple. In her homecountry, mages like Wren have three options: Serve in the army, serve in the order of the Goddess, or let their magic be severed. It is believed that only while serving your magic can be under control and used for good.
This sounds so stupid it sounds realistic to me.

Since Wren doesn't want to lose a part of herself, which would be option three, and has never liked living in the abbey, which would be option two, there is only option one. Which isn't ideal, because she has a tendency to ignore orders. For good reasons like compassion and kindness, which endears her to the reader but not to the higher ranks.
She feels like she has nothing to lose by the risky plan and fears losing her best friend/ crush at the same time, which, again, is relateable. Humans are not necessarily logical creatures.

Some parts of this novel felt redundant, and my main problem is that we're constantly told if she uses her magic <i>one more time</i> she risks losing it, up to a point at which every new use of her healing powers felt ridiculous.
Yes, of course you need to do it. And of course there will be next to none repercussions, the book <i>needs</i> you. Not a huge fan of the plot armor, to be honest.

I would have liked to learn more about different countries, but in the context it makes sense. Other issues were more important.
All in all, I'd say it's an okay read. I am sure I just am a tad too critical with my books to really enjoy this, but then to fifteen years ago I'd have adored this .

The arc was provided by the publisher.

I loved this book so much! I was drawn in by the atmospheric settings and stayed for the twisty mysterious plot. Seriously I couldn't eve tell what was going to happen next or who to trust and it threw me for a loop but like in a great way. The magic system was super unique but integrated really well into the world so I never struggled to understand its uses. I loved the multi-gender attraction representation we got with Wren, which is something I don't see too much of in fantasy. Plus the enemies to lovers romance gave me some ever elusive Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy vibes. I also really appreciated the nuanced discussion about war and how awful it is that the characters were actual child soldiers. You don't typically get that in YA so it was a really nice change of pace. And even though it covered these really intense concepts it still made me laugh multiple times. All around amazing!

Sometimes deciding to step outside your comfort zone and reading a new genre is a good thing and sometimes it's a disaster. Thankfully, this was a good thing. I rarely read YA. I don't do sci-fi/fantasy. I went into the book knowing very little about it and not having much experience with books about a magical healer. I loved it. It was a bit slow to start and took me a bit to get into, but it picked up, and then I couldn't put it down. It had an interesting storyline unlike what I've read before, but that might be because I don't usually read books like this. The mystery twists that were thrown in definitely helped gain and keep my attention since mysteries are my jam. In many ways, it read more like a mystery than what I'd expect from a fantasy/sci-fi book.

I loved loved loved this goth story that I didn't even know I needed. holy crap the characters are amaaaaaaaaaaaaing.