“Utter magic. It’s everything I have ever wanted from a book. Truly spectacular and a must read for all fans of fantasy.” – Emily A. Duncan, New York Times bestselling author of Wicked Saints “A YA fantasy classic in the making.” – Christine Lynn Herman, author of The Devouring Gray He saw the darkness in her magic. She saw the magic in his darkness. Wren Southerland’s reckless use of magic … in his darkness.
Wren Southerland’s reckless use of magic has cost her everything: she’s been dismissed from the Queen’s Guard and separated from her best friend–the girl she loves. So when a letter arrives from a reclusive lord, asking Wren to come to his estate, Colwick Hall, to cure his servant from a mysterious illness, she seizes her chance to redeem herself.
The mansion is crumbling, icy winds haunt the caved-in halls, and her eccentric host forbids her from leaving her room after dark. Worse, Wren’s patient isn’t a servant at all but Hal Cavendish, the infamous Reaper of Vesria and her kingdom’s sworn enemy. Hal also came to Colwick Hall for redemption, but the secrets in the estate may lead to both of their deaths.
With sinister forces at work, Wren and Hal realize they’ll have to join together if they have any hope of saving their kingdoms. But as Wren circles closer to the nefarious truth behind Hal’s illness, they realize they have no escape from the monsters within the mansion. All they have is each other, and a startling desire that could be their downfall.
Allison Saft’s Down Comes the Night is a snow-drenched romantic fantasy that keeps you racing through the pages long into the night.
Love makes monsters of us all
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For the genre, it really is quite wonderful. I listened to the audiobook version and it provided great entertainment while I worked on my daily things. I wouldn’t necessarily claim this as my favorite story ever, but I am looking forward to Ms. Saft’s next story. So it’s a win for the author either way. 🙂
I love the cover! The characters hooked me into the story right away. This book was beautifully written and left me not wanting to put it down. Wrens character development through the book was phenomenal, her realization that her caring and empathy are not a weakness made me so happy! I immediately hated Isabel, but finding out she was working with Lowrey and also a healer were quite the twists. Definitely recommend this book.
Thank you netgalley and Wednesday publishing for the digital copy to read
First I’ll start with saying that this is a pretty good debut for Allison Saft.
The world building is great, the character developments were pretty realistic.
I got to a part where Wren is obsessed with Una and wants to prove she can be her lover again or at least please her. It was very cringey for me and I honestly had a hard time wanting to continue on after this part in the beginning. There is a lot of political intrigue and a lack of fantasy. There is too much angst for me and people pleasing/”pick me” going on for my tastes.
Ultimately, I ended up not fully enveloped in the story as I would have like and skimmed through a good deal of the story. It was like a shift of story every couple chapter switches and didn’t feel like it flowed.
Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for the eARC. All opinions are my own.
Content Warning:
War, kidnapping, gore, murder, surgical procedures
I thought this a really good audiobook. I loved Wren, the main character. She was a bit of a misfit with very strong convictions.
She is about to be sent away for healing a boy they were had captured but she decides to answer a summons for her healing magic instead.
She arrives at a Gothic, creepy mansion and the man she is to heal is none other than the enemy of her people.
What follows is her learning things aren’t always as they seem and the two team up to solve some mysterious murders.
I loved that this involved witches and mages.
The description and cover made it seem like a young adult fantasy filled with magic, mystery, and war. As I dove into this book, I found it was a little eerie and Gothic. I loved those aspects of the story and what I loved even more was that it was an unexpected enemies to lovers tale. Also, the physiologist in me loved all the anatomy and medicine!
Wren is a disgraced royal with healing magic and a compassionate heart. During this time of war, her compassion and empathy towards others is seen as a shortcoming and often gets her in trouble. She finds herself in the home of the mysterious Mr. Lowry, tending to an injured servant. What she finds is the most feared enemy of her people, Hal Cavendish. Nothing is quite what it seems in this estate or this war.
There is a great amount of world building in the beginning of the story, so the pace is rather slow to start. But things to pick up once Wren and Hal meet and as they start to uncover the secrets of the Lowry estate. There were unexpected twists and turns, a sweet enemies to lovers arc, and heroine who finds that who she is – that is more than enough.
Wonderfully written and delightfully creepy, Down Comes the Night is a stunning gothic debut reminiscent of del Toro’s Crimson Peak. It tells the story of *disaster bisexual* Wren Southerland who has a heart of gold, a brilliant scientific mind, and very little common sense. Choking under the yoke of her imperious Queen-Aunt, Wren strikes out on her own, fleeing to Colwick House: the crumbling rural estate of an eccentric foreign Lord. Snowed-in and tasked with healing his ailing servant, Wren soon discovers things are not as they appear and it is not so easy to tell ally from enemy.
The magic system in this world was extremely interesting and unique. Magic users have a second network of veins called “fola” that carry magical energy throughout the body. Saft dedicated a lot of focus on the medical/scientific functions of magic since Wren is a healer, which was quite refreshing to find in a YA fantasy novel. Religion and politics are adequately explained (standalone) and easy to understand/ follow along with. Culture is a bit glossed over, but is not all that important since the important meat of the story takes place in Colwick House. These sinister surroundings are described perfectly, and evoke an ominous unknowable “other” that leaves a creeping feeling up the reader’s spine. Like Wren, I too felt like I was being watched.
The main villain was entirely too cartoonish and very obvious from the jump. I was quite literally picturing them twirling their handlebar mustache and holding their cape up like Dracula. Queen Isabel was a rather lackluster, though critical, character. I would have loved to have gotten some more descriptions of her history and intent through flashes of personal experience. It felt like far too much of her was explained in the context of her sister, Wren’s mother. She truly felt like a “Paper Queen”- she was rather dimensionless and rang flat.
Wren’s endless compassion actually grew to be a bit much by the end of the novel. The lesson in Down Comes the Night seems to be that compassion is the greatest asset in this compassion-lite world, but there needs to be some balance here. Yes, the world as a greater whole needs to be more compassionate; but this also left Wren stagnant and without any real character growth. Wren from the first page and the last page is more-or-less the same person; only the people around her developed in any lasting meaningful way.
Down Comes the Night is a beautifully-written atmospheric love letter to gothic mansions and snowed in horror scenarios. I loved it and I am very interested in reading Saft’s future work
Wren, a healer and the unwanted niece of the Queen, wants nothing more than to be accepted by her aunt. However, her impulsivity and sensitivity prove detrimental to gaining her aunt’s favor. When a letter from a mysterious noble from another kingdom implores Wren to help heal a wounded servant, Wren agrees in the hopes of brokering peace between the two kingdoms. This, she knows, will earn the Queen’s respect. However, things aren’t what they seem at Lord Lowry’s mansion, and Wren finds herself entrenched in solving a murderous mystery alongside an enemy she loathes. Can Wren figure out Lowry’s secrets before she loses her heart and everything else she holds dear? Will Wren help create peace between countries that have been at odds for decades?
This is an atmospheric and immersive standalone fantasy with a suspenseful mystery and a wonderful enemies-to-lovers romance. The setting, the weather, the desolate mansion are dark, desolate, and eerie, and evoke a dark and ominous mood. The gothic elements create a mysterious and creepy vibe throughout the story and set the tone right from the beginning. I love a story with vivid imagery, and this novel does not disappoint!
Wren is a fabulous protagonist, and I loved her story! She is passionate, emotional, and empathetic, and she shows strength and resilience throughout the novel. Wren is also a crier, which I totally relate to. She cries when she is happy and sad and angry. She wears her emotions, which most people, even Wren, see as a weakness. She is considered less than, broken, foolhardy, and reckless. I like how Wren becomes more self-aware and more accepting of her emotions. As she begins to see what a strength it is to have such emotional depth, she becomes more confident and more true to herself. There are great messages here about judging others and not being ashamed to express one’s feelings.
Saft dedicated the book to, “All the girls who feel too much,” and, as a person who is judged and teased for having strong emotions, feeling deeply, and crying often, I felt like she was speaking directly to me. The characters who don’t express how they feel (Yes, I’m talking about you, Ula!) have much to learn from people like Wren, who is more authentic, sincere, and able to relate to others.
Hal is a fascinating character as well. He has done many things in the past that he is ashamed of, but he knows that regret does not make up for his actions. Hal often feels undeserving, especially when it comes to Wren’s affections, and his insecurities contrast with the killer soldier he’s known to be. Hal’s transformation from a ruthless killer to a peace-making leader is intriguing and complicated, and I like how the author shows Hal growing and changing throughout the story.
Ula, Wren’s best friend and former lover also goes through a crisis of conscience similar to Hal’s, which I found interesting. Saft offers some thought-provoking messages about loyalty, trust, and putting politics before people. As much as Ula cares about Wren, she always puts her duty ahead of her feelings for Wren. However, as the story progresses, Ula comes to realize that her unwavering loyalty to her Queen and country is misguided and built on mistruths. I think it took Ula losing almost everything to see what was true and important.
The magic system is also really intriguing, and I love how the author integrates magic with science. Wren, for example, has the power to heal, and she uses science and medical practices to enhance her healing power. This is a unique and interesting take on magic, and I love how science and magic intertwine.
The romance between Wren and Hal contrasts Wren’s previous relationship, which seemed very one-sided. Theirs is a slow-building, enemies-to-lovers romance that defies all odds. Hal is a notorious soldier and killer of Wren’s people, and when tasked with healing him, Wren learns much more about the man who has haunted her ever since she witnessed his raw and murderous power. I like that this couple sees past the lies, the politics, and the war. Hal’s deep and profound regret, as well as his determination to invoke change, appeals to Wren’s moral goodness. And their chemistry is fantastic! I love that Wren found someone who encourages and accepts her completely, and I love that Wren sees Hal for who he really is.
The mystery behind the missing soldiers, as well as the mystery of Lord Lowry and his enigmatic home, are also intriguing. This is a story where danger lurks around every corner, and there are many twists and turns that surprised me. Wren and Hal work together to figure out how the missing soldiers, the long-standing wars, and Lord Lowry tie together, and it is never clear who they can trust.
An atmospheric, suspenseful, and romantic read, Down Comes the Night is a great story for readers who like young adult fantasy with Gothic elements, great characters, a creepy mystery, and a wonderful enemies-to-lovers romance. Thanks so much to NetGalley, the author, and Wednesday Books for a copy of the book in exchange for my honest review.
Down Comes the Night by Allison Saft is a paranormal fantasy about Wren Southerland, a girl in limbo.
Saft begins to weave a tale around Wren as the orphan niece to a cold, unfeeling Queen who rules with an iron fist. The Queen despises Wren and wants nothing to do with her, so she sends her to an abbey to let Nuns raise her for most of her childhood. Wren has magical abilities and can heal people, which makes her useful to the cause of the great war that the Queen is preparing for, but unfortunately for Wren, her heart is too big, and she cares too much. This kindness is her greatest downfall and gets her in trouble too many times.
The Queen becomes angry with Wren’s weakness for their enemies’ pain and banishes her back to the Abbey, exiled away from her friends that she holds dear. While in exile, an unexpected opportunity represents itself. It allows Wren to prove herself to the Queen and hopefully avoid the war to destroy her kingdom and the people she loves. Wren jumps feet first into this new adventure and finds that she may have found sinister layers that she is only starting to uncover. Can she uncover the malevolent plot before her world crashes down around her?
Overall, I enjoyed this novel once we got into the gothic adventure portion of the story. It was eerie and kept me guessing throughout, wondering what would happen next. It had the creep effect with the sounds and darkness that made me feel on edge, wondering if it was a haunting or if someone was tortured nearby. I understood why Wren was having trouble sleeping. I don’t know anyone who could get a good night’s sleep with that going on around them. I also appreciated Wren’s inner conflict with the person she was trying to heal since he was not the most pleasant patient, and they both had their reasons for disliking each other. There were many hurdles for Wren to overcome to do her job and function daily in the environment Wren was put in all so she could get back in the good graces of the Queen.
Now I must be frank about what bothered me about this story–this novel felt like two separate books were slammed together. They don’t fit completely to be a cohesive and fluid story. The first part of this novel is a paranormal fantasy with war and magic, blood and fighting. Then suddenly, we move to a gothic horror novel located in a dark, gloomy mansion without action, blood, or conflict. The magic is still there since Wren uses the magic to help her heal the injured man, but she ends up uses actual medicine from plants to help more than her magic in the end. It just doesn’t flow from one genre to the other well; it feels disjointed and messy. However, the gothic horror portion of the book deserves praise. It wasn’t easy to put down.
Down Comes the Night turns into a delicious dark gothic horror that makes you wonder what it is that is making those sounds that go bump in the night.
Down Comes the Night is a debut fantasy novel by Allison Saft. It’s advertised as Gothic YA romance, and it’s set in a unique world with both magic and early technology like electricity and steam engines. I received a free copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Wren is a healer in the military, skilled both in magical healing and more scientific approach. She’s also the queen’s niece, and the two have an antagonistic relationship. In an act of defiance after the queen sends her on a fool’s errand, she accepts an invitation from a friendly neighbouring country to come and heal a random servant in a nobleman’s castle. But when she arrives there she learns that the servant is actually her country’s greatest enemy Hal Cavendish. She has to choose whether to heal him or take him to the queen so that she can finally earn her approval.
There’s something sinister going on in the castle. Hal is there to find out what it is, and since the mystery concerns Wren’s country too, they begin to solve it together. But the corruption runs deeper than she could’ve imagined. If they can’t solve it, she and Hal both will be lost, and both their countries plunged into a war.
The book starts well, with an interesting and concise backstory about two countries in a permanent war, Wren antagonism with the queen, and Wren’s relationship with her commanding officer Una, whom she ends up betraying in order to leave the country. Then comes the middle part, which is some sort of Gothic romance with all its clichés (a castle with odd restrictions of movement, peculiar host, snowbound couple with only one bed etc.). And then the last quarter is again like from a different book as it returns to the earlier setting. From a triangle between three strong women, need for love and the lack of it, to a very boring romance that never really takes flight, and back to the three women again.
If I were to guess, I’d say the middle part existed first as a standalone romance into which the author then added the backstory. The middle is much too long for its contents and not terribly interesting or romantic (Wren and Hal are seasoned soldiers yet they suddenly behave like innocent teenagers). The backstory barely plays a role. It’s as if Wren is a different person with completely different motivations; she doesn’t spare a thought for Una whom she’s loved for years. The book changes for the better once the Gothic castle is left behind; the pace picks up and stakes get higher. But while there’s some emotional payoff, it’s not really enough to compensate for the clumsy middle section.
The world is a mishmash of everything. Two countries have magic and one doesn’t for some reason, as if interbreeding never happened, but they have electricity, which the other two don’t have. Yet Wren has a working knowledge of genetics. But the concoction sort of works, if one doesn’t pay too close attention. What did annoy me were the many contingency issues, especially in the middle part. The time of day changed from paragraph to paragraph (like, the sun shines, yet it’s pitch black and then snowing in the next instance) so that I never knew if it was morning or evening. This wasn’t a bad book, but it could’ve used a more careful editing. But the ending was satisfying for all parties and it doesn’t set the scene for a sequel. If you like stand-alone fantasy, give it a try.
Down Comes The Night by Allison Saft is a YA fantasy about two warring countries and the two magic wielders stuck in the middle.
Wren is the illegitimate niece of the Queen of Danu, a healer with magic and a member of the military. Her unrequited love for the captain of her guard (and best friend) along with her tendency for mercy and softness has put her position within the military in jeopardy and on the wrong side of the Queen. Wren sees an opportunity to redeem herself and avoid a punishing post to the mines by accepting the invitation to an isolated manor and healing an employee of Lord Lowry. The mysterious and eccentric Lord promises to help her with the Queen if she heals his employee but when Wren arrives she finds out that nothing at the manor is what it seems. To Wren’s horror she will discover the “employee“ she is asked to heal, the rules of her stay, the terrible illness and the real motivations Lord Lowry are all more than she ever imagined and it will take all her healing skills and strength to get out alive.
I really enjoyed this moody, atmospheric fantasy novel. The slow burn romance between the two main characters and the mystery of what was really happening at the manor kept my interest and I found myself wanting to read more. There is a nice storyline about how soldiers have to come to grips with what they’ve done in the past, how two countries can move past lifetimes of war and animosity and how someone can keep their humanity when their world forces them to be a killer.
I highly recommend Down Comes The Night by Allison Saft for young adult fans of fantasy, mystery and romance.
4.75 stars rounded up to 5
My copy of Down Comes The Night was provided by NetGalley and the publisher for review purposes
Different but interesting!
Down Comes the Night by Allison Saft is big gothic fantasy where Wren Southerland of Danu is asked to help heal Lord Lowry’s servants after she was kicked out of the military. It wasn’t a servant but Hal Cavendish the infamous Reaper of Vesria and Danu’s enemy.
You get the gothic feel with the dark castle setting and being told not to leave your room after a certain time but there is a little bit of romance when Wren starts to fall in love with her patient that she shouldn’t even want to keep alive.
If you like gothic fantasy with the main character that can heal by touch even her enemy, this is book for you.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Down Comes the Night by Allison Saft sounded different from what I’ve read lately. I was drawn by the gorgeously eerie cover and further intrigued by the synopsis.
The first 30% or so was a bit of a drag for me. I was not interested in Wren and Una’s relationship (which I wish would have just been friendship without all the pining on Wren’s part). I also got tired of Wren in general during that part of the book. Her inner turmoil about her feelings and her worth became a bit tedious. While understandable, it got to be too much within that time frame.
When the story finally picked up at Colwick Hall, I found myself very interested again. The gothic feel was eerily enjoyable. The murder mystery and strange characters added to that enjoyment. I even liked the descriptive healing and surgical procedures that Wren performed.
The romance between Wren and Hal was not quite palpable to me. I always enjoy a good slow burn, as the insta-love/lust doesn’t do it for me, so I appreciated the gradual buildup. However, I just didn’t feel a true connection between the two, and I really wanted to.
At about the 75% mark, I started to worry this was going to end on a cliffhanger and turn into a series, but thankfully, Saft wrapped things up pretty well.
I do think a map of the world would be helpful for readers, and a more in-depth look into the world, the magical system, the war, etc. wouldn’t go amiss. There was just something (or a few things) missing from the story to make it truly well-rounded. At least for me.
I am satisfied with the ending of the book although I could see another book picking up where Down Comes the Night left off.
***I voluntarily read and reviewed an Advance Reader Copy generously provided by the publisher via NetGalley.***
3.5/5
This is a YA fantasy romance featuring a healer (Wren) who, as an illegitimate niece to the queen, was raised in an abbey before serving in the military during a war with a neighboring country.
For me this had vibes of Beauty and the Beast/Cinderella as Wren changed her stance about the “monster” enemy soldier Hal, and her aunt was portrayed as evil and conniving. There’s a truly evil mad scientist and a creepy castle thrown in as well to add to the dark ambiance.
In the end, this story is about gaining self confidence and the courage to be one’s self rather than everyone’s ideal you. Pretty good overall.
My thanks to #NetGalley and #WednesdayBooks for providing me the early ARC. The opinions are strictly my own.
Thanks to St. Martin’s Press and Wednesday Books for providing and advanced reading e-book copy via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
This YA fantasy romance had me eagerly turning page after page with the intrigue of a murder mystery taking place in a gothic feeling creepy castle. The world building was incredible and had all my senses engaged making me feel like I was amidst all the action. The storyline flowed well and while I could see this world and these characters taking part in a continuing series, I was happy to see this book end with relatively no loose ends.
I give it 4 out of 5 stars.
After reading the blurb on this one, I had to give it a go…especially with the colder, darker months approaching. And as it promised, this book did hold me in the pages pretty well.
Wren is supposed to be a princess, but after her mother’s death, her aunt, and now queen, has put Wren’s talents to use as one of the most amazing healers in the country. Unfortunately, Wren’s empathy causes her to defy her orders, and she winds up in the worst position possible. Until an unexpected letter arrives. While she’s ordered to ignore the letter, she can’t, since it offers her not only the chance to redeem herself but also hope to give her country an edge in the approaching war. But when she sneaks away in hope of finding a way to save her country, she runs into the one thing she never expected—the bedside of her enemy and a prison guarded by unseen monsters.
Sounds amazing, right? And it is quite the woven tale. Wren is a girl with awesome healing powers and kind of a mess thanks to her tragic upbringing. But she does have a heart of gold, and that’s what drives this tale onward and beyond. The book starts right in the middle of action and immediately draws in. It also quickly becomes clear that Wren isn’t always the sharpest knife in the drawer. She makes stupid mistakes, but somehow, it fit to her personality. She has a lot to learn, and this book takes her down the hard path to do it. In some ways, it made her easy to cheer for and others, I wanted to flick her. But it worked and I still rooted for her.
This is a dark tale but not in the way I thought. There are two rivalry countries engaged in bloody skirmishes and on the brink of war. There is a nasty queen, very loyal soldiers, and a war based on magic and religious differences. While there is a mansion in the snow, which locks Wren up with strange happenings surrounding her, it wasn’t what I expected. A bit of a mystery unfolds as she tries to figure out what’s behind the moaning and secret East Wing. There’s a blooming romance. There’s uncertainty about loyalty and trust. But monsters aren’t in the form I expected. Which isn’t bad. This is quite the tangled story of intrigue, secrets, lies, lunatic-like desires, and all sorts of dark things. The weave (and constant growing romance tension) did keep me in the pages chapter after chapter. It could have been a masterpiece of a book.
‘Could’ because there were a few, tiny stumbles. My biggest problem was simply the very, very, very obvious clues, which Wren just constantly overlooked. These should have been more carefully woven in because it was clear what was happening, and it made her look more stupid than she already did (which doesn’t help her case). Then, there were a few logic holes in the plot and the supposed ‘genius’ ideas of the evil-doer. While everything looked great on the surface, deeper thought unravels a few things. Still, it was an enjoyable read, and I can’t say I regretted diving into this one. Because I didn’t. It did keep me in the pages for hours, and I did fever for Wren most of the time. Plus, there were several well laid secrets and surprises, which definitely made for several exciting chills and thrills. And by the end, I was a fan again.
Lovers of darker young adult fantasy who love enemy-to-lovers romances, evil plots, gothic gore…and are ready to forgive a few dumb moves on the main character’s part, are going to love this one.
I received an ARC and did get lost in the pages most of the time.