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girlonbooks's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
đ¨ď¸đ¨ď¸đ¨ď¸đ¨ď¸ Four Stars (as rated in the snow clouds in this splendidly wintery read)
Niece to the queen herself, Wren Southerland might as well be a nobody. Sequestered in the Abbey from a very young age, Wren fought to establish her worth with her exceptional (and magical) healing abilities. Having worked her way up to Lieutenant in the Queenâs army, all Wren wants in the whole world is to be recognized for her value; to be told she matters. But when one moment of misplaced compassion leaves her at the mercy of an enemy spy â compromising her entire mission â Wren risks losing everything sheâs spent years worked for. Getting back in the Queenâs good graces will require a bigger gamble than sheâs ever taken before, and necessitate allying herself with the very enemy sheâs sworn to defeat.
Niece to the queen herself, Wren Southerland might as well be a nobody. Sequestered in the Abbey from a very young age, Wren fought to establish her worth with her exceptional (and magical) healing abilities. Having worked her way up to Lieutenant in the Queenâs army, all Wren wants in the whole world is to be recognized for her value; to be told she matters. But when one moment of misplaced compassion leaves her at the mercy of an enemy spy â compromising her entire mission â Wren risks losing everything sheâs spent years worked for. Getting back in the Queenâs good graces will require a bigger gamble than sheâs ever taken before, and necessitate allying herself with the very enemy sheâs sworn to defeat.
âMaybe the only difference between a monster and a hero was the colour of a soldierâs uniformâ
This book really grew on me. I loved the narration from the start (Kathleen McInerney deserves her own genre of the word talented) but I took a minute to connect with the story. Once things get going, though, and the mystery âintensifies,â so to speak, I was officially in it for the long haul. Just something to keep in mind if youâre on the fence about DNFing within the first 50 pages.
⨠Read this book because: you want a cozy winter read with some mystery, the tiniest bit of sexual tension and a lot of politically motivated backstabbing.
⨠Content warnings for this book: descriptive medical stuff, graphic medical trauma, gore, blood, death, death of a parent, murder, poisoning, body horror, war, violence
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Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Animal cruelty, Blood, Body horror, Chronic illness, Death, Death of parent, Gore, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Medical trauma, Murder, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Torture, Violence, and War
erinsbookshelves's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Medical content, Blood, Gore, Violence, Death, Murder, and Body horror
Moderate: Torture
Minor: Gun violence and Sexual content
literarycherub's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
This post was delayed a day, but I just had to listen to the audiobook! I am happy to say, it was magnificent. It was just as atmospheric as I had hoped and I adored all the accents. I actually read a physical review copy as well which I won from the authorâs giveaway! I am extremely grateful for that because I was anticipating this book for months!
I first heard about Down Comes the Night from my lovely friend Cossette and ever since I was itching to get my hands on it. She knows I am obsessed with gothic literature and fantasy novels. Once it arrived, I just stared at it for a long while because the cover is so beautiful. As I started to flip through, I saw the dedication and instantly I knew I would fall in love.
For all the girls who feel too much.
Down Comes the Night was atmospheric, emotional, and romantic. We are quickly introduced to Wren who is seen as being weak for her empathetic ways. She is always trying to do the right thing, even if it gets her in trouble with the queen, who is also her aunt. This was a running theme throughout and I loved how Wren constantly stayed true to herself and her ways. I got very emotional at the end of chapter 28, where Wren reflects on the way she is and how she needs to be seen and cared for.
On the topic of being seen, Wren is a bisexual character. As a bisexual myself, it was refreshing for me to see. Not only is it not a big deal in her world, but she cares for someone of the opposite sex, which usually isnât the interest for a bisexual character. Sometimes people discredit bisexual people if you donât end up with the same sex. I am married to a man and am constantly being seen as âchoosing a sideâ. Seeing characters who end up with the opposite sex and not be disowned for it is what we all need more of. I am happy I am properly seen in this novel. I will move on now because this can easily be its own post.
Hal. My broken and misunderstood babe. Saft really crafted this antihero perfectly. Seeing him and Wren grow close was so beautiful to watch. Who can resist enemies to pining to lovers? Not me! They were such a delight to read and I my heart was constantly fluttering and swooning over them!
A terrible fate indeed, to be your prisoner.
I donât want to spoil too much, but yes this lives up to the hype. The writing is gorgeous and the atmosphere is eerie. This has been marketed as Crimson Peak if it were a young adult novel and I definitely agree!
This was also a buddy read with Victoria, but really she finished immediately and I read a couple weeks later.. Iâm sorry Victoria! I had some other deadlines that caused me to pushback my reading, but as soon as I hit âpublishâ on this review, I am moving into her DMs to scream.
Thank you to Allison Saft for the arc! This title was released March 2, 2021.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore and Blood
Moderate: Murder and Torture
Minor: Death of parent
obscurepages's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Hellooooo, this was so good??
This was atmospheric, romantic, and the prose was just lovely. I loved the writing style of the author and how the story unfolded in Wren's perspective. The plot was unique and thrilling, and as a reader, it never ran out of surprises for me. The characters get you hooked as well! We have a disaster bi MC, an emotionally constipated bestfriend, and a dark and brooding love interest. I was invested in these characters,
Apart from that, I was invested in the romance as well. There was a lot of tension and pining between Wren and Hal, and I loved their chemistry. (Also, enemies-to-lovers, plus "there's only one bed" trope?? I loved it!)
The world-building and the magic system were also great! I loved how science and magic blended together, I loved knowing about Wren's healing powers and how they worked. There was a lot of history between the three countries, too, which really helped pain the overall picture/situation for the plot.
I think my only complaint is that I wanted to see more action in the end, (and more pining? Because I love pain, I guess). I also wanted more characterization for Hal and, maybe Una too, since we see only little of her. But honestly, overall, this was so good!
Find me elsewhere: Instagram | Twitter | Blog
This was atmospheric, romantic, and the prose was just lovely. I loved the writing style of the author and how the story unfolded in Wren's perspective. The plot was unique and thrilling, and as a reader, it never ran out of surprises for me. The characters get you hooked as well! We have a disaster bi MC, an emotionally constipated bestfriend, and a dark and brooding love interest. I was invested in these characters,
Apart from that, I was invested in the romance as well. There was a lot of tension and pining between Wren and Hal, and I loved their chemistry. (Also, enemies-to-lovers, plus "there's only one bed" trope?? I loved it!)
The world-building and the magic system were also great! I loved how science and magic blended together, I loved knowing about Wren's healing powers and how they worked. There was a lot of history between the three countries, too, which really helped pain the overall picture/situation for the plot.
I think my only complaint is that I wanted to see more action in the end, (and more pining? Because I love pain, I guess). I also wanted more characterization for Hal and, maybe Una too, since we see only little of her. But honestly, overall, this was so good!
Find me elsewhere: Instagram | Twitter | Blog
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore and Blood
Moderate: Violence
Minor: Sexual content
bibookworm's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
ARC Review for Down Comes the Night by Allison Saft. I would first like to thank Wednesday books for the free review copy they sent me I really appreciate the chance to read arcs with bisexual main characters!
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I give Down Comes the Night by Allison Saft 4/5 Stars. Down Comes the Night is an atmospheric gothic fantasy that follows the story of a young woman named Wren. Wren just wants to save her fellow soldiers and her country but that all becomes way more complicated when she is forced to work with her sworn enemy Hal. I really enjoyed this book that is half fantasy half murder mystery. If you enjoyed Sorcery of Thorns, The Grishaverse, or Mask of Shadows I highly recommend picking up this book. I think itâs also super important to see bisexuals represented in relationships outside of same sex relationships because bisexuality is so much more than that and Allison Saft beautifully represents a bisexual woman falling in love with a man. I deducted a star because I wish there would have been characters of color.
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I give Down Comes the Night by Allison Saft 4/5 Stars. Down Comes the Night is an atmospheric gothic fantasy that follows the story of a young woman named Wren. Wren just wants to save her fellow soldiers and her country but that all becomes way more complicated when she is forced to work with her sworn enemy Hal. I really enjoyed this book that is half fantasy half murder mystery. If you enjoyed Sorcery of Thorns, The Grishaverse, or Mask of Shadows I highly recommend picking up this book. I think itâs also super important to see bisexuals represented in relationships outside of same sex relationships because bisexuality is so much more than that and Allison Saft beautifully represents a bisexual woman falling in love with a man. I deducted a star because I wish there would have been characters of color.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Gore
Medical related gore and body horror
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