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girlonbooks's review
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
🌨️🌨️🌨️🌨️ 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 Queen’s 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 – compromising her entire mission – Wren risks losing everything she’s spent years worked for. Getting back in the Queen’s good graces will require a bigger gamble than she’s ever taken before, and necessitate allying herself with the very enemy she’s 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 Queen’s 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 – compromising her entire mission – Wren risks losing everything she’s spent years worked for. Getting back in the Queen’s good graces will require a bigger gamble than she’s ever taken before, and necessitate allying herself with the very enemy she’s sworn to defeat.
“Maybe the only difference between a monster and a hero was the colour of a soldier’s uniform”
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 “intensifies,” so to speak, I was officially in it for the long haul. Just something to keep in mind if you’re 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
escapinginpaper's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
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? Yes
4.0
There was a lot about this book I liked. It's an enemies-to-lovers story, set in a high fantasy world with a time period that seemed equivalent to about Victorian-Edwardian times, about two countries that have been at war for centuries.
Main character Wren is a magic-user whose specialty is healing. She is kicked out of the Queen's Guard after one-too-many mess-ups, which devastates her because she has to leave behind the woman she loves, her chance at proving herself to her aunt, the Queen, and her chance to help solve the mystery of her comrades disappearing. When she's invited to heal the servant of a mysterious lord from a neighboring neutral country, she jumps at the chance to prove herself. However when there she discovers the "servant" is actually her mortal enemy & perceived war criminal, Hal.
This was a super slow-burn romance, high fantasy, and gothic murder mystery all-in-one. I really liked the vibe of the whole story, the setting, and the magic system. This has a lot of tropes, but they were done really well and I loved reading them – enemies-to-lovers; "there's only one bed"; mysterious, brooding hot dude with black hair.
My biggest complaint about this one is that it reads like it was rushed – especially towards the end. I think this would have been well-suited as a duology. The romance is really good... but ultimately the characters know each other for about two weeks and they decide they're in love. This bothered me... There are also other redemptions & character developments at the end that felt like they needed more time to... well... develop.
I did really like the ending, but it also really really made me wish there was a sequel! There is so much that the two main characters could do that I would really love to read. Overall, what a great debut novel – I can't wait to see what else Saft will write.
Main character Wren is a magic-user whose specialty is healing. She is kicked out of the Queen's Guard after one-too-many mess-ups, which devastates her because she has to leave behind the woman she loves, her chance at proving herself to her aunt, the Queen, and her chance to help solve the mystery of her comrades disappearing. When she's invited to heal the servant of a mysterious lord from a neighboring neutral country, she jumps at the chance to prove herself. However when there she discovers the "servant" is actually her mortal enemy & perceived war criminal, Hal.
This was a super slow-burn romance, high fantasy, and gothic murder mystery all-in-one. I really liked the vibe of the whole story, the setting, and the magic system. This has a lot of tropes, but they were done really well and I loved reading them – enemies-to-lovers; "there's only one bed"; mysterious, brooding hot dude with black hair.
My biggest complaint about this one is that it reads like it was rushed – especially towards the end. I think this would have been well-suited as a duology. The romance is really good... but ultimately the characters know each other for about two weeks and they decide they're in love. This bothered me... There are also other redemptions & character developments at the end that felt like they needed more time to... well... develop.
I did really like the ending, but it also really really made me wish there was a sequel! There is so much that the two main characters could do that I would really love to read. Overall, what a great debut novel – I can't wait to see what else Saft will write.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Death, Medical content, Medical trauma, and Chronic illness
Moderate: Xenophobia, Torture, Sexual content, and Murder
mezzano's review
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Down Comes the Night is an enchanting read fit for any lover of fantasy and adventure. While this book was advertised and marketed as a ghost story, the narrative is more of a romance mystery in terms of genre. The imagery is spell-bounding as a romance slowly forms throughout the book. In the background, tensions rise between the very nations our romantic leads are from. This story has enough tension and background plot to keep the reader invested in the overarching narrative, while creating genuinely intimate scenes which will have you rooting for the couple's happiness together (despite the odds).
At times, this plot feels slow and like many fantasy novels, it can be hard to keep track of the intricacies of the world itself. Restricting the story mostly to one central location was a great choice for this story, as it allows the reader to focus on a handful of characters rather than the sociopolitical state of the two warring nations. For fantasy readers who love exposition and battle details, this book won't be for you. For readers who like fantasy elements and want to try their hands at reading more stories with magic systems, this is a great introduction.
The representation in the book is very casual, with the main character being bisexual and another character in the story is a lesbian. These points are only brought up briefly and is not a plot point to the story. This is certainly refreshing in its own way, as many LGBT narratives tend to be about the character's identity. I can appreciate a story which has representation which remains a minor detail to the character.
Overall, this is a great March read and is highly recommended. With spell-bounding writing and passionate characters, Down Comes the Night is a swift read sure to make a rainy evening magical.
At times, this plot feels slow and like many fantasy novels, it can be hard to keep track of the intricacies of the world itself. Restricting the story mostly to one central location was a great choice for this story, as it allows the reader to focus on a handful of characters rather than the sociopolitical state of the two warring nations. For fantasy readers who love exposition and battle details, this book won't be for you. For readers who like fantasy elements and want to try their hands at reading more stories with magic systems, this is a great introduction.
The representation in the book is very casual, with the main character being bisexual and another character in the story is a lesbian. These points are only brought up briefly and is not a plot point to the story. This is certainly refreshing in its own way, as many LGBT narratives tend to be about the character's identity. I can appreciate a story which has representation which remains a minor detail to the character.
Overall, this is a great March read and is highly recommended. With spell-bounding writing and passionate characters, Down Comes the Night is a swift read sure to make a rainy evening magical.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Medical content, Medical trauma, Emotional abuse, Murder, Blood, Drug use, and Chronic illness
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