Reviews with content warning for Murder - Down Comes the Night

Reviews tagging 'Murder'

Down Comes the Night by Allison Saft

20 reviews

robin_reads's review against another edition

mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

I was annoyed throughout most of this book.. the romance felt unbelievable to me and rushed.
A bit forced at times.

This is upper YA or even NA.

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karelidz's review

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mysterious 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

4.5

4.8⭐ just because i found the MC's best friend very annoying, but other than that, i absolutely LOVED IT. It had everything i was in the mood for: mystery with some romance and a bit of fantasy sprinkled in there.
I don't usually reread a lot of books, but I'd definitely reread this one. 100 percent.

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girlonbooks's review

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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.

“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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forthesanityof1's review

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious reflective slow-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

4.25

I was lured once again by the pretty cover and picked this up on a whim. I'm very happy I did though, as I enjoyed it a lot! I loved the MC Wren, I thought her whole character being centralized around this idea of empathy and compassion and seeing her struggle with it but ultimately remain empathetic, even when it doesn't benefit her and would be much easier to slip into apathy/hatred, was refreshing. I absolutely adored the love interest and his little moments that really drove home how human he is. The plot was interesting if a bit fuzzy at times but nothing crazy. Definitely surprised me with the murder mystery aspect that featured heavily in it. A couple plot points themselves were dropped or resolved a touch too fast/easily, but that's pretty minor for me. The supporting characters were great, the antagonist was interesting but could have used a bit more fleshing out to really drive home his horror and chillingness as the villain. Some of the emotional scenes in general could have used some fleshing out, especially with the love interest. Props to the author for starting the romance with him after he went through his self-hatred/loathing phase prior to the events in the book. I thought that was nice and different than what I usually see. I wish the horror and/or gothic elements were a little more developed to really help set the scene. I also don't see this as enemies-to-lovers like it has been pitched. It's more forbidden romance with them on opposite sides of a war. Good 18+ scene that wasn't over the top, loved the casual queer representation as well. Definitely going to be keeping an eye out for this author!

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escapinginpaper's review

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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.

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erinsbookshelves's review

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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

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bi_n_large's review

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adventurous dark hopeful mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

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annettewolf's review

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adventurous dark emotional hopeful mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

The dedication page on this book reads "For all the girls who feel too much." So I already knew this book was written for me. Then it turns out the protagonist is bi, same as me. And oh look, all the imagery and country names and religions are references to elements of Paganism. It feels like this book was written exactly, solely, for me. Like Saft knows my heart, intimately, and wrote the book that my heart wanted.

Is this a gothic mystery full of adventure and romance? Yeah. Do the settings breathe and come to life so much that I swear you can smell them off the page? Yep. Does the plot start a little slow, then build up with careful intimacy, so that one look lasts years but three days pass by in a blink? Absolutely. Everything about this writing is just so damn good. We linger in all the right moments. We speed up for all the action, so that my eyes wanted to be even faster to find out what happens next. The descriptions of the smells are unparalleled. The character interactions are vibrant, heart-wrenchingly real, in all their tenderness and cruelty.

By the time I got to the haunted mansion setting, I didn't want to put the book down. And I honestly could have read 300 more pages of just the yearning. It was so good. And the realistic way relationships evolve and change over time and distance. And the way the climax was built on empathy as the ultimate strength. I loved so, so much about this book.

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literarycherub's review

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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 author’s 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 isn’t the interest for a bisexual character. Sometimes people discredit bisexual people if you don’t end up with the same sex. I am married to a man and am constantly being seen as “choosing a side”. 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 don’t 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.. I’m sorry Victoria! I had some other deadlines that caused me to pushback my reading, but as soon as I hit ‘publish’ 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.

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mezzano's review

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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.

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