Quick Thoughts: Down Comes the Night by Allison Saft

Down Comes the Night

by Allison Saft

March 2, 2021

400 pages

Goodreads Summary:

He saw the darkness in her magic. She saw the 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.

Review

It's been a long time since I've been excited for a YA title so I had high hopes for Down Comes the Night. While the story lived up to my expectations, it sadly didn't wow me.

What I Liked:

- very atmospheric

- unique magic

- characters that were realistic and relatable

- Wren was a great MC

   - I was sympathetic towards her emotional struggles

   - she made lots of meaningful self-discoveries

   - she fought (back) hard

   - her medical ability was interesting and educational

- poor tortured Hal

- the romantic buildup between Wren and Hal

- some sexy moments in the romance

- a sweet ending with the possibility for more(?)

The Not So Much:

- the time period was confusing with all the technological advances mixed in with the magic

- I often felt detached from the story

- the queen's redemption was awfully convenient

- I found the main villain lacking, very typical

"The promise of punishment controlled her students far more effectively than its execution." (p. 34)

"Maybe the only difference between a monster and a hero was the color of a soldier's uniform." (p. 174)

"Her worth -her existence- was more than the sum of her talents." (p. 342)