Down Comes the Night

This is like a gothic fantasy, murder mystery, and overall it's written very well. My one quibble is mostly Wren in the beginning, who by god makes some dumb choices. She gets better later on, but it was hard to get behind her. All in all, though, this is a solidly written book with my favorite gotchic-fantasy-mystery vibes.

I was reading by Chapter 12 and told myself that if, by Chapter 15, I'm still not interested, we're marking it as dnf. And so I reached Chapter 15, and I still wasn't interested.

I usually know early on if I'm not going to enjoy a book or possibly mark it as did-not-finish if the characters aren't working for me. Either I don't like the way they speak, the way they treat others. I also dnf early on if I don't like the narration or if the 1st POV just doesn't work for me. With this book it was the main character. Wren. I didn't like her character early. I couldn't get myself to care for what she cared for, get angry at what she was angry at. If she was interested in something, I could not get myself interested in it.

I also didn't like the way magic and the magic system/rules were written into the book. I don't know if there were any other magic other than healing and destructive magic. From what I read, healing magic was only to be used either in the military or in the clergy. I didn't like that they force you into one of two roles in order for you to use magic. What's the penalty if they catch you using magic and you're not in the army or a nun? They kill you? That's even more restrictive.

I liked Hal enough to try to reading (at least until 40%) but his personality didn't shine enough to intrigue me. The plot played a disappointing factor as well. I was sort of interested in carrying on to see what the plot would shape into and how the characters played a role in it, but ultimately, it couldn't give me the boost to carry on.

I won this Goodreads giveaway and can't wait for a chilly day to pick this up!

4.5*

it is my personal belief that one queer person in a heterosexual relationship makes it like drugs for my gay, gay, brain.

I call this the Grishaverse effect??????

Down Comes The Night is not a bad book in itself, but I expected something more. I even don't know what I expected. I just haven't felt any connection to the characters. They even didn't annoy me. Which is a win, I guess.

This was one book that wasn't on my tbr at all. I didn't know it had bisexual rep which would have made me more interested and the fact that it was a gothic mystery fantasy didn't feel like my cup of tea. But I had a prompt to read a book with the enemies to lovers trope for a readathon and this seemed like the perfect choice. And luckily it turned out to a good one.

I have no clue why but I was under the impression that it was a novella and didn't realize until I was part way through that it was a length novel, especially when I saw that while the pacing was good, there was a lot to explore and I couldn't expect it finish below 200 pages. Then I relaxed and enjoyed the book much better. The author builds up the mystery very slowly and uncovering the truths was quite a thrilling experience. And as I'm not used to gothic settings, I was fascinated by Colwick Hall which was creepy and scary, and I could feel the dread right alongside the characters. The magic system also seemed pretty cool but as there was only one POV, we can only get to know the main character's powers very deeply. Also this world was an interesting combination of magic, science and technology which is always fun to explore. As the main character's magic is healing, the author doesn't shy away from depicting blood and gore, but it felt was quite realistic from the story perspective. And while I truly couldn't predict how this story could have a proper happy ending in just one book, the author does a wonderful job of wrapping up the main storyline but also leaving it to our imaginations about what might happen next ... and there's truly a lot that we can envision.

This story really does justice to the enemies to lovers trope. Wren and Hal are not only from two kingdoms which have been at war for centuries, even their roles are completely opposite - while Wren has been a combat healer, Hal was a ruthless killer. So it mustn't have been easy for the author to convince us that these two can bridge these differences, but the way the author develops this relationship is chef's kiss. It starts off combative, with verbal barbs and banter, but their forced proximity and having to depend on each other forces them to see each other in a different light. Wren has always been impugned for being impulsive and kind and she feels guilty about it, but Hal's appreciation for her kindness lets her realize that she is a good person. And Hal who has been disillusioned after years of fighting and killing in a mindless war, understands through her kindness that he is still redeemable and can save his country from more unnecessary devastation. It's truly excellent character development, with excellent chemistry between the two and I thoroughly enjoyed their dynamic.

I wouldn't want to mention who the villain is because why spoil it, but I loved how the author made them three dimensional - someone who craves attention and wants more of it, is obsessed with magic, and wants his country to be on the top. They are a not a mindless villain and while their intentions may be patriotic, the methods are truly mad and I enjoyed the slow unraveling of his true character. Una is another side character whose deep friendship and love for Wren has a lot of significance in the story, and while I didn't always like her mindless dedication to following orders as well as putting down Wren for being emotional and kind, I could still see how they both valued each other deeply. Isabel is obviously a very important person within the story and but I thought we didn't really get to know her.

Overall, this was a fascinating standalone fantasy which I had a good time reading. If you love gothic settings or the enemies to lovers trope in your fantasy books, then I promise you that you'll find this book to be just what you might love. The audiobook is also narrated quite well and I had fun switching back between the audio and ebook. I know that the story is complete, but if the author ever decides to expand this world, I would be very interested.

Wren is a healer. She is in the Queen's Guard and is to follow the orders of her best friend Una. Una sees everything in black and white, while Wren sees the greys in life. Not every decision can be as clear cut as Una would like them to be. When Wren disobeys orders yet again, she is removed from the Queen's Guard.
While trying to figure out how to put her life back together, she receives a letter from an eccentric lord, requesting her help as a healer. She takes his offer of employment. She has to find a way back into the Queen's good graces and get back to Una.

That is just a small part of this book. There is so much more to the story! I loved these characters. Wren and Hal are great. I didn't even mind the romance too much. I really liked the gothic vibe. I liked the writing style. It was very easy to follow. I look forward to more from this author.

I received a copy from Net Galley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.