Cover design: Kerri Resnick | Cover illustration: Dani Pendergast | Hi-res cover download

A Top Ten Indie Next Pick

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.

  • graphic depictions of surgical procedures

    gore, including descriptions of wounds, blood, and corpses

    implied torture (not shown on page)

  • Canada: St. Martin’s

    Russia: Eksmo

  • “Saft’s narrative voice makes reading effortless with the perfect blend of pacing and poetry. Fans of Leigh Bardugo’s “Grisha Trilogy” and Marie Rutkoski’s “Winner’s Trilogy” have been waiting for this Darkling-esque romance... Those who pick up Saft’s debut will be richly rewarded on all counts—intricately woven characters, beautiful prose, and darkness around every corner make this fantasy a first purchase.” — School LIbrary Journal, starred review

    “Allison Saft’s deftly plotted YA debut is an icy, atmospheric blend of gothic horror, fantasy and romance.... Saft’s lush, atmospheric prose and delightfully menacing settings—combined with an artfully creepy villain with a penchant for the unspeakable—make Down Comes the Night the perfect read for a long, cold winter evening.” — Shelf Awareness, Starred Review

    “Maarleveld captures each character and immerses listeners in the gothic setting of the sinister manor. Her intensifying pace and warm tone perfectly express the slow-burn romance that blooms between Wren and Hal as they work together to save their kingdoms.” — AudioFile Magazine, Earphones Award Winner

    “Down Comes the Night is a breathtaking debut. Brilliant, healing, and affirming, this gothic fantasy is simply unforgettable. Wren is one of the most empathetic characters I’ve had the pleasure of reading recently. In a country in the midst of a war, Wren is a healer who puts her predisposed biases behind her in order to save someone she isn’t sure is worth saving. I loved every bit of this atmospheric book.” — Cody Roecker, The Novel Neighbor, for the Kids' Indie Next List

    “Complex, carefully rendered, and utterly addictive, Down Comes the Night is a YA fantasy classic in the making. Saft seamlessly blends an utterly original magic system, multifaceted main characters, and forbidden romance into a gothic narrative that will stay with you long after the last page. ” — Charlie Lynn Herman, New York Times bestselling author of The Devouring Gray and All of Us Villains

    “I adored Allison Saft’s complex world and engaging heroine. Wren navigates a war-torn country as a healer, wielding her compassion and wit as deftly as her magic. Atmospheric, romantic, and just a touch eerie―this is the kind of story I love to get lost in.” — Emily Lloyd-Jones, author of The Bone Houses

    “Down Comes the Night is a twisty dark ride through a gothic world that‘ll keep you up all night. Saft has crafted a deeply romantic tale with fresh magic and mystery on every page, and filled with an arresting cast. An engrossing, haunting, and beautiful addition to the YA shelf. ” — Isabel Ibañez, author of Woven in Moonlight

    “Down Comes the Night is a haunting debut full of sorrow, loss, and love. Dark and atmospheric, this world demands to be felt in your bones. Every sentence propels you to flip page after page and immerse yourself in the visceral beauty of the world Saft created. This book is a story of healing, letting yourself love, and be loved. You won’t want to put this book down!” — Joseline Diaz, Kepler's Books & Magazines

    “Haunting, romantic and occasionally grotesque, Down Comes the Night is the YA fantasy novel I’ve been waiting ages for... With its unique, beautifully crafted science based magic system and fully formed characters, I found every page of this eerie novel riveting... This is a must read for fans of Guillermo del Toro’s gothic films and the standalone fantasies of Margaret Rogerson.” — Cristina Russell, Books & Books

    “Saft weaves a tangled political plot through a wartorn continent, imbuing her frostbitten setting with a haunting sense of danger. Colwick Hall is eerie and forlorn, the perfect setting for the grotesque and mysterious - as well as a dark, gothic romance. Part Wuthering Heights and part War and Peace, Down Comes the Night is entirely addictive! ” — Laura Graveline, Brazos Bookstore

    “Allison Saft’s Down Comes the Night is an exquisite marriage of lush, romantic fantasy and Victorian Gothic. Through the lens of a love story between enemy sorcerers, it grapples with themes of mercy, justice, revenge, and redemption to stunning effect. Readers will be left breathless from the first page until the very last.” — Kiersten Frost, Brookline Booksmith