Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.88 AVERAGE
3.88 AVERAGE
My Thoughts
Cold the Night, Fast the Wolves is a fast-paced debut adventure from Meg Long, set on a frozen planet that had me picturing Hoth (with forests). You know my Star Wars loving heart was geeking out.
How great is this setting?
This book was so much fun to read. From the very beginning, the world building created a really captivating atmosphere. Like Star Wars, I enjoyed the juxtaposition of this harsh planet with dystopian vibes and the advanced technology that clearly grounded the story in another time / universe. It was both familiar and fantastical.
Sena, our orphan thief, was an absolute force to be reckoned with. I truly enjoyed her journey, even when I wanted to shake her for being so stubborn. I imagine people feel the same about me some days. #sorrynotsorry The race also brought an interesting element to the story which held the tension and kept my inner voice saying 'just one more chapter.'
And wolves. There are furry companions my friends! *heart eyes*
Overall
Overall, if you are looking for a fast-paced adventure set within a unique world, then Cold the Night, Fast the Wolves is for you! I loved the relationship between Sena and our fighter wolf plus the found family elements of this story. I really hope that we get more in this world someday and look forward to what Meg Long writes next!
This one took a few chapters to really take off and differentiate itself from the pack, but it's one giant adrenaline surge once all the pieces are set in place.
Sena starts out as the stereotypical kind girl acting tough to survive and earn her way out of the man-eat-man world she was born into. She's a thief with no remorse about stealing from the wealthy off-worlders who arrive en masse to witness the legendary (deadly and dangerous) race that killed her mothers. She has no intention of having anything to do with the race or the wolves that pull the sleds that participate in it until the most vicious crime lord in her world makes her an offer she's not allowed to refuse and she meets a beautiful fighting wolf named after her mother. Then it's a roller coaster ride of emotions, action, and life and death decisions.
The characters Long slowly introduces leap from the page and feel as alive as the deadly nature of the world that seems to be trying to kill every living thing in it. And the conflicts between people, animals, and nature - made worse by the greed of off-world corporations - ring with a note of sad reality that adds an extra layer of emotion to the events of the book.
This is one that takes a bit to warm up to, but I promise it will be worth it.
Happy thanks to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, and Wednesday Books for the very exciting read!
Sena starts out as the stereotypical kind girl acting tough to survive and earn her way out of the man-eat-man world she was born into. She's a thief with no remorse about stealing from the wealthy off-worlders who arrive en masse to witness the legendary (deadly and dangerous) race that killed her mothers. She has no intention of having anything to do with the race or the wolves that pull the sleds that participate in it until the most vicious crime lord in her world makes her an offer she's not allowed to refuse and she meets a beautiful fighting wolf named after her mother. Then it's a roller coaster ride of emotions, action, and life and death decisions.
The characters Long slowly introduces leap from the page and feel as alive as the deadly nature of the world that seems to be trying to kill every living thing in it. And the conflicts between people, animals, and nature - made worse by the greed of off-world corporations - ring with a note of sad reality that adds an extra layer of emotion to the events of the book.
This is one that takes a bit to warm up to, but I promise it will be worth it.
Happy thanks to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, and Wednesday Books for the very exciting read!
** I read an advance reader copy of this book. **
This book was difficult for me to review. At first, I must admit that I thought I was going to have to give it a negative review even though I found myself enjoying aspects of the story. I just hate(d) the main character so very much. Yes, she had a horrible life. Yes, it's terrible that she lost both her parents at once and didn't know what really happened to them. Yes, she was looked down on because of who one of her mothers was. So, yes, I understood her anger and despair. But I just go so tired of her blaming EVERYTHING on the fact that her mothers had died. Over and over and over and over. She could have made a better life for herself but she refused to work with the wolves she had loved and worked with in her childhood because her mothers died. There were people who cared about her and would have tried to help her but she refused them because her mothers died. She had to steal and lie because her mothers died.
So, I didn't like Sena. Even at the end, I'm not sure I like(d) Sena. However, she did grow and her relationship with Iska (the wolf who saves her and who she saves in turn) changed and grew and drew me in. And the story is so well written that even when I was most frustrated with Sena, I needed to keep reading to see what happened next. I think what helped me the most was realizing that Sena was only a teenager and just a child when she lost her parents. That helped me to at least tolerate her and by the end, I was at the point of maybe not not liking her. Plus, the story was great!
So, overall, I loved the book, loved loved loved the wolf, really liked (loved) some of the side characters (Remy!), hated the villains and maybe didn't dislike the main character quite so much. Definitely worth reading if you enjoy adventure/survival/sci-fi/animal stories!
This book was difficult for me to review. At first, I must admit that I thought I was going to have to give it a negative review even though I found myself enjoying aspects of the story. I just hate(d) the main character so very much. Yes, she had a horrible life. Yes, it's terrible that she lost both her parents at once and didn't know what really happened to them. Yes, she was looked down on because of who one of her mothers was. So, yes, I understood her anger and despair. But I just go so tired of her blaming EVERYTHING on the fact that her mothers had died. Over and over and over and over. She could have made a better life for herself but she refused to work with the wolves she had loved and worked with in her childhood because her mothers died. There were people who cared about her and would have tried to help her but she refused them because her mothers died. She had to steal and lie because her mothers died.
So, I didn't like Sena. Even at the end, I'm not sure I like(d) Sena. However, she did grow and her relationship with Iska (the wolf who saves her and who she saves in turn) changed and grew and drew me in. And the story is so well written that even when I was most frustrated with Sena, I needed to keep reading to see what happened next. I think what helped me the most was realizing that Sena was only a teenager and just a child when she lost her parents. That helped me to at least tolerate her and by the end, I was at the point of maybe not not liking her. Plus, the story was great!
So, overall, I loved the book, loved loved loved the wolf, really liked (loved) some of the side characters (Remy!), hated the villains and maybe didn't dislike the main character quite so much. Definitely worth reading if you enjoy adventure/survival/sci-fi/animal stories!
Sena made a mistake and has to get out of dodge with her wolf friend, Iska. It's a cold planet, so it's definitely possible to become scarce, but to get where she really wants to go, Sena will have to do something she promised herself she'd never do: sled racing. Sena lost family members to the sport, but she's out of options, and the only good one lies at the other side of the finish line. Sena and Iska set out in the frigid cold with the hope of a new beginning, but when the frost sets in, Sena is forced to reckon with her own abilities, the fate of her family, and what it really takes to survive. You can't outrun the inevitable.
Imagine, if you will, that the Iditarod was fueled by corporate greed, to reach a region where no machine could penetrate. Sena lives in a world where that is real, and wolf creatures are bio-engineered to withstand the harsh conditions and demands of the race, at the end of which is found a rare substance in high demand. I found the world-building and ethical challenges of this story captivating, and I feel like this setting has a lot more to offer. The race doesn't begin in earnest until halfway through, but that also allows time to build up this interesting, flawed world, to get to know Sena and Iska, and to understand the plight of the people caught between survival and the crosshairs of capitalism.
In the latter part of the story, as the cold seeps in, that's when the bond between Sena and Iska really shines, and the ice hits the fan. Cold the Night, Fast the Wolves is an entertaining, thought-provoking transposition of Alaska's ubiquitous race, turned into something far more sinister, and I devoured it like a very blue snow cone (You know the one). Recommended for readers interested in unusual settings, strong world-building, a girl and her dog trying to survive, and perilous ethical questions piercing the barrier of cold corporatism.
Thank you Wednesday Books for the complimentary digital copy of Cold the Night, Fast the Wolves.
Imagine, if you will, that the Iditarod was fueled by corporate greed, to reach a region where no machine could penetrate. Sena lives in a world where that is real, and wolf creatures are bio-engineered to withstand the harsh conditions and demands of the race, at the end of which is found a rare substance in high demand. I found the world-building and ethical challenges of this story captivating, and I feel like this setting has a lot more to offer. The race doesn't begin in earnest until halfway through, but that also allows time to build up this interesting, flawed world, to get to know Sena and Iska, and to understand the plight of the people caught between survival and the crosshairs of capitalism.
In the latter part of the story, as the cold seeps in, that's when the bond between Sena and Iska really shines, and the ice hits the fan. Cold the Night, Fast the Wolves is an entertaining, thought-provoking transposition of Alaska's ubiquitous race, turned into something far more sinister, and I devoured it like a very blue snow cone (You know the one). Recommended for readers interested in unusual settings, strong world-building, a girl and her dog trying to survive, and perilous ethical questions piercing the barrier of cold corporatism.
Thank you Wednesday Books for the complimentary digital copy of Cold the Night, Fast the Wolves.
I'm not necessarily a fantasy girly, but I thought this was fantastic. Decent, digestible prose. Excellent world building. Likeable, fiery MC. And lots of doggies (err, I mean wolves).
The story really picks up in the second act (truthfully, I did feel like the first half of the book was work). Once the race started, I was on the edge of my seat, and honestly my jaw dropped at a little twisty-twist that I hadn't expected.
And thank God, no forced love. Can we just have a strong female doing her thing without a man making himself the center of attention? Meg Long says YES
The story really picks up in the second act (truthfully, I did feel like the first half of the book was work). Once the race started, I was on the edge of my seat, and honestly my jaw dropped at a little twisty-twist that I hadn't expected.
And thank God, no forced love. Can we just have a strong female doing her thing without a man making himself the center of attention? Meg Long says YES
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Despite the book being about the race, the pacing was glacially slow. If I DNF-ed books, this would be at the top of that pile but I think I have a penchant for punishing myself with books that ought to have gone through a more rigorous editor.
The concept of this book was amazing - a snowy planet filled with valuable materials that can only be acquired through manually racing via genetically enhanced wolf-dogs across its barren, hostile landscape. Our main character is the daughter of one of the elusive local tribes and the best racer that ever touched the planet. She befriends a wolf who has been born for violent cage fights hosted by the most notorious syndicate leader in the town.
These all make for an interesting - if not semi-predictable - YA story about survival and freedom set in a reverse Arrakis.
Yet none of those elements were fully fleshed out. The start of the book suffers from the most disappointing info dump of the lore and the worldbuilding. We are met with page after page of the author's notes about the world and our main protagonist apropos of nothing. It felt like a writing exercise where the challenge was to give each and every single detail we encountered a background story.
Now, as a Sanderson enjoyer, I don't mind getting chapters of lore and worldbuilding about the food, culture, or politics of any given fictional place. However, this needs more showing rather than telling. Instead of telling us how she's frustrated by her situation because of these particular things, show us what she does to show her frustration. Instead of saying that he's the biggest crime boss in the town, show us the influence he has on the people and what they say about him. Make his actions and his crime mean <I>something</i> to help us understand the gravity of the danger she's in.
I also had to turn my brain off multiple times from analyzing the story too much to avoid influencing my perspective of the story. That isn't a good sign but needs must.
There were plenty of times our protagonist frustrated me because she sometimes acts in a way that is counter to what she says she believes in. She says that she's always alone and that no one is out there helping her after her mothers passed away. Yet she almost always has a helping hand in whatever situation she finds herself in. She says she does well as a thief to help her survive the tough conditions with minimal help but in the instances where she does any thieving, she gets caught and punished. Like please, I understand you're underaged but how can I respect or believe in your capabilities when you can't do one thing right?
This is Long's first book and I'm willing to give their future books a try since they have the imagination and the willingness to explore classic fantasy concepts but within new worlds!
The concept of this book was amazing - a snowy planet filled with valuable materials that can only be acquired through manually racing via genetically enhanced wolf-dogs across its barren, hostile landscape. Our main character is the daughter of one of the elusive local tribes and the best racer that ever touched the planet. She befriends a wolf who has been born for violent cage fights hosted by the most notorious syndicate leader in the town.
These all make for an interesting - if not semi-predictable - YA story about survival and freedom set in a reverse Arrakis.
Yet none of those elements were fully fleshed out. The start of the book suffers from the most disappointing info dump of the lore and the worldbuilding. We are met with page after page of the author's notes about the world and our main protagonist apropos of nothing. It felt like a writing exercise where the challenge was to give each and every single detail we encountered a background story.
Now, as a Sanderson enjoyer, I don't mind getting chapters of lore and worldbuilding about the food, culture, or politics of any given fictional place. However, this needs more showing rather than telling. Instead of telling us how she's frustrated by her situation because of these particular things, show us what she does to show her frustration. Instead of saying that he's the biggest crime boss in the town, show us the influence he has on the people and what they say about him. Make his actions and his crime mean <I>something</i> to help us understand the gravity of the danger she's in.
I also had to turn my brain off multiple times from analyzing the story too much to avoid influencing my perspective of the story. That isn't a good sign but needs must.
There were plenty of times our protagonist frustrated me because she sometimes acts in a way that is counter to what she says she believes in. She says that she's always alone and that no one is out there helping her after her mothers passed away. Yet she almost always has a helping hand in whatever situation she finds herself in. She says she does well as a thief to help her survive the tough conditions with minimal help but in the instances where she does any thieving, she gets caught and punished. Like please, I understand you're underaged but how can I respect or believe in your capabilities when you can't do one thing right?
This is Long's first book and I'm willing to give their future books a try since they have the imagination and the willingness to explore classic fantasy concepts but within new worlds!
This novel is a fast paced and exhilarating thrill ride of a novel, set on a barely hospitable ice planet. Once a year, there is an infamous sled race, one our protagonist, Sena, despises because it claimed the lives of both her mothers. Sena, in desperate attempt to journey off the planet, makes a deal to participate in the race with a fighter-wolf, Iska by her side. The world building in this novel was so detailed and vivid and the development of the character’s so immersive, I went through an entire roller coaster of emotions while reading. This story truly captivates your heart and takes you on a journey of survival against predators both animal and human, all the while delivering on a beautiful found family trope that made my heart stop.
**Thanks to NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review**
**Thanks to NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review**
This book was so fun, I absolutely loved the setting. You don't get a lot of stories with a lot of snow, cold weather and such in books these days. Like imagine a very small town with a lot of wilderness with snow. Always snow. And of course the dog sledding competition reminds me of Balto, Snow Dogs and literally every Alaska-story ever. It was a great change of pace, honestly.
Our orphan thief was a hoot. She knew her way around her home-town like one would expect, but honestly she isn't very smart. She steals a prized wolf from someone who isn't afraid to get their hands dirty. I just felt like she was always like "okay so I could do this BUT I think I'll do that instead even though it obviously is not going to work out in my favor and is the harder way to get things done" lol.
This book doesn't have romance, but it has a lot of other vibes people seem to look for, like found family, character arc, dogs (super important), I honestly hope there is a follow up book for reasons!
Our orphan thief was a hoot. She knew her way around her home-town like one would expect, but honestly she isn't very smart. She steals a prized wolf from someone who isn't afraid to get their hands dirty. I just felt like she was always like "okay so I could do this BUT I think I'll do that instead even though it obviously is not going to work out in my favor and is the harder way to get things done" lol.
This book doesn't have romance, but it has a lot of other vibes people seem to look for, like found family, character arc, dogs (super important), I honestly hope there is a follow up book for reasons!
Couldn't deal with the constant telling/over-explaining as if the reader is dumb.
