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alicemaloney 's review for:
Cold the Night, Fast the Wolves
by Meg Long
Even though I went in with some bias (I’m predisposed to like “girl bonds with dog” stories), I was still surprised by how much I liked this! There’s definitely elements of it that read like a debut novel (a lot of unnecessary over explanations, for one) and I’m not the biggest fan of present-tense, but there was enough to engage me.
Especially in regards to the protagonist, Sena, and her bond with the wolf, Iska. That was the true heart and soul of this survival story and it absolutely shows in the writing. And despite the uneven pacing of the book (very slow start while the latter half goes at an almost breakneck pace), the development of their relationship didn’t feel rushed or unrealistic. Hell, I even started tearing up near the end because of how strong and emotional their bond was.
I appreciated that even though Sena could have been an unrepentant YA badass, she was written like a young woman affected by the trauma of losing her mothers and surviving on her own. She made hasty decisions, shut people out, acted selfishly, but did eventually learn to open up and love again. And without falling into a romance, which was refreshing! As was her aching love and painful memories of her mothers which gave me a window into a lovely relationship between two interesting women; I would actually be interested in a prequel about them ngl.
There were interesting aspects to the worldbuilding (nice to see a story that had an anti-corporate stance but also didn’t let isolationists off the hook either), some excellent action/survival scenes (I was genuinely impressed by how clearly portrayed and intense the fight sequences were) and enough of an open ending that I would definitely be back for a sequel. But as it is, this is an engaging and emotional first book that, despite its flaws, has plenty to recommend it.
Especially in regards to the protagonist, Sena, and her bond with the wolf, Iska. That was the true heart and soul of this survival story and it absolutely shows in the writing. And despite the uneven pacing of the book (very slow start while the latter half goes at an almost breakneck pace), the development of their relationship didn’t feel rushed or unrealistic. Hell, I even started tearing up near the end because of how strong and emotional their bond was.
I appreciated that even though Sena could have been an unrepentant YA badass, she was written like a young woman affected by the trauma of losing her mothers and surviving on her own. She made hasty decisions, shut people out, acted selfishly, but did eventually learn to open up and love again. And without falling into a romance, which was refreshing! As was her aching love and painful memories of her mothers which gave me a window into a lovely relationship between two interesting women; I would actually be interested in a prequel about them ngl.
There were interesting aspects to the worldbuilding (nice to see a story that had an anti-corporate stance but also didn’t let isolationists off the hook either), some excellent action/survival scenes (I was genuinely impressed by how clearly portrayed and intense the fight sequences were) and enough of an open ending that I would definitely be back for a sequel. But as it is, this is an engaging and emotional first book that, despite its flaws, has plenty to recommend it.