You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
tthebooknook 's review for:
Cold the Night, Fast the Wolves
by Meg Long
*I received a free ARC of this book from the publisher, Wednesday Books, and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions expressed are completely my own.*
4.25/5 Stars
“For all the girls who run from wolves… or toward them.”
Cold the Night, Fast the Wolves by Meg Long is a young adult fantasy and science fiction/dystopian novel filled with fearless characters, foreboding forests, fighting wolves, and found family all set against a backdrop of a fierce and freezing planet as well as a (potentially) fatal sled race. I am a sucker for any book that has any sort of animal as central to the plot (or just includes animals in general, I am a simple gal) plus I remember loving the movie Balto as a child, so this book called out to me on a spiritual level and I was immediately intrigued. I was super excited about this book upon reading the synopsis and I was so excited when I was able to snag an ARC. Also, the cover is absolutely gorgeous, which is always a plus in my book. And overall, this book did not disappoint! I enjoyed every minute of the story and following alongside the novel’s protagonist, Sena, and her fight for survival.
The Plot
Seventeen-year-old Sena Korhosen has spent the last five years of her life trying to make enough money to get herself off her frozen planet of Tundar and to start a new life for herself away from the planet that brings her nothing but bad memories. However, after angering Kalba, local gang boss, Sena is forced to flee along with the boss’ prize-fighting wolf, Iska, leaving her with nowhere to turn. A team of scientists offers to pay her way off Tundar on one condition: she help to train and get them to the finish line of the planet’s infamous sled race… the same race that killed her mothers. Sena has sworn to herself to never get involved with the race that took her mothers from her, but now it is her only option if she wishes to finally leave Tundar, and her memories, behind.
But the tundra is a dangerous and unforgiving place and, as the race unfolds, Sena, Iska, and their team’s lives are threatened at every turn by deadly creatures, massive storms, and fierce competitors who will do whatever is possible to get to the finish line first and to make Sena pay for double-crossing Kalba, causing Sena to question her own skills and her ability to keep her team, and herself, alive. She must discover whether she is strong enough to survive the wilds that took her mothers’ lives and whether she and Iska are strong enough to get each other and their team to the end.
The Worldbuilding
One of my favorite aspects of the novel would have to be the fantastic worldbuilding. Cold the Night, Fast the Wolves promises a frozen and unforgiving world filled with menacing trees, deadly creatures, frigid temperatures, and unrelenting storms and it sure delivers. Long makes the world of Tundar come to life on the page between the aspects and descriptions of the physical world as well as its history, making it fully fleshed and conveying a full sense of Sena’s world and what she must face. Likewise, Long strikes a nice balance between “showing” and “telling” when it comes to the world of the novel, using Sena’s perspective to highlight the world around her and using Sena herself as a mouthpiece to convey elements of Tundar’s history, particularly with regards to the scavvers, the race, and the corporations. I really enjoyed being able to witness the world of the novel on the page and gaining a broad sense of what life is like on Tundar from Sena’s perspective.
The Characters
I really enjoyed Sena’s character. She is such a strong, brave, independent, resourceful, and just an overall badass character who is willing to do whatever it takes to survive and to make her way off Tundar (even if it means stealing from Kalba, one of the most powerful gang boss’ on the planet). Sena also undergoes such amazing character growth as the story progresses, particularly as the race begins around the halfway point of the novel. Spending the last five years basically on her own (with the exception of her “aunt,” Kirima, whom Sena is not particularly close with) and being an outcast from society due to one of her mother’s being a scavver, Sena begins the story as a recluse accustomed to only relying on herself (and the skills she learned from her mothers) to survive and distancing herself from those around her, even when they make an effort to reach out (which is the case with her friend, Temur). She is sort of “stuck” in her current position of fending for herself, namely through being a pickpocket trying to gain (or steal) enough money to escape Tundar (a situation which leaves her little to no room to develop as a character) and it is not until she participates (rather unwillingly) in the sled race that she begins to grow into her own. As the race begins, Sena slowly starts to grow and progress as a character, beginning to become more sure of herself and starting to trust both herself as well as those around her, namely Iska and one of her teammates, Remy. Sena is placed in a position in which she is forced to depend upon those around her and is likewise charged with keeping her inexperienced team of scientists safe from the tundra around them, a situation completely divergent from her usual position on Tundar. Sena skills, abilities, and qualities are put to the test and brought to the forefront, showcasing just how resourceful and strong she truly is and must be in order to keep herself and her team alive during a race that is out to kill them. As the story is told through first-person point of view, we, as the readers, truly come to “know” Sena as a character namely through her internal thoughts, which clearly highlight Sena’s growth as a character through seeing her various views of the world around her and those within it shift as the story progresses. I loved being able to witness Sena’s growth as a character, which is particularly why I enjoyed the latter half of the novel so much more than the former.
I also loved the relationships and bonds that Sena formed over the course of the novel, especially since these various bonds work to showcase Sena’s progression as a character. I adored Sena’s bond with Iska and witnessing how much Sena began to care about, trust, and rely on the wolf and began to consider Iska “hers” as opposed to Kalba’s. I love how much faith they had in each other which, like Sena’s own qualities and skills, is put to the test and truly showcased during the race. I just love a good human and animal bond, which we do not have enough of in young adult fiction, which is one of the many reasons why I adored Sena and Iska’s relationship and seeing them become a family. I also enjoyed the relationships that Sena formed with her teammates, namely Remy, Pana, and Kaassen, and seeing her begin to consider them friends in addition to teammates.
The one thing I will say is that this book suffers slightly from introducing (or “name dropping”) too many characters, most of whom are quickly dropped from the story or end up playing no real role, especially after the halfway mark when the race begins. Because of this, it becomes a little difficult to keep track of the characters (mainly in the first half of the novel) and the text becomes a little muddled with characters who end up adding nothing to the story. Likewise, there were some characters that were introduced who I wish we got to see more of, namely Sena’s friend, Temur, and “aunt,” Kirima. I really enjoyed both of their characters, including their relationships with Sena, and I was sad when the race began and both of them were completely forgotten about and never mentioned or seen again (I mean, I get why we did not get to see them again, but it made me sad either way), especially since they both played a semi-large role in the first half of the story. This was especially the case for me with Temur; I found him to be super sweet (I have a thing for super sweet, nice, and soft characters, what can I say?) and I wish that we got to see his relationship with Sena progress more, namely since Sena considered Temur to be one of her only real friends which says a lot considering Sena’s relationship with those around her at the beginning of the story.
The Writing & the Pacing
In terms of the writing, I found the story quite easy to read, which makes it simple to enter the world of the novel and navigate the world alongside Sena. Long has a way of writing, particularly settings, which makes it feel as though you are there alongside Sena and the rest of the characters; Long’s descriptions, as previously stated, make the world of the novel come to life on the page and her writing style definitely fits when it comes to creating, capturing, and depicting worldbuilding. In addition, I greatly enjoyed Long’s writing of dialogue, both internal (when it comes to Sena) and external, and I found it to show a lot about the various characters. Each character is given their own distinctive “voice” and manner of speaking in keeping with their overall character (at least based upon Sena’s view of them) that helps greatly to gain a better sense of just who these characters are, especially considering that, when it comes to Sena’s race teammates, Sena (and therefore us as the readers) does not know anything about them and therefore gauges her opinions upon them largely based on her conversations with them, making Long’s writing of dialogue very important.
While I enjoyed the overall writing style, the pacing of the story really threw me off. The first half of the novel really dragged for me—the sled race itself does not begin until around the halfway point of the story with the first half of the novel being the lead up to the race. I feel as though the first half of the story could have been greatly cut and the race introduced sooner, especially considering that the race is one of the main selling points of the novel.
Conclusion
Overall, Cold the Night, Fast the Wolves is a fantastic debut. Between the found family aspects, the action and adventure, the fantastic worldbuilding, and, of course, the wolves, this book was everything that I did not know I needed until I picked it up. I cannot wait to see what Meg Long writes next!
4.25/5 Stars
“For all the girls who run from wolves… or toward them.”
Cold the Night, Fast the Wolves by Meg Long is a young adult fantasy and science fiction/dystopian novel filled with fearless characters, foreboding forests, fighting wolves, and found family all set against a backdrop of a fierce and freezing planet as well as a (potentially) fatal sled race. I am a sucker for any book that has any sort of animal as central to the plot (or just includes animals in general, I am a simple gal) plus I remember loving the movie Balto as a child, so this book called out to me on a spiritual level and I was immediately intrigued. I was super excited about this book upon reading the synopsis and I was so excited when I was able to snag an ARC. Also, the cover is absolutely gorgeous, which is always a plus in my book. And overall, this book did not disappoint! I enjoyed every minute of the story and following alongside the novel’s protagonist, Sena, and her fight for survival.
The Plot
Seventeen-year-old Sena Korhosen has spent the last five years of her life trying to make enough money to get herself off her frozen planet of Tundar and to start a new life for herself away from the planet that brings her nothing but bad memories. However, after angering Kalba, local gang boss, Sena is forced to flee along with the boss’ prize-fighting wolf, Iska, leaving her with nowhere to turn. A team of scientists offers to pay her way off Tundar on one condition: she help to train and get them to the finish line of the planet’s infamous sled race… the same race that killed her mothers. Sena has sworn to herself to never get involved with the race that took her mothers from her, but now it is her only option if she wishes to finally leave Tundar, and her memories, behind.
But the tundra is a dangerous and unforgiving place and, as the race unfolds, Sena, Iska, and their team’s lives are threatened at every turn by deadly creatures, massive storms, and fierce competitors who will do whatever is possible to get to the finish line first and to make Sena pay for double-crossing Kalba, causing Sena to question her own skills and her ability to keep her team, and herself, alive. She must discover whether she is strong enough to survive the wilds that took her mothers’ lives and whether she and Iska are strong enough to get each other and their team to the end.
The Worldbuilding
One of my favorite aspects of the novel would have to be the fantastic worldbuilding. Cold the Night, Fast the Wolves promises a frozen and unforgiving world filled with menacing trees, deadly creatures, frigid temperatures, and unrelenting storms and it sure delivers. Long makes the world of Tundar come to life on the page between the aspects and descriptions of the physical world as well as its history, making it fully fleshed and conveying a full sense of Sena’s world and what she must face. Likewise, Long strikes a nice balance between “showing” and “telling” when it comes to the world of the novel, using Sena’s perspective to highlight the world around her and using Sena herself as a mouthpiece to convey elements of Tundar’s history, particularly with regards to the scavvers, the race, and the corporations. I really enjoyed being able to witness the world of the novel on the page and gaining a broad sense of what life is like on Tundar from Sena’s perspective.
The Characters
I really enjoyed Sena’s character. She is such a strong, brave, independent, resourceful, and just an overall badass character who is willing to do whatever it takes to survive and to make her way off Tundar (even if it means stealing from Kalba, one of the most powerful gang boss’ on the planet). Sena also undergoes such amazing character growth as the story progresses, particularly as the race begins around the halfway point of the novel. Spending the last five years basically on her own (with the exception of her “aunt,” Kirima, whom Sena is not particularly close with) and being an outcast from society due to one of her mother’s being a scavver, Sena begins the story as a recluse accustomed to only relying on herself (and the skills she learned from her mothers) to survive and distancing herself from those around her, even when they make an effort to reach out (which is the case with her friend, Temur). She is sort of “stuck” in her current position of fending for herself, namely through being a pickpocket trying to gain (or steal) enough money to escape Tundar (a situation which leaves her little to no room to develop as a character) and it is not until she participates (rather unwillingly) in the sled race that she begins to grow into her own. As the race begins, Sena slowly starts to grow and progress as a character, beginning to become more sure of herself and starting to trust both herself as well as those around her, namely Iska and one of her teammates, Remy. Sena is placed in a position in which she is forced to depend upon those around her and is likewise charged with keeping her inexperienced team of scientists safe from the tundra around them, a situation completely divergent from her usual position on Tundar. Sena skills, abilities, and qualities are put to the test and brought to the forefront, showcasing just how resourceful and strong she truly is and must be in order to keep herself and her team alive during a race that is out to kill them. As the story is told through first-person point of view, we, as the readers, truly come to “know” Sena as a character namely through her internal thoughts, which clearly highlight Sena’s growth as a character through seeing her various views of the world around her and those within it shift as the story progresses. I loved being able to witness Sena’s growth as a character, which is particularly why I enjoyed the latter half of the novel so much more than the former.
I also loved the relationships and bonds that Sena formed over the course of the novel, especially since these various bonds work to showcase Sena’s progression as a character. I adored Sena’s bond with Iska and witnessing how much Sena began to care about, trust, and rely on the wolf and began to consider Iska “hers” as opposed to Kalba’s. I love how much faith they had in each other which, like Sena’s own qualities and skills, is put to the test and truly showcased during the race. I just love a good human and animal bond, which we do not have enough of in young adult fiction, which is one of the many reasons why I adored Sena and Iska’s relationship and seeing them become a family. I also enjoyed the relationships that Sena formed with her teammates, namely Remy, Pana, and Kaassen, and seeing her begin to consider them friends in addition to teammates.
The one thing I will say is that this book suffers slightly from introducing (or “name dropping”) too many characters, most of whom are quickly dropped from the story or end up playing no real role, especially after the halfway mark when the race begins. Because of this, it becomes a little difficult to keep track of the characters (mainly in the first half of the novel) and the text becomes a little muddled with characters who end up adding nothing to the story. Likewise, there were some characters that were introduced who I wish we got to see more of, namely Sena’s friend, Temur, and “aunt,” Kirima. I really enjoyed both of their characters, including their relationships with Sena, and I was sad when the race began and both of them were completely forgotten about and never mentioned or seen again (I mean, I get why we did not get to see them again, but it made me sad either way), especially since they both played a semi-large role in the first half of the story. This was especially the case for me with Temur; I found him to be super sweet (I have a thing for super sweet, nice, and soft characters, what can I say?) and I wish that we got to see his relationship with Sena progress more, namely since Sena considered Temur to be one of her only real friends which says a lot considering Sena’s relationship with those around her at the beginning of the story.
The Writing & the Pacing
In terms of the writing, I found the story quite easy to read, which makes it simple to enter the world of the novel and navigate the world alongside Sena. Long has a way of writing, particularly settings, which makes it feel as though you are there alongside Sena and the rest of the characters; Long’s descriptions, as previously stated, make the world of the novel come to life on the page and her writing style definitely fits when it comes to creating, capturing, and depicting worldbuilding. In addition, I greatly enjoyed Long’s writing of dialogue, both internal (when it comes to Sena) and external, and I found it to show a lot about the various characters. Each character is given their own distinctive “voice” and manner of speaking in keeping with their overall character (at least based upon Sena’s view of them) that helps greatly to gain a better sense of just who these characters are, especially considering that, when it comes to Sena’s race teammates, Sena (and therefore us as the readers) does not know anything about them and therefore gauges her opinions upon them largely based on her conversations with them, making Long’s writing of dialogue very important.
While I enjoyed the overall writing style, the pacing of the story really threw me off. The first half of the novel really dragged for me—the sled race itself does not begin until around the halfway point of the story with the first half of the novel being the lead up to the race. I feel as though the first half of the story could have been greatly cut and the race introduced sooner, especially considering that the race is one of the main selling points of the novel.
Conclusion
Overall, Cold the Night, Fast the Wolves is a fantastic debut. Between the found family aspects, the action and adventure, the fantastic worldbuilding, and, of course, the wolves, this book was everything that I did not know I needed until I picked it up. I cannot wait to see what Meg Long writes next!