I saved this one to read in the winter for that atmospheric cold goodness and I’m so glad I did! This has sci-fi, action and intrigue all on a Hoth-esque planet with wolves. What more could you possibly want?!

This story was all about survival and definitely one wild ride! The story was a pretty good book and was perfect for this time of year to be reading it with me surrounded my snow and cold weather just like Sena was. And who doesnt love a good book with wolves? Wolves are amazing and the bond that Sena and the wolf had was great. The Story was exhilarating and super interesting. The main character Sena was an interesting character for sure , she was smart but more so book smart and not street smart. She didn't always make the best decisions when it came to certain things but besides that she was super independent and didn’t let others bring her down. She would do whatever it took to succeed. The other characters were pretty interesting as well but you didn't learn a whole lot about them. Overall it was a pretty good book. I give it a 3.5 star rating.

A wonderfully feminine take on the classic boys adventure novels, set on a frozen planet with wolves and races and a chance at freedom.

After angering the leader of her local gang, Sena is thrown back to the dens of wolves to train the leader’s prize fighting wolf for the yearly race that covers the forested death trap on the outskirts of her town. The only thing is that she swore that she wouldn’t do that sort of thing, not after it claimed both of her mother’s lives. The race is dangerous, thousands of miles on icy waters, thick forests and treacherous mountains. Tourists come from everywhere, trying to dip a hand into the dig site of exocarbon, the very thing that keeps the world working. Sleds break, riders and wolves die and there are predators waiting around every turn. But on Ket, the only thing to do is survive, and Sena will do whatever it takes.

I loved this book. Everything about the writing reminds me of classic adventure novels, and it's a much more science fiction take on my favourite movie, Iron Will. All of the characters are wonderfully written, and the worldbuilding is so seamlessly woven into the story that it doesn’t feel like you’re learning about it, it feels like you’re inside it. The descriptions are fantastic. I genuinely felt like I was racing with Sena and helping Remy fix the motors. Sena goes through a series of character arcs and I literally held my breath during some parts.

The beginning of the book was a little slow, as is expected during fantasy/sci-fi novels, but other than that, this book is amazing and wonderful and I would recommend it to everyone.

Thank you to Netgalley and Wednesday Books for a copy of this book to read and review in advance. All opinions are my own.

WOW. What a great debut novel! I was gifted an ARC by Wednesday Books/St. Martin's Press & Netgalley and I'm going to buy a copy for myself today. You are immediately thrown into Sena's life on Tundar and spend a little over a month with her as she navigates life as a social outcast with a talent for training vonenwolves and an innate understanding of the hostile environment of her planet. The only thing this book left me wanting is more - more of Sena, more of Iska, more of Remy, and more of the universe Meg Long created with this novel.. 4.5 stars rounded up!

Rating 4

This was such an enjoyable story! As you all know, I love a good strong female main character and I’m pleased to say this one didn’t disappoint! This story also has a strong wolf named Iska who is both scary and loveable! The bond between Sena and Iska melts my heart. They learn so much about the work it takes to save the ones you love the most. I love thinking that together they are able to conquer anything. The setting behind this story is so fresh and engaging. The author did a great job building a world that you can easily picture and become a part of. While reading this book I actually felt cold from some of the descriptions in this book! I’ve never felt that before but thought it was so neat. This is a book that you don’t need to know more than what the synopsis gives you. Better to go into this book knowing less because you will enjoy it more! It does have a slow start but stick with it because it does pick up. I would recommend this book to anyone who loves a coming of age survival story full of heart.

**Received an advanced copy through NetGalley in return for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own. **

I really enjoyed this story! The pacing was good and it kept me on my toes, always wondering what would happen next. The writing was smooth and the dialogue fit the world and felt believable. I would definitely recommend this!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for allowing me to read this ARC!

Content Warning: violence, murder, death, animal cruelty, animal death, racism, colonization.


On Tundar, survival is everything. Sena Korhosen knows this better than anyone: she spends her days pickpocketing rich tourists in the hopes of earning enough to buy herself an off-world ticket. There's nothing keeping her on Tundar anymore since her mothers' death five years ago. When she runs afoul of a local mob boss, though -- one of the most powerful men in the Ket -- Sena runs out of options. She swore she'd never race, but when a team of scientists offers her more money than she could ever hope to steal if she coaches them through the notoriously dangerous sled race, Sena agrees. With her fighting wolf, Iska, at her side, Sena embarks on a journey so deadly that most racers don't live to see its finish line. Can she find a way out of the dead-end existence on her home-planet, and keep them all alive in the process?

One of my most highly anticipated 2022 reads, my first reaction upon reading the premise of Cold the Night, Fast the Wolves was "wow." It was exactly like something I'd have eagerly devoured in my adolescence, with its animal sidekick, gritty planet and deadly race. In many ways it reminded me a bit of The Hunger Games, though this is not dystopian, but in fact sci-fi. Long's story starts with Sena stealing money from the wrong guys, and a chase sequence that leads her straight into the arms of syndicate leader Kalba.

The first few chapters captivated my interest: I liked the icy setting, and I loved just how mean and cruel the world Sena lives on can be. Long's writing left something to be desired for me; I'm never a fan of first-person, present-tense at the best of times, but it was also quite dry and spent most of the narrative telling, rather than showing. However, I can often overlook qualms with writing-style -- after all, it's something completely subjective, and just because it isn't my cup of tea doesn't mean it won't be someone else's.

The concept is fantastic. I had a bit of an obsession with sled racing (particularly the Iditarod) as a child, and I kept thinking, I can't believe no one's capitalized on this idea before! I'm sad to say that the execution did not meet my expectations. The actual race doesn't even begin until the 55% mark! The pace was painfully slow, and in my opinion, so much could've been cut. A huge portion of the scenes that take place before the race could've been cut, and would've made for a much faster, more satisfying read. That wasn't actually my main issue with the story, though: it was Sena herself.

All of the characters feel very one-dimensional (aside from, perhaps, Remy, one of her sled-race teammates), but Sena suffers the most from this since the book is told through her eyes. Although she often tells us the grief she's still experiencing from the loss of her mothers, the narrative feels distant from her actual feelings and experiences. I also didn't like that the only LGBT representation in the book is Sena's mothers, who are both dead long before this narrative begins. Sena is one of those boringly tough female YA protagonists; she is rarely allowed to display any softness or tenderness, as if in fear that she'll be seen as "weak." She's not sympathetic or likable, particularly after one incident with Iska that left me speechless. How was I supposed to relate to her, or empathize with her, after she did something so shockingly cruel?

I hate giving books low-star ratings, and they have to truly be earned, but I'm disappointed to have to say that Cold the Night, Fast the Wolves was not enjoyable for me. Many people will love (and do love; simply take a look at the reviews on Goodreads) this novel, but I simply couldn't become immersed in it. I'm sure many edits will take place, but the core problem is with Sena's character, and I just couldn't bring myself to root for her. I do want to reiterate how original and fresh the actual concept is (and I absolutely love that we're seeing some YA sci-fi!), and I will be interested to see what else Long comes out with. It's worth remembering that this is a debut, and therefore I'm sure that Long will grow as a writer in the years to come!

Although I can't personally recommend this, as it was not a pleasant journey for me, I do think that those who have an interest in sledding, deadly quests and gritty sci-fi should give it a shot.

Thank you to Netgalley, Meg, and Wednesday Books for an advance copy of Cold the Night, Fast the Wolves. This was a stellar way to start the year.

Sena is an orphan trying to get by in one of the harshest environments in the universe. Survival is about the only thing there is to do on Tundar, with the exception of the annual race that people come from all over to watch, bet on, and participate in. The race, which is even more deadly than the planet having claimed both of Sena’s moms, is something Sent has sworn to never have anything to do with. Unfortunately, she has no choice. Sena gets into trouble with the local mob boss when she fails to rehab his prized fighting wolf. In return, Send flees with the wolf, Iska, by her side and ends up with her only allies – some off-worlders who are racing.

It has been a long time since I cried while reading a book. It’s been even longer since I both sad AND happy cried while reading a book. The story itself moves quite well considering the amount of world-building Meg manages to achieve in less than 400 pages. I could picture the world, the predators, and the race. There are some slow bits, but I think overall it only added to the experience. I would 100% read more books set in this same universe (either on Tundar or exploring other areas).

I absolutely love books that are driven by off-page characters. Sena’s moms are the reason that this story exists, and even though we never have any experience with them directly (if I recall, I don’t even think we had a flashback or dream scene; just scattered memories with tidbits of advice through Sena), they are such big players in this book. I always find it amazing when an author manages to make off-page characters so important and that I feel as though I’ve met them on the pages.

Sena is everything that I would want a daughter of mine to be and a character that I would want her to look up to. She’s a fighter, through and through. Even though she comes off as a little weaker in the beginning, she definitely is not. She’s scrappy and determined, loves despite wanting to keep to herself.

First five star book of the year. I will definitely be keeping an eye on what else Meg puts out.

“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!

Book received for free through NetGalley

This book was incredible. The characters were written well and grabbed me from the start. The scenery was haunting and the friendships on point. This book was so hard to put down and I can’t wait to continue reading more about them in any future books.

White Fang x Balto
This is a story that explores what it means to be human in a circumstances that push you towards your most feral instincts.

This story has pretty solid world building; a barely livable ice planet that hosts a yearly sled race for valuable materials that the main character Sena gets roped into. The race has a high mortality rate but for a planet riddled with poverty, it's sometimes the only financial option available to those with any hope of escape. I thought the author did a great job of balancing the elements of science-fiction that still left readers feeling grounded in the reality of this icy world.

Sena's relationship with Iska, the wolf she ends up paired with, is heartwarming despite taking place in an arctic tundra. You see a lot of growth within Sena because of Iska, and at times it felt like Iska was the main plot driving character of the book instead of Sena.

I also like that its a book that isn't heavy on romance.

Where the story fell flat for me was the writing itself. There are a lot of sentence echoes, where either one word is repeated multiple times within the same paragraph or the exact same thing is said but in a slightly different way multiple times to drive a point home. This caused a lot of unnecessary redundancies that just didn't land with me. I can tell that the story has good bones but in my opinion this book needs a heavy-handed editor who can polish this so it doesn't feel as monotonous with the language.

It also took me a while to actually get to a point in the story where I felt truly invested in the plot or where this might take the main character. The MC Sena proves on multiple occasions that she has the smarts to be resourceful but literally 90% of the chaos caused in this book is done by her own idiotic decisions (she even calls herself out that what she's about to do is stupid but then she goes ahead and does it anyway...more than once!). The stakes don't feel raised at all until at least 50% of the way through the novel, which is when the race actually starts.

I also felt that the author's attempt to address racism, while it is to be commended, it started to feel very heavy-handed. Her culture was constantly pushed to the forefront in her character's interactions with others. It got to a point where I was like "I get it, she's half-scavver and people have opinions about it", but there wasn't a need to mention it nearly as often as it was.

I do think that this is a solid debut; there are a lot of great things to work with and build upon. I still found myself curious as to what was going to happen next. While a lot of this book didn't land for me, I do believe that the premise is promising but some of the polishing just needs tightening up.

* I received this ARC through NetGalley, which has not impacted my review in any way *

"It's out of my control now. I can only control what happens to me and I have to survive before I can think about anything else."

#ColdTheNightFastTheWolves by #MegLong is an action packed, atmospheric, dystopian, survivalist story..with wolves. This book was everything I hoped it'd be and more. Sometimes I read a book description and get my hopes up, just to be let down but the opposite happened here. I could not put this book down. I read it in two sittings over the course of one weekend. I like that this story was dystopian but not fantasy. I like fantasy but was glad not to have it here. I got to immerse myself in the ice cold world and its characters without having to learn any magic systems. Also, no unnecessary love story to distract from the true plotline! So rare and so appreciated! An excellent debut and I can't wait to read more from this author in the future.

𝘋𝘪𝘴𝘤𝘭𝘢𝘪𝘮𝘦𝘳: 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘲𝘶𝘰𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘦𝘹𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘥𝘷𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘥 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘤𝘰𝘱𝘺 𝘐 𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘦𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘥 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 #NetGalley 𝘢𝘯𝘥 #WednesdayBooks 𝘪𝘯 𝘦𝘹𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘮𝘺 𝘩𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘸.

Who doesn't love a fast-paced YA adventure novel? Especially a survival story on a fantasy ice planet with a badass heroine and gigantic wolf-dogs? This book starts with a bang and doesn't let up until the final page, which sets up a sequel that promises to be even more compelling.

“Sometimes you don’t get to pick your family. Sometimes, they show up and pick you and you have to embrace it. And that wolf picked you.”

Cold the Night, Fast the Wolves is so unique and so thrilling and I was here for it. I loved the setting and atmosphere and the general theme just really rocked my world; it’s the perfect trifecta blend of sci-fi, dystopian fiction and fantasy.

The main character, Sena, is a tough as nails orphaned girl who is doing her best to survive in a world that is literally frozen. Outcasted by birth, she’s accepted nowhere; Sena survives by stealing and this gets her on the wrong side of Boss Kalba which leads her into the very race that killed her mothers. With the fighter she-wolf, Iska by her side, Sena escapes into the dangerous race - out of the pot and into the fire!

My absolute favorite trope – found family – is strong in this story and along with the strong world-building and creative emotive characters, I had a hard time putting this down. It is action-packed and full of adventure, beautifully blending all the genres. I especially loved the relationship between Sena and Iska! This is a strong debut and I’m hopeful for a sequel to!

My thanks to @WednesdayBooks and @NetGalley for this gifted DRC.

This is a phenomenal dystopian fantasy about found family, friendships & growth. I adored this book from beginning to end. The chapters were a bit longer than I normally care for but I didn’t get bored at all.

4.5 Stars

Cold the Night, Fast the Wolves takes place on the Tundar, a frosty planet run by crime syndicates that didn’t take well to terraforming. Despite its less than Earth-like conditions, greedy corporations have found a use for it. Each year, tourists, adventurers descend on the planet for a deadly dog-sled race. The goal, mine the precious metal exocarbon and try to stay alive while doing it.

Sena is a race orphan just trying to get off Tundar by picking pockets. But when she crosses the wrong gang boss, she finds herself in the same position of her late mothers — caring for a wounded wolf and racing for her life.

Though not specifically designated as such, Cold the Night, Fast the Wolves reads as a book in two parts —before the race and the race. While this sort of setup can sometimes feel tedious, it truly sets the tone here. Author Meg Long deftly sets the scene, allowing readers to not only get to know Sena but Tendor long before the race begins. This treatment sets the stakes and fully immerses readers in a world akin to Siberia but with crazier creatures.

The ebb and flow of pacing is strong throughout and Sena is a strong protagonist. Some of the “bad guy” action is predictable, but there are enough surprises around nearly every corner to balance that out. What set the story over the top for me was the lack of romance. Yes, themes of love are stitched throughout, but romance is not the motivation. It’s a refreshing take that leaves room for a different type of relationship growth.

Cold the Night, Fast the Wolves stands alone, but there’s room for more books in this world. Fingers crossed Meg Long delves into more.

I was provided an ARC of this book via Netgalley, all opinions are my own. Thank you to SMP and Wednesday Books for the ARC, I truly enjoyed going on this journey with Sena and Iska. This book comes out on January 11,2022. I was initially drawn in by the beautiful cover and I wasn't disappointed.

This has everything I look for in a book good world building, good character development, a unique plotline, and good pacing. This follows teenage Sena, an orphan and pickpocket on a planet that is run by corporations that wants nothing to do with her because of her heritage. Sena is shunned because she has scavver (people who want to live free of corporate rule) heritage and she embraces the old ways that don't involve technology. On a planet where storms render tech useless you'd think more people would do the same, but capitalism rules as does the annual race to dig exo-carbon. Sena's mother was a formidable racer, but when the race took both of her mothers from her she vowed never to have anything to do with the race. Unfortunately, Sena has made one to many bad decisions and finds herself indebted to one of the sleaziest men on the planet. She has to nurse one of his fighting wolves back into shape or face his wrath. She finds herself tied to this wolf in a way she never expected, and pulled back into the race she despises.

I really enjoyed this. There were times I wanted to shake Sena for all of the choices she made, she kept making bad decisions over and over knowing that it wasn't going to end well for her. This is all part of her character development arc, and as the story progresses she really does grow. I also really appreciated that there was no romance in this. It isn't often we see a YA SFF with no romance. This has a good deal of social commentary about bigotry and capitalism woven into an icy planet full of really cool, dangerous creatures. This has a bit of an open ending, leaving the reader to wonder will there be more to Sena and Iska's story? I don't know if there will be another book, but you can certainly imagine the trouble that Sena, Iska, and Remy could get into together.

4.5 stars.
Thanks to Netgalley for providing me with an arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I first requested an arc of this book because it has the word "wolves" in the title. I never thought that I liked survival-type books. But then I read this book, and realized that it's probably because every survivalist book I've ever read is about a white dude conquering nature, with detailed descriptions about boring survivalist crap. This is not what Cold the Night, Fast the Wolves is at all.

The story takes place on an icy planet far from the solar system's sun where greedy corporate overlords take advantage of the barely-surviving masses by coercing them into competing in a deadly sled race. The main character Sena is forced into the race through a series of questionable (but understandable) choices. The book contained a lot of social commentary, but it didn't feel shoehorned in. The main character, Sena, is learning about the injustice of this system alongside the reader.

And speaking of, Sena had one of the better character arcs I've read in a while. The book is very plot-driven, but there was still a lot of space for characterization and relationship development. At the beginning of the book, Sena is cold and prickly, unwilling to get close to anyone; to survive the race, she must learn to form meaningful relationships, both human and non-human. I loved how the book focused on platonic friendships rather than romantic relationships.

One complaint I have is that the first half of the book dragged a little. I think some of the exposition could have been condensed or cut out completely. The ending also felt a little rushed. Otherwise, I really enjoyed my experience reading this book.

Things are rough and icy on Sena's home planet of Nakara. Just kidding, I have no idea what its name is, but I called it Nakara in my head. It's fine. It has about the same number of dead people, at least one less sentient cavern, and exactly one more deadly wolfsled race.

Sena is itching to get the heck out of Nakara and to some planet that is less icy and awful. Her moms died a few years back in the aforementioned deadly race, and there is just nothing left for her, she feels. So she makes some terrible life choices, gets herself on a "To Be Killed" list, and finds herself right the heck in the middle of that damn race.

Here's the thing: the lead-up to the actual race was a little underwhelming/long. Like, it wasn't bad, but we all knew she's going to end up in the race, despite her (near constant) protestations. The synopsis tells us, after all. So it was kind of a lot of lead up, during which I was a bit bored. I liked the world-building though, and Sena was decent enough (even if she was making all the terrible choices) that I kept on reading. When she finds her team and they start the treacherous journey, things really pick up!

Of course, I can't really tell you about any of that, now can I? Just know that it does, in fact, pick up. The folks Sena meets along the way are pretty great, too, and I was really glad I stuck with the story to meet them. Obviously the stakes are very high during the race, with the corporate goons threatening Sena, as well as just the dangerous conditions of the planet itself. I was definitely invested by the end, and found it to be a good conclusion!

Bottom Line: A brutal world with a brutal race, with a main character who is determined to not be taken down by either make for an exciting story once it gets going.

Although I DNF-ed Cold the Night, Fast the Wolves at less than 20%, I think this is a case of the wrong reader, rather than any fault of the book. The premise is interesting--found family, survival, and the bond between a girl and a wolf. The setting is unique--a frozen planet, unforgiving and full of dangers. It reminded me a bit of the planet Hoth (Star Wars fan here!) but more populated, and the story was giving me Hunger Games/Starsight vibes with a hint of Gary Paulson. I genuinely don't know what wasn't working for me. If I were a decade or two younger, I think I would love this book.

Seriously, don't let me stop you from picking it up. I'd probably recommend it to my kids if they were a couple years older. I think teens--especially teen girls--will love this heroine with her rough edges and her reluctant bond with the wolf who saves her.