A fascinating dystopian science-fiction with in-depth world building that will introduce YA readers to the sci-fi genre and regular sci-fi readers will enjoy.

The planet Sena lives on is a frozen wasteland where survival is never a guarantee. Sena does what she must to live to see another day, which includes pick-pocketing. When she steals from the wrong men, it gets her tangled up with the local mob boss. She must heal a genetically-enhanced vonenwolf before the upcoming sled races. Sena's mothers were racers who died tragically in one such race, leading her to hate every aspect of it. Her life changes when she makes the choice to steal the prized wolf and escape, right into the race itself.

A wild mashup of Balto, The Call of the Wild with a little Mad Max flair, this one was a thrilling ride that also feels oddly reminiscent of old Russian folktales. Sena is a fantastic, headstrong main character and her fickle bond with the she-wolf Iska was a great touch, really showing Sena's depth of character. The book started a little slow and sometimes it felt like we didn't know enough, but things were revealed to me as I kept reading and I was able to put some of the pieces together. The book also touches on the evils of environmental exploitation which is a great underlying theme, especially this day in age.

Absolutely a must read for sci-fi fans.

Thank you so much for the opportunity to read an early copy! I was so excited for this book. It sounded like something I would enjoy and the cover really drew me in. Unfortunately though, I had to put this down at 25%. I had a really hard time getting into the story. I was confused a lot and I had to go back and reread quite a few times. This was just not the right book for me at this time. I would definitely consider trying an audiobook version in the future!

I have to agree with all the reviewers who loved Cold the Night, Fast the Wolves by Meg Long. I am a Sci Fi lover and this book fed all my likes of the genre. Sena is a very believable character and the bonding with the wolf was an extra bit of story that always appeals to animal lovers. The planet she is trying to escape from was so well described that I could feel the cold and snow and desolation. A gem of a book for Covid reading.

The world building and atmosphere of this book are really incredible. Started a little slow but was captivating.

Thank you to Wednesday books for the ARC! I really enjoyed this book! I admit it took me a little by surprise (in a good way!) but I was so impressed by the author's expansive and creative world-building and the characters that really burrowed their way into my heart! I've always been attracted to survival stories and this one was unique and exciting. Overall, I think this is a fantastic debut and Meg Long is definitely an author to watch!

Balto and Call of the wild
Sena must bring a group of racers across a 900 mile race to get to finish line.
She escapes into the race with her prize fighting qolf that she stole.

This book wasn't what I expected, but that's probably not saying much when it comes from someone who rarely reads or remembers the book description. What I was surprised to find in this story were things like space travel and rogue things and genetically engineered organisms and mob bosses! This book started out very lonely; very cold and dark and quiet. I appreciated how these themes were present not only for Sena (the main character) and Iska (the wolf), but for many of the side characters as well. Throughout the whole book there is a strong sense of survival, of fighting HARD for what matters to you (whether you're just an orphan trying to scrape by, a race team striving for the end goal of exocarbon deposits, or a mob boss making your money off of fighting wolves). Cold the Night, Fast the Wolves was a slow build, the kind that gently tangles you in its web so carefully that by the end of it you're sobbing and didn't even think you'd gotten very attached. I love the way this is mirrored for the characters and the reader! I love the way Sena and Iska slowly build trust with each other and with others, testing their truths against reality, and forging ahead with what feels right to them. The villains felt especially nasty and terrifying, which made each scene full of palpable tension and allowed for a deep breath of relief when there was a calm moment. A small bonus, for me at least, was that there is no sign of romance in this book; all of the relationships resemble those strong bonds you form with others as friends and companions and fellow outcasts.

Cold the Night, Fast the Wolves

I received a free ARC in exchange for an honest review

I sometimes get frustrated with novels that move too slowly in the beginning. I know that story is important and there are things we need to know before we get into it, but sometimes I wish those intros went a little faster. This was not the case with Long’s book. It started off almost too quickly. We are given a lot of info, but as this is a new world we’re being introduced to it doesn’t actually make any sense when you start. I love the description of Tundar ice, but it doesn’t help paint a scene of this planet when we know almost nothing else about it. Starting out I felt that a lot of words were being thrown at me, and I had absolutely no context as to what they meant or explanation about their definitions.

There are also multiple instances of words missing from a sentence or the wrong word being used (for example in chapter 22: “bullets are fall too small”). I think this work definitely needs to be double checked for those errors as there were quite a few of them.

The plot, however, was so easy to get hooked on that I almost couldn’t stop reading. I truly felt for the characters and was fully invested in their journey. I was sad when there were mishaps on the race, and happy when they accomplished something they shouldn’t have. Sena is a fantastically written character. I also appreciated that no one seemed to care about her having two moms, and it was only because one mom wasn’t from the main society that people were hateful. I’m so glad to have a queer relationship treated like its so normal it’s not even worth mentioning as anything other than a quick fact to brush off. I had a great time reading this book, even with it’s errors and confusion at times, and I think it’s a great read for teens.

Holy smokes, this book was AMAZING! I couldn't stop reading this one!

When Sena was young, she lost her moms to the famous race that her planet is known for. That's really all her planet has. It's freezing cold all the time, constantly under some sort of storm, and filled with corporate gangsters. When Sena ends up in trouble with one of the gang boss's she ends up unintentionally stealing a fighting wolf from him. On the run from the boss, she ends up doing the one thing she swore she would never do...help with the race.

This was a fast-paced story with characters that become family to you. I was on the edge of my seat a lot of the time, and I cried once or twice. The writing is wonderful, and I don't think you will be let down by this story!

I was provided a gifted copy of this book for free. I am leaving my review voluntarily.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for an eARC version of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

This title is a fast paced, exciting adventure. The inhospitable world was the perfect setting. The plot was well thought through.

I received this as an ARC (Advanced Reader Copy) in return for an honest review. I thank NetGalley, the publisher and the author for allowing me to read this title. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Cold the Night, Fast the Wolves takes place on a barely-hospitable ice planet. The capitalists, from another plant, come and exploited the planet. The planet's constant ion storms wreck any high-tech vehicles that try to land and mine on the planet. This is why sleds pulled by genetically-enhanced "vonenwolves" must be used. The journey to the mines turns into a once-a-year spectacle of a race. The death count is high and few race teams ever make it to the end, but it is their only financial option and their only hope of getting off the planet for most. The protagonist Sena's mothers were racers who died tragically in one such race, leading her to hate every aspect of it. However, she has a lifetime of unique skills in training the vonenwolves.

Such an enjoyable read and perfect for the upcoming Winter season! I cant wait to read more from this author.

Sena is a thief trying to make herself enough money to escape the deadly race that causes tourists to flock to the harsh, barren, tundra of a homeworld that took her mothers' lives. Unfortunately, Sena makes herself an enemy of the leading mob boss on the planet, stealing away with his prized fighting wolf and fleeing into the desolate world of the race as her only means of escape. It is going to take everything Sena has to keep herself and her small racing team alive as they fight to the finish.

I keep seeing this book compared to other ones. Balto, The Call of the Wild, Mad Max, etc... It felt very familiar, but I'm not sure what I would compare it to; it's very much a mishmash of a lot of things.

I haven't read a good adventure/survival novel in SUCH a long time, so while this one wasn't perfect by any means, I did really enjoy it. Sena is an intelligent and realistic main character. I loved the little mocking allusions to other survival novels and how they aren't accurate, and I really enjoyed the journey as a whole. I thought the book was pretty well-paced and the world-building was awesome. I thought the character development was beautifully done and the way Sena and Iska grew together made me feel all types of warm and fuzzy.

I think the only thing I didn't like was the CONSTANT vehemence (on Sena's part) towards the race. It got to a point where I was like... "I get it. You hate the race and everything to do with it. But you'll join it anyway, I'm sure." And sure enough! I just think that's an overused trope and wasn't super necessary for such a cool plot. I mean, you have a whole SciFi novel packed with adventure and the character continues to waste time insisting for the 17th time that she'll never have anything to do with the race or the animals even though the book is all about her and her relationship with one of the animals during the race? Maybe that's nit-picky.

All in all, it's 3.5 stars for me! I enjoyed it, but it was not anything super unique.

I enjoyed reading about 17 year old Sena. Her parents have died, in the great race and she ihas become a thief, trying to earn enough money to escape this district. Her frozen planet has many dangers and her survival is by her wits alone. Sena kidnaps an injured wolf and and ends up in a race she never wanted to be a parts of. A treacherous journey with enemies and wild dangers unfolds. Is she strong enough to survive

First, thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an arc of this book. The cover of the book is really beautiful. Cold the night, fast the wolves is the debut novel of author Meg Long. I really have love it and with the cliffhanger at the end, I really hope we get a sequel. The world she have build is really detailed and I really have a had time putting this book down. I really loved the bond building between Sena and Iska .

Sena, a seventeen year old, have lost but her mothers in a sled race. The sled race on this frozen planet is really dangerous. The tundra is a cold and cruel place fill with monsters. When she anger a gang member leader, she flee with what she stole, Iska, a fighting wolf. A team of scientists offer to pay Sena her way out of the planet, if she help them win the race. But Sena wants nothing more to do with what have stolen her family from her. But she won't have a choice. Can't she survive the cold of the tundra and get the trust of the she-wolf. If she can start by trusting her herself.

Wow. I loved this book so much. Unique and thrilling, I couldn't stop reading it. It made me nostalgic for the Russian fairy tales I grew up with. I can't believe it's a standalone - I need a Sena Cowboy Bebop style adventure book in my life!!!

Also, can we talk about this gorgeous cover and perfect title? This is a book you want forward facing on your bookshelf. Just wow.

Thanks to Netgalley for giving me a chance to read this ARC!

Sena lives on an ice planet, and hates it. She was orphaned at age 12 when her mothers died on an annual sled race that they hoped would earn enough to get off planet. Plus one of her mothers was a scavver, which makes Sena an outcast and a loner. Now she is 17 and only wants to be able to afford passage off this planet, basically by being a pickpocket. And she wants nothing to do with the race that claimed the lives of her mothers, until a scientific team offers her a job teaching them about surviving in the wild of this dangerous planet, as long as she doesn’t have to go on the race.

I liked the world building, the icy planet, the genetically designed vonenwolves, the monsters in the woods, and the social structure of this world. And then there is Sena and Iska, the wild fighting wolf, who bond as they both escape the den boss. I didn’t actually get hooked by the story until Sena meets the Professor, who is putting together a research team to join the race. Now there was an interesting group of people, with different personalities and different goals.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press/Wednesday Books for this ebook advanced reader copy. This is my honest review.

I'm always a sucker for book featuring dogs and dog-like animals.

Cold the Night, Fast the Wolves is incredibly atmospheric and features a realistically capable main character. Sena knows what she's doing but sometimes even preparation can't fully prepare you for using the skills you have. She befriends a fighting wolf named Iska and their begrudging friendship was really nice to see. I like also the core of main characters we got by the end.

My one fault with this book is it sets up more than it finishes and does a lot of expositional dumping to fill in gaps at the end while also feeling like its setting up another book. I felt okay with the ending but also a little betrayed that with all the work Sena did to get where she was, she never truly seemed to grow as a character? Her motivations and reasons for them never changed and even though I'm glad she's getting what she wants at the end, it just feels like a hollow victory.

I am likely reading too much into it though and highly recommend this for folks who like dog books.

I usually like books set kind of in a dystopia future but this world was a little hard to get into. And not much really happened until midway, and the end was obviously left open for a sequel. Not a fan.

I really enjoyed reading this story, well written and a easy to read story..

Definitely would recommend this book

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for my e-ARC in exchange for an honest review..

The synopsis sounded really intriguing and I got a lot of Jack London vibes from the book. I would say the best thing about the story is the world-building. The concept of this uninhabitable ice-world with severe weather, various creatures, and a The Expanse-esq Corporation involvement was very interesting. I cannot say I loved the main female character in the beginning of the story, feeling a little repetitive in her grief and this chip on her shoulders but the character development throughout the story is very strong.

My “faults” for this book were the pace. The race that is constantly mentioned doesn’t really pick up until about 50% into the story and even though the character is in a very hostile and dangerous environment, it read a little flat for me.

Overall a good debut novel that I think SyFy fans would really enjoy!