Swift the Storm, Fierce the Flame is a sequel to Cold the Night, Fast the Wolves, and shares many of the first volume's strengths and weaknesses. The scene-setting is excellent, dropping Remy, an enhanced agent on the hunt for a friend she was forced to abandon, and Sena (and her wolf) into a jungle planet where an ever-widening storm threatens to destroy the lives of the ordinary people scrapping out a life on the edges of corporate dominance. Just like Sena in Cold the Night, though, Remy spends much of the novel trying to avoid getting involved in the conflict she is already involved in, wasting pages and pages on pointless avoidance. The stacking reveals about the identity of a rebel leader feel forced and unnecessary, and take away significantly from the momentum of Remy and Sena's story. Sena becomes not just a sidekick but a background character in this installment, which was disappointing. Nonetheless, as a parable about environmental destruction and the damage corporate interests do, it is a fun read. Likely to be popular with teens who feel like snapping their teeth at the world, Swift the Storm is better than the average YA novel, if not quite as good as it could be.

Content warning: gun violence, weather disasters, blood, explosions, loss of parents, colonialism, implied nonconsensual medical experimentation, mentions of torture. There is a wolf. The wolf experiences some peril, but the wolf does not die or suffer permanent injury

Once again, Meg Long takes the reader on a journey that is full of feeling, fun worldbuilding, and the complexity of friendship and surviving trauma. Sena and her wolf, Iska, are side characters in this adventure told from Remy’s point of view. It takes them to Maraas, a lush, jungle planet plagued by a hellstorm which rests the landscape every two weeks and the corporations at war with the syndicates. Remy searches for a good friend who she lost several years ago, and that might mean teaming up with the boy who betrayed their partnership at the same time.

Excellently paced, intriguing, and healing, I really enjoyed this return to Long’s slice of the cosmos, this time in stormy jungle rather than in a frozen tundra.

This book has close to everything: female friendship, corporate wars, coups and intrigue, a very good girl. Once again, I had a blast reading another story in this world. The details are incredible, and the web of corporations, syndicates, and people just trying to get by lends itself well to plot-twisty intrigue. Weiland (I see what you did there) is such a great villain because she fully embodies evil, but the story continually reminds the reader that taking out one head doesn’t kill the hydra of greed. Their goals and objectives will feel familiar as far off-world colonialization and power greed go.

If you’re a fan of the trope of brainwashed, genetically-enhanced spy learns to love and trust people, you are in a treat. Also, good news for people who would prefer their young adult books to be absent of a romance arc: this book has none. Its heart lies with Remy opening herself up to the possibility of another friendship and finding what trust means to her. That journey of healing and recovery really resonated with me. Though one thing I did find rad was the mention of the possibility of a romantic entanglement between Remy and Alora. This is ultimately avoided as Remy isn’t sure where she stands on love and romance, but the intensity of the friendship is palpable throughout the entire novel, especially as more people come into the fold of the brewing rebelling. The same goes with her continued relationship with Sena and mending partnership with Kiran. Having so many friendships at different phases allows for much room for nuance and development. There’s an impressive breadth of emotion presented amid the high octane escapes and fight scenes.

A science fiction adventure with even more espionage and sabotage, with great choreography and world-building the nails a bunch of tropes that make the genre so cool to begin with.

Swift the Storm, Fierce the Flame by Meg Long
YA Science Fiction
Publication Date: January 17, 2023

I thought because this book was told from a different POV that reading the first book wouldn’t be necessary to understand characters and the setting but, it most definitely was. This book is heavy on worldbuilding, which really is typical of a science fiction book where the events take place on a fictional planet. There were just so many details that I found impossible to discern what was crucial to the story. I’ve now finished the novel and I’m still not entirely certain I 100% grasped how the politics of it all worked but I think I kind of got the basics.

To be honest, I thought about DNFing this several times. It wasn’t until 25% through that it started to grab my attention and that’s because things only barely started to happen. It’s because the characters live in the past. They are motivated by wrongs taking place in the past, they are consumed by past memories and past interactions. It made for the events that were taking place or foreshadowed to lack any sort of anticipation of heightened emotion because despite the significance of what was coming the characters didn’t seem present or act like they were affected by it. The plot was kind of packed into the last few chapters of the book.

The book attempts a plot twist towards the end of the book that felt like the science fiction equivalent of a Day of Our Lives plot.

The book primarily relies on showing rather than telling with a lot of inner monologue during the first portion of the book with the MC dwelling on the past without actually giving too many details of the situations, just generalizations. She is motivated by her love for Adora but the reason was flimsy at best. She also thought she could just show up and threaten someone and they would cower and give her what she wanted. It just didn’t seem realistic at times.

It was a great effort because I actually enjoyed the events that took place in the last few chapters but it just didn’t quite land where I wanted to in terms of overall enjoyment and content. I'm curious enough though to pick up future books in the series.

Title: Swift the Storm, Fierce the Flame
Author: Meg Long
Release Date: January 17th, 2023
Page Count: 413
Start Date: January 2nd, 2023
Finish Date: January 16th, 2023

Review:
Story: I really enjoyed this book very much. I found the main character really relatable. The story was fast-paced and action-packed. It was full of intrigue and allure. It was easy to get sucked into this world and crave for more. There were parts I didn't like as much as the rest, but that's with all books. It's also a personal thing for me. I also wish that I could have gotten some more for the end of the book. It makes me think that there will be more books to come in the future! I really hope so.
Characters: I really related to Remy so much. She's got so much guilt over things she felt she did wrong. Especially feeling like she betrayed the only friend she really had. There were traits about her that I didn't really care for, but I completely understood why. I liked her companion and the companion's wolf as well. I wish there were more of her and that I remembered her name.
Critiques: None. Especially not if the book has a sequel eventually.
Final Thoughts: I really enjoyed this book. The author has another book that I thought I had read. I just found out I didn't. I will definitely be reading it. It might actually be a book before this. I'm not really sure. I kind of hope so. There are things that were referenced in this book that I really would like to see played out.

Swift The Storm, Fierce the Flame is the second book of the series. Last year, I read the first book and absolutely loved it. The first book is about Sena and Iska (from Sena’s point of view). In the second installment, the story is told from Remy’s point of view, a genopath in search of redemption and friendship.

Though the second book is another story with ramifications from the first story, I don’t recommend reading them in different order. Start with book 1 or you might get confused.

The story happens in a different environment where everything is designed to kill you. Remy is in search of a friend, but to find her, she will need to take part of a war she never intended to fight. Friendship and loyalty are tested throughout the book while Remy learns more about her past and herself.

This story is a very fast paced adventure that will keep you on the edge of your seat. The character is impulsive and will always put herself in complicated situations, pushing everyone even herself to the limits. Friendship is a major topic in this book with a layer of a very very slow burn romance. Romance is not the focal point though. I took this story more as being centered around friendship and self discovery. Remy has a very different outbringing and she needs to find herself in order to move forward.

Personally, I enjoyed the story, though I did like the first book a little better. I think what lost its appeal to me in this story is that the self discovery part of the character did come across as annoying at times. Though I understand it was important, a touch less would have been better for me. This is probably the one negative aspect for me. The rest was great.

The ending of this book was amazing and also alludes to another book with a goal that got me super excited. I definitely want to read the next book now. 😊 Overall, I enjoyed the story.

Another fast-paced, intense story from this sci-fi world! I enjoyed this book and can't wait to see what happens next in this series.

I really liked how even though this was a fast-action adventure, there was still lots of room to explore Remy's inner struggles and relationships. As someone who reads for the characters first and foremost, this had a nice balance.

I was able to see the big reveals/twists coming and was unsure why Remy couldn't when that's supposed to be what she's engineered to do. She made note of so many details that tipped me off, so I wasn't sure why she didn't see it in front of her. That was my only complaint though.

I'm looking forward to what happens next, and I like the additions to the cast of characters!

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

I enjoyed Cold the Night, Fast the Wolves (despite issues with the pacing) so was interested to dive back in and continue with Remy’s story in Swift the Storm, Fierce the Flame.

But I just didn’t connect with her. She’s supposedly this genetically modified super soldier kid, but she seems like she’s always two steps behind everyone else. And her single-minded focus on finding her friend (more like first love, thank you) was repetitive and exhausting. My favorite character ended up being Iska, the wolf from the first book.

The plot and the storyline were engaging, but I couldn’t get past my dislike of our narrator, Remy. Thus, I ended up quitting Swift the Storm, Fierce the Flame around 45%.

A delightful follow up to Cold the Night, Swift the Wolf! This book was a quick read, with a cliffhanger finish — I really enjoyed it. It was very different than the first book, but I really liked the new world we explored in this book.

Long has a talent for atmospheric world building! This follow up to Cold the Night, Fast the Wolves is all about Remy and the adventure she has with Sena and Iska on a jungle planet that is suffering from an ever-growing and more frequent treacherous storm. Remy is trying to locate her friend, Alora, whom she failed in a previous mission. Remy reluctantly teams up with her old partner, Kiran, and she’s not totally sure where his loyalties lie, since he betrayed her in their last mission. In the process of searching for Alora, they find out that there are some more sinister plans at play and begin to organize a rebellion against the forces that are controlling and ruining the lives of the people on this planet.

The vivid and immersive descriptions of the muddy and muggy jungle planet are awesome, and I love all of the weird and scary animals Long comes up with! While I don’t think this book is as good as its predecessor, I greatly enjoyed getting to know Remy and the world that shaped her and her motivations as a genopath (genetically enhanced human). Her character arc was really interesting, even when the pacing in the book lagged. While there is the larger conflict with the rebellion going down, Remy is also having an internal conflict about her identity. She questions how much of herself she controls and how much was programmed into her genes by the organization who engineered her. Her search for her friend also becomes a search for herself. In the end, Remy learns her worth is not about being a tool utilized to succeed in missions and that she is deserving of friendship, compassion, and love. You should definitely give this book a chance and know that it speeds up. The second half is action packed! Remy and Sena are awesome female leads and I’m excited and hopeful for future books in this world (there is certainly plenty of unfinished business)!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This one started off a little rough for me. Remy was one of my favorite characters in COLD THE NIGHT, FAST THE WOLVES, so I really looked forward to a story centered on her. I got very different vibes from her character in SWIFT THE STORM, FIERCE THE FLAMES than I did in the other book, though.

I liked that Remy was quick and brought some comedic relief to the first book with her banter. She’s a lot more serious in this book, which took some getting used to.

She also had a really single-minded focus on finding her friend from the past. As she learned new information, she was slow to update her view of what happened when they lost connection with one another. She kind of gets stuck in a loop for a bit in the middle of the book, going back and forth between two ideas and not really responding to the new information around her.

I think what I’m hoping is that this is going to turn out to be one of those trilogies where the middle book ends up being a bridge between the first and last ones? Maybe there wasn’t quite enough story to carry a whole second book but too much to keep the series to a duology? I don’t know.

The end of the book positioned the series well for a final reckoning in a third book. Even though there were some parts of this one that I struggled with, I would still like to read the series through to the end and find out what happens to Sena and Remy and their allies.

Note: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. Review will post to my blog on 1/16/23.

Did you guys know this was a sequel? I had absolutely no idea, whoops? This is fairly on brand for me, let's be honest. But I think I would almost think of it as more of a companion to Cold the Wolves , really- it follows a different main character, on a different planet, and while there are references to the first book, I don't actually think you'd have to read it. I mean you should and could, it was good, and that was a lot of rhyming and I digress, so let's just get to it.

I enjoyed this book a bit more than the first, I think. I found the planet itself really fascinating, and I think I got a bit of a better grasp of what was happening on it. Also, as much as I loved hanging out on an icy planet, the jungle is just more fun. I also think I enjoyed Remy's story a bit more, though I did enjoy both girls' characters, and we do still get to see what goes on with Sena, the main character from the first book.

I liked that Remy's character was wonderfully gray, and so was most of what happened around her, too. A pretty significant part of the plot involved a power struggle and political maneuvers, and I still don't totally understand what is going on politically in this world? But I did at least understand it more, and have a better idea of who the key players were, so there's that. I also liked that we got to explore Remy's relationships, both past and present. There were some twists, a few of which I had guessed, but it was still an entertaining story.

Bottom Line: I assume there will be another cool planet somewhere, and I am absolutely down for it.

4.5 stars

You need to read Cold the Night, Fast the Wolves before reading Swift the Storm, Fierce the Flame. There is backstory that you need from CTNFTW, and STSFTF will have big spoilers if it's read first.

I liked Cold the Night, Fast the Wolves a little more than Swift the Storm, Fierce the Flame. Meg Long still does a great job bringing the world to life. This time it's a world that is a wild, humid jungle with a torrential storm that covers a third of the planet. The humans that inhabit the planet are just as fierce as the predators that roam the jungle. There is a lot of action and explosions.

One thing I didn't like as much is the character development. Remy was, at times, very difficult to like. She kept making the same types of decisions that ended in the same results, but she would blame everyone else for her impulsiveness. I felt that Sena grew steadily and naturally throughout CTNFTW, but I didn't see that with Remy in STSFTF.

I recommend Swift the Storm, Fierce the Flame to readers that want to try sci-fi as well as longtime sci-fi fans, but start with Cold the Night, Fast the Wolves. Meg Long has a new fan now. I hope she continues with this series and I cannot wait to see which world we get to explore next!

Thank you to Wednesday Books and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Thanks to Netgalley and Wednesday Books for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I read Cold the Night, Fast the Wolves last year and quite enjoyed it. Unfortunately I can't say the same for this one. I never got attached to the characters, which made it a bit of a slog for me to get through, and the action and stakes only really picked up at the end. Remy's main goal was to find her friend who she hadn't seen for two years, but I wasn't able to feel that any progress was being made on achieving that goal until her friend actually was found, which made it feel jarring and too fast. I did appreciate the worldbuilding, especially the jungle planet with the severe rain and windstorms, and I wish we could have seen more of that and how the climate was really hindering the characters. Overall, I was mostly left with a very meh feeling. 2.5 stars.

This was the second Meg Long, it isn’t marketed as a sequel to Cold the Night, Fast the Wolves, but it is. It takes up after Sena, Iska, and Remy leave Tundar. This tells more if Remy’s backstory. Instead of an ice world it is a jungle world Maraas. It was again a fast paced ride. It amazes me the way Long can have such an action packed story, and yet weave in world building and character backstories so masterfully. The action didn’t slow for the story, and it felt satisfying and complete. It seems like there will be a third book and I can’t wait!
*I received this book as an Advanced Reader's Copy (ARC) through NetGalley. I received this copy free in exchange for my honest review.*

Swift the Storm, Fierce the Flame by Meg Long is a gripping YA fantasy. The passionate romance mixed with elements of magic makes Swift the Storm, Fierce the Flame an enthralling adventure that won't easily be forgotten.

An enjoyable sequel to the first in the series…

Swift the Storm, Fierce the Flame is a follow-on to Meg Long’s previous book, Cold the Night, Fast the Wolves, and several key characters appear in both books, including Sena and Iska (the protagonists of the first book), and Remy, who is the main focus of this one. However in Swift/Fierce, we’re in a new place – a planet called Maraas that’s also an Edge world, but is hot, stormy, and jungle-y, rather than brutally cold and harsh.

I read Cold the Night, Fast the Wolves, a while back and loved it, so I was eager to read Swift the Storm, Fierce the Flame. And I enjoyed it a lot as well, but just a teeny bit less than the first book in the series. Many of the things I liked were the same in both books: the pacing was sharp, there was lots of action, the story kept me reading, and I could easily imagine myself in the world(s) that Long has created. It felt to me, however, as if there is still a ways to go with the development of Sena’s and Iska’s characters, and so I had a little trouble accepting Remy as the main character now. This wasn’t a huge deal, since we do see and learn more about Sena and Iska, and Sena’s heritage, but they’re not the primary storyline any more. In that way, I oddly feel as if I would have liked Swift/Fierce a bit more if I hadn’t read the first book, and had just started with this one, with Remy as the lead from the beginning.

In any case, though, I do recommend Swift the Storm, Fierce the Flame, and I’m hoping for another book in the series soon. Please keep in mind that for me, a four-star review is a solid “read this book rating”, since I try not to give too many five-star reviews. And finally, my thanks to St. Martin's Press/Wednesday Books and NetGalley for the advance review copy. Oh, and FWIW, I love the cover of the book!

Swift the Storm, Fierce the Flame by Meg Long is the second book in a soft sci-fi series intended for a YA audience but is equally enjoyable to adults. It is a great action thriller with plenty of thrills, spills, and shocking revelations to make it read pretty quickly, much like book 1. In the first book (Cold the Night, Fast the Wolves), Sena and Iska are the stars, and in Swift the Storm, the narration and focus switch to Remy, a supporting character in Cold the Night. I enjoyed this switch. All the characters I loved from Cold the Night are still very much in the story, but the switch in focus opens up so many new possibilities and story potential.
With Iska in tow, Remy and Sena fly to the planet of Maraas, a jungle planet plagued by…you might have already guessed…fierce storms. Remy is looking for a friend she had to leave behind. When they get there, they find a planet on the brink of revolution and an old partner of Remy’s, Kiran, who is also a genetically engineered corporate agent like Remy. Remy and Sena get caught up in the revolution while looking for Alora, and the action doesn’t end until the last page. I loved how it ended, too, leaving open a story I am so excited to read in the next book.
There are meaningful themes surrounding friendship that are a pure delight, not to mention greed, corruption, and revolution, giving the story the many thrills and weight needed. The world-building is exceptional, and the writing engages with an easy flow that invites the reader in. This part of the series did not have the emotional impact that the first one did, but it still is a highly entertaining read that leads the reader to the next part of the story, which will be amazing.

Two years after a mission went sideways, Remy is still trying to find the friend that helped her escape her corporate brainwashing. The only lead she has is finding Kiran Lore, a fellow genopath that had left her for dead. She nearly caught up to him on Tundar before joining the infamous sled race alongside outcast Sena and her wolf companion Iska. Now, all three of them have tracked Kiran back to Maraas, the jungle planet where Remy lost everything. Storms circle the planet, corporations are in conflict with scavvers and syndicates, and Kiran isn't as difficult to find as Remy thought he'd be. He'll help Remy if she helps him with the revolution. How far will Remy go to help her friend?

Following the events of Cold the Night, Fast the Wolves, Remy is now on a jungle planet with Sena and Iska. Our main focus before was on Sena and Iska, their plight and the dangers of the sled race. It's neatly summed up in the beginning if you haven't read that book, and this story is Remy's. Told from her perspective, we learn about genopath training, the life Nova expected of them, and the jobs that Remy had to do. We learn why her friend is so important to her, and why Kiran upsets her so much. The action is nonstop in the book, moving from one rapid-fire event to another. It sucks you in hard, I couldn't help but root for Remy much as I had for Sena and Iska in the last book. 

If you're a fan of the genre, there are some aspects that you can guess, such as where Alora is and why Kiran acts the way that he does. Remy is impulsive and sets off a few (literally) explosive scenes which are really fun to read. While there are definitely tearjerker moments over the course of the book (Sena learns more about her äma, some of the memories that Remy relives, parts of the climax), there's more action and adventure, and villains you love to hate that all but twirl mustaches as they plot. I really enjoyed the conclusion, and hope to see more in this universe soon.

Remy is back with Iska and Sena at her side. But she finds the last person she was hoping to see in Maraas and the starts of a revolution.

Plot: 3/5
This story takes place two years after the first book so a lot has happened since then. There were some lulls in the plot but overall it had a good fast paced structure. I don't feel like the cover represented the story well and, from a consistency perspective, it doesn't match the first books cover at all. Other than the similar title format, you wouldn't know these books were a series.

Characters: 3/5
This second book in the series followed the character I liked the most from the first book. I enjoyed seeing the expanded story that Remy was given. I felt like the side characters fell really flat

Writing: 4/5
Long's strengths are really in world building. Her writing style isn't always my favorite but the world she created kept me invested. She expanded on so much we already knew from the first book.

Overall: 3/5

I read the first book in this series because I got a widget and the cover was intriguing. I loved that book and was excited to hear there was a sequel so I made sure to get a copy! The writing was still good and the world building was amazing, but I had a harder time connecting to the characters in this one. It took me a little bit to get into the story with Remy. I know her lack of emotional upbringing is why Remy is likely so awful at reading the people around her but she is also genetically altered to read people which to be effective should include emotions so it was hard to buy. The two big reveals were a bit anticlimactic to me, but it was still a fun adventure story. The book did pick up and I think it is a worthy story, but it took a bit more getting through whereas the first one I couldn’t put down. I am exciting to see what other adventures this group will get into.