Unfortunately, I decided to DNF this book. I was really excited for this book as Emily Rath is one of my favourite authors and I was super interesting to see her take on fantasy. Sadly, the formatting of the ARC was really off which made it harder for me to really get into the book. Still, I also didn't feel any connection with the characters whatsoever, and the writing also wasn't what I'm used to with Emily. I do feel like a lot of people would really enjoy this book as it is not bad at all! Just not made for me :)

I would still really like to thank Quericus for the eARC.

Having been raised on Nordic folklore and Scandinavian children’s fantasy stories, when I saw this title come up, I couldn't request it quickly enough.
Prior to picking up this book, I had read nothing about its marketing, but I have since come across a few frustrated reviewers who expressed disappointment about this book being unjustly marketed as a sapphic/ feminist romantasy. While I didn't think of this book as a romantasy, for me at least is probably a good thing. The main plot is not romantic, and although love guides most of the MC’s actions and decisions, I would firmly place this book in the folk-fantasy genre.

The first thing to say about this story is how quickly it engaged me. There are few fantasy books that don’t follow the format of extensive scene and world-setting before the plot begins to unravel, and that can pull it off. Here, the action kicks in very early on, and it’s used as a tremendous device to execute the dual PoV. The movement between Siiri and Aina’s plotlines doesn’t let you catch a breath. Almost every chapter and viewpoint change ends with a cliffhanger, making the story wonderfully binge-worthy.
The two MCs are well constructed, and I felt their fear, bravery, love, and determination throughout the story.

The premise is quite traditional: a young woman from a small fishing village grows up in harsh conditions, with a family as loving as a household ruled by men striving for survival allows. Siiri has a close childhood friend, Aina, who loves her like a sister, though as the story progresses, it becomes apparent that Siiri’s love for Aina goes beyond sisterly feelings.

When Aina is taken by Kalma, goddess of death and decay, to the underworld of Tuonela—sacrificing herself in Siiri’s place—the narrative splits into a dual PoV, bringing the first surprise: Aina’s character herself.
From the start, Siiri is presented as the strong, stubborn, and brave one, but once Aina is revealed as a narrator, her character comes to wonderful, multi-layered life.

Although the ordeals Aina and the other girls taken to Tuonela endure were difficult to read at times, those scenes felt necessary to bring to life and give credibility to the cruelty of Tuonetar and her daughters. As difficult as horror and violence against the innocent can be to read, as long as it’s not gratuitous and supports the emotional depth of the story, I believe it’s justified.

The decisions Aina makes to cement her role in Tuoni’s storyline further develop her as a character, weaving a wonderful coming-of-age tale. In parallel, Siiri’s quest fuels the fires of a fantasy adventure rich with Nordic folklore, featuring imagery reminiscent of stories like White Bear King Valemon and, of course, echoes of Odin, Niflheim, and Hel from Norse mythology.

My only complaint is the book’s depiction of the Sámi as villains, which I found damaging, in poor taste, and the main reason for deducting one star. I can see why this would enrage and completely alienate some readers. However, with this being a completely fictional fantasy story, if I were to get too mad at this, I’d also have to rant about the negative stereotypes Frozen perpetuates about Norwegians—and let’s face it, life is too short to get that mad at fictional stories.

My other minor issue is that Tuoni and the other male side characters could have been developed better. Aina’s relationship with Jaako and Siiri’s with Väinämöinen felt a bit told rather than shown, likely due to the author’s choice to prioritise action and plot over character development. This isn’t my favorite approach, but it’s entirely down to personal preference, as I’m a lover of great characters I tend to get hung up on missed opportunities.

North Is The Night is a lovely plot-led story that exceeded my expectations. The quality of its storytelling, imagery, and themes is top-notch. It injects a wonderful modern fantasy twist into Norse and Nordic folklore stories of old, with a rich, multi-layered plot and characters, and a story that twists and turns so much it’s impossible to predict where it will end up.

Thank you so much to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for an ARC of this great adventure in exchange for an honest review.

I had high hopes for this book but I am NGL I was majorly disappointed….

To start on a positive, I really loved Aina’s storyline with Tuoni (god of death) and how she grew in confidence, essentially being about to save herself. I kinda routing for them in the end. I also really like the mythology and quest Siiri goes on to find Aina.

Nevertheless, this was marketed as a sapphic fantasy book when it was first announced and I was really looking forward to seeing Emily write this type of story. However, it barely exists in the plot and if it does it is very one-sided. I have also since spotted that this has all been removed from the marketing material in recent weeks. I struggled to keep engaged with the Siiri’s quest towards the end and the flip flopping between POVs didn’t help that either.

Overall, this book wasn’t for me but thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the preview - all opinions my own.

3.5⭐

I’m not sure where to start with this one, but the main thing is: it’s just not marketed right. It’s being sold as a romantasy, but honestly, it’s not. The romance is barely there and super confusing. I couldn’t tell if it was supposed to be a sapphic romance between two best friends or an enemies-to-lovers romance between a god and a mortal girl. Either way, it didn’t land for me.

That said, the story itself was interesting, and the lore kept me hooked. If you’re into high fantasy with little to no romance, this could be your thing. But for fans of this author’s usual romance-heavy books, this one might feel a bit off.

The plot follows two best friends on separate quests: one searching for a shaman to help rescue her kidnapped friend, and the other trying to survive a Nordic-inspired underworld. Both storylines had me turning the pages, but I still felt like something was missing.

What I did love was the sneaky theological discussions. The way Christianity was portrayed (especially highlighting its unchanging misogyny) was such a cool touch and gave me a lot to think about.

All in all, it wasn’t bad, but it didn’t blow me away. I don’t think I’ll be picking up the second book in the duet.

Many thanks to Netgalley, Quercus and Emily Rath for the opportunity to read this book early in exchange for an honest review.

North is the Night is certainly a book that will keep you on your toes! Finnish folklore/mythology is completely new to me and I really enjoyed learning about it (creative license aside). It's a dark and fascinating history. There were a lot of complicated names and stories to keep track of but I didn't mind, especially with the glossary at the beginning.

You could tell how much Rath enjoyed writing this book and it was well-written for a fantasy debut. All of the characters were interesting and I enjoyed the dual POV/timeline.

The plot moved extremely quickly with the entire story taking place in 2-3 months. I would have liked to have seen deeper character development. The romance felt rushed and I didn't find any of the relationships believable aside from Siiri's and Aina's friendship and this was only because they're childhood friends.

The world building was okay. There was so much potential to make the scenes atmospheric but the writing was too one dimensional to make the reader feel like they were actually IN the story. All of the back and forth between the gods and the court politics were also too convoluted which detracted from the story.

All of the twists and turns did mean that I never knew where the story was going which was excellent. I'm intrigued enough to read the sequel and see how Rath finishes the duology.

This would be a great book for someone new to fantasy. Easy to read with lots of action and a fascinating, dark folklore to delve into.

With thanks to NetGalley, the author, Emily Rath and the publisher, Quercus Books for an arc of this book

I love mythology and grew up with Greek, Roman and Norse myths but Finnish mythology was new to me. One of the problems with that is that there are an awful lot of characters to get to know and learn the attributes of and that can be difficult to keep track of.

The 2 lead characters, Aina and Siiri, are childhood friends who are separated by a witch from the realm of death., come to steal young women. Siiri is determined to rescue her friend and the dual threads of the novel follow their journey as they try to find each other.

I think that the novel would have been better if it had had 200 pages less, as for me this was over-long. I understand that this is a saga and that overcoming obstacles is an inherent element of this kind of novel but considering that this is only part one, I found it tough going.

This was a great fantasy (with romance subplot) - I loved learning more about Finnish mythology as it built the fabric of the fantasy world. Aina and Siiri - the best of friends - both go on independent journeys to find each other when old gods kidnap Aina to the underworld. Each journey was unique and really built up the characters to show their strengths (and areas for growth), and introduced side characters that really helped to flesh out the world. I especially loved the actual Bear vs Man in the woods scene. So good! And, while the main romance for the series is sapphic, there is an MF/marriage of convenience in this book, as well as a surprise pregnancy. Can't wait for book 2!

North is the Night by Emily Rath is a keeper, a book that can be read and listened to over and over. So much so, that not only have I listened to it, and read the eBook, but I will be buying the hardcover to keep and read over and over. A modern classic and that is for sure

Inspired by Finnish folklore, Siiri and Aina live with thier family in the desolate frozen wilderness, surrounded by the dangers of the wilds, the witches, the underworld and Swedes, the Swedes probably being the lesser threat, but I digress. When Aina is torn away and into the underworld, Siiri is left behind, to try and explain what has happened to the shocked and bewildered community

The fire in Aina's soul does not allow her to simply succomb to her fate of a torturous existence at the hands of the evil queen of the underworld, and as she plots her escape, the brave hearted Siiri is planning to rescue her friend and bring her back home

This book is simply incredible and the audiobook is chef's kiss. Read with authenticity and dynamic nuances by the brilliant pairing of Khaya Fraites and Emily Lawrence. Absolutely perfection

Thank you to NetGalley, Quercus Books | Arcadia and the author Emily Rath for this stunning ARC. My review is left voluntarily and all opinions are my own

4.5 stars

North Is the Night" is a Finnish folklore-inspired fantasy novel that intertwines mythological elements with a narrative of friendship and resilience.
The story follows Siiri and Aina, two young women whose lives are disrupted by external threats and supernatural forces. The dual POVs offer a comprehensive view of their individual challenges and growth, with Siiri's courageous quest complementing Aina's transformation in the underworld.
Emily portrayal of Finnish mythology is immersive, introducing readers to a rich tapestry of deities and traditions. She takes you on a journey filled with gods & deities, magical realms & animals, witches & shamans & an engaging adventure.
The book is beautifully written and effectively conveys the eerie allure of Tuonela and the challenges of the mortal realm. However, the novel's pacing can be uneven, with certain sections feeling slow.
Overall, North Is the Night is a fresh perspective within fantasy as a genre by drawing from lesser known folklore.
As it is the first in a duology, it sets the stage for further exploration of its characters and mythos in its sequel, "South Is the Sea,".

I liked this book, it entertained me a lot, and I'm probably going to read the second one as well.

The Finnish folklore was what really brought me into the story. I think the worldbuilding was done really well without infodumping all the names of the gods and legends at once.

The writing is smooth and easy to follow, loved the author's style.

Siiri and Aina, our two main characters, are generally well-written, although I feel like their relationships (both with one another and other people) could have been better developed.

Overall, the plot runs smoothly and the pacing is done really well. Siiri's plot was the most consistent; she's not the kind of character I usually really enjoy, but her chapters are very distinct form Aina's and reflected her traits well.
Aina's plotline derailed a little after the 60% mark, which is really a shame, since she was my absolute favourite up until that point.
The ending partly resolves these issues and wraps it up very nicely in my opinion.

Comparing this book to The Winternight Trilogy is wild! That series is a flawlessly executed feminist story steeped in history. This story was absolutely not that. Regardless of if it was “mis-marketed” or not as a sapphic fantasy romance (which it isn’t), the story contains literally every stereotype/phobia you can think of. I was excited to give this author a try with a different type of story than the series they are most known for (as I have also heard problematic things about that one), but for me their work is incredibly harmful to lgbtq stories & voices.

Plus every evil character is just a caricature villain and the prose was bland.

You can tell that a lot of love and Emily's own feelings went into this book. It's certainly a departure from her previous books, however, it's much more personal to her.
The story follows Siiri and Aina, and it's set in Finland, so has a lot of Finnish names & terms, which did interrupt the flow for me as I had to work out what it should sound like (an audio version wouldn't have these issues) before carrying on. Originally it was marketed as a sapphic romantasy, but I understand that has been scaled back, the two FMC's do have a chaste relationship, and there are more feelings on one side, so it will be interesting to see if this is more prevalent in the next part of the duology.
The world building is there and the descriptions of Finland and the Underworld are good, but overall the many story lines get convoluted and I did struggle to work out what was happening between chapters and characters.

An amazing start to such a unique series. I always love learning about different cultures folklore and I have never read a book on Finnish folklore before, This drew me in immediately and I loved the dual narration. I will definitely be continuing with the series and can't wait to see what comes next.

I have never read anything based off of Finnish mythology before and I did really enjoy learning more about this, but the overall story wasn’t massively for me. We follow 2 POVs in North is the Night - Siiri and Aina. The differing POVs was definitely needed as I got a bit bored of each at differing time throughout my reading - by the end I much more enjoyed Aina’s chapters than Siiri’s.

The romance element of this book fell massively short for me and I found Siiri’s unrequited obsession tedious. Though there is love between the 2 characters it’s heavily focused on Siiri’s feelings for the majority of the book, and I actually preferred Aina and Tuoni’s relationship much more. Kinda sad this didnt play out in honesty.
However I did enjoy the story itself, I liked following both girls on their separate journeys and seeing their interactions with the different gods and characters. I really enjoyed the mythology references and how the author gave just the right level of information about these additions. It was really interesting to read about Finnish as other mythology books are quite popular right now.

Overall I gave this book a 3.75⭐️, the plot and mythology was good for me but character relationships and romance was a little meh so I can’t bring myself to give it a higher or lower rating. I found the ending actually resolved the story well, but I don’t think I’m tempted to continue to the second book.

This book was incredible. The obvious time spent researching Finnish Folklore by Emily was evident throughout and I was absolutely hooked by the first 5 pages.

The world building is amazing, I felt fully immersed in the story and genuinely couldn’t stop reading because I needed to know what was going to happen next.

I loved that the goddesses of death were described as being creepy and not ridiculously attractive was so good as it really added to their menacing and the fantasy aspect of the story.

You could feel Siiri and Aina’s connection from the beginning and even when they were (literally) worlds start their connection never dimmed!

I loved the twists and turns that the story took, especially with the God of Death and Aina!

If you came looking for the Emily Rath that writes Hockey Romance this is not it, this was an absolutely incredible fantasy read and I’m so so excited for more from Emily in the Fantasy genre!

An interesting start to the series! I loved this exploration into Finnish folklore which I was unfamiliar with, and the dual narrative laid an engaging narrative. There were moments where I found the pacing lulled, but I will be picking up the sequel when it publishes

I didn't enjoy this. The storyline wasn't as expected and the characters felt flat. The story was just following each stage and kept moving but wasn't interesting. It felt dull.

Emily Rath weaves a rich tapestry of Finnish folklore and feminist fantasy in North is the Night, a beautifully atmospheric tale of love, friendship, and courage. While the story takes a little time to build momentum, once it takes off, it delivers an unforgettable adventure through the icy wilderness and the hauntingly magical underworld of Tuonela.

The novel’s strength lies in its characters, particularly Aina and Siiri, whose friendship forms the heart of the story. Siiri’s determination to save her best friend leads her on a treacherous journey that pits her against wolves, witches, and her own limits. Meanwhile, Aina’s resourcefulness and kindness shine as she navigates the dangers of Tuonela and builds alliances in the most unexpected places. Their dual narratives create a gripping balance of action and introspection, culminating in twists that will leave readers breathless. Please note that this is the first of a duology, although it's not a total cliffhanger.

Rath’s deep dive into Finnish mythology adds a fascinating layer to the story. Readers unfamiliar with the source material may find the beginning a bit dense, but the world-building soon becomes one of the book’s greatest strengths. The unique magic, the formidable deities, and the harsh but enchanting winter landscape all contribute to a setting that feels as alive as the characters themselves. And for those intrigued by the mythology, the novel serves as a perfect gateway to exploring Finnish folklore further.

With its compelling blend of dark magic, slow-burn romance, and an emphasis on the power of friendship and resilience, North is the Night will captivate fans of Katherine Arden’s Winternight trilogy and Naomi Novik’s Spinning Silver. It’s a story of transformation and choice, of the bonds that hold us together, and of the courage it takes to fight for what truly matters.

Whether you’re drawn to mythology-inspired tales, strong female characters, or stories filled with unexpected twists, North is the Night is a journey worth taking.

Fans of mythological tales and atmospheric fantasy will likely enjoy The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden, which features a similarly compelling heroine and a richly imagined world inspired by Russian folklore. For a film recommendation, Studio Ghibli’s Spirited Away captures the same blend of magical wonder and personal growth as Aina and Siiri’s journeys.

A magical Finnish folklore tale of two young women separated and sent on their own fantastical adventures.

I really enjoyed this story, Finnish folklore is fascinating and not something I've come across previously. Having found out recently that I have Finnish heritage this has been extra interesting to me and I can't wait to read more!

I really enjoyed the writing style and different perspectives and I am looking forward to the next book in the series.

Thank you Netgalley, the author and publisher for allowing me to read and review this ARC.

A perfect read for the winter months - a tale of two friends, their love for each other and the will to survive entwined in Finnish folklore.
It gripped me from start as each girl fought to survive and find each other. Loved it!