“North is the Night” is the first book in the Tonela Duet. This is a Finnish folklore inspired fantasy.

The story is told through two perspectives, of Siiri and Aina. After Aina is taken to Tuonela (the Finnish version of the Underworld), Siiri tries to save her.

The book is full of Finnish folklore and mythology. There are so many characters with similar names and it was confusing at some point. But there is a glossary at the beginning with information about all the Finnish gods.

Overall the atmosphere is dark, with Hades/Persephone vibes and magic. The romantic subplot between Aina and the God of Death was disappointing for me, I was not convinced that she loved him. And the relationship with Siina was too little developed. Even of they were friends since childhood, most of the book they are away from each other.

Even if I enjoy fantasy books and Emily Rath’s other books, I struggled to finish this book and it did not keep me engaged. Maybe because it is just not what I expected.

I received a digital copy of the book from Quercus Books and Netgalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

This is just stunning storytelling! Incredible writing with believable characters that engender empathy...and just a really great read!
I can't recommend highly enough....there's a sequel on it's way and 'll be at the front of the queue! Thank you to Netgalley, publisher and Emily for the chance to read an advanced copy of this brilliant book!

Siiri & Aina
Finnish fantasy
Friends to lovers
Marriage of convenience
Soulmates

When I first saw that Emily was writing a sapphic fantasy novel, I was so intrigued!!

This one is very heavy on the fantasy, with lots of lore. This isn't my favourite thing in the world but I feel like Emily wrote this really well.

This book is very different from what I was expecting, but if you love fantasy, this one is definitely for you!

My goodness, a fantasy based on Finnish mythology? Gimme, gimme, gimme.

I am not an expert on Finnish folklore – I did read a children’s version of Kalevala, but I don’t remember much (except for Väinämöinen the legendary hero and a magic mill called Sampo). So I really liked how the book dropped me right into the magic and never let go. The author really wanted to tell this story, and it showed. The writing style is very obviously influenced by folklore, with the literary mixed in – they blend together in the joy of storytelling. I’ve learned a lot about Finnish mythology! (Note to self: don’t mess with Finnish gods. I’m serious, don’t do it.)

Siiri and Aina are best friends, just living their quiet lives in the village. There are grim things in the background, though. The Swedish colonizers are coming, bringing their religion with them. The old Finnish gods have withdrawn, it seems. The people are plagued by disease and untimely deaths. And it seems that something or someone is kidnapping young women… This monster has taken Aina.

Siiri’s quest to save her friend has begun. The story continues in alternating POV chapters – when I came to the end a Siiri chapter, I said “no-no-no, give me more Siiri”; when I came to the end of an Aina chapter, I said “no-no-no, let’s not change POV”. In other words, we have two awesome characters to follow.

Siiri is so stubborn, so strong, so impulsive, so fierce. She has faith, love, courage. What a journey she makes! I loved her interactions with gods! There is also a lot of darkness, heartbreak, violence, gore and death.

“You know, in Mummi’s stories, the women are always waiting for things to happen to them. […] This is a new kind of story.”

Aina is in a scary, creepy, cruel and horrible place. Ah, she is clever, honourable and resilient. She finds solutions and she finds hope. Aina has her own superpowers. “Everyone should have a good pair of socks, even a goddess.”

It was great to see Aina and Siiri grow, understand who they are and what they are capable of.

I did not much care for the “evil Christian priests” subplot. It felt simplistic, with a bit of hammering the message in. On the other hand, there isn’t much nuance and complexity in religious fanaticism. But I wish I didn’t have to see the expression “bring back the true religion”. All religions are “true”, in a sense. And I thought the characters were against zealotry? This felt like a false note. The characterization faltered slightly at times, as if for a short while, the people forgot how to fit in the puzzle of the book.

Hence the 4 stars, even though I considered going higher. Still, I enjoyed the book a lot and I am glad I read it! There were many 5 star-worthy chapters that took my breath away. I’d love to read the sequel.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this arc!

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for an arc to review.
Soo mixed feelings, started off loving it then got bored around 60% even though it was full of action from chapter one.

Aina gets snatched by the death goddess and taken to the realm of death.
Best friend Siri can’t handle a life without her so she trecks to find the shaman, who can take her to the death realm, to save her best friend, to bring back all the gods and goddesses to fix the worlds and make the right again.

Read in two POVs of Sirri and Aina, the book is about both of their journeys back to each other. Each chapter ends on a cliffhanger and makes you want to keep reading more. This book is very basic fantasy and really easy to follow and understand. I loved the premise of the book and it really has so much potential.

The cons for me outweighed the good unfortunately, I found both characters spoke the same although one was meant to be strong and fierce the other more quiet and timid, both came across with the same personality. There was no different tones to different characters it felt.
If this book wasn’t so long I probably would have enjoyed it more!
It would be a great book for readers who don’t really read much fantasy. Liked it but didn’t love it!

Title: North is the Night
Author: Emily Rath
Pages: 592
Rating: 5/5


"NORTH IS THE NIGHT is a feminist fantasy adventure that shows the power of female friendship and how love -- both romantic and familial -- can conquer even death itself."

I had to slow down reading this book, as I was enjoying it so much. The friendship between the two female leads were so strong and intense.

Written in multiple points mainly focusing on meek mild polite Aina and strong willed, Siri. What would you do to balance the scales of death and save your friend??

This was beautifully written with a spattering of light intimacy. The cruelty of the underworld and the personality of the God's and Goddesses kept me engrossed and engaged.

It was fast paced, enjoyable and the world building was incredible. I cannot wait to read part two and see how it all pans out.

You'll love this book if you like
- Finnish folklore
- romance
- fantasy
- strong female characters
- feminist fantasy

Thank you to the author and publishers for this arc.

This is a fantasy based around Finnish mythology and folklore. It’s also the story of friendship between 2 young women Aina and Siiri but then the kidnapping of Aina by a death goddess to Tuonela the mythical underworld splits them apart. Siiri takes off on a journey to find her friend and bring her back from the underworld but the only way she can do this is by gaining knowledge from the only shaman to return alive from Tuonela. The journey is fraught and difficult and whilst she is on this mission Aina is fighting her own battles in the underworld. Will Siiri prevail or is Aina going to be left in Tuonela forever be it alive or dead?

This is so well written and the 2 young women are so different in their personalities but that is what makes them work as friends. So yes this is fantasy but it is also a story of friendship and the fact that a true friend will do anything for the other.

Thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher for the ARC in exchange for a review.

I was almost put off reading this book by the sheer volume of the glossary of Finnish Gods, Goddesses and such like at the start. Finnish folklore and mythology is all new to me so this glossary was helpful and interesting, just very overwhelming at the start of the book. I'd rather this be at the back so I can refer to it when I need to. The story explains most of the characters appearing so I felt comfortable enough with that.

Having said that, I'm glad I persevered as I really enjoyed this book. A good fantasy story which uses a lot of Finnish folklore but in an accessible way for the newbie. Young women and girls are going missing and it's believed it is the work of the death goddess, who is taking them to Tuonela, the underworld. When Siiri's best friend, Aina, is taken, she vows to get her back and begins a dangerous journey to find a lost shaman who Siiri believes can help her. Whilst Siiri is journeying North, there is also a lot going on for Aina and her fellow captives in Tuonela. where the Witch Queen does all she can to make their lives a misery. I enjoyed this story of two halves as there was always something exciting going on to keep interest. The two halves do eventually collide in an exciting climax, setting the scene for the next part of the adventure, which I for one am looking forward to very much.

This was mis-marketed as a Sapphic fantasy rooted in Finnish mythology. It's why I went for it on Netgalley. This has apparently since been addressed by the author and has been changed.

I was also excited by the Finnish mythology. I think the Sapphic element probably tipped the scale for me because without it I probably wouldn't have gone for it especially since it's a chonky book.

I am aware that, as it was mis-marketed, I am not the target audience. However, this was incredibly boring to read.

The choice to write in the first person present did not help. The writing did not evoke any feelings, it was very matter of fact and dull.

The characters were bland. Their personalities were whatever the plot needed. The main villain had no nuance, they were a caricature of evil.

There was no sense of time. I have no idea how long the main characters were separated for. How long one suffered in the underworld. That might have helped with character motivation if I knew she'd been there for months rather than days.

It didn't need to be that long either. Portions of the book really dragged. I ended up skimming bits because it was becoming a chore to read.

The whole thing felt like a chore in the end. I can see why people enjoyed this, for me it was a miss.

This was a fascinating and engaging read, but I don't think this was for me. The lore and the writing was beautiful, however, I just didn't really resonate with the characters and I found their voice to be quite young in nature. It was an enjoyable read, but not one that stands out for me unfortunately!

North is The Night

What first captured my attention about this novel was that it supposedly is based on Finnish mythology. The second thing that captured me was the strong bonding friendship between Siiri and Aina.

Perhaps my expectations were too high. I found this book to be more of a slow YA fantasy than anything resembling a story based on mythology. Also, the illusions to a “sapphic” relationship between the two main characters just wasn’t there.

This book did not float my boat and I struggled to finish it. Would have given it 2.5 stars but I appreciate the author's efforts.

Thanks to NetGalley and Quercus Books for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A book inspired by Finnish mythology, North is the Ninth details the kidnapping of Aina to the realm of death and her best friend Siiri’s quest to rescue her. I enjoyed the take on Finnish mythology, something that I was not familiar with and it was a new take on what is becoming an extremely popular subgenre.
The first half of the book really gripped me and had me dying to see what happens next, the build up between Siiri’s quest to find the shaman and Aina’s trials in Tunoela and her manipulation of the situation to come out on top were really compelling and held my interest (although not every POV chapter has to end on a cliffhanger!). The impact of the gods (both Finnish and Christian) were well done and seamlessly blend into the plot.
However, once the underworld plot line had been resolved, I felt the book lost steam - the underworld plot line felt wrapped up too quickly and left me wanting more, and when the girls finally reunite it felt rushed and not thought out that well. The ending was quite abrupt and left the book without much fundamental change for the characters from where they started (besides the pregnancy). I also wanted way more background and development of Tuoni, especially for how big a role he had in the book.
I didn’t mind the almost myth like fairytale aspects to the book and it didn’t bother me how abrupt they felt as I’m used to reading books based on myth and folklore, but felt that it could have been expanded on as that was the main hook for me. I didn’t need the romance aspects (and I was under the impression that this was a sapphic romance), which didn’t really feel successful to me and the ending is unsatisfying if that was the draw. The romance & relationships are shallow and lightly sketched, which as a hinge point of the plot didn’t really work.
There were plot points that I wanted a lot more from, which I assume will be dealt with in the sequel, but I wished we had gotten some movement or hint at what was to come - especially the conflict between the Christians and the Finns, and I would’ve loved more detail on the Sami (which maybe should have had a more sensitive portrayal that in the book).Overall a fine fantasy novel, dealing with a girl who does not want to fit into the box society has for her and her best friend who discovers she is more than she thought, but it is not something I would be rushing out to get the sequel for.

This was my first opportunity to read a book inspired from Finnish mythology. I loved learning all this, sometimes along with the characters. I could not believe how many gods there are for one specific thing, for instance hunting, or death. And it was reassuring to see that while I was trying to keep up, the characters were also asking "which goddess are you?". I enjoyed it.

The characters were interesting and I couldn't always predict where the story would lead. Aina's and Siiri's development fulfilled promises and expecations set in the beginning, and I am curious to find out where the second book takes us.

I was entertained reading about the first shaman with his history and knowledge. The gods were also fascinating... fickle like the Greek gods about whom I read a lot more.

3.5 stars.

My first book from Emily Rath and while it was a captivating dive into Finnish mythology, blending folklore with a promise of sapphic romantasy, it didn’t fully work for me.

I adored the first half of the book and Siiri’s chapters. Her story was gripping, her strength inspiring, and her devotion to Aina both heart-wrenching and tragic. However, Aina’s narrative felt less compelling, particularly after her marriage to Tuoni, which slowed the pace for me. While Aina’s romance with Tuoni was undeniably steamy and complex, her treatment of Siiri left me frustrated, especially for a book marketed as sapphic.

The lack of meaningful wlw moments was disappointing, with Siiri’s feelings largely unreciprocated. A surprise pregnancy late in the book, likely inspired by folklore, wasn’t for me either.

Despite its flaws, the vivid mythology and emotional depth kept me engaged. I’d still recommend it for fans of folklore-driven fantasy—but with tempered expectations for the romance.

So I have spent the whole year reading, waiting to find a book I enjoyed as much as this.
I could hardly bear to put it down, and it kept me up well into the early hours finishing it, but it was so worth it.
I loved the two main characters and how completely different their personalities were, but both were loving, caring and unbelievably strong in different ways. Getting the story from both of their points of view really made this book so much better than if it was just from the point of view of one.
The story of the old gods grabbed me right away, too, and I was thrown into their world.
Honestly, I just loved this book so much. Now I just have the torturous wait for book 2!

A Finnish folklore retelling perfect for wintery nights! 🇫🇮❄️

🐺 'North is the Night by Emily Rath follows the adventures of two young women, Siiri & Aina. When Aina is seized by a death goddess and kidnapped to the underworld, Siiri embarks on an epic quest to retrieve her lost love. However, Aina decides to take matters into her own hands.

💙 This was such a wonderful novel, I was so caught up in the magic of it all. I came away from it feeling like I had listened to a fairytale, and felt like I'd learned so much about Finnish culture & folklore. The knitted socks, the saunas, the hot soup - I immediately put Finland on my 'to visit' list!

🌙 If you're a greek myth fan, you're going to love this. Siiri was a bit like Orpheus with her quest to break into the underworld and save her beloved. Aina was a bit like Persephone, with her underworld romance and discovering her own power as a queen.

🌈 I was a bit worried it would be a standard 'rescue the damsel in distress' storyline, but it's so much more than that. The love triangle was an actual triangle (I stand by my theory that a love triangle can only be such if at least two of the points are queer), and it got very messy towards the end.

📚 I'm not sure if this was marketed as YA, but it definitely had that feel to the writing. There were some pretty dark themes in this, and there was potential for the story to have much sharper teeth in places (especially with the Fins Vs Christians storyline, but I think that's going to be picked up in the sequel).

✨ Overall, this was a gorgeous myth retelling which leans more towards fantasy romance readers rather than historical fiction fans. I'm already feeling impatient about the sequel!

🎁 Thank you @netgalley for my advance reader copy!

🗓️ Publishes on 9 Jan 2025

This book was good and I had a good time with it. I’ve not read a book about Finnish folklore before so I found it all very interesting.

This definitely like a slower read for me at the beginning but I had a great time with it.

I really liked Siiri in this, her character was amazing. I also like Aina, I definitely felt that Aina grew a lot throughout the book as a character.

I definitely would pick up book 2. Thanks Netgalley and Quercus for providing me this book.

Really interesting story and characters, I hope we see more of Aina and Sirri's relationship in the next installment

I sat and read this wrapped up beside the fire (radiator actually) with a hot chocolate watching the snow outside the window and it was absolutely magical. Such a great book, loved it.

A perfectly serviceable YA book if you like that sort of thing. The Finnish mythology provides a really interesting backdrop, but I found some of the implementation unsatisfying. For example, Tuoni wasn’t really developed enough for me, so his very intense declarations of love came off as weird and controlling rather than sexy, as I think was intended. Loviatar suffered similarly, which led to her coming across as kind of mercurial, which did t suit her depiction otherwise as a calculating goddess.

Overall I think it’s a decent enough book- I found the shaman elements especially interesting- but could have done with a bit more development for the characters.