North is the Night is a fantasy novel centered on two young women torn apart by a malevolent death goddess. I was captivated by the initial part of the book, where the protagonists struggle to survive and find their way back to each other. However, as the story reached nearly 60 chapters and 600 pages, my interest started to wane around the midway point, and I found myself wishing for the two storylines to converge more quickly. There are numerous gods and goddesses to keep track of, and the intricate politics of the underworld, along with constant double-crosses and hidden motives, became overwhelming and less engaging. The romantic plot, with its unexpected twists, also didn’t quite hit the mark for me. While I admire the author’s bold narrative choices, I didn’t find the romance particularly gripping or emotionally impactful. Overall, the book began with great promise, and I appreciated learning about Finland’s struggle to preserve its culture and traditions amid the Swedish invasion and the rise of Christianity. However, the pacing felt uneven, and the complex underworld politics seemed to drag on, making the story feel longer than it needed to be.

Do you remember our Nordic god of hockey, Ilmari?(AKA, my book husband)

Well, there is no hockey, but we dive into Finnish mythology and Emily shows us she has so much more writing bandwidth than just our fave hockey poly crews!

I dived into this fantasy with no preconceived expectations, and really enjoyed it. There are character arcs worth following, world building with intricate webs being woven - lots of threads I expect to come together in the next book - some underlying romantic frustrations, the underworld, a quest, shaman - its got a bit of everything. I did read its saphhic - and I'm no expert, but would have expected more of that content to be able to be labelled as such.

Overall its a great foray into fantasy, and am looking forward to the next installment to see whats next!

Read this if you loved watching Vikings but wanted more Agatha and Hilda vibes!

This was a very well written story - and I love that it was influenced by and featured a lot of Finnish folklore (I very much wanted to live there at one point haha). For me personally, that personal cultural/folklore interest was the main thing that kept me reading. While it was definitely enjoyable overall, my interest did wane around the 65% mark and the main relationships felt underdeveloped.
This book did wrap up nicely though, with setup for the sequel.

What a journey.

Initially, I was extremely intimidated by the glossary of names and terms at the start of the book. It felt overwhelming going into it, I was expecting to be extremely confused trying to keep up with all the characters and gods and goddesses. However, it really wasn’t terribly complex at all. I followed the story relatively well- apart from the name pronunciation. I’m certain they’re all entirely wrong in my head.

The story itself, I found incredibly captivating.
You’re thrown into a reimagining of Finnish folklore with beautiful descriptives throughout.
I’m not terribly familiar with traditional Finnish folklore, so I am not going to comment on the accuracy or relevance.
I did however enjoy the experience of it. I thought her storytelling was so engaging.

I believe the author was attempting to showcase both sapphic love and feminist power in the story, However both of these elements fell flat for me.
There was so much build up to Siiri and Aina being destined, but it never really climaxed the way you would hope a powerful story of soulmates would.
And as for the feminism- I could see where the author was showing this with the characters but it just didn’t quite hit the mark.
The entire story revolved around the male characters constantly providing support and guidance to the female characters - with no real opportunity to display women’s ability to triumph independently.

Overall. I really did enjoy the story and thought it was beautifully written. The setting, the folklore base.. I was captivated the entire time.

In a small Finnish village two young women Aina and Siiri know their place, they are to help with the foraging and harvesting of food and to find suitable partners. They pay their respects to the old Finnish gods, are wary of the new God being introduced from Sweden which abhors current customs and practices. Life if not ideal but there is a rhythm and familiarity that is comforting. Rumours are rife of young women being snatched from their families and it is suspected that that the gods maybe involved. When Aina and Siiri find themselves pursued by a god and Aina is taken, Siiri is determined to bring her friend back, no matter the cost.
The story centres around two young women Aina and Siiri who each tell their story through alternating chapters. Initially it is Siiri who shines through, as she is loyal to her roots, fiercely protective of those she cares for and is more than willing to challenge and rail against injustice and straying from the true gods. Siiri’s approach is that she is like a bulldozer, who is relentless in pushing everything aside to get to her goal and sometimes forgets the personal cost. Siiri travels North to find a legendary shaman, who she hopes can teach her the skills to enter the underworld and return with Aina.
Aina as the story develops, becomes more of the central character, it is her personal journey where you see a woman emerge into her own power and confidence. Aina finds in the underworld that she is a pawn in a bigger chess game. The Queen of the underworld has seized power and has turned the place into a cesspit of betrayal and intrigue. Kept as a prisoner, denied the basics, used a plaything, Aina befriends a raven who shows her kindness and hope. As Aina comes to understand the world that she inhabits and realises that to bring back balance, she will have to marry the god of the death. Aina’s decision sparks further intrigue and chaos, but her ability to remain human allows her to create alliances and friendships.
What holds the story together is the bond of Aina and Siiri, who remain fiercely loyal to each other, despite the odds they face. The secondary characters that circle around the two women are well crafted. The joy as a reader is the reveal as to what the intentions and agendas of the characters are. Rath weaves layers of honesty and deception through each of the characters Aina crosses paths with. For Siiri there is more certainty in her world but that slowly changes.
Those who know Emily Rath will know her ‘Puck’ and Regency romance series of novels, which I will confess I have not read. I come to North is the Night as a fan of fantasy fiction and Rath has delivered. She has created a world based on the Finnish myths and traditions then made it her own.

Emily Rath’s North is the Night is a dazzling start to a Finnish folklore-inspired duology, unlike anything she’s written before. This book is an absolute treat for fans of immersive, atmospheric fantasy, and Rath's beautiful prose breathes life into every forest, mountain, and shadowy corner of this world.

Siiri and Aina, two fearless young women, find their lives in upheaval as summer’s end brings a cascade of threats: Swedes encroaching on their land, a zealous Christian priest challenging their beliefs, and a string of mysterious disappearances. Siiri is fiercely protective of Aina, but when a death goddess drags her friend into the dark underworld of Tuonela, even she is pushed to her limits. Determined to save Aina, she ventures north to find a legendary shaman who once defied death itself.

In Tuonela, Aina confronts the Witch Queen’s wrath and discovers an even darker truth—the king of the underworld has a plan for her. Armed with wit and courage, Aina must make a perilous choice to survive, while Siiri, fueled by love and loyalty, plots a daring rescue. The intensity of their bond and determination shines on every page, making it impossible not to root for them.

North is Night is a celebration of friendship, bravery, and the unbreakable power of love—even in the face of death itself. It's a truly breathtaking adventure that leaves you hungry for the next installment.

Thank you Hachette Australia & New Zealand for sending me this ARC for an honest review through NetGalley.

Emily Rath is my idol! From hockey romance to Norse mythology based fantasy, she can do no wrong. I have never read a book like North is the Night before and I find I am fascinated by the Finnish mythological roots. The character development is exquisite and the bestie bond between Siiri & Aina was gorgeous. I absolutely devoured it, highly recommended - can’t wait for the next book.

Ok so I don't normally read fantasy books but this one was good!!

I felt like the story kept me captivated the entire time and I didn't know what to expect.

There is a lot of character development and plot development to the storyline that I enjoyed.

I am looking forward to part two!

'North is the Night' is the beginning of a new fantasy duology inspired by Finnish folklore. With how captivating the fantasy world is in this book, I was surprised to discover that Emily Rath is largely known for spicy ice hockey romance - if you're a fan of her previous works, expect something completely different going into this.

Thank you to Netgalley and Hachette Australia & New Zealand for providing me with an eARC of this title in exchange for an honest review.

Aina and Siiri are best friends, growing up together in a small, close-knit village in Finland. Despite growing pressure from Swedish missionaries for them to convert to Christianity, many in the village continue to worship their traditional gods and goddesses. Our story begins when Aina is stolen away by a death goddess to Tuonela - the land of the dead. Siiri, destraught that few believe what happened to her friend, embarks on a journey north to find a way to recover her friend.

Prior to reading this title, I had no exposure to Finnish folklore. I have no idea how accurate the representation is here, but I thoroughly enjoyed learning about the different gods and goddesses and the roles they play. The death gods are the most developed here, and the underworld of Tuonela is well developed and fascinating to read about. The story is told from the dual perspectives of Aina and Siiri, which works well throughout the bulk of the book when they are separated - but their voices were a little less distinct and more difficult to tell apart when they were reunited. While I enjoyed the story and the characters, one thing I would have loved to have seen more of was Aina and Siiri's relationship prior to the story unfolding. I would have liked to have seen just a few more everyday life scenes in the beginning that showed, rather than told, us why they were such good friends. There is a small amount of spice, but it is very minimal and not that explicit.

If you're a fantasy fan, definitely check this one out when it releases in January 2025. While it is the first book in a duology, the story is still self-contained enough that I feel it could also be enjoyed at a standalone.

I was definitely interested in this book. It had elements that were good and I did like it. But there were a few things missing for me. I’m hoping book two is the sapphic book we need from the duet.

This is book 1 in a duet and wow what a different read for me but I highly enjoyed it. This was a fabulous story and I can't wait for the second Instalment

This book is beautifully written it’s all about folk lore and the length people will go to to return to each other
The plot moves along nicely

A Finnish folklore-inspired fantasy, North is the Night follows two young women, who will do anything to get back to one another.

The writing style is beautiful and descriptive, building a wonderful world full of intriguing lore, capturing my interest with a mythology that I was not familiar with.

I found the story itself very long and felt this could have easily been two separate books from around the 50-60% mark. The plot moved at a reasonable pace but was very slow in some areas. I felt it was more a tell rather than show kind of read.

Overall I enjoyed this book, I applied for the arc as I love Emily Rath's Pucking series and this was VERY different to what I thought it would be.

This gave NA feels, with no spice and a FF friendship with a soft mention of a relationship.