so objectively this book is well written but for emily rath’s first fantasy novel i was hoping it would
pop off a lot more. it struggled to hold my attention and it didn’t feel authentic.

This sounded like everything I like. I'm always excited to read books with folklore from countries that aren't Greece. I was enjoying that element of the story. I liked the characters and the Pagan elements were fascinating but even the characters couldn't help me finish this book. I got 35% in and decided to dnf it. I felt like I had been listening to the story for ages with little progression of what felt like two very different stories. I found myself zoning out more than paying attention. This story just dragged on longer than I liked. I feel like if it had been shorter I would have found more enjoyment in it.

The concept of this book was so good and it just went downhill from there.

This book is based on Finnish folklore, something I had no idea existed. I was THRILLED! Early on you have a list of Finnish gods and goddesses, something that got me so excited to learn more about this world of folklore that was completely new to me. It... is not necessary. The few goddesses we meet (because it's almost exclusively goddesses) are always referenced by whatever they're the goddess of, because why would the readers be able to learn about the characters in a book? I still have little to no understanding of any aspect of Finnish folklore, which was pretty disappointing.

Apparently this book was initially marketed as sapphic. I learned this when I was halfway through the book and I was... confused. One of the two main characters is very clearly romantically in love with the other, but it is not reciprocated. While I understand that one woman's relationship with a man doesn't mean she can't also have feelings for another woman, this was pretty clearly not the case. If I had come into this book looking for sapphic romance, I would have been more than disappointed, I would have been angry.

This book is about 300 pages longer than necessary, and I don't even know where it got the extra 300 pages. The writing is not descriptive or flowery, but just very little happens. I was initially really invested, but once I hit 20% I just kept slowly, SLOWLY chugging along waiting for something to happen. About 50% in I thought it should be wrapping up and was confused about what else there was to even do in this story.

I was really disappointed in this book, and I don't really see this book being *for* anyone else. The author is a well known romance author, and I think she should probably stick to that genre or take more time in honing the craft of fantasy writing before her next fantasy novel.

The audio of this book was the better version of the two. I honestly don't think I would have finished without it. The dual narrators are good, with different enough voices to differentiate the characters. They did well with what they were given.

Thank you to Netgalley and RB media for an audio ARC in exchange for an honest review.

North Is the Night is inspired by Finnish folklore. It is told in dual POV, two best friends that become separated. Their homeland is being threatened by Christians that want them to forget about their traditions. Siiri has always been Aina's protector, but even she cannot protect her from being taken just like so many other girls in their village. Aina is stuck in Tuonela under the watch of the Witch Queen. The only way for her to save her those she loves is to marry the death god. Siiri unsure of what happened to Aina, chooses to escape her father to venture North in hope of finding answers and a way to save Aina.

Critiques:
-Siiri and Aina's characters could have been developed in the beginning. The book starts off so quickly it is hard to understand them and why it is so important to save the other.
-The world building is lacking. It was hard to vision the scenes and the characters throughout the book.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher, and the author for providing a free audio arc of this book.

I enjoyed the story as it kept me engaged and left me wanting to know more with each turn of the page. You don't hear a lot of Finnish lore in fantasy, and I was absolutely intrigued by the different gods and the underworld portion of the book. The main female characters Aina and Siiri are both characters who care deeply for each other and you can see the growth in them throughout their separate "adventures" especially Siiri in her search to bring Aina back and Aina taking on responsibilities she never expected, some good and some...questionable.

The one major thing that took the book off from being a 5 star for me was the world building. The author really did not portray an cold, snowy Finnish terrain throughout the story and Tuonela (the Finnish underworld) could have been described in more detail to pull me into the scene. Tuoni and Aina's relationship also just wasn't that interesting to me, but it did help in the development to what was hinted at earlier in the story.

This book was a great time and I will definitely pick up the second in the series!

I'm going to be very courteous on this one and will simply say ; do not read this if you're part of a marginalized community.
I was sad and at some point angry, I expected a queer read and get nothing. Pink washing.
This is mismarketing at its absolute best.

Thank you net galley for the copy.

The story starts by introducing our two MFC’s, two friends Siiri and Aina. When the death goddess suddenly kidnaps Aina and takes her to a mythical underworld, Siiri will basically stop at nothing to save her. The dual POV that we get from this book was great. I found myself equally interested in both of the girls journeys throughout the story.

I knew absolutely nothing about Finnish mythology beforehand but found the book explained everything I needed to know about the gods quite well without feeling overloaded with new information.

We get some twists and turns pretty early on in the story and while there is world building in between all the action I did feel like there was always something happening right around the corner that kept me hooked.

This book does end on a happy note which I was a little surprised about for the first book in a romantasy duology but I’m not upset about it. I’m curious where book 2 will go. I’m a little sad for Tuoni because I really like him especially at the end of the book but I’d imagine book two will dive right into the two MFC’s sapphic relationship. I have so many questions. Will we be fast forwarding in time a little bit or will it start off right where book 1 ended?

Thank you to the publisher and the author for an audiobook copy of this book.
I am a fan of Emily Rath, and while I am not typically a fantasy girl I really still wanted to give this one a go. I enjoyed the first half of the book, but the second half of the book was too long-winded for me. There were too many gods and goddesses to keep track of, and I felt myself getting a little lost at times.
My favorite part of the book was learning about Finnish culture, but otherwise this was a long book that wasn't entirely keeping my interest the entire time. I am chalking a lot of that up to this not being my usual genre, so it is reflected in my rating.
Still love Emily Rath, and I can tell she put a lot of heart and a lot of work into this book! 3 stars

This book is wonderful written with world building and brings to life the story of a girl who’s best friend sacrificed herself so that she may live when aGod came after them in the woods, she then is taken to play games as the God bids them to. The narrator did a wonderful job bringing the story to life.

Rating: 3.5 stars, rounded up

North is the Night has a captivating premise, blending Finnish mythology with a heartfelt story of love and loyalty. The first half is gripping, with Siiri’s determination to rescue Aina from the underworld drawing me in. The rich cultural setting and the tension between the old ways and Christianity were fascinating.

However, as the story went on, it started to lose momentum. The underworld politics became overly complicated, with too many gods and shifting alliances to keep track of. The romantic subplot, though twisty, didn’t quite capture my heart—it felt more like a side element than a central focus.

Overall, the book started strong but became bogged down by pacing issues and dense world-building. It’s an engaging read for fans of mythology, but it didn’t quite hold my attention all the way through. Fantasy isn’t a genre I typically gravitate toward, but expanding my reading palate and trying something new has been a positive experience.

Thank you to NetGalley and RB Media for a copy of the book in exchange for my honest review!

First, I loved this book - I just REALLY didn't like the narrators, so the audiobook gets low marks from me. The story, characters, setting - it was all phenomenal. I highly recommend reading this book rather than listening, but I did really appreciate the pronunciations that came with the listening experience, as some of the words were a mystery to me.

The characters were absolutely beautifully written. I really appreciated Rath's ability to write growth into them rather than having them be stagnant. She also did a beautiful job of making her characters complex. With the exception of one, there is not a single character, deity or mortal, that is purely evil, and the motivations behind their actions are always so murky in a really exciting way. You never know who can be trusted and who cannot. I really loved that.

The atmosphere was perfect for a cold, wintry read. I really felt the darkness and hopelessness that Aina was facing, and as Siiri moved North and the cold set in, it felt palpable. Rath's writing really felt transportive in the sense that the cold and darkness felt bone deep and raw.

I loved this plot so much. I am a sucker for retellings of mythology, and I was not familiar with the Finnish pantheon prior to reading this. I enjoyed learning about them through the journey of these two women. The alternating chapters are done well, if you can handle the "end on a cliffhanger and swap to the other POV" tactic. I don't mind that, though I know some readers do not enjoy that approach. Aina and Siiri are both strong women who grow, learn, and come into their power over the course of the tale, and the storytelling is propulsive, so it never feels dull.

I really enjoyed this book and highly recommend for fans of fantasy and mythology.