Format: Audiobook
Rating: 2.5/5 ⭐️

I am very very skeptical of fantasy novels written by romance authors, and this just wasn't it. It had big Gild vibes (was it because the narrator of Aina sounded like Gild's narrator, or because they both felt flimsy as all heck?). The pacing was all over the place and I struggled to know how much time had passed at any given point in time. I also am slightly (read that as *really*) annoyed by this supposedly being LGBTQ+ but like... 99% of the book is Aina and Siiri separated and it feels not at all like they are longing romantically for each other.

Strong female leads do not need to be stab-happy (like Poppy from FBAA), or just kind of crazy and talk to any and all inanimate objects. They also don't need to have internal dialogue that makes everything so basic! "This is dangerous, I have a secret that they don't know." Yeah congrats honey, now stop talking about it as if this isn't painfully obvious to us all and DO something instead. "I think she died right here!" Yeah? The dead girl that is dead and right here? You think she died here? "Maid? I don't have a maid? Oh, do you mean my maid?"

There is no letting things be a mystery to the reader. Everything is beatened to death over and over and, just for good measure, over again until you want to yell at how painfully dull everything is. We don't need to have a side character go "oh? go on put it together" then the main character perfectly detail it all, then the side character go "you are so clever!". None of this adds to the story.

While we are on it, let's also stop calling main characters "clever" when in actuality they are thoughtless and prone to putting themselves in danger.

I will not be picking up the second book. There wasn't enough depth in this story to really keep my interest, and I don't think I can suffer through Aina and Siiri being told how clever they are for having the tiniest thought ever for another full book.

Thanks to NetGalley & Recorded Books for providing an eARC of the audiobook for North is the Night by Emily Rath.

So I was very intrigued when I heard Emily Rath was writing a fantasy. Then I read the synopsis and was even more interested. Yet I still wasn’t prepared for how much I enjoyed this. It was different but in the best way possible.

Thank you to NetGalley, RBMedia, and Emily Rath for an alc in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I was really looking forward to this one because it was based on Finnish mythology, which is something that I haven’t come across much in mythological fantasy. It is also a far cry from Rath’s previous works, but it didn’t disappoint me. I loved the writing style. It felt very atmospheric and like I was listening to someone tell me old folktales. The magic system was really interesting and I loved how music/drums were woven into the system.

The narrators, Khaya Fraites and Emily Lawrence, did a great job with the story. It was very immersive for me and they worked well together with the different perspectives.

I am definitely looking forward to reading the next book in the duet.

This was a really interesting story. I was shocked to find out it was by the same author of the Pucking Around series. I think she is way better writing fantasy than that series.

I have such mixed feelings about this story. I think it was really interesting and I LOVE that it was inspired by Finnish folklore. It’s such a unique topic and definitely under appreciated. That said, most people are not as familiar with the old Finnish gods and therefore those can be A LOT of information, and similar sounding names, to take in. It’s me. I’m most people. I really liked having the glossaries at the beginning to refer to for this reason, and again, found it really interesting.
Siiri was a really fun character! I liked her strength of spirit and devotion to Aina. Her story/chapters really caught my attention and had me eager for more. I loved her relationship with Väinämöinen, and his backstory as well.
Aina was a little tough for me, and where the mixed feelings came in. I was probably most invested in her story because I’m a sucker for “he falls first” type love stories and was therefore very drawn to Tuoni…but I don’t think I was supposed to be? I’m pretty sure that relationship is a little toxic - and slightly instalove - but damn if I wasn’t wanting more. This naturally, made the ending a little hard for me, although I think it was very sweet and poetic in its own way. I’m not sure I would label this as quite a sapphic romance so much as a tale of friendship, love, and devotion. That doesn’t mean I don’t think it was romantic, because it absolutely was. Aina really says it best:
“You have my heart, Tuoni . . . but Siiri has my soul.”
Khaya Fraites does a really good job with the narration. As someone who has studied Finnish in the past, I can say the pronunciation is really tough, and I think Khaya does well and makes it sound very smooth/natural. She also did a good job making characters sound fairly distinct, and she did especially well with emotions and voicing the tones of the story.
Overall, I really enjoyed the story. I cannot say I’m quite eager for a sequel, but I also cannot say I wouldn’t read it.

I thought this was very good and I will have to add this to the shop shelves. Thank you for the chance for us to review.

Im not one for audiobooks but listening to North Is The Night has changed that for me. The narrators did a wonderful job bringing this book to life. It had such great world building and is such an emotional and adventurous book.

This Finnish folklore retelling was just so good. I was hooked from the start. The story was so interesting. I need the next book right now. Siiri and Aina are soul sisters. They love each other like no other. Siiri is dedicated to protecting Aina. That vow is tested when Aina is taken to Tuonela by one of the Gods of Death’s daughters. Siiri journeys to see the shaman to learn how to get to Aina. While Siiri is learning all the things, Aina is going through her own trials. Nothing in Tuonela is as the elders have told. The Witch Queen has been playing with mortal girls to death. Can Siiri and Aina make it back to each other? Thank you to NetGalley and RBmedia for the audio arc in exchange for my honest review.

Unfortunately I had to DNF at 37%. I was hoping for something more atmospheric, but for a book cover that's covered in snow, I didn't feel transported or captivated. Khaya Fraites and Emily Lawrence do an excellent job narrating and I'll definitely be looking for books narrated by them in the future.

DNF at 20%. I really enjoyed the start, I found it really atmospheric and immersive. I stopped listening after the attempted rape scene. It felt gratuitous, tonally at odds with the rest of the book, and I thought it was unnecessary.

Immersed in Finnish folklore this is the story of two strong women, Aina and Siiri . They have grown up together and are connected by a love that is deeper than friendship. Aina is kidnapped and taken to the Finnish underworld, Tuonela by a death God. Siiri cannot save her but vows to travel there to rescue her. She embarks on a journey to find a legendary shaman that exposes her to dangers and unknown forces that are of legend. The story alternates between the characters stories as they desperately try to fight their way back to each other.

I really liked this story. It was full of action, drama and an unexpected romance that I felt was very compelling but left me a little confused to be honest. It didn't ruin the story but it did leave me questioning where the story was headed. Maybe I will get a better understanding in the next book. The Finnish folklore was so interesting, I loved it. The narration lacked emotion at times and felt a little off. This is probably a better read although I love knowing how to pronounce the Finnish words!!

Overall a solid story with some great characters. I am looking forward to the next book!!

3.5 ⭐️

This was so disappointing to me. It's advertised as sapphic, you don't get a glimpse of that until 65%. And as a feminist story, but it's really not. At all

This was a dual POV take on a Finnish fairy tale about two women who leave home with degrees of unwillingness, both to save the other.

Great audio narration.

I was so excited when I heard this book was based on Finnish folklore, and really enjoyed the different gods and goddesses. However the story itself fell flat for me. The audio was done well and it was easy to distinguish between the two narrators but I still found myself losing interest.

I was extremely excited to receive this audiobook. I love Emily Rath's hockey romance series, and I also love complex fantasy books. She's *multifaceted*. So I was pumped for a sapphic Fennish fantasy romance. Unfortunately I didn't feel like I got the romance I was looking for. I did get complex world building and good narrators (honestly, very glad I was listening to this, because I would have had no idea how to pronounce some of these character names). I felt the plot was a little chaotic, and I didn't feel like Aina and Siiri were long lost lovers, just best friends who were separated. Mid-story I was actually a bit excited for the relationship between Aina and the death god, but that was abrupt and not as emotionally developed as I would have liked. Maybe because they won't be end game? But even at the end of book 1 I wasn't feeling the romantic connection between Aina and Siiri, either. I'm not quite sure where this one is going to go. I really liked certain aspects of the book (Aina, the death god, the evil witches and their games, etc.), and I found myself bored with others (Siiri's story, the hasty ending, and the "romances"). I feel like many people that the marketing of this book as a sapphic romance is a little off. Overall I'd say this was a fine story with a good audiobook. I'm interested to see where book 2 goes.

Thank you Emily Rath, NetGalley, and RBMedia for this advanced listening copy.

I enjoyed this audiobook and following the gripping journey of Siiri and Aina, childhood best friends whose bond is tested when Aina is kidnapped. Determined to save her, Siiri embarks on a perilous adventure that takes her deep into the Finnish underworld. The world building is richly detailed, though the intricate mythology can occasionally feel overwhelming. Despite this, Siiri and Aina are relatable and compelling characters. The narrators, Khaya Fraites and Emily Lawrence, deliver outstanding performances, bringing every moment of emotion and tension to life. If you're a fan of mythology and strong, fearless heroines, definitely give this one a listen.

While some aspects of the story were interesting for me, like the lore surrounding the gods and the settings overall. Something that didn't sit well with me was the way women were depicted in the book while it seems to also want to be feminist in nature. Having the antagonists be women seems a little counterintuitive for a book like this, but also those antagonists were felt like reading villain stereotypes. I am curious how Rath plans to move forward with the relationship between our main characters in the next book, and I think this book would appeal to some readers. I especially think the narrator of the audiobook made the experience more enjoyable.

Thank you netgalley for the ARC audiobook.

I found this book super intriguing. Loved the Finnish mythology. The audiobook was well done and had great pacing, but I struggled to stay engaged. There were parts I liked a lot, and other parts I felt bored.

I really liked the characters overall, but I felt like it jumped around a little too much to truly hold my focus. I didn’t feel it had the sapphic aspects I was expecting, and I felt like I wasn’t rooting for Aina to be saved.

Otherwise I think I had potential, but needs a little more focus.

If you came here for the sapphic romance you will get a big dose of fantasy first. But this is book one in a fantasy series, so we all know that good things come to those who wait. I trust Emily to deliver for me.

There is no doubt that Siiri and Aina care deeply about each other. Their journey back to each other totally kept me so invested. I love the forest and the world the author weaves. I am looking forward to more in this series. It’s a thick book but the audiobook flew by, there is so much happening.

Thank you to NetGalley and the author Emily Rath for the advanced listening copy, all my opinions are my own.

It's not often that I select a book based primarily on the cover, but North Is the Night by Emily Rath has a cover that is beyond beautiful, it is truly stunning. I am finding that I enjoy fantasy novels more than I realized, and this one is no exception. Based on Finnish folklore, I found the story fascinating, and was completely under the spell of Tuonela as I listened to the audiobook, narrated by Khaya Fraites and Emily Lawrence. Though I enjoyed the audio version, I am looking forward to a reread of the print version, as I am certain I will enjoy and understand the story more with repetition.

The story is billed as a sapphic romantasy, and while the two female protaganists do share a close bond, the romance between them was not well developed and played out more as female best friends with a sisterly bond. With the exception of a somewhat vaguely described scene between the death god and one of the girls, the novel had a very YA feel to it, and I found myself checking whether it was categorized as YA. I did enjoy the strength and intelligence of both Siiri and Aina as they independently strove to survive and save their own and other young women's lives.

The audiobook is voiced by two women, with the story told in alternating perspectives of Siiri and Aina. The narrator's voices are quite similar, and the non-distinct characters was a little confusing at times. Fortunately, the characters frequently referenced their friend or others in their world which helped ground the reader.

I am looking forward to reading the next book in the Tuonela duology. Thank you to Netgalley and RB Media for the audio copy of North is the Night by Emily Rath. The opinions in this review are my own.