Cold the Night, Fast the Wolves

This story genuinely took me by surprise with its fast-paced and emotionally crafted plotline. Most survivalist-based stories take their time to drive things to slow desperation, but this book was desperate from the start. The stakes felt high, and Long managed to prevent that from getting old. The relationship between Sena and Iska the wolf made me feel so much more than I expected. The world was written in such a fantastic way, I felt like I could taste the snow while I was reading (on a very hot Texas summer day!).

I am so excited to get a final copy of this when it releases in 2022. The found-family aspects had me crying. The world and its horrors, both human-made and not, had me on the edge of my seat. Not only is Sena a fantastic character to read, but our side characters were also lush and full of life to read. This was hands down one of the best books I’ve read this year.

Full review November 15th, 2021.

Okay, first of all, thank you very much to Wednesday Books for providing me an e-ARC in exchange for my honest review. Cold the Night, Fast the Wolves was not even on my radar yet but it was everything.

Cold the Night, Fast the Wolves by Meg Long tells the story of Sena, who just wants to save enough money to get off her planet and go somewhere new. Somewhere where she doesn't have to be constantly reminded of the planet's infamous sled race that killed her mothers and left her an orphan. When Sena's bad luck leads to a chance encounter with a fighting wolf, Iska (who Sena wants absolutely nothing to do with), everything changes. Out of options, Sena's only path forward, and Iska's only chance of survival, is to compete in and finish the race.

This book had so many of my favorite troupes including found family and animal companionship. The relationship between Iska and Sena was handled perfectly as well. There is no magical first connection. In fact, when Sena first meets Iska she is almost mauled. But in learning to trust each other, Sena begins to heal from the pain of losing her mothers and Iska overcomes her past of being born and raised to fight in the pits.

In conclusion, I absolutely adored this book. And, yes, I cried. Bawled my eyes out while hugging my own dogs. This story has the heart of Balto only set in a Mad Max type world and I cannot recommend it enough.

First, let’s all just agree that the cover is stunning!

WHITE FANG meets IRON WILL with a strong female protagonist on another planet. Sena refuses to race because her mother’s died doing it. But there’s not many other ways to make money so she can get off the planet; except thieving. Sena gets caught stealing and must work for the local crime boss, Kalba. She’s supposed to use her herbal knowledge to save the wolf. But staying alive will be the ultimate race against time, the elements, the animals, and the people who are trying to kill them.

The plot moves as quickly as a sled pulled through the snow by vonenwolves. The stakes are high and Sena and her wolf must give their all just to stay alive. Friendships and character development are the driving features of the story. A riveting race to the final page.

Cold the Night, Fast the Wolves by Meg Long
Releases 1/11/2022
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I was surprised by how much I loved this story. I’m a huge animal lover and the treatment of the wolves had me a bit nervous since we start off with one severely hurt, but I’m so glad the author didn’t shy away from the reality of this fierce society.
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This is an alien planet with alien wildlife that humans have colonized despite the harsh living conditions because it’s rich in an element the entire galaxy uses. Sena is young and basically alone, stealing just to survive. When she gets caught she’s forced to use the skills her dead mother passed onto her to help a wolf named Iska heal from severe injuries and then survive the elements in a race she never wanted to run.
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You will hate the crime boss and root for Sena whose basically an underdog because of her race, age, and poverty. Iska maybe a wolf but she stole my heart and I love her loyalty to Sena. There is lots of action and I loved that she makes friends, overcomes impossible odds, and has a big heart despite the hardships she endures. Five Stars for sure.
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Thank you #netgalley and Wednesday Books/St. Martin’s Press for a free copy of this book for an unbiased review. #coldthenightfastthewolves #meglong #ctnftw

Cold the Night, Fast the Wolves by Meg Long is an excellent, addictive, and fast-paced novel that has mystery, suspense, fantasy, and is truly unique and gripping.

This book is a bit out of my normal genres, but I am very glad I took the chance to dip my toes into this one.


I loved the mishmash of concepts. There is an alternate world/society…almost like a doomsday/post-apocalyptic feel, evil characters, alien-ish beings, humans, and animals. There are dark elements, but also rays of light and hope peak through as well. There are canine and sled racing with incredibly high stakes and huge risks and potential payoffs. There are also elements that transcend any genre: hope, trust, overcoming adversity, good vs evil, family, and friendship.

I loved the relationship between Sena and the wolf Iska. Imperfect, both flawed, and both coming from difficult backgrounds, they are thrust together into a situation not to their liking, but once together learn to work together and trust one another to try to come out on top and survive not only the race in question, but also to triumph and survive their situations.

It was raw, real (despite the scifi ), and wonderful. I can’t wait to see where this goes next.

5/5 stars

Thank you Ng and Wednesday Books/ St. Martin’s Press for this wonderful arc and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion.

I am posting this review to my GR and Bookbub accounts immediately and will post it to my Amazon, Instagram, and B&N accounts upon publication.

Thank you to Netgalley and Wednesday Books for providing me with a digital copy for review.

I was fortunate enough to be given early access to Cold the Night, Fast the Wolves, and I am so grateful because it was a whirlwind that I could not put down! Right from the beginning I knew Sena was one tough heroine and someone I could root for. At the beginning of the story she's lost her way, alone, and still grieving the deaths of her mothers that occurred five years ago. She wants nothing to do with the race that killed them, even though it's basically the only way off her frozen world of Tundar. When she's tasked with healing the local crime boss's prized fighting wolf, she vows to do it as quickly as possible, not allowing herself to get attached because the wolf reminds her of her mother, who trained racing wolves back when Sena was a young girl. But, circumstances being what they are, Sena and the wolf are eventually forced to flee and join the very race she despises. What happens from there left me experiencing the full spectrum of emotions. I laughed, cried, and rooted for this unlikely pair until the very end.

I loved the writing style in this. Even though it's told in first person, the reader still gets a sense of the other characters and are distinguished enough that they don't fall flat. The pacing was great, although I think I would've liked to see a bit more of the race itself. Other than that, this was an easy five star read that any fan of young adult, survival stories, and strong bonds between human and animal will thoroughly love.

🐺 Cold The Night, Fast The Wolves by Meg Long 🐺

This YA sci fi/dystopian novel truly took me by surprise. I don’t read many YA SciFi but this book might just make me reconsider my priorities.

The main character, Sena, is a badass character who lives on an ice planet. She mostly a lonely girl since the death of her parents, and has no choice but fight for survival. She finds herself in a situation where she has to take care of a severely injured wolf, who in a way reminds me of Sena.

When Sena’s situation worsens, she barely escapes with the wolf on her tail. This story is about fighting the odds to survive when every single element seems to have been designed to kill you. Sena embarks in both a physical and psychological journey with a wolf she isn’t quite sure is going to help her or attack her. You can easily relate and root for the main character and you get attached to the wolves very fast.

This story will keep you on the edge of your seat. The book starts slowly but picks up pretty fast and past 30% of the book, it’s truly packed with action. It was very hard to put down this book. The story is one of friendship, love and respect. It’s a fight for survival. This story also did make me tear up at times as there are sad moments.

Remy and Pana are characters that brought so much to the story. I truly enjoyed reading this book and would highly recommend to anyone who enjoys fast paced adventure and badass characters.

Thank you so much @wednesdaybooks for gifting me this e-arc of Cold The Night, Fast The Wolves by Meg Long. This review is my own.

If you liked Fable or Sky in The Deep by Adrienne Young, give this one a try. 😊

i saw the cover of this book and immediately fell in love with the illustration. and then i read it and fell in love with the story.

"cold the night, fast the wolves" is a wonderful story about survival, about family- found both in the shape of a wolf and actual humans. about a girl and her stubbornness to live.

i loved the connection between sena and iska, the wolf. the author did such a good job expressing the emotional bond one can have with an animal. it tugged at my heartstrings and i did tear up at one part of the story. sena as a character was so well written and i loved her development from being so closed-off to finally accepting the help of other people.

the side characters were amazingly crafted as well. they weren't there just for the plot to advance and i really appreciated that fact. i loved both remy and pana, but remy has to be my favourite. she's so witty. plus - found family. who doesn't love that trope?

the setting of the story was so well done. i really enjoyed reading about the lore of the planet- the plants and the wild animals were so interesting. also loved the race part of the book. it kept me engaged until the end.

in conclusion, i loved this book sm. i think this will be my favourite read of 2021. it's fast paced, it has amazing characters and the found family aspect was so well handled.

thank you to netgalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review!