GREAT adventure of a story. It starts right off in the thick of it. Each chapter was quick and left you wanting to push through the next one making it a very fast read. Although Sena starts off a bit frustrating - as she makes mistakes and some really poor decisions - you get to read about her making some really great friendships and really develop through the story. The plot was interesting - weaving together a few threads as you are lead along the trail to find out what happened. The ending left it a bit open for a sequel, once I'll definitely be looking for!

A huge thank you to the author and publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.

I absolutely loved this book! I found it hard to put down. I highly recommend reading it! You won’t be disappointed.

If you want science fiction & dystopian look no further !

This one was action packed and fast paced . I loved every minute of this book. Wolf companions , little to no romance & still a great read . I loved the authors way of world building and very specific description .

Would recommend 10/10 times , can’t wait to own a physical copy to reread .

Cold The Night, Fast The Wolves is a great story for those who enjoy a great tale that puts a twist on your typical survivalist stories. The book is at its best with the world-building and character developments but stumbles a bit with its pacing. Aside from that, it's quite an entertaining debut.

4/5

**Content Warning: Animal Cruelty** When I first heard about this book, it sounded intriguing. I started reading it and at first I wasn’t sure if I was going to be able to read the whole thing. There is some animal cruelty from one of the local gangsters that I was not very thrilled to be reading about. I abhor animal cruelty so I was almost ready to DNF the book. But then things started to take a turn for the better. The wolf, Iska, who was being abused was liberated by Sena and as the two of them went on their way to escape the evil gangster, their bond was what kept me reading. Once those two got away things really started getting intense with the world they lived in and the infamous race began. I found myself drawn in and actually enjoying the story and connecting with the characters. I really liked how Sena came out of her shell and started to trust the people that she was with and wouldn’t give up on Iska. Overall, I ended up liking this book more than I disliked it because of the animal cruelty. So just beware if you decide to read this book that there will be some animal cruelty.

3.5 Stars

Cold the Night, Fast the Wolves was an interesting and different kind of YA story centered around a race and genetically modified wolves with dangers around every corner. It was a fun and interesting read.

Thank you Netgally and Wednesday Books for an e-arc of Cold the Night, Fast the Wolves by Meg Long in exchange of an honest review.
Even from a young age I had a fascination with wolves. White Fang was one of the formative books that kept me reading from adolescence into adulthood.
So finding a book where the main character, Sena, and wolf, Iska, shared such a deep connection excited me to my core.
I loved the slower beginning, leaving me enough time with the characters to fall in love with them so that when the faster pace plot kicked in I was fully invested.
A few months ago I adopted a husky that had been found living in the streets of Stockton. It took a while for her to trust me but now that she does, we are family. Throughout reading this book I couldn’t help imagining that it were her and I sled racing through a friged world.

5 stars

Cold the Night, Fast the Wolves by Meg Long is a great fantasy novel with a strong heroine. Action-packed and I enjoyed the bond of relationship between Sena and Iska.

I really enjoyed this book and I really can't wait to read more books from this author in the future. The writing was really great.

3 stars

My favorite aspect of this book was the setting in a cold, devastated planet. That's what drew me in (and the genetically-modified wolves, of course). But the story takes way too long to get started, and the characters weren't anything especial.

Oh my goodness!! This is an amazing debuts novel. I cannot get over the world that Meg Long has created. I am in love and obsessed!!! I cannot wait to see what she comes out with next

Really fun world-building and setting (the "Balto" comp is what made me pick this up, lol), and an endearing main character that you just want to reach out and hug. It may be that the target audience for this book is a bit younger than I was expecting, but the narrative (and interpersonal) conflict felt too simple here for my particular taste (as an adult reader). Some of the secondary characters, including the antagonistic ones, came across as two-dimensional. Still, for younger readers this book offers adventure, an intriguing ice planet setting, and a moving depiction of animal companionship that should make it an enjoyable read.

I don't know why I do this, but I always want to step out of my comfort genre and read something new. And I really tried with this book. I tend to like YA fantasy books when it's good. But this book just left me confused on so many levels. I really didn't understand what was happening most of the times. I just think the whole situation is confusing at best.

Honestly, wasn't a fan of this story. It was difficult to follow and I didn't connect with the emotional arc of any one character.

Generally a good book, kept my attention. The story was great, characters well thought out, and the pacing was good. Overall, I enjoyed the book and would read more by this author!! Thank you so much for the ARC!

This one took a few chapters to really take off and differentiate itself from the pack, but it's one giant adrenaline surge once all the pieces are set in place.
Sena starts out as the stereotypical kind girl acting tough to survive and earn her way out of the man-eat-man world she was born into. She's a thief with no remorse about stealing from the wealthy off-worlders who arrive en masse to witness the legendary (deadly and dangerous) race that killed her mothers. She has no intention of having anything to do with the race or the wolves that pull the sleds that participate in it until the most vicious crime lord in her world makes her an offer she's not allowed to refuse and she meets a beautiful fighting wolf named after her mother. Then it's a roller coaster ride of emotions, action, and life and death decisions.
The characters Long slowly introduces leap from the page and feel as alive as the deadly nature of the world that seems to be trying to kill every living thing in it. And the conflicts between people, animals, and nature - made worse by the greed of off-world corporations - ring with a note of sad reality that adds an extra layer of emotion to the events of the book.
This is one that takes a bit to warm up to, but I promise it will be worth it.

Happy thanks to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, and Wednesday Books for the very exciting read!

Sena made a mistake and has to get out of dodge with her wolf friend, Iska. It's a cold planet, so it's definitely possible to become scarce, but to get where she really wants to go, Sena will have to do something she promised herself she'd never do: sled racing. Sena lost family members to the sport, but she's out of options, and the only good one lies at the other side of the finish line. Sena and Iska set out in the frigid cold with the hope of a new beginning, but when the frost sets in, Sena is forced to reckon with her own abilities, the fate of her family, and what it really takes to survive. You can't outrun the inevitable.

Imagine, if you will, that the Iditarod was fueled by corporate greed, to reach a region where no machine could penetrate. Sena lives in a world where that is real, and wolf creatures are bio-engineered to withstand the harsh conditions and demands of the race, at the end of which is found a rare substance in high demand. I found the world-building and ethical challenges of this story captivating, and I feel like this setting has a lot more to offer. The race doesn't begin in earnest until halfway through, but that also allows time to build up this interesting, flawed world, to get to know Sena and Iska, and to understand the plight of the people caught between survival and the crosshairs of capitalism.

In the latter part of the story, as the cold seeps in, that's when the bond between Sena and Iska really shines, and the ice hits the fan. Cold the Night, Fast the Wolves is an entertaining, thought-provoking transposition of Alaska's ubiquitous race, turned into something far more sinister, and I devoured it like a very blue snow cone (You know the one). Recommended for readers interested in unusual settings, strong world-building, a girl and her dog trying to survive, and perilous ethical questions piercing the barrier of cold corporatism.

"Nothing taken, nothing given."

Part of me kept thinking of Call of the Wild as I read through this beauty. The other part of me appreciated the fact this was far different from that book and watched helplessly as my heart fell head over heels for Sena and Iska.

I have a soft spot for books that bring to life the intrinsic and beautiful connection between beast and man. Set against an unforgiving and frozen tundra, Cold the Night, Fast the Wolves, takes the danger of sled dog racing and swirls it together with science, beasts, politics, survival, social constructs and heartfelt depth.

I did not expect the amount of feeling that Long penned in these pages. Sena lives a scavver life of solitude. Picking pockets to live and one day get a ride off of Tundar. She is the type of fierce survivor I want in a heroine. Her desolate existence paired with the devastation of her losses in the past, equally mold her character into the brash lead MC she is.

There is a slow lead-up to the action but for me it fit the plot and construction of the world building. It also gives the reader time to piece together the jigsaw that makes up Sena. Each character, each climax and every loss add to the captivating narrative of this book. Speaking of side characters, Pana and Remy are some of my absolute favorites!

A debut perfectly fit for found family, survival and strength. I recommend this novel for any reader who enjoys the wild ride a novel like this can deliver! Thank you Wednesday Books for the stunning gifted copy for an honest review. All thoughts are my own.

This is a title I've been sitting on for awhile but when it came time to read it, I am no longer interested in it. I'm sad when this happens, but I can't bring myself to read something that I'm no longer interested in, unfortunately.

Disclaimer: I received this e-arc from the publisher. Thanks! All opinions are my own.

Book: Cold the Night, Fast the Wolves

Author: Meg Long

Book Series: Standalone

Rating: 5/5

Diversity: f/f romance mentioned

Recommended For...: young adult readers, sci-fi, dystopian, survival

Publication Date: January 11, 2022

Genre: Young Adult Dystopian

Age Relevance: 16+ (animal gore, animal fighting, animal death, language, violence, gore, death)

Explanation of Above: There is a lot of animal gore in the book and mentions of animal fighting. There are also a few animal deaths. There is cursing throughout the book. There is also violence, including gun violence, gore with blood and other injuries, and death mentioned and one gruesome death shown.

Publisher: Wednesday Books

Pages: 368

Synopsis: After angering a local gangster, seventeen-year-old Sena Korhosen must flee with her prize fighting wolf, Iska, in tow. A team of scientists offer to pay her way off her frozen planet on one condition: she gets them to the finish line of the planet’s infamous sled race. Though Sena always swore she’d never race after it claimed both her mothers’ lives, it’s now her only option.

But the tundra is a treacherous place, and as the race unfolds and their lives are threatened at every turn, Sena starts to question her own abilities. She must discover whether she's strong enough to survive the wild – whether she and Iska together are strong enough to get them all out alive.

Review: Overall, this book was really good. The book is full of action and adventure. The story is compelling and I really loved Sena as a character. The book has an Iditarod race feel to it and I really liked that. The character development was well done, as was the world building, and overall it’s a good story.

However, I did really hate all of the animal violence scenes and I was confused at some points during the book, especially with a lot of the back and forth.

Verdict: It was good!