Thank you Wednesday Books for sending me an eARC via NetGalley for an honest review.
4.5/5 stars
This was an amazing read! The writing style was easy to follow and get swept up in the world of Tundar and the excitement and fear of the race. The characters were incredible, and I liked seeing the friendships form.
Sena was a great main character. She’s grown up on Tundar as the daughter of a former racer and a Scavver which means that she doesn’t really fit in. She’s looked down upon for her Scavver heritage, and she refuses to participate in the race because it killed her mothers. When she pisses off a syndicate boss, Sena gets wrapped up in more than she bargained for.
I wasn’t sure what to expect from this book, but what I got was an exciting story about adventure and friendship and finding companionship when you thought you were alone. It was a bit slow in the beginning, but all of the set up helped to establish the world and the relationships and history between characters. The second half moves quickly and there’s lots of different kinds of excitement with the race.
The highlight of the book for me was the relationship between Sena and Iska. Iska is a fighting wolf, and when Sena runs away with her, the two formed a fantastic bond.

Seventeen-year-old Sena is a seasoned loner, living on the outer edges of society in a small town on the frozen planet of Tundra. She survives by picking the pockets of rich tourists and while she's good at it, she's not sharp enough to escape being caught by Kalba - a cruel capitalist with a stable of fighting wolves and several sled race teams. Sena is highly sought after by race teams because she possesses the knowledge to survive the strenuous races - skills learned from her mothers (one a racer and one a scavver) who disappeared in the last annual sled race to the exo-carbon mines. Ex-carbon, the most valuable resource on the planet, is coveted and controlled by capitalists whose methods of mining are destroying the ice planet. Through a lot of misfortune and a string of bad decisions, Sena finds herself working for Kalba, trying to heal one of his injured fighting wolves within one month or else. One catastrophe leads to another, and an injured Sena must flee barely escaping with her life and a killer she-wolf. A team of scientists takes her and the she-wolf called Iska in and nurses them back to health in exchange for Sena teaching team members the survival skills needed to win the deadly sled race. Sena refuses to run the race that killed her mothers, but in the end her choices are limited. The story that ensues is one of the fight for survival against all odds. One of a young girl and the killer wolf she rescued bonding and finding a way to persevere through a blood-thirsty journey where danger lurks around every bend. It's a story of the search for truth and justice and the acceptance of family forged by necessity not by blood.

Cold the Night, Fast the Wolves is an outstanding debut novel with amazing, skillful world building - from the frozen planet to the genetically altered wolves to the predators both animal and human to the different societies and races - it's a visual wonderland. While I'm not a huge fan of sci-fi, this book captured and totally immersed me in a young girl's race for survival in a harsh world where she doesn't fit in. I was completely captivated by Sena - her tenacity and determination to overcome all odds and discover exactly what happened to her mothers who were the best sledders on the planet meaning they didn't die from making a fatal mistake. Sena knows in her gut there's more to what happened than that, and she's determined to find answers even if she dies trying.

While this story starts out a bit slow, I found every single page of it fascinating. Long does an impressive job of world building - one scene, one character, one larger than life danger at a time which proves to be highly beneficial as the story progresses and the pace picks up. Without the meticulous setup, I would have soon lost my way in this complicated world of futuristic beings. Instead, I was totally immersed in a story that bombarded all my senses as I held my breath several times sure that all was lost. Author Meg Long proved to me that a futuristic sci-fi story can also be a great suspense thriller. There's no way to follow Sena on her journey from beginning to end and not get deeply immersed in the mystery of what happened to her mothers - did they succumb to fate . . . or murder? Or are they still alive?

Cold the Night, Fast the Wolves is an amazing debut novel that has me looking forward to more great things from Meg Long. It's intense, captivating, detailed and ultra-visual, worthy of reading in one sitting. I would love to see this book turned into a movie and can only imagine how the big screen would explode with color and creatures and characters and epic life and death battles. Fans of fantasy and sci-fi will devour this book; however, I also highly recommend it to fans of suspense thrillers. Cold the Night, Fast the Wolves is a delicious combo of genres that will rattle all your senses.

This one was wild.

Thank you so much to @wednesdaybooks @heeeyitsmeg for the advanced copy. This book is available now.

If I could describe this book in five words it would be:

The Iditarod meets Mad Max.

Imagine if you will a planet covered in icy tundra with rich mining deposits but the only way to get to them is by modified dog sled and a race so treacherous that many don't make it to the finish line. And while the environs are death defying themselves - cliffs, iced over rivers & a lake so large you can't see the other side - the other teams are also trying to kill you at every turn.

Then you have Sena, an orphan and a thief who is trying desperately to get enough money to buy a ticket off world. She grew up around the race but when her mothers died competing, she swore she'd never race herself. When she is caught stealing from a crime boss one too many times her punishment is to rehabilitate his prize fighting wolf. When an incident occurs and the wolf ends up saving Sena's life she flees with the wolf in tow, and the crime boss on her heels. She escapes with a team of scientists wanting to study the mining deposits, but that means she's headed for the one thing she swore she'd never do. The race.

I really liked this book! This is a story of found family, a girl realizing her strength and the unconditional love of a wolf.

I'm always leary of books that feature dogs (or a wolf in this case) as main or side characters, because there's nothing worse than if something happens to them, but Iska (the wolf) adds to the story perfectly as she represents grief and healing for Sena.

If you liked Six of Crows/Crooked Kingdom you will like this book, especially because of the schemes and found family. Remy is Jesper and I cannot be swayed from that fact.

The author also leaves the ending open for a potential sequel and I can totally see a second book having Guardian of the Galaxy vibes.

So give this book a read and escape to an icy planet with an adventure to die for.

Cold the Night, Fast the Wolves is the debut novel by author Meg Long. The story takes place on a monster infested planet called Tundar. The only thing that makes this Planet remarkable is its deposits of exo-carbon, a valuable material used in all the tech in the galaxy. It is a story about survival, found family, and the bond between a girl and a wolf that delivers a fresh twist on classic survival stories and frontier myths. 5 years ago, 17-year-old Sena Korhosen mothers were killed in the planet's infamous sled race to the exo-carbon mines. She vowed that she would never work with wolves or race again.

Since the planet's constant ion storms wrecks any high-tech vehicles that try to land and mine in the biggest exo-carbon deposits, sleds pulled by genetically-enhanced "vonenwolves" must be used. The treacherous journey to the deposits in the planet's mildest season gradually turned into a once-a-year spectacle of a race. (Think Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race race in Alaska on steroids). The death count is high and few race teams ever make it to the end, but for most, it is their only financial option and their only hope of getting off the planet.

Sena's mothers were racers who died tragically in one such race, leading her to hate every aspect of it and become emotionally closed off from the world. In fact, she's become a pick pocket in order to save up enough money to get off the planet. After she's caught stealing from the wrong people, Boss Kalba gives Sena a month to fix his prize fighting wolf, Iska. She has a lifetime of unique skills in training the vonenwolves and they seem to respond to her on another level. Sena finds that she and the wolf have a connection. One that can't broken.

A team of scientists, under Professor Kaasen, offers 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 with terrible monsters, 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.

Sena's relationship with the wolf Iska is everything that's right about this book. It's beautiful and heart warming, and I dare you not to shed one single tear while reading this story. There are some interesting side characters as well including Pana, who is the trained sled mechanic as well as doctor, and Remy, the teams engineer and genetically engineered human who becomes friends with Sena. I also absolutely loved the world. It was lush, and almost too realistic. From the ruthlessness of the miners to the greed of the corporations, none of it was glorified. The world was gritty and fierce, and it shone so bright because of this.

Cold the Night, Fast the Wolves by Meg Long is a young adult science fiction fantasy novel. This story is one of survival on a frozen planet making it a perfect story in the winter and is a standalone read which of course features wolves.

Sena is seventeen and does whatever she can to survive on her frozen planet since the loss of her mothers who were racers. Sena vows never to become involved in the race but those around her think it’s in her blood. Sena gets roped into helping with the vonenwolves who are used in the race and becomes especially close with one, Iska.

Brrrr! I’m still warming up from my adventure into the world of Cold the Night, Fast the Wolves by Meg Long. When beginning this story it reminded me of Star Wars and the land of Hoth with all the ice and storms throwing in a dog sled type of race like we would find in Alaska. The author did a good job creating this world and bringing it to life and although it felt a bit slow in the beginning for my taste I still enjoyed the characters and story and found it certainly did pick up the pacing and became an adventure of it’s own.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

This is futuristic story that takes place across the universe on a distant planet. Every year the is a dog sled style race that brings people from all different planets to compete or watch. At the end of the race there is a dig site that has valuable resources. However, instead of sled dogs we think of today, they race a genetically enhanced team of wolves’ mixes. The main character of the story, Sena, lost everything she had to this race five years before when her mothers competed to earn enough money to start over somewhere new but lost their lives instead. Because of this Sena vows to having nothing to do with the race or the wolves used for it. This is until she crosses the syndicate boss whom has a wolf she agrees to help. When everything goes wrong Sena must choose between helping a group of researchers and brave the tundra’s harsh landscape and a chance off the planet or go face what’s waiting for her back home.

I can’t put into words how much I loved this story. It’s fast paced and full of action. The whole story is action scene after action scene. Sena herself is courage’s grows so much throughout the story. The whole story is not just about the race but this world as a whole and a look at how the future could be. The author made a completely new world using animal and landscape we already have in existence but changed some parts to make them something new. As sad when I reached the end of the novel because I enjoyed it so much. It’s the kind of story that pulls you out of a reading slump.
Sci-Fi fans along with fantasy fans will really enjoy cold the night, fast the wolves.

This was a great book. Despite the action at the beginning, it felt slow to me until the end. At the beginning I had a hard time connecting with the main character, but I loved the world and the wolves and the friendships.

Thanks to the author, Wednesday Books and NetGalley for allowing me to review this ARC with honesty.

Okay, once again I wanted to kind of go in blind so I tried not to read too much of the synopsis and avoided all spoilers. Oh my goodness, this story. I believe this book is YA but honestly it could stand as adult fiction in my opinion. This holds a heavy amount of emotions with what this young protag goes through. The planet itself is its own battle that Sena (protag) goes through. Throw in wolves, a race and life or death situations and you got yourself a very fast paced read of what it takes to survive. Very well written. Characters were also developed nicely and I cared for them. I even felt anger towards others. But above all...wolves. The whole premise on wolves was fascinating and I never felt bored or lost.

My Rating: 5 Stars! 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

(This will be posted to GoodReads as well. Eventually posted to my blog and IG.)

WOW! What an incredibly absorbing read. This was a well written, fast paced survivalist story about moving on, healing and forgiving oneself and seizing life once again. Sena and her wolf have an incredible connection, and there are parts of the book that reminded me a bit of White Fang. Their relationship was complicated and well developed. The story had plenty of action, good range of supporting characters and a few good challenges and conflicts. Her growth and development and embracing the need for social contact once again and for learning to trust her self and others was so well captured and developed by the author. This is not what I expected at all and not typical read for me but it was dark, twisty, raw, at times violent and aggressive, but it pairs so well with the beautiful landscape that the author develops that it all just adds to the story. I really hope there is a follow up as there are a few loose ends however they were not critical to the story so even if it stays a stand alone it was rich and satisfying!!!

Holy Bananas Batman, yes to all of this novel from Meg Long.

Cold the Night, Fast the Wolves is a debut novel by Meg Long and it KNOCKS IT OUT OF THE PARK. I know, I’m raving, but I read this book in a day. Currently, I’m not sure if this book is first in a series or standalone. It’s too soon to tell.

If Meg is taking requests, I would love another book set in the same Science Fiction world. Her crafting of this environment and universe has made me a HUGE fan and I can’t wait to have more.

Fun note: Meg Long, along with a few other authors, debut this year (2022) and are using the hashtag #22debuts to highlight their novels!

HUGE thank you to Netgalley and Wednesday books for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

My review below may have mild spoilers as I can’t contain my joy BUT mainly it’s for content warnings. *cues dramatic music*

TO THE REVIEW

This book is crafted expertly and the world building is phenomenal. The way Meg Long describes the environment communicates the gritty beauty of our characters' surroundings and the fierce animals that survive there, including themselves. My first thought after the plot got going is “This would make a kick booty movie!” It’s the right amount of emotion and action. The mixture of inspiring and survival. The reader is hooked early on with a non-stop action set to the finish.

Sena was my favorite with Iska coming in second. Meg Long has created Sena as a stunning combination of vulnerable and determined, with a smidge of ruthlessness. Her independence and survival jumps off the page and grips the reader's heart through her obstacles. Honestly, I wouldn’t call her a hero character, she’s definitely more grey than white knight. However, that makes me love her all the more.

The writing is impressive and I highlighted quite a few quotes from this book. To share a few favorites:

1 “Nothing gets easier, Sena. You get stronger.”

2 “Groggily taking a p*ss in the negative forty-degree temperature is definitely one of the race stories that Mom failed to mention.”

3 “I squeeze my fingers tighter into Iska’s harness. She’s lying next to me, ever the co-conspirator.”

Fair warning for everyone, this book has INTENSE emotional moments and I cried. I cried like a baby and cursed the author in the process. (*shakes fist at the sky*) Major respect though for making me experience the full gamut of emotion in this rollercoaster of a novel.

Ultimately, this book was fun, adventurous, action packed, and everything young adult readers need right now in the genre. (yes, that’s my bias opinion) If you enjoy science fiction and action stories, this is the book for you. Go grab Cold the Night, Fast the Wolves and shout out this amazing new author. We need her to write more… please… soon. LOL

Overall rating: 5
Plot: 5
Character Development: 5
Dialogue: 5
Writing: 5

Happy Reading,
Ash

Cold the night fast the wolves follows the story of Sean a girl living on a Tundra world and participates in a deadly dog sled race after she steels a valuable wolf named Iska. The story is centered around the bond between Sean and Iska.

The book offers unique world building and a focus on the bond between the wolf and a girl. I think for myself I loved the idea of the story more than the execution. I loved the world building the best of all, but the pace was too slow for me. The dog sled race didn't occur until more than half way through the book up until that point it was a little too slow for me. It was a really well written debut novel and I would be curious to see other works by this author,

Thank you St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for this read% .

I liked this book from the beginning, and then Remy, one of the minor characters that’s part of a scientific expedition visiting Sena’s planet, entered the scene. She’s spunky and teasing and I loved her so much. She really added a lot of light and balance to Sena’s serious and sometimes moody personality. I felt like the story picked up a lot as soon as Remy walked into it, which was maybe 20% in?

I also loved the relationship between Iska and Sena. I’ve had the experience where an animal chooses you as their family. It was much less dramatic than a fighting wolf, but still, it’s an amazing thing, and I felt like COLD THE NIGHT captured that really well.

The planet where Sena lives is this rough, gritty icy place. Think Wild West meets Arctic tundra. It seemed exactly like the kind of place that Captain Mal and his crew from Firefly would end up at some point. Those gritty elements really worked to create high stakes and desperate characters, which definitely kept me engaged in the story.

All in all, I thought this one would make a great addition to the YA sci-fi shelves. I think readers who enjoy books by Claudia Gray or Hayley Stone will love this one.

Note: I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. All opinions my own.

I really enjoyed this YA Fantasy novel! Set in an inhospitable and icy world, Sena, orphaned at seventeen, lives mostly alone as best she can by stealing to survive as she dreams of a score large enough to secure a ticket off world. When she crosses the wrong mob boss, she's forced to make connections once again - and to heal a fighter wolf. I just love the bond that grows between the pair and as Sena's own character grows and develops throughout the book. She is adamantly against the annual race that took her mothers' lives, but soon it becomes clear that she cannot avoid it any longer.

The sledding and the different creatures they encounter adds to the fun. There's some violence, but nothing too graphic. And this is a YA Fantasy that is remarkably free of romance - a real oddity and a nice breath of fresh air! Though Sena at first makes a lot of poor decisions, she really comes into her own throughout the course of the book and I really think that this would make for a good first book in a series! There is definitely room for a sequel and I sincerely hope that this isn't the last that we see of Sena, Iska and Remy! This is an impressive debut novel and I think that Long inserts some important environmental messages that will resonate with readers of all ages. I really enjoyed this one and even if Long's second book is unconnected to this one, I am definitely planning on reading it!

4 stars for this futuristic, sci fi freeze fest.

One of my favorite books growing up was Julie of the Wolves. This book is nothing like that one and yet it still reminded me of my old, worn copy of that one. I think that is based on this having a strong and independent female MC who bonds with a wild wolf. I mean, isn’t that every girl’s dream come true? Maybe it’s just me then.

This was a sci fi based race across an ice covered planet, where literally everything is out to kill you - other people, animals, monsters, hell even the plant life is deadly.

Sena lost her mothers 5 years ago in the annual race across the tundra. She never really knew how they died, just that they never returned. That experience led to her forging a fierce hatred of the race, and a refusal to maintain relationships or get close to anyone else. Enter Iska, a wild trained to fight & kill for sport, and named after one of her mothers. Sena is tasked with healing Iska or be forced to participate in the race she hates.

Sena and Iska are about to come face to face with the choice of holding onto their respective hate for each other and circumstances…or forging that hatred into something else entirely. Can friendship and family be found in a frozen wasteland? You’ll have to read it to find out how that plays out.

Thank you to Wednesday Books, the author and NetGalley for an e-ARC of this in exchange for my honest opinion.

This is honestly, one of the best YA books or any book for that matter, that I have read in a long time! Sometimes, when I read a book set in a different world, so vastly different from the world we live in, it takes me awhile to get used to it and to try and picture it. This book was not like that. It takes place on a different planet but Meg Long does such a good job with her descriptions, it was so easy to imagine it. Sena is only 17 but she is so mature and dealing with such real issues and trying to find her way. I loved the relationship between Sena and Iska, the fighting wolf. It's a fast paced, emotional at times and all around very good book. I was very pleasantly surprised, and would love to see a sequel.

4/5 stars

I really enjoyed this fast paced, dystopian winter world with dog sled racing! Sena is an under dog heroine and trying to get off her dangerous frozen home world Tundar that's filled with prejudice, dangerous creatures and cutthroat sled racing. She tangles with the local crime boss and has to treat his hurt fighting wolf Iska and that's where the story really begins. The bond that grows between Sena and the fighting wolf, Iska, is so beautiful and real. I loved the overall feels of found family, animal and human, throughout the story as Sena and Iska meet a research team there for the race. I was a bit sad to realize the race didn't start until halfway through the story. There was also several repetitive bits with info dumping about the world and the mining mineral in the beginning. Besides the characters, the race was my favorite part filled with challenges and danger at every turn as well as the sled team having to bond through survival situations. I really liked the added bits we saw of creatures on Tundar including the sci-fi variations of bears, foxes and goblins that added to the otherworldliness of the world building. Overall, this story had plenty of action, adventure, interesting and dangerous sci-fi creatures, a loveable wolf, an under dog morally gray heroine, quirky side characters and wolf sled racing that made this a fun YA sci-fi read!

There weren't a lot of books that I read last year that I DEVOURED, but this was one of them. I am a sucker for animal companions, strong women, and survival and this was absolutely packed. I won't go too far into it so as not to spoil much of anything, but the setting is a freezing planet where our heroine is attempting to steal and scrape enough to get offworld and somewhere...better? Or at least somewhere she isn't haunted by the loss of her mothers and hated due to her mixed parentage.

This scrappy fighter has a chance encounter with a kindred spirit - an injured crossbred wolf used for fighting.

Did I cry? Yes. Are we shocked? No.

It's finally released and available for purchase. Though it does leave open for a companion novel it feels complete on its own as well.

What an amazing genre-bending adventure! I was swept away in the world and the mystery, rooting for Sena and Iska and the benevolent scientists in the midst of all the corporate takeover and ruthless racers. Also I absolutely love that there wasn't a central romance driving/derailing the story.

I read this ARC via Netgalley.

Ever since her mothers died in the race, Sena refuses to participate. Instead she makes a living stealing money, until she gets into trouble with the local crime boss Kalba, who convinces her to care for a fighting wolf. But Sena forms a bond with the creature Iska, named after her mother, and they escape. Agreeing to help some scientists complete the race through the planet's unforgiving terrain, Sena must push to the limit to make it to the end.

This wasn't what I expected from the title (that's me, any book with "wolf" in the title makes me want to read it) but it was an unexpected thrill ride in a world where dog sleds are pulled by massive wolves and danger lurks in alien-esque creatures, but more so in the other competitors. I lost Sena's main objectives a little bit as survival took over although she remained a strong-willed character. The mystery behind how her mothers died was a great layer to the drama. The worldbuilding felt a little like a Jack London novel set in deep space: same ruthless types of people, relationship with an animal, and essential tension between people who just want money and those who are more interested in nature/science, so it felt familiar and didn't overwhelm me. A tense and thrilling story that will appeal to more than just sci-fi fans.

What a cool world Meg Long has created in Cold the Night, Fast the Wolves! This action-packed YA fantasy had me shivering on the edge of my couch. It felt like a mash-up of The Call of the Wild, The Scorpio Races, and The Hunger Games with the unforgiving weather, a yearly race that defined the city, and monsters—human and otherwise—lurking in the dark, including an evil boss trying to control the outcome.

This tale is plentiful with characters, but I was never confused. Long has done a good job of fleshing them out and making them memorable. Like any good hero, Sena is far from perfect but the reader is invested in her outcome. Long does a good job of laying the ground work for the characters AND the world, giving the reader an adequate understanding as we jump right into the action.

At the heart of this story, and by far my favorite aspect of the book, is the relationship of Sena and her wolf Iska. Iska takes on an almost human role becoming one of the main characters, and I cared about her outcome as much as Sena’s. Much like the skittish wolf, Sena has her guard up, and watching these two break down each other’s walls was quite rewarding.

I was also a fan of the team aspect. I love a good book that involves a great cast of characters working toward a mutual goal and that’s what we have for part of this book. The ending did seem to wrap up quickly, but satisfactorily. And I’ll be very surprised if this one doesn’t become a series. Long left the ending fairly open with the possibility of future adventures and a few of the minor side stories have further potential, as well.

If you’re a fan of fantasy adventure stories set in impossible terrains, found families, and down-on-their-luck strong female characters facing impossible odds, then you should appreciate Cold the Night, Fast the Wolves!

Thank you to the publisher Wednesday Books and Netgalley for providing me with an advance copy.

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