I started this book with high hopes, but honestly, it ended up being a struggle to get through—it took me several months to finish. There were quite a few elements that didn’t work for me, but the most frustrating was the constant POV switching just when things were starting to get interesting. It really disrupted the momentum and killed any sense of immersion. Strangely, I couldn’t connect with the author’s writing style this time, even though I’ve enjoyed her previous books. While the story is marketed as a sapphic journey through the Finnish underworld, the relationship between the main characters felt underdeveloped—more like close friends than romantic partners—especially since they spend most of the book apart.

Thank you NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

4.25/5 stars! I had a fantastic time with this book. I've read this author's previous hockey romance books so I was excited to try out this fantasy by them! I loved the whimsy and enchanting elements the author had through the book and the winter forest setting! This is perfect fantasy to read for the winter time.

The main reason why this book wasn't a five star was because I wanted it to be a why choose so damn bad!

This book is a dark and thrilling story of two girls caught up into the world of gods and their chaos. Aina is forcibly taken to the underworld of Tuonela where the goddess of death has created a world of hatred, pain, and torture. Siiri, Aina's best friend, is left behind in the world of the living and vows to get Aina back at whatever cost. Both girls go through some horrific moments and try to cling onto their love for each other as their hope.

I loved learning more about Finnish folklore and gods, but I was disappointed in the representation of the native Sámi people. Rath brought in the issue of the Christian missionaries invading the land, but instead of using that to further the story, the Sámi people are the ones depicted more negatively. I also wished that Rath would've committed more to the idea of a sapphic romance. There was clear longing between the girls, but nothing was ever brought forth and it fell flat to me.

Overall, I thought the idea had great potential, but it could've used some more development of the characters and the world building and shifting of how people where depicted.

I was pleasantly surprise at how entertaining this book was by the end and if the second book was available, I would have listened to it right away.

I started with a DRC book, but it was slow for me to start and by the time I got into it, the access had expired. With only a small portion of this long story read, I requested it from Libby and got the audio copy a couple of months later. It was much easier to listen to this book than read it, especially with the names in the Finnish language.

I don't know anything about Finnish culture or folklore. This book is great as a soft introduction to this folklore and left me wanting to go down the research rabbit hole to learn more. The women outside of the main characters and Hope are pretty harshly written. It was a bit jarring at first, but I imagine the goddesses of death were not pleasant in the original tales. I figured this was closer to a lighthearted Grimm Brothers telling than a Disney musical when portraying the folklore. Gods, I hope Disney doesn't try to pick this up.

Overall I was really happy for the entertainment value. I loved the friendship storyline. 3 stars because I liked it, but wouldn't read it again.

For my fellow middle school librarians: There is a PG-13 spicy scene. Not for middle school but I could see it in a high school library.

A wonderul and exciting adventure into Finnish folklore with manyinteresting twists. I did expect this to be spicier based on Emily Rath’s other books, but this was a delightfully different kind of a read.

This is a different view of Finnish culture and mythological gods and monsters. Siri’s best friend is stolen by a death goddess and she must brave the perils of this world and the next to try and bring Aina back from the underworld. So the problem I had is that Aina seems to basically save herself, she’s very smart and a capable and her relationship with Tuoni seemed intriguing and emotional enough that I wanted it to last. After a while I didn’t want her to be rescued or even see it as a rescue. But you can’t love every book. The writing is quite interesting.

I really enjoyed this unique take on fantasy/romantasy inspired by Finnish folklore and the dual perpsectives of Siiri and Aina. I also loved how the book placed so much importance on love and friendship, particularly female friendship, as the key to survival and preserverance. While the mythology aspect was a refreshing take on fantasy (although I cannot even remotely speak to its accuracy to actual Finnish myth and culture), I did find some elements of the novel to be underdeveloped, though, namely the anti-Christian underpinnings, the sapphic undertones, and ultimately the ending of the novel. Although this book carries a lot of "girl power" sentiments, I didn't find it as feminist in actuality as I had hoped. I will still likely read the second book when its released.

Dr. Emily Rath never misses! Her new debut into historical fantasy completely renewed my soul. It promises readers strong female protagonists who aren’t just swept along by the events around them - they are true heroines that actively challenge the divine forces that shape their world. Siiri and Aina’s story shows that love is power, resistance, and resilience. Paired with the breathtaking backdrop of the Finnish wilderness and insane attention to historical detail, Dr. Rath has forged a scale breaking 6 Star fantastic read that oozes queer visibility, sapphic delight and satiating adventure we've come to expect from her. I have recommended and purchased this book both for my library and my friends!

Thank you to NetGalley, Kensington Publishing/Erewhon Books, and Emily Rath for an advanced copy 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.

I am definitely looking forward to checking out the next installment.

I have not read anything by Emily prior, so I had no expectations going into this. I wanted to love it obviously, and it's SO gorgeous! I just couldn't get into it unfortunately. I felt bored and lost while trying to read. It might just be the time I tried reading it, so I may come back later

Very enjoyable book, I liked the characters and the story and details of Finnish fairy tales. The author said that this book was a lgbt F/F romance and that really wasn’t the case until the last 10 or 15% of the novel. I would love to read the second novel in this duet if given the chance.

Thank you NetGalley for this review copy.
Emily Rath is a dreamboat and a wonderful writer. All of her books have been fabulous and I look forward to so many more in the future!

I loved the story line. I found myself following along and eagerly waiting for the next page. The sapphic romance, however, fell flat. I'm a big fan of lgbtq+ romance books. The relationship between these two felt forced and not as believable as I would have liked. I'm hoping with book two their relationship will feel more ironed out.

Following two Finnish girls in the time that the old gods are fading, North is the Night is a mythological epic. After Siiri's best friend Aina is taken by a death goddess, she sets off into the wilderness to save Aina and maybe the entire Finnish world as they know it. Meanwhile, Aina must survive by her wits alone in the underworld.
I really wanted to like this book. Finnish mythology is an area I want to learn more about, the Christian colonial era, cool girls with axes, and a ton of comparisons to authors I love? It sounded delightful. Unfortunately, I didn't really like it. It fell flat, and also the relationships didn't make sense. Siiri should definitely not have been straight. She was set up so queer (she goes to the underworld for the woman she loves the most) and also it was marketed as sapphic. It probably doesn't help that this book was pretty hyped up, and also the hardcover is alluringly beautiful, but this just wasn't it.

Thanks to NetGalley for a digital version of this book in exchange for my honest review! 3.25/3.5 stars rounded down.

This book was pretty good! I enjoyed the many fantasy elements, particularly all that we see in Aina’s chapters (e.g., the underworld/death), but also the shaman in Siira’s chapters; I also liked how they built upon one another, so by the time we got to a big concept in one (e.g., itse), we were then growing in our understanding of that same concept in the other character’s subsequent chapter. The plot moved along at a fairly steady pace and I found it to be generally interesting and surprising.

Unfortunately, I liked Aina’s chapters way more than Siiri’s (which made reading the latter a bit of a challenge) and I wasn’t that big of a fan of what actually happened in the book. The ending especially was disappointing to me, as it kinda threw everything that happened between Aina and Tuoni out the window. I am all for queer romance, but though I suspected there was something between Siiri and Aina, I didn’t believe their romantic connection. Part of that might be because throughout the story, we’re repeatedly told that they’re super good friends—and even if they were just saying that to dance around the topic of them getting together, it made me think they were or could be just friends. I also thought Tuoni seemed like a decent guy and he had lots of chemistry with Aina, so while I could see why Aina felt she had to leave, her reasoning almost came across as less compelling and fleshed out to me.

On the other hand, I super appreciated all of the other characters and loved the daughters. I’m not sure I’ll read the second book in the series, but I am glad I read this one. Weirdly, I think I’m team Tuoni, which sounds strange given that he’s supposed be this terrible god of death. I think that sums up this book for me: Good and I loved some of the characters and the world-building, but I'm simultaneously confused and wish I could rework some of this story.

I was very excited to read this new genre from Emily Rath. I knew it was going to be very different from her previous books as she delves into Finnish Mythology. I absolutely loved the mythology and the world building in the book. As a history major in college, it was very refreshing to read the history value of this book. It very much reminded me of Danielle Jensen. However, I was disappointed in the romance aspect that I had been told about. This was promoted as a Sapphic romance. Sadly, I didn't get that feeling. It was my like an unrequited love story between really good friends. There was longing and hope. But actual romance? I did not get that vibe from this book. Overall, I enjoyed the writing and the world building. But that was it.

North Is the Night was a very atmospheric read. I immediately felt drawn into the world; The cold remote Finnish wilderness was well imagined and made me feel like I was completely immersed in the setting. However, I didn't feel well connected to the characters at times.

Fantasy novel set in the Finnish Mythology? Bring it on! It is at the same time an epic journey to save a loved one, an unforeseen romance, and court intrigue fending between different parties that might (or might not!) want to help with your herculean tasks. A must-read for fans of Nordic Mythology and historical fantasy.

Inspired by Finnish folklore (something I know nothing about), this novel follows Aina to the underworld and Siiri, who will do anything to bring her back.

I really wanted to enjoy this book, but it ended up being a DNF for me. It was just too convoluted for me to follow - maybe I will try again when my brain is working a little better.

I was suprised by this book from this author... unexpected but very very pretty. More people should try reading this... idk why I don't hear about it more