The first is an epic Finnish legend based fantasy duology, I am so glad I received an ALC so that I could hear the pronunciations of all the names. The dual narration was fitting for this story as it made it clear which characters POV we were on.

As for the plot, it begins with the kidnapping of Aina and the quest Siiri takes to rescue her from the Finnish Underworld. I liked hearing about the Finnish gods and goddesses but the story was overly long with another book to come. The relationships they built while apart were touching and the main reason I will probably read the sequel when it comes out. I’m hoping Tuoni, the god of death, gets his happy ending.

Thank you RBmedia for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley.

I’m not one for hockey romances hence my hesitation of reading an Emily Rath book BUT OH MY GOODNESS I am so happy I did.

Two girls who share a bond that is stronger than friendship. A great adventure. An arranged marriage. A beautiful reunion. I truly loved this book. To all of the people claiming that this book isn’t sapphic, I don’t know what you call the relationship between Aina and Siiri then. They are two halves of one soul. Maybe I don’t understand the word but these two characters are together. Yes, Aina loves Tuoni but her whole being calls of Siiri. Being bisexual does not negate the sapphicness of the book.

This was a fantastic read and I’m frothing at the mouth for the next books.

My four star is hinging on the second book being one million times more sapphic.

We follow two women who go on separate journeys where we get to learn a lot of folklore(arguably too much). One is in the underworld where she must learn how to survive (and just go along with it, at least more than I would have). And the other must go on her own journey of self discovery in order to get her back. I significantly enjoyed and was more invested in Siiri's storyline. I think this book could set up a great duology or set up nothing. I enjoyed so much about this and I'm looking forward to checking out South is the Sea.

3.5⭐ (Book)
4.5⭐ (Audiobook)

I’m not sure where to start with this one, but the main thing is: it’s just not marketed right. It’s being sold as a romantasy, but honestly, it’s not. The romance is barely there and super confusing. I couldn’t tell if it was supposed to be a sapphic romance between two best friends or an enemies-to-lovers romance between a god and a mortal girl. Either way, it didn’t land for me.

That said, the story itself was interesting, and the lore kept me hooked. If you’re into high fantasy with little to no romance, this could be your thing. But for fans of this author’s usual romance-heavy books, this one might feel a bit off.

The plot follows two best friends on separate quests: one searching for a shaman to help rescue her kidnapped friend, and the other trying to survive a Nordic-inspired underworld. Both storylines had me turning the pages, but I still felt like something was missing.

What I did love was the sneaky theological discussions. The way Christianity was portrayed (especially highlighting its unchanging misogyny) was such a cool touch and gave me a lot to think about.

All in all, it wasn’t bad, but it didn’t blow me away. I don’t think I’ll be picking up the second book in the duet.

This book has utterly befuddled me
I went in thinking I’m about to get a pair of kick ass best friends who are gonna take on the Christians and the old gods to save the people they love in the village! Hell yeah, girl power.
What I got was a pair of almost lesbians who let men save them??? I don’t know how I ended up reading a very anti-feminist book. Especially, one that is so down on a woman wanting to get married and have children. If it is someone’s choice, how is it wrong?
I read that it was marketed at first as a sapphic romance, then the marketing was changed to take away all mentions of their being a type of lesbian relationship. But the book itself has the weird unrequited, slightly creepy longing instead of a best friend vibe. In my mind if a “friend” is sabotaging your suitors because they are secretly in love with you, and you don’t feel the same way, they aren’t your friend and it’s creepy. They will ruin your life because they don’t get you??? Is that the vibe we want?
Anyway, I still feel as if the marketing description is off.
Maybe the writer didn’t know what to do with this book; in a lot of ways I feel like the plot bounced around and didn’t know where to go.
So, in my head- I’ve changed the story.
Siiri and Aina are best friends. Siiri isn’t looking to get married to a man, she likes women. Aina, wants to find a husband and her best friend is supportive.
Aina gets kidnapped by a goddess.
Siiri, meets a female shaman who she teams up with to find Aina.
As they battle their way to hell to get Aina, Siiri and the shaman fall in love.
Meanwhile, Aina is trying to get out of her cell, during one of her escape attempts, she meets the king of Hell.
He can’t get her out of his mind. So he decides to defy the goddess and break her out.
War ensues. During the great battle, Siiri and the shaman break out Aina, who refuses to leave until she kills the goddess.
She finds the goddess in a death duel with the god of hell, he is loosing and the goddess is about to deliver the death blow when Aina sneaks up and stabs her, giving the god of hell time to kill her.
He tells Aina he has been fighting for her this whole time.
They rule hell together
Then Siiri and the shaman go back to help heal the human world together.
Next book, they are still together and tackle the Christians

I enjoyed the Finnish folklore and dual narration of this book, but had some issues with the formatting. Wasn’t the book for me. But interesting read.

This book is confused. And it left me confused. It was a little slow in the beginning and then it picked up. As each of the girls traveled their separate paths, it got really good. It was an easy 4 star read for the majority of the book. The interwoven Finnish folklore was amazing. As Siiri left to go rescue Aina, I got really excited. I imagined them coming together to help Tuonela and bringing peace to death. That is the farthest thing from what happened.

It felt like the entire plot was lost the moment Siiri reached Aina. At no point did I feel there was any romantic chemistry between those two. But all of a sudden, Siiri loves Aina and that's all that matters. She completely dismisses the fact that Aina is married. Married to a man that she loves. The book goes from being a strong 4 star read to a 2 star read and that's me being generous. I split the difference and gave it 3 stars but it'll take a lot to convince me to read the next book.

18 hours of audiobook flew by. Those who compared it with Bear and the Nightengle were accurate. Finnish mythology and folklore were fascinating, and strong anti-Christian mission work throughout. Sad how old religions were killed by force and the new ideas were brutally enacted and enforced all over the world. I love to hear these old stories before Christianity forbade it all.

LGBTQ relationships, strong female characters, magic, polytheism, violent, and yet beautiful. Much love.

Aahhhhh I love Emily Rath and have been so excited for this book since the breath she announced it and it absolutely didn’t disappoint. Both FMCs were relatable (and stubborn in their own special ways) and I adored the moment they finally kissed. It was beautifully built.

I had the privilege of listening to the Audiobook for North is the Night by Emily Rath. I've been a fan of Emily Rath for a while now and this was definitely different from her other books. There was a lot of world building and the use of historical deities was very interesting! It took me a while to get into but I feel like if someone knew more about Finnish mythology to start with it would be a lot easier. I ended up really enjoying the book and can not wait for the second half of the duet!

Wow! What a unique fantasy story, and from a romance author so I would not have expected it. I have not read any fantasy with this type of folklore included before, but I appreciated how things were explained and the progression of the story. I do wish there was a bit more obvious longing between the two female characters, but I appreciate the LGBTQ+ representation. I am very excited for the sequel and I hope there is some kind of reunion between the king and queen. This book felt like I was watching Frozen two but the mythology was deeper and more defined but the scandinavian ties were clear.

This audiobook is an absolute gem, reminiscent of a folklore campfire tale. The narrators’ ethereal voices perfectly capture the grandeur of the Gods, while the deep, menacing tones embody the underworld deities with chilling accuracy. The strength in one FMC’s voice is palpable, contrasting wonderfully with the cautiousness and timidness of another. The narration evokes a whirlwind of emotions—rage, frustration, love, sadness—bringing the characters and their journeys to life. The narrators were truly phenomenal, delivering an unforgettable listening experience for a truly amazing book!

I really enjoy books that makes me want to branch out and learn about other cultures and lore. I was impressed with how the author portrayed all of the Gods and made the story flow at a good pace. I also love a good story with Best Friends who would do anything for each other .. even if its very dangerous.

North is the Night is book one in a Finnish folklore-inspired fantasy duology. There are two female main characters, Siiri and Aina, and their paths deviate from the start. A good chunk of this book is spent alternating between two completely different storylines. It took a while for me to become invested in either story. If you aren't already familiar with Finnish folklore, there's a big learning curve and a lot of names to remember. I liked both of the audiobook narrators, but I wish their voices would have been more different: sometimes it was easy to forget whose chapter was being narrated, especially near the end, because I couldn't tell which narrator I was listening to. The tale is fairly dark and set in cold weather, making it an excellent winter reading choice for readers interested in fantasy and folklore.

I enjoy folklore and myth retellings, but must admit that I am not well versed in Finish fables so teasing the mythic underworld, Tuonela, piqued my curiosity. There are several threads of plots running through this book, from negative sentiment about the Swedes invading their land and replacing their native culture and pagan religions with their own customs and Christian faith, to the sisterly, and maybe more than that, love between Siiri and Aina, to the mythic battle for the underworld between the gods and their kin. Sometimes these threads align to cohesion, but at times they work against each other and lead to a disjointed story. I found some of the mythic elements to be reminiscent of mythology from other culture, for example the subplot between Aina and the death god was evocative of the Persephone myth. There was a fair balance of fantasy and romance with a very nominal spice level and a good amount of world building and explanation of the various magics. Since this is the first half in a duology, I suspect that the next book will reap the benefits of this character and setting development and concentrate more on the romantic aspects and weaving any disparate plot threads to coherence.
I enjoyed this book in the audio format and the quality of the narrators markedly increased my enjoyment of the story. The dual pov telling was enhanced by both actors who gave voice to these roles. (3.5/5)
I received access to this audiobook thru NetGalley (for which I want to thank NetGalley and the publisher, RBmedia) for an honest review. The opinion expressed here is my own.

This book is gorgeous, so I definitely judged it by the cover. This book had an ambitious mix of storylines—Siiri's quest to save Aina from the Finnish Underworld, a broader conflict involving Swedes and their Christian god, and a crumbling Underworld that needed saving—all tied to gods, shamans, and a supposed sapphic romance. Unfortunately, the combination didn’t quite work for me. While the world-building and mythology were intriguing at times, the alternating perspectives between Siiri and Aina undercut the tension, especially as Aina became capable of saving herself. The sapphic element felt underdeveloped, with Siiri’s love for Aina coming across as one-sided, while Aina’s relationship with Tuoni, the god of death, felt far more compelling. By the end, I struggled to connect with the characters or feel invested in their triumph. A creative premise that ultimately fell short for me. Three stars. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ALC.

North is the Night
(The Tuonela Duet, book 1)
By Emily Rath
Narrated by Khaya Fraites, Emily Lawrence
4 ⭐️

I wanted to read this for 3 main reasons:
1. The book is beautiful. (This reader loves a pretty book 🙋‍♀️)
2. Nordic folklore
3. It looks like it’s set in winter - or at least in part

I was not disappointed! All 3 things proved to be true and done well. My favorite aspect was the folklore. I’m not familiar with the deities features in this tale; I thought this was a fantastic introduction. The story essentially follows two story lines (the separate POVs) that start together and veer apart. Almost forgotten tales and songs guide their journey. The audiobook has 2 narrators for the 2 POVs which I always appreciate. I like the narrations throughout and would recommend the audiobook to anyone who enjoys audiobooks. I also say to buy the physical book because it’s beautiful! I enjoyed this read a lot and am looking forward to book 2. Bonus, book 1 does not end in a cliffhanger.

Hoopla currently has the ebook available - 12/24/24.

Thank you NetGalley, Emily Rath, and RB Media for an audiobook ARC copy of this book. I’ve also purchased it with my own 💵.

DNF at 15%

I usually try to give a book 20-25% before I DNF, but. this book is pretty long and I genuinely tried to get through it, but I couldn't do it. This is unrelated to the mismarketing of the book and is entirely based on my experience listening to the audio.

I felt that the narrators were doing a good enough job of performing the book, but the story and characters themselves were just not hooking me. I was bored and didn't find myself invested in the characters, world building or antagonists.

I respected Siiri's desire to find and protect her friend, but I feel like I needed more reason to be invested. It felt both too slow and too rushed in the beginning. There was too much time discussing preping fish and not enough time establishing the friendship, setting the scene and giving me reason to be invested in their story.

Thank you to RB Media, NetGalley and Emily Rath for the opportunity to listen to the audiobook.

Net Galley provided me with an audio arc but my thoughts are my own.

This is a big departure from other works that I have read by this author. This is a folklore retelling that was set in Finland, and is the perfect book to read during winter. I've read a couple retellings and am a wider fantasy reader and I really enjoyed this story, particularly the adventure aspects, without too many of the standard worn out tropes.

The one thing I did not like was the relationship between one of the main characters and the death god. Maybe I would see it differently if I re read it, but it left me scratching my head a bit.

Overall I enjoyed the book and would be happy to pick up the next installment.

Rooted in history and lore from Finland and Sweden, this book was wonderful to consume!
"Siiri vows to protect Aina from danger. But even Siiri cannot stop a death goddess from dragging her friend to Tuonela, the mythical underworld. Determined to save Aina, Siiri braves a dangerous journey north to seek the greatest shaman of legend, the only person to venture to the realm of death and return alive."
This story was captivating, fast paced, and a wonderful story about realizing your true self when faced with the potential death of a soul mate. Emily Rath absolutely had me enraptured with the amazing tale! I need the sequel now!