Book Review: Cold the Night, Fast the Wolves by Meg Long

  • Source: I received an advance copy of this book on NetGalley

  • My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (see my review on Goodreads)

This book wasn't what I expected, but that's probably not saying much when it comes from someone who rarely reads or remembers the book description. What I was surprised to find in this story were things like space travel and rogue things and genetically engineered organisms and mob bosses! This book started out very lonely; very cold and dark and quiet. I appreciated how these themes were present not only for Sena (the main character) and Iska (the wolf), but for many of the side characters as well. Throughout the whole book there is a strong sense of survival, of fighting HARD for what matters to you (whether you're just an orphan trying to scrape by, a race team striving for the end goal of exocarbon deposits, or a mob boss making your money off of fighting wolves).

Cold the Night, Fast the Wolves was a slow build, the kind that gently tangles you in its web so carefully that by the end of it you're sobbing and didn't even think you'd gotten very attached. I love the way this is mirrored for the characters and the reader! I love the way Sena and Iska slowly build trust with each other and with others, testing their truths against reality, and forging ahead with what feels right to them. The villains felt especially nasty and terrifying, which made each scene full of palpable tension and allowed for a deep breath of relief when there was a calm moment. A small bonus, for me at least, was that there is no sign of romance in this book; all of the relationships resemble those strong bonds you form with others as friends and companions and fellow outcasts.

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