Book Review | Cold the Night, Fast the Wolves

Sena’s on the run from a power-hungry crime boss after she steals his prized fighting wolf hybrid. She needs a way off her frozen planet, so when a scientific team offers to pay her, she agrees to aid them in a deadly sled race—the same one that claimed the lives of both of her mothers. Now she and the wolf must depend on each other to brave the wild and survive against other racers trying to sabotage them.

Cold the Night, Fast the Wolves by Meg Long presents a unique sci-fi spin on White Fang that'll satisfy your inner wolf girl (or boy).

I admit, the book does take a while to find its footing. It takes half of the book for the race to finally begin, but once it does, the book finally hits its stride. That’s where we get into the survival thriller elements with ice goblins, treacherous blizzards, and giant bears, and the stakes felt far more real to me.

It’s the crime boss, Kalba, that I found the weakest part of the story. He’s a bit of a joke to me. He has money and technology at his disposal, and yet, he seemingly can’t invest in high-tech locks or a surveillance system. People can just waltz right into his den with ease, which really ruins any sense of danger he might pose. I wish he had been either turned into a more convincing villain or the book had focused on the more believable threats posed by the world itself.

All in all, I wish the beginning had been polished more, but it’s cool to see a sci-fi YA novel again since we’ve had so few of them after the dystopian craze died down.

Thank you, NetGalley and Wednesday Books, for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Book Details:

Publication Date : January 11, 2022

Publisher : Wednesday Books

IBSN : 1250785065

Pages : 365

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