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North Is the Night: Deluxe Limited Edition
North Is the Night: Deluxe Limited Edition | Emily Rath
1 post | 1 read | 3 to read
***DELUXE LIMITED FIRST PRINT RUN with stenciled edges, a beautiful foil-stamped hardcover, exclusive interior design with full-color illustrated endpapers, and a reversible foil dust jacket!*** Only while supplies last. Two bold young women defy the gods and mortals, living and dead, in this darkly mythical, Finnish folklore-inspired fantasy duology for readers of T. Kingfisher's Nettle & Bone, Danielle L. Jensen, Thea Guanzon, Jennifer L. Armentrout, and The Witch's Heart by Genevieve Gornichec. In the Finnish wilderness, more than wolves roam the dark forests. For Siiri and Aina, summer's fading light is a harbinger of unwelcome change. Land-hungry Swedes venture north, threatening the peace; a zealous Christian priest denounces the old ways; and young women have begun to disappear. 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. In Tuonela, the cruel Witch Queen turns Aina's every waking moment into a living nightmare. But armed with compassion and cleverness, Aina learns the truth of her capture: the king of the underworld himself has plans for her. To return home, Aina must bargain her heart--as Siiri plots a daring rescue of the woman she loves the most.
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review
PuddleJumper
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Panpan

This was mis-marketed as a Sapphic fantasy rooted in Finnish mythology. It's why I went for it on Netgalley. This has apparently since been addressed by the author and has been changed.

I was also excited by the Finnish mythology. I think the Sapphic element probably tipped the scale for me because without it I probably wouldn't have gone for it especially since it's a chonky book.


PuddleJumper I am aware that, as it was mis-marketed, I am not the target audience. However, this was incredibly boring to read.

The choice to write in the first person present did not help. The writing did not evoke any feelings, it was very matter of fact and dull.

3w
PuddleJumper The characters were bland. Their personalities were whatever the plot needed. The main villain had no nuance, they were a caricature of evil.

There was no sense of time. I have no idea how long the main characters were separated for. How long one suffered in the underworld. That might have helped with character motivation if I knew she'd been there for months rather than days.

3w
PuddleJumper It didn't need to be that long either. Portions of the book really dragged. I ended up skimming bits because it was becoming a chore to read.

The whole thing felt like a chore in the end. I can see why people enjoyed this, for me it was a miss.

Thanks to #NetGalley for the #ARC
3w
See All 8 Comments
Texreader If it really was Finnish, it also worked for #foodandlit this month. 3w
PuddleJumper @Texreader It was set in Finland in a kind of vague 'oh no Sweden' time period 3w
Andrew65 Oh no 😫 I hope the next book is better! 3w
JuniperWilde Thanks for posting. I was so excited when I saw it (I have a Finnish ancestry) but your review has me thinking twice. 3d
36 likes8 comments