On a frozen wasteland of a planet, a girl is on the run with a wolf who is born to be a killer but bound to be her guide. As they fight to escape ice goblins, giant bears, and a ruthless leader intent on trapping them both, one question drives them relentlessly forward: where do you turn when there is nowhere to hide?
Plot
This book starts with a fascinating premise and then just runs with it! While the story may sound interesting from the summary, it only hints at the wild ride that is Cold the Night, Fast the Wolves. While there weren’t any shocking plot twists, the author does a great job of building tension and adding some fun surprises. My only complaint is that in order to build some tension and increase the stakes for the protagonist at the beginning of the novel, there are some repetitive scenes of Sena trying to make a living by herself.
Characters
Sena is the protagonist and she’s a fun character to follow through the story. She is street smart and savvy. While she does make decisions that sometimes made me want to smack my head against a wall, she has the confidence and unpredictability that make for a great narrator. The wolf she becomes intertwined with, Iska, has a great personality for a non-human character, as well. There are also some compelling and well-rounded secondary characters to balance out Sena and Iska’s strong personalities.
Setting
This story is set on a small ice world named Tundar, which has been abandoned by governments and run by corporations. The author does a great job establishing the dynamics and rules of this world before throwing the reader into the thick of the plot. However, since this is an entire ice planet, the descriptions, while beautiful, do get slightly monotonous by the end of the book.
My Recommendation
Cold the Night, Fast the Wolves is Meg Long’s debut Young Adult Science Fiction novel. If you grew up loving the movie Balto and other (literal) underdog stories, this book is a must read. The book has a great plot that will keep you reading, a kickass main character and a chilling setting that will make you feel right at home during this chilly January weather.
