North is the Night (The Tuonelan Duet Book 1) by Emily Rath

Book Blurb
In the harsh interior of the Finnish wilderness, best friends Aina and Siiri are inseparable despite their opposite natures: Aina is gentle and cautious while Siiri is headstrong and brave. But their friendship is put to the test when Aina is kidnapped by a death goddess and taken to the mythical underworld Tuonela.

Determined to save her friend, Siiri embarks on a dangerous journey north to seek out Väinämöinen, the only mystical shaman to travel to Tuonela and return alive. As the dark winter looms, Siiri uses all the strength she possesses to survive her journey, which is plagued by trappers, a band of roving wolves, and a cunning snow witch with her own quest for power. But finding Väinämöinen is only the beginning. Siiri must convince him to share his magic so she can sneak into Tuonela and save Aina.

In Tuonela, Aina is forced to play the sadistic games of Tuonetar, the cruel queen of the underworld, alongside other captured maidens. But Aina’s kindness allows her to make allies in the dark, harsh environment. She soon discovers that Tuoni, the god of death and king of Tuonela, is also a victim of Tuonetar’s spells that can only be broken when he remarries. To save him and the other girls, Aina offers herself as his bride.

As she spends more time in the underworld, Aina falls in love with Tuoni and must make a decision that will alter the course of her fate forever . . . not knowing her fearless friend is on the way and plotting a daring escape.

My Review
North is the Night is one of the books I have been excited about reading in 2025 and was lucky to get an advanced copy via NetGalley. This book is inspired by Finnish Folklore and is the story of two young women Siiri and Aina, from a small village, where they live and work with their families. Whilst near the shore of the lake, Aina is kidknapped by Väinämöinen, a goddess of death who takes her to the underwold. This is the catalyst that sets both young women on a seperate perilous journey to save each other.

I really love fantasy books that take inspiration from the folklore of different civilisations around the world. Norse mythology is well known but Fnnish folklore/mythology is new to me and I really enjoyed learning about it. Emily Rath’s depiction of the Tuonetar, the Everlasting Night was wonderful imagined, and filled with dark magic. I loved that there were different goddesses of death, for the many ways in which you could die; Vammatar the goddess of evil and misfortune, Kiputyttö the goddess of pain and Tuonetar the Goddess herself. There is plenty of light to combat the darkness in the world above with goddesses of the forest etc, bears and a Shaman who help Siiri on her quest. As well as the mythology angle, there is the history of Finland, with the invasion of Swedes who are taking over their land and bringing in the new religion of one God rather than the many Gods and Goddesses of their folklore, something Sirri, her family and their felow villagers want to fight back against. This is part of what inspires Sirri to take her journey to the north, to find a shaman and fulfill a prophecy.

North is the Night is very much a female driven book, with empowering female characters. Siiri and Aina, best friends, are different in character, Aina gentle and kind whilst Sirri is headstrong, stubborn and confident, taking on a journey that most men wouldn’t survive. I really enjoyed Aina’s story, how when put in a dangerous situation she came into her own, using intelligence and cunning to help save herself and others who were also kidnapped. Both characters were selfless in their different journey’s and both faced frightening situations that could have killed either of them. These characters are drawn with heart with qualities that made me really get behind them, wanting them to succeed, and being on the edge of my chair when they faced danger. As well as human characters I really loved the animals the girls met on their journey; Halls the reindeer, Kal the bear and Jaako the raven.

North is the Night is a spellbinding and magical read. I loved the mix of folklore and fantasy, the detailed imagining of the world of the dead and those who live there, and the different Goddesses that are important to Finnish culture. Emily wrath has written a mesmerising and masterful story, with relatable characters who I cared about and am looking forward to seeing again in the second book. For fantasy fans who love magical lands and folklore, and kick ass female characters this is a must a read, it lived up to all my expectations and more.