North Is The Night: The Bear and the Nightingale meets Spinning Silver in this epic Finnish fantasy

Paperback Published on: 26/11/2026
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Published 26/11/2026
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Coming soon
Published 26/11/2026
No stock available in any shop.

Bookseller Reviews

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North Is The Night
An insightful look into Finnish mythology in a beautiful fantasy setting.
This was a perfect winter read, with it's snowy Finnish setting and chilling plot; overall I enjoyed the book but it wasn't my favourite based predominantl... READ MORE
Liliana Woolger

Synopsis

With the dark, mythical magic of the Winternight trilogy, and the slow-burn romance of Spinning Silver, NORTH IS THE NIGHT is a feminist fantasy adventure that shows the power of female friendship and how love - both romantic and familial - can conquer even death itself.

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.

Readers LOVE North Is The Night!
'Beautifully weaves together elements of Finnish mythology' ❄ ❄ ❄ ❄ ❄'Has everything you could ever wish for, all wrapped up in a fantasy masterpiece. I didn't read this book, I devoured it!' ❄ ❄ ❄ ❄ ❄

'Beautifully crafted, utterly captivating, drenched in folklore, drowning in danger and dripping with emotion . . . wondrously enchanting' ❄ ❄ ❄ ❄ ❄

'Truly magical . . . packed with action, magic, love and Finnish mythology, this tale is perfect to get lost in' ❄ ❄ ❄ ❄ ❄

'The core of it is all Emily: excellent visuals, compelling writing, slooooow burn, and complex characters you are rooting for' ❄ ❄ ❄ ❄ ❄

'I absolutely LOVED this book! Everything about it is fantastic' ❄ ❄ ❄ ❄ ❄

An extraordinary story of love, of courage, of friendship and of magic, NORTH IS THE NIGHT is the stand-alone first novel in an incredible duology.

Publisher information

  • Publisher: Quercus Publishing
  • ISBN: 9781529436532
  • Number of pages: 592
  • Dimensions: 198 x 129 mm
  • Languages: English

Customer Reviews

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North Is The Night
Review by The Secret Bookreview
North Is The Night is a captivating book set against the backdrop of the harsh Finnish wilderness, where the bond between best friends Aina and Siiri is te... READ MORE
The Secret Book Review
North Is The Night
A beautiful story
I love folklore, and I didn’t know a lot about folklore in Finland. This was an amazing read. I loved the pace and the story flipping between Aina and Siir... READ MORE
Samantha Ife
North Is The Night
An incredible new fantasy from the queen of hockey romances
4.5/5 Stars I found Emily’s books through her Jacksonville Ray’s series. I devoured those books and this first book in the Tuonela Duet was no differen... READ MORE
Vicky | @BlossomsLeafyLibrary
North Is The Night
stunning
I would like to thank the publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to read and honestly review an advanced reader’s copy of this book. Oh this was stunn... READ MORE
Rowan Meklemburg
North Is The Night
Unbreakable bond between friends!
I did enjoy this story taking place in the early times of Finland complete with gods and goddesses fighting to survive as the Finnish people living there d... READ MORE
K. Bickmore
North Is The Night
Beautiful Story of Love, Loss and Life steeped in Finnish Mythology and Folklore
This was so entirely different from everything else I have read by Emily in the past, but I adored it just as much as I do her other books. Emily has creat... READ MORE
Beth's Book Collection
North Is The Night
A dark and twisting narrative based on Finnish folklore
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️ I feel like my review to this book sits in two halves. For the first half, the story was woven intricately with gorgeous descriptions, a... READ MORE
Joanne @InCaseOfBookishness
North Is The Night
Incredible Finnish inspired fantasy!
Thank you to Kensington Publishing and NetGalley for allowing me to read the ARC and share my honest views on the book. The book starts with a quick int... READ MORE
Chelsea Kauppinen
North Is The Night
Wonderful
I read an eARC of this book on NetGalley so thank you to the author and publisher. This is an absolutely beautiful novel rooted in Finnish folklore whic... READ MORE
Jennifer Charlton
North Is The Night
Atmospheric and pack full of mythology
North is the Night is packed full to the brim with Finnish folklore and mythology. The writing is atmospheric and, at times, eerie. The world building is c... READ MORE
Donna Healey
North Is The Night
Finnish myths!
I’m so glad that I don’t really pay attention to the reviews of other readers (I read them, though), and that I did a bit of digging around as to why there... READ MORE
Clare R
This reviewer received a free of charge product for review.
North Is The Night
Gripping
Gods, Goddesses, Witches, Sharmans what's not to love about this book. Found the use of the Finnish mythology very interesting. It never dulls as there is ... READ MORE
Rebecca Garland
North Is The Night
Interesting premise but a lot of content warnings
I was gifted a ARC of this book in exchange for a honest review. North is the Night is a dual-POV fantasy based on two tales from Finnish folklore. Whilst... READ MORE
bec.lf
North Is The Night
Loved it!
I love how this book weaves in Finnish gods, goddesses and folklore. I have some knowledge of the Kalevala from music and books and I love finding new aspe... READ MORE
Katie Bruce
North Is The Night
North is the Night
An epic fantasy adventure, with rich folklore at its heart. North is the Night is a gorgeous dual perspective read, I found myself torn, both rooting for S... READ MORE
Emma Renshaw
North Is The Night
A Gorgeously Enchanting Tale That Is Sure To Cast A Spell Over Its Readers
Beautifully crafted, utterly captivating, drenched in folklore, drowning in danger and dripping with emotion ‘North Is The Night’ is sure to be a hit with ... READ MORE
Charlotte Watkins
North Is The Night
A refreshing fantasy with a slice of romance
First off, I want to take Net Galley for providing me with this arc. Firstly , I just wanted to be known that I love emily rath and all of her works h... READ MORE
Tanya Woollard
North Is The Night
Fantastic
I read an eARC of this book on NetGalley so thank you to the author and publisher. This is an absolutely beautiful novel rooted in Finnish folklore whic... READ MORE
Jennifer Charlton
North Is The Night
this might be the best book I've read all year
So I have spent the whole year reading, waiting to find a book I enjoyed as much as this. I could hardly bear to put it down, and it kept me up well into... READ MORE
erica cochrane
North Is The Night
A fabulous mythical tale
I was almost put off reading this book by the sheer volume of the glossary of Finnish Gods, Goddesses and such like at the start. Finnish folklore and myth... READ MORE
Charlotte Wilson
North Is The Night
A feminist fantasy adventure
Title: North is the Night Author: Emily Rath Pages: 592 Rating: 5/5 "NORTH IS THE NIGHT is a feminist fantasy adventure that shows the power of fem... READ MORE
Emily Smith
North Is The Night
A real page turner
Wow! What a fabulous story. If you enjoy fantasy and the stories we all remember of witches, dark forests and beautiful imprisoned princesses, then this is... READ MORE
Gillian Frost
North Is The Night
Five stars!
North Is The Night is a captivating book set against the backdrop of the harsh Finnish wilderness, where the bond between best friends Aina and Siiri is te... READ MORE
The Secret Book Review