North Is the Night: Deluxe Limited Edition

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 do the same. There is much danger, both from the wilds and priests from Sweden bringing word of the new god and making their case with violence against those still worshipping the old ways and gods. With a background like that, it really makes the story seem real. Focusing on Siiri and Aina, two young women with an unbreakable bond and who are willing to do anything to protect each other, I dived into it and really enjoyed both characters on their very different journeys (one to the North and the other dragged into Tuonela). Both are strong, but in different ways and with those strengths they find help in unexpected sources and also learn more about themselves. With Aina's compassion and willingness to bear burdens to save others (even scary death goddesses), and Siiri's determination to never give up and always find a way (even to learning how to separate her soul to travel to Tuonela), it is a good adventure for those two who are soul bound and only complete with each other. As this is the first book in a duology, it does a good job in building up the world and getting it ready for what I am assuming is going to be a bang of a story in the second book. But this still was a fun book to listen to and I am looking forward to finding out the rest of the story! The narrator did a great job in bringing the characters to life and it was easy to tell if it was Siiri or Aina's point of view.