Sky in the Deep

Yo this book was actually really good! I came at it with somewhat low expectations because I've heard very different responses to it. Some people love it and some people hate it, and that made me a bit apprehensive coming into it.

I sat down to read it after work last night, and did not put it down until it was finished! This had an eye catching start and an even better finish!

Here are a few tropes I loved in this book:
- Enemies to lovers
- Solid action with a sprinkle of romance throughout the book
- Redemption and forgiveness
- Great character growth
- Likable main character
- Found family
- Bad-ass female main character
- An even bigger bad-ass male main character

This book is for the person who pours hot sauce on all their food without bothering to season the rest of the meal.

The story starts in the midst of a gripping battle. Slicing down this enemy tribe. Death comes face to face with our heroine, when suddenly... her brother that died 5 years earlier appears in the mists and saved her. But no. it's just a dream, or was it? Sounds exciting right? Well, it's all downhill from here.

Rather than giving us substance, character insight, or world building, the author continues the route of shock jock, blinding us with action (aka hot sauce), without focusing on the rest of the meal. Eventually, I gave up trying to care who was who and just envisioned characters from another book going rogue and playing out this storyline. Eventually, even that got boring. Since life is too short to waste on bad books, this is being hung up on the DNF shelf.

Spoiler-Free Review:

I have been feeling the holiday hangover, y'all, and I read so many amazing books in December that I hit a bit of a slump. Enter Sky in the Deep to save the day! I read this book as part of the Bibliovert Podcast's Sisterhood of the Traveling Books where we send our favorite books to a group and each person annotates it. I read this book for the first time at the beginning of 2021 after hearing Jacklyn from Bibliovert Pod talk about it on one of their episodes. It was a 5 star read then, and it is still a 5 star read! This is a YA enemies to lovers story that follows two young adults from enemy villages. The storytelling that Adrienne Young does in this book is phenomenal! The imagery is excellent and the plot so well thought out. Amazing world building without being terribly complex, which makes it a nice easy read. I am once again simping for Fiske, who is profoundly loyal. Eelyn, the female main character, has such amazing growth and revelations throughout the book. There's amazing friendships and found family! Overall such an amazing read, and so many of the themes could be applied to modern culture. This is very comfortably YA of any age. This was a reread for me but it felt like reading it for the first time. I picked up on so much more this time around, and I definitely this is going to be a comfort read for me from now on!

“Vegr yfir fjor.” Honor above life.”

I LOVED the Viking vibes in this books. It really explored the Viking culture in both Aska and Rika clans, which was AMAZING. While reading you can definitely tell that their beliefs and their religion influence their actions. These details really helped with the world building in my opinion. It really helped me imagine the world and the clans.

Storywise .. I liked it, but it also fell flat at moments. There were great moments, heartwarming moments that made me want to keep on reading until I finished the book. But sometimes I felt like I didn't have enough information about the mythology to really understand what was going on, which made me lose interest.

The thing I despised in this book was the romance. It was very unnecessary in my opinion and way too INSTA LOVEY DOVEY. I hate instalove with a passion, it feels fake.

Overall, I did enjoy Sky in the Deep and I really liked that it was so family-centered. I'm interested in reading more from this author.

Vikings, epic battles, and incredible world building and character development. Loved this one. it was a good switch up from the thriller I read.

I had to force myself to finish. It felt like there was a lot of potential in here but it also felt like i blinked and somehow the story progressed and i have no idea how. I did not connect with any of the characters or the landscape. A very solid “meh” from me.

An interesting book modeled after Vikings. Lots of blood and guts. Pathetic “romance” scenes based on lust rather than love.

Not my typical genre, but a good Viking I spired story. Had I read it at a different time, I may have enjoyed it more. However, I read it after finishing a life changing novel. As a result, I struggled to get into the story at first and, whole I enjoyed it, it paled in comparison to the previous book.

I kept waiting for the twist in the storyline or the extra component that would put it over the edge, but it never came. This is a straight forward story about the survival of a people, unavoidable change, and love despite deep rooted rivalries. It was well written, but predictable.

Reviewed October 2018, updating to remove broken links.

First of all. This cover. AND VIKING WARRIOR WOMEN. Just take all my money right now, why don't you. Of course, there's also a huge danger in being completely taken by a cover and brief blurb...sometimes the copywriter is a better writer than the actual author. So I was sort of kind of worried that might have happened, but I am very happy to report that it most certainly did not disappoint!

Oh, and btw – I was reading my copy of this book in the bath, and my puppy knocked it out of my hand and INTO THE WATER. There was much shrieking and flailing but the book survived and so did the puppy. The book is now all ripple-y and much thicker than it should be, but still readable. eyeroll

FIRST OF ALL:
Adrienne Young, can we pleeeeeeeease have a sequel where Eelyn and Fiske are a little older?? PLEASE??? Like maybe a NA type? Maybe where the enemy tribe resurges? I know there is a companion novel coming but it sounds like it might be more about someone else and I just need more of Eelyn. Please and thank you. Ok, now I will attempt to write something more coherent...there ARE some SMALL potential spoilers. You have been warned.

Characters:
Obviously, Eelyn. Our fierce Viking shieldmaiden. When the book first started, I was slightly put off by just how ANGRY she seemed to be, as if she had no other emotion (other than feeling pain, I definitely got the sense that she was in pain, but her reaction to pain was MORE ANGER). Did she have reason? Yes, probably more than most of us reading. Life in this time was hard, even if women were treated more equally in this Viking world. Eelyn kicks ass, but beneath her strong soldier exterior she still has a heart, she loves her family and her village more than life itself...which is why it hurts her so deeply when she discovers what her brother, Iri, has done. Eelyn is also NOT one of these heroine who walks and talks like a badass but never quite manages to DO anything badass...nope. She is downright brutal at one point in the book, and I found myself quite literally gaping at the page.

I'd envied Iri my whole life for his open heart, and now mine had been pried open too.

Plot

The words were small but they were true. ‘I'm thinking that I wish you'd died that day.'

Worldbuilding

I could still see a young Eelyn standing on the beach turned into the wind, a sword in one hand and an axe in the other. I hadn't lost her. I hadn't buried her. I'd only let her change into something new.

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Sky in the Deep came out in April to a LOT of hype. It's mostly deserved. The plot is a little odd; the two clans come together every five years to fight in a blood feud between their gods. But they only fight every five years in a designated place - if you really hated each other, why wouldn't you try to wipe out the other tribe all the time, instead of letting them rebuild their strength for five years? And then this third, mysterious tribe shows up and is enough for you to set aside all your anger at each other? I don't know. It's a little weird.

That oddness aside, I loved this story! I loved Eelyn's fierceness, and also her willingness to see the Riki as people too. Eventually, of course. In Eelyn we have the definition of a strong female character. (She's not the only one, either!) She is admired for her fierceness and strength, but not seen as any less female. Women are warriors in her culture too.

It's a pretty straightforward book, with a few graphic scenes of violence in the fights. Everything happened pretty much as I expected it to, but I still enjoyed seeing Eelyn grow and change throughout the book. It's also very atmospheric; I could almost hear the snow crunching beneath boots, the rushing roar of the mountain river, the quiet creaking of the frozen lake. Young's writing style pulls you right into the book and doesn't let you go.

Set aside your questions about the plot's logic and just enjoy this book. It's wonderful.

You can find all my reviews at Goddess in the Stacks.

“Sky in the Deep” is a standalone novel written by Adrienne Young. The novel follows Eelyn a female Viking warrior, who while fighting alongside her Aska clansmen, sees her older brother (who died five years ago) fighting with her peoples rivals the Riki clan.

Eventually, she gets captured by the Riki clan and must live and survive the winter in the mountains with her enemy. She stay's as a ‘slave' with her brother and his new family, basically, the guy who nearly killed him five years ago, they became best friends and the guy, named Fiske, his family, was okay adopting someone, who tried to kill their kid.

I found the fighting scenes cool and bloody, most of the time. But most of the book was learning about the different cultures, mainly the Riki culture from Eelyn's point of view, which was interesting. Near the end of the novel the two clan's unit and fight together against a common foe, which means that these two clans create peace. The romance was was slow, but nice. We learn why someone would turn their back on their own clan. I really enjoyed this book, so I gave it 4/5 stars.

I have received an Advance Reader's Copy of this book through a giveaway hosted by the publisher. This has not affected my rating in any way.

“Vegr yfir fjor. Honor above life.”

Sky in the Deep

Throne of Glass

Stalking Jack the Ripper

This book was a great story of determination, strength, and family. While there was romance, I did not feel that it completely took over the book. There was still the focus on family and what it means to grow up in a divided world. This book did have the cliche warring societies where your main character is forced to live among the “enemy”. However, I felt like it was done in a unique way with this viking-like aspect. I really liked seeing aspects of Riki life through Eelyn's Askan viewpoint. I wish we would have been able to see more Askan life.

I also felt like the ending of the book was rushed with the major climax and battle being quickly resolved and minimal closure. I do however appreciate that this is a standalone novel. So many books lately have been series and I liked that Adrienne Young gave us a standalone where the story is complete. That being said, I think 20 or so more pages would have allowed for less of the feeling of rushing and allow for complete resolution.

I received a copy of this book through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review

This book has action from page one, but don't let that fool you, this book is more character-driven with violence thrown in when needed. Since I thought this would be more action packed I was thrown for a loop, but once I understood what was going on, I was able to settle in.

The setting and world-building for this book was amazing. It isn't something I read often. Then again, there were a lot of things I didn't think made sense... at least to me.

I really liked Eelyn and how strong she is, not only in battle but in living too. She is whiny at times, but honestly I don't know who wouldn't be in her situation when no one is telling her anything. She is awesome. The other characters shined too. There are many personalities in the book – different types of men and women shown, I really liked it.

There is romance... kind of. Well, a relationship is built between Eelyn and a character I won't name in order to not spoil anything, but I thought it wasn't done well. I loved how slow-building it seemed to be–hinting at more to come and then BOOM the word love is tossed around and people are putting their lives on the line. I just wish there was more of a transition. I like them as a couple! I liked the romance, I just feel it is missing that transition time.

Let me go back to the world-building, because it really needs more compliments. The differing religions and ways of life, yet still making them similar and understandable to each other was so well done. There is a part where Eelyn is forced to help with/take part in a different religion and that did turn my stomach, but what else could have been done?
The biggest issue I have with the world is the fighting between the Aska and Riki. They battle once every 5 years at the same spot all because their gods dictate it. I suppose I don't get it because I'm not religious.
And honestly, if that is my biggest issue with a book, it is doing good.

I'll definitely be recommending this book to others :)

Eelyn is an Aska, raised from birth to be a warrior and to hate the Riki, a rival people whom the Aska battle every five years. She has never had a problem with this hatred until she discovers that her brother, thought to be dead for the last five years, is in fact alive and living with the Riki. In pursuing her brother she is captured and taken back to a Riki village, where she slowly discovers they are not so different from the Aska after all. When both the Riki and Aska are threatened by a larger tribe, Eelyn must try to overcome years of hate on both sides to convince them to fight together against the common enemy.
Sky in the Deep is an engrossing story of love and hate, and the damage that can be caused by passing on prejudice through generations. It is Viking-inspired, with equally fierce women and men. Some parts of the plot felt a bit rushed, and overall I think the book could have been longer to allow for more character development. However, I enjoyed the story and the characters, and would certainly read a sequel if one were to be written!