Eelyn is a girl with fire in her blood. Captured, she will have to find the strength in her to tame this fire for her survival. And let it burn bright again to unite the clans for fighting the herjas.

This is a beautiful story of love and family, with a lot of emotions and concessions.

Big thanks to the publisher for my e-copy of this book through NetGalley.

I loved it! This YA fantasy coming-of-age tale held my interest throughout the entire book. The plot was engaging with a bit of romance and lots of action scenes that will have your heart racing. The story is told through the fiery warrior heroine, Eelyn, who has to open her mind and unlock her heart if her people are to survive. The world building and characterizations are excellent. This is one THRILLING unputdownable read!

This book did not mess around. If you want action - if you want adventure - if you want non-stop - you need to pick up this book. Young did not disappoint. You find out from the start that Eelyn is one tough mamba-jamma that is not to be messed with. She can handle herself and there is never a question of that. Her character is the true definition of the word FIERCE.

When I started this, I will admit I was hesitant because a YA version of a Viking story might come across a little weak or fluffy but that is not the case here. Young can write one hell of a story. She pulled me in from the start and never let me go. I was immediately sucked into a fast-paced and gripping story of a protagonist that knows what she wants. It didn't get better than this story and I don't know how Young is going to top this other than just keep writing... forever.

I hope you all realize how much I am struggling to NOT give anything away! I just want everyone to get their hands on a copy of the gem and submerse themselves into the rich and colorful world Young created. The pages will turn so quickly and it will be over before you know it. That's what happened to me. I could not get enough and I know everyone is going to be saying the same thing. This is one book you do NOT want to miss out on.

"'Why did you do it? Why did you save Iri's life?'

'Because we were dying. Because it was the end. And at the end, life becomes precious.'"

~SKY IN THE DEEP

There aren't a lot of fiction novels set during humanity's earliest days, especially in YA. The first, and perhaps only, to spring to mind are Julie Eshbaugh's excellent Ivory and Bone duology, set in prehistoric times and full of clans, sabertooth tigers, and wooly mammoths, and Lesley Livingston's THE VALIANT, set in the time of Julius Caesar and gladiators. With shows like The History Channel's Vikings and the BBC's The Last Kingdom (Based on the Saxon Chronicles by Bernard Cornwell) becoming wildly popular, the genre is starting to bring its A-game to the dinner table in the form of books. This month, readers are lucky to see the release of not one but TWO novels centered around vikings, BEYOND A DARKENED SHORE by Jessica Leake (available now!) and SKY IN THE DEEP by Adrienne Young (available tomorrow, 4/24!). Having read IVORY AND BONE and now SKY IN THE DEEP, I've discovered I'm really intrigued by historical fiction about our long-forgotten past and am now excited to read BEYOND A DARKENED SHORE, which adds some Norse mythology into its mix.

SKY IN THE DEEP is one that has had social media buzzing and received a lot of early praise; it comes out tomorrow and is definitely one to pick up the next time you're at a bookstore. I hesitate to call it a "fantasy" novel because there is no magic involved. It is a tale of clans at war, of love and loss, of family and hearth. Maybe it's fantasy in the fact that nobody can really know how Viking life really was, but it feels more "real' and though it's not "historical" either, I would say it leans more into this category than it does the former.<


The book centers around the blood feud between the Aska and the Riki clans. Every five years, the two clans come together in deadly warfare in the name of their gods, also locked in eternal battle, Sigr and Thora. Eelyn has lost much to the Riki, including her mother and brother. When she sees her brother Iri on the battlefield, she is sure her mind is playing tricks on her. When she loses focuses and is captured by the Riki, she discovers that Iri is not only alive, but living amongst the enemy. The Riki Clan is now his clan. He has been adopted by a Riki family. He is in love with a Riki girl. Eelyn's heart breaks and the vision of her brother she has held dear for so long shatters. How can he betray the Aska so deeply? How can he betray the family, betray her? Eelyn wants nothing more than to return home, but winter has arrived and the journey is deadly. Forced to live and work amongst the Riki, she discovers that they aren't so different from her own clan, and that a battle far greater than anyone could have imagined might re-shape the entire world.

This is a book that's really hard to talk about without spoilers. I went into this one not knowing much about it, just that people whose opinions I trust when it comes to books had read and loved it. I don't read a lot of historical fiction and have never watched Vikings, but I did love Eshbaugh's Ivory and Bone duology, and I am always willing to give a new genre a chance. I'm really glad I did because SKY IN THE DEEP has such a strong heart. It explores the lengths we'll go for family, the brutality of the way everyday life used to be, of the way lore once defined the world and our place in it. As much as I'm dying to talk about the characters and their relationships with one another and the way they evolved and changed, it's too spoilery to do so.

Suffice to say, SKY IN THE DEEP will keep readers on their edge of their seats with the action, the character growth, and the way Young weaves the threads of this gritty, unforgiving world together and makes them care about everyone's future. The book comes out tomorrow and is definitely worth picking up!

What a way to start! This book opens with a roaring, bloody, vicious battle from the point of view of a truly badass young woman. Jumping into battle from the get go gave me pause. I mean I knew this was about Vikings so you already kind of know what you’re getting into. But not every book has the temerity to walk up and slap the reader in the face with quite this much vigor! In the midst of this first raging battle our main character catches a glimpse of her brother. The brother she had seen killed in battle 5 years earlier. She and her father had mourned him as dead, but now she realizes he is still alive. Not only that, he is fighting for her clan’s mortal enemy. He is fighting against her. The journey she takes in finding out what happened to him, is going to challenge her deepest convictions.

Eeyln, the main character, is a warrior and has been raised in a society where fighting with the neighboring clan is a regular occurrence. She fiercely wields two weapons, and gives no quarter. The books early violence mirrors her natural inclinations, a product of her upbringing in such a martial society. Early in the book she finds herself in a field of flowers. Two women and a child work nearby to harvest the flowers. Meanwhile, Eelyn’s inner monologue is:

“I eyed the shears in Runa’s hand. If I wanted to I could set this field of yarrow on fire and let myself burn with it.”

Holy sh….!

Eelyn, is battle hardened, and her skewed perception of people around her and her tendency to react to fear with violence even causes her to assume a child to be an enemy. Her character is so thoroughly delineated that watching her story arc and growth over the course of the novel is rewarding. The author also has a deft hand with subtler emotions. Eelyn’s longing for her family, and the gentleness that she so successfully hides under layers of armor and scar tissue shines out at times, hinting at a depth of feeling in this girl. It’s easy to forget, she is still a young woman. That means romance. If that’s what you’re looking for, then you won’t be disappointed. There is a very good leading man in this story, with not a love triangle to be found. However, this is not the main point of the novel and isn’t treated like the end-all-be-all of her journey.

This is a standalone novel, but I heard that there is a companion book coming out next year. Add this author to your Goodreads follows & your Twitter feeds. Be like me, search her name on Netgalley compulsively over the next few months in hopes you’ll catch her next book early. This is an excellent start to what promises to be a great career from a new author.

Eelyn was a girl trained to be a warrior that was told she must destroy another tribe. The same happened to the other tribe.
What will happen when she will be taken by the other tribe as a captive? And how is it possible that her brother that was supposed to be dead for few years.
I loved the way this book was written and how everything was changing slowly (even sometimes painfully), but that was so captivating that I hadn't seen some changes coming.

After a slightly slow start, I ended up being sucked into this story. This review is for an ARC, and reflects my honest opinion. I’m giving it 5 out of 5 stars.

The first thing that made me want to read this book was the cover. It’s gorgeous, isn’t it?!? This book had been on my TBR for a while before the Sunday Street Team offered a blog tour, and I couldn’t say no. I’ve been on a contemporary binge lately, and let’s face it…that’s my go to genre. So it took me a little time to get into the story, but this ended up being a big hit for me! I loved pretty much all the characters. I don’t want to say anything spoilery, because you all need to read this, and see the amazing journey Eelyn and co. go on together for yourselves.

I haven’t read anything Viking related before, but this makes me want to find other books like it ASAP. The names and culture took a little getting used to, but it was a lot of fun to learn about the different rituals and beliefs of the clans. And the fight sequences had me on edge, waiting to see what would happen.

The ending was fantastic, and I can’t wait to see what else this author comes up with for her next book. I found a new book boyfriend (along with some other favorite characters), and that makes me very happy. I highly recommend this debut book!

SKY IN THE DEEP is pitched as "Vikings meets Wonder Woman" and in some ways that's right. There is a Viking-inspired culture and Eelyn is a strong female warrior. And yet that description doesn't convey what this book is really about.

It's not an endless adrenaline-filled battle. There is fighting, but it's portioned out well, so that each fight has weight. There's time in between the action for the dust to settle, and the consequences to really seep into the ground. In a lot of surprising ways, this story really unpacks the years-long feud between the Aska and the Riki. How it has shaped their societies, their culture, their children, their religious beliefs.

We see this through Eelyn's eyes, when she's taken out of her world, and into that of the Riki. She grows so much over the course of the story - but it's through observation and every day life, more than through any grand epiphany. The relationships she develops over the course of the story feel real and earned (friends, family, and romance) - and the conclusion felt equally well-earned and plausible.

I was speaking to a friend about this - and this book really feels like 1990s/early 2000s fantasy. Which is what I grew up reading, and so the book feels comforting and familiar. I hope people stick around through the first act, and can get used to the slower-than-current-trend pacing, because if they do there's a lot to love about this book.

(Without spoiling anything, the final act of the book was my favorite, and I'm kind of in love with the metaphor that the title derives from.)

Every 5 years the Aska clan battles with the Riki clan. It is because of this that Eelyn has trained as a warrior. In her first season she sees her brother, Iri, die. In her second, she sees him again, except on the other clans side. Caught off guard by the sight she finds herself captured by the Riki, and the only thing keeping her alive is her traitorous brother. As a captive she learns much more about herself, her brother and the war that has plagued the clans for centuries.

I loved this book so much I finished it in less than a day. The pacing in the book flows with consistent action scenes that leave you anxious for your hero’s survival. It starts with a battle and ends with a battle. When I was reading I also didn’t feel like it was the same fight over and over, each one felt like a unique sequence that offered a stimulating scene. Not only were the fighting scenes descriptive but they felt realistic. The characters had limitations with their own strengths and bodily functions as far as their injuries went. Characters didn’t emerge from fights completely unscathed and had somewhat realistic recovery time and scars.

Through all the fighting there was room for romance as well. If you’re into the hate-to-love trope then you will find it here, and in a way that lets the characters adapt to the romance. The attraction between the characters felt natural as they learned more about and spent time with each other. You guys, it was really sweet too, what the characters were willing to deal with and sacrifice for the other.

Trigger warnings: kidnapping, slavery, assault, some graphic violence

The World Building

Young did a really good job of bringing the surrounding world to life while it was engrossed in death. Maybe it’s because I live in the PNW and I am surrounded by beautiful mountain ranges, but I could imagine the little villages and a winter too strong to travel through.

I loved the cultural aspects that were brought into the story to develop meaning to their lives. From the sacrifices to the miniature idols the characters are given more than just a brutal life of training to kill.


The Characters

First of all I love Eeylin. This chick is a serious bad ass, without the actual need to tell use she’s a bad ass. The culture they are raised in develops her to be brave, but through the story we learn that it doesn’t make her a monster. I love that she has so many feelings despite everything. The desperation for her own life and survival as well as the willingness to die to save herself the shame of being a slave created such a bold character. I think my favorite part about her though was the love for her family. Not only for her father, and her fighting partner, but for her brother that though he seem to have betrayed her still holds a special place in her heart.

This book almost felt like historical fiction, it was so detailed and felt so realistic. I loved the primitive feel of the warring tribes and how it felt Nordic and ancient but also relatable. It brought you back to basic human emotions and needs and it felt raw and powerful.
It was a little slow-going in the beginning and it took me a few days to really get into the story. About halfway through, I did get into it and couldn't stop after that.
As is typical for me, I ate up the romance and it gave me such strong feels. It was the best kind of star-crossed romance with a hot, sensitive guy and a strong, broken woman.
All the women in this book were fabulous warriors. And the writing was beautiful. And the more I write about this book the more I'm realizing that it was awesome and everyone should go read it. It was different and so good.

I absolutely adored this book and can't wait to see what else the author comes up with in the future!

This book starts off with our main character, Eelyn seeing her *dead* brother, Iri in the battle between Aska and Riki. The battle between the two clans is an ancient blood feud based on their religious beliefs. Her clan, the Aska, worship the god Sigr and according to his will, they fight their enemies, the Riki who worship the goddess Thora, every five years. Eelyn is captured by Iri and another Riki, Fiske to protect her from the other Riki and taken in as a slave by Iri’s Riki family. Although Eelyn is a fierce warrior trained to kill Riki since a young age, as time passes by she comes to realize that they might be similar than she thought. And that maybe they aren’t the real enemy.

The writing in this book is beautiful and conveyed everything perfectly. The worldbuilding was excellent. The action scenes are exciting and brutal enough to let you build up the scene in your mind and make your stomach churn, but not pointlessly violent enough to disgust you and make you skip them.

It also showed us Eelyn’s thoughts and emotions brilliantly. We see her shock when she first realizes her brother isn’t dead, her pain when she realizes he was alive but didn’t come home to her, her anger when she realizes he has embraced his new life. And we understand and feel her feelings with, and for her.

Characters are fleshed out well and I loved how their relationships with one another were portrayed.
Eelyn’s relationship with her brother is complicated and takes time to heal. She feels betrayed by how he left her and her father and joined their enemy. But, she also feels responsible for what happened, like she wasn’t there to help him when he needed her the most.

Myra is Eelyn’s fighting partner and her closest friend. These girls are fierce warriors who always had each other’s backs and would do anything for each other. Even though we don’t get to see much of her, from what we do see we can’t help but admire her and love her.

Due to their clan rivalry Eelyn despises Fiske at first. Of course it doesn’t help that he nearly kills her and injures her on a few occasions. What I loved about this book’s take on the ‘enemies to lovers’ trope was that they truly hated each other and there was no insta-love. Eelyn injures him in battle and Fiske does the same to her. There’s no sugarcoating or watering down their actions as enemies. And, yet despite the scars they bear by each other’s hand they learn to care for one another and work together.

This book manages to explore matters of religion, honor, and family; both by blood and by choice, in the best way possible, while being an enjoyable and entertaining read.

My Overall Opinion : I loved everything about this book and have no complaints whatsoever. This has been more than I ever expected and is my favourite read of the year so far. 100% recommend it to anyone into Vikings and YA fantasy.

*** Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with an ARC! ***

I'm giving this a solid four stars, though for me personally it was more like a three star read. I am perhaps a little burnt-out on YA fantasies all falling into the same tone and action--however! I could think of several teens I'd recommend this too, and already know many who will love this. I love that it was a standalone, I loved the quiet personal touches. That cover is stunning. The best parts of this book are all in the beginning chapters. The second half seemed in a hurry to tie things up . . . but overall a fun read.

Eelyn is a warrior alongside her fellow Aska clansmen in an ancient rivalry against the Riki clan. Life is brutally simple: fight and survive until the next battle. Then Eelyn sees something impossible - her brother alive and fighting on the side of the enemy, the same brother she watched die five years before. Faced with his betrayal, Eelyn has no choice but to outlast the winter in the mountains with the Riki. She is surrounded by the mortal enemy of her people, where every scar could be one she delivered in the heat of battle. Then, the Riki village is raided by another ruthless clan thought to be legend, Eelyn is more desperate than ever to get back to her family. Now she has no choice but to trust her brother's new Riki friend, Fiske, who sees her as a threat. The three will have to do the impossible and unite the Aska and Riki clans if they all want to survive this new danger.

Wow! Sky in the Deep by Adrienne Young was exactly what I needed! It's one of the most hyped up books out there right now and it totally delivers. As soon as I heard YA fantasy with Vikings, I was in. Looking back on it, though, this new release definitely outclassed my expectations. The best part is that this is Adrienne Young's debut - how impressive is that - I mean, after that I'm dying to know what she's going to do next. Thank you so much to NetGalley for granting my review request!

Like I said, this story is features Vikings and there are a ton of well-executed fight scenes with a real take no prisoners kind of heroine. It's incredibly action-packed and it's also perfectly paced for that as well as some of the calmer moments. I never felt like the story was moving too fast or dragging. The author does a fantastic job of introducing us to the world of the Aska and the Riki. Although the world-building is a little more limited and narrow than what I prefer, it doesn't hinder the story as it's very tightly defined, controlled, and clearly set up from the beginning.

As fantastic as all of these elements are, though, the cast of characters is what really sets this story off. I was pleasantly surprised to see just how character-driven such an action-packed novel turned out to be. Eelyn has easily become one of my new favorite YA characters and I honestly wouldn't say no to seeing more like her in the future. I love her conviction, honor, loyalty, strength of body and mind, and the realistic relationships she builds with her family and friends. She also has a brilliantly done character arc and we get to see her grow and change on the page - we get to see her at the top of her game, vulnerable, doing what was thought to be impossible, and more. There's also a bit of hate-to-love romance between Eelyn and Fiske and I found myself rather enjoying that much more than I expected to as well. I don't know about you, but aside from Lagertha in Vikings, Okoye from Black Panther came to mind when considering Eelyn's character and values.

Overall, Sky in the Deep by Adrienne Young is an amazing YA debut that easily lives up to the hype. It's a brilliant standalone fantasy, but I can honestly say I wish I could be spending more time with Eelyn in the future. I can't recommend this story highly enough. There's so much to love about this incredible new release, but you shouldn't just take my world for it. I will definitely be keeping my eyes on Adrienne Young's upcoming projects.

I wanted to live inside this book forever; I never wanted it to end. I fell in love with the characters, the world, the language, and the story.

The cover of Sky in the Deep initially drew me in, and from there, I was hooked. A Viking-inspired story featuring a warrior girl? Count me in.

I wasn't entirely sure what to expect from this debut novel, but I wasn't disappointed. The story itself fluctuates between action and introspection. Relatively graphic battle scenes between enemy clans are followed by the quieter activities of daily living, and for me, this really worked.

Eelyn, a Viking warrior of the Aska clan, discovers the brother and best friend she thought to be dead for the past five years actually lives a new life as part of the rival Riki clan, of which she has become prisoner. She is angry, bitter and heartbroken, and her time spent in the presence of her brother Iri's new family tests her beliefs.

Without meaning to, Eelyn builds relationships with the Rikis she so hates. I especially enjoyed the bond that developed between Eelyn and Halvard. Then there's the slow burn romance between Eelyn and Fiske, which I found to be extremely subtle yet perfect.

Another aspect that thrilled me is that Sky in the Deep is a standalone. Thank you.

I look forward to what comes next from Adrienne Young.

***I voluntarily read and reviewed an Advance Reader copy provided by the publisher via NetGalley.***

Eelyn is an unflinching warrior raised on the viciousness of a never-ending war, and she takes the fierce YA heroine game to a whole new level. Her fury at her brother's betrayal is raw and pervasive, and you can palpably feel her anger toward him and everyone in the rival tribe he's abandoned his blood family for. Her inner conflict as she starts to realize the Riki aren't as "other" as she'd always believed created crackling tension, and she harbors deep fears about going against her tribe's god, which could cost her the afterlife. Loyalty was such a pervasive theme here - how we bestow it, who deserves it, and the incredible cost when it begins to shift.

I loved it! This was a very interesting book and the author did an amazing job writing it.

When I started this, I found it immediately engaging. High action, a Viking-esque setting -- unique for fantasy novels -- and a YA heroine fighter. It was high action and enjoyable. And then the main character gets captured by the enemy, and the pacing suddenly slammed on the brakes. That would've been fine, but I sensed my least favorite YA trope coming into play: dude try to kill you? Hit you a few times, stabbed you, given you some literal scars? You should definitely fall in love with him.

Ugh.

There was also a sentence along the lines of, "Little did I know at the time...," which should only be used in 19th century novels.

But if the abusive-love-interest-who-is-really-a-great-guy trope doesn't bother you, you'll find high-action fantasy here that you'll probably enjoy. But I abandoned it halfway through.

Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press Wednesday Books for providing me with a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

[Since I didn't finish the book, I didn't rate it on Goodreads]

I really wanted this to be a 5 star read, because it definitely started off as one! That opening chapter hooked me in immediately, and I was super excited to read it!

I loved Eelyn's character - right off the bat, you can tell she's fierce and determined, yet at the same time so loving and family-oriented. The story is told from her perspective, and there's pretty much never a dull moment. It's action-packed and fast-paced the whole way through, which makes the perfect YA fantasy novel for me. The fact that it was a standalone too made this so much better - it's quite rare nowadays to find good fantasy novels that don't belong to a 6 book series. This is also a debut novel; taking that into consideration, what a way to introduce yourself to the literary world. The plot was great, the world-building was really well done and the characters were well thought out.

I only have one negative thing to say about it, though: I personally think that the story could've survived without the romance. It just felt warped and unnecessary, like some distorted version of Stockholm Syndrome. The storyline between Eelyn and Iri was enough, I think, for the book to stand on; I don't think it needed the romance to be exceptional. If anything, it's the romance which meant I couldn't give this a 5 star review. It felt forced, like you have to have a romance in a YA fantasy, or it wouldn't work.

Regardless of that, I thought this was a great debut novel! It was super emotional, all about betrayal, love and trust, but with the perfect balance of action and emotion!

My thoughts right after I finished Sky in the Deep went along the lines of shoving this book in everybody’s face. I did literally open my goodreads review with the following: “Go-read-this-book-NOW. Pre-order it, perform a dance for the bookish gods or just do whatever you need to, but seriously.” So I’ll just say it again, in case my words haven’t really sunk in yet. Add this book to your tbr asap.

t’s been a long a*s time since I pick up a book that captures my attention this quickly. Around chapter one, to be more exact, I was so unfreakingbelievably enthralled by the narrative that I could already tell this was going to be an easy 5 stars rating. And guys, that doesn’t happen too often (the easy 5 stars, obviously, my gut is usually spot on, thank you very much).

This is one of those books that starts with a boom right off the bat. A boom and a bang and a swish and swords and axes and badass female vikings kicking some serious a*s, all that wrapped up in a seriously good narrative. Honestly, if this is Adrienne Young’s debut, I can’t freaking wait to see what else she has in store for us – more vikings please, let it be more vikings.

I can think of a tone of reasons why you should preorder, anticipate, wait impatiently and finally read this book. As for one, VIKINGS AND ALL THINGS NORSE. Why aren’t there more norse-inspired books?. Then, there’s the fact that this book is seriously action-packed, not in a tension-is-built-throughout-the-book-in-preparation-for-a-battle kind of action, but far better. The story is strongly character driven and at the same time it’s gloriously dynamic. As I said, it starts right away with a battle and from there, chapter bleeds into chapter so smoothly the book does feel like a breeze. A bloody, savage, glorious breeze.

And my personal favourite reason why I will shove this book in your face for the months to come: the heroine. OH, THE BADASSERY. Eelyn is a 17 year old Aska trained for fighting. Her life has been and is meant to be spent in the battle field. Once a year, and due to an ancient rivalry that involves some epic norse gods, her clan goes to battle against the Riki. They fight, they kill, they survive or they die. Both the Aska and the Riki have strong beliefs in what honor, family, their purpose in life and the afterlife are and should be. The hatred between them lies in centuries of war, lost lives, blood and tradition. Which makes the personal and family relationships in this novel deliciously complex. When Eelyn discovers that the brother she thought dead is now living and fighting beside the Riki, her world implodes. Furthermore, when she is captured and taken by the Riki and forced to live in a Riki village as a servant for her brother’s “new” family, her world crumbles. She is betrayed by the one person she loved the most, loses her honor as an Aska, and has to live serving the Riki. But what I absolutely adored about all this was that Eelyn, this female warrior, never lost sight of what she truly was and what she wanted. And while a very important element in this novel is the action and the badassery, the representation of family values is as important.

And dang, it was just freaking entertaining. For me, that’s a very important factor in a YA fantasy novel.

Last but not least, the SHIPS. For those like me that need a love story to make things all the better, well, you are in for a treat. In this case, it’s a delicious slow burn mashed with a from hate to love romance. And trust me, even if it was subtle and completely secondary to everything else in the book, it made my little heart do some nasty cartwheels.

So, I’ll just say it one more time: Sky in the Deep is a 2018 must-read. It checks all the badassery boxes, it’s fantasy perfectly wrapped up in a mystical norse-inspired setting, delivered with an awesome narrative and action packed from beginning to end. What else can we ask from a YA debut?