This book started with a bang. It started quick with two battles and then the bad pacing pops out. The pacing was slow for me, the mid part just dragged on and on without anything even happening.
The world building is great but not deep enough. I get the broad overview of it but not enough for me to fully understand and feel like I'm a part of the book.
I also don't feel very connected with the characters which is a shame because I really wanted to.
The romance is a hate to love but I find it weak. I find it being just meh rather than being swooned by it.
But I love that this book is centered on family and how the main character is finding herself.
Good but not great.

There is a trend of bloodthirsty young women in YA right now, and I am loving it. I don't know what it says about me that some of my favourite books so far this year have featured ruthless women who charge into battles and kill without second-guessing themselves. Add to that a high dose of emotions, chemistry, and tangled loyalties, and you've got a highly charged, kickass story.

Every emotion Eelyn felt was written deep into the page. I felt everything she did: pain, betrayal, rage, distrust, homesickness. I could understand her hatred and hated everyone with her. The transition of these dark feeling to wariness and a begrudging respect was slow enough to be almost undetectable. Slow and believable, but never so slow as to be sluggish and drag the story down. And where Eelyn could be one ferocious lady, facing down her enemies without mercy, she showed so much vulnerability at times, sometimes right after doing something particularly monstrous. But other people's emotions also tore at me, with one scene featuring Eelyn's father actually bringing me to tears.

I loved the battle scenes, filled with fury and determination and just enough gory detail to feel the blood speckling your skin. There was even a scene in which Eelyn [spoiler]rips out a man's eyeball[/spoiler]. VICIOUS. I soaked up every drop of blood and crunch of bones, and during the particularly nasty scenes, I felt a bit sick, but I also wanted to laugh, my eyes wide with murderous glee. It's like Young was trying to expose my inner violence, the animal beneath the human.

While I'm no expert on Viking culture, it felt like the author had done her research. There was so much detail in the buildings and customs and landscape that I felt like was there. I'm not a fan of studying modern history, but I do enjoy learning about old cultures, especially the day-to-day lives of people, while also being wrapped up in a story. While there was some confusion for me over the passage of time, the world-building was otherwise spectacular.

Finally, that ending. Wow, was it wrapped up so nicely, and hey, this works as a standalone! (I want to say it is a standalone but sometimes authors surprise me when they announce a sequel to something that had ended well.) By the way, all the relationships in this are awesome and tied up nicely, too, although I'm a bit suspicious of Myra's future... Hmmm...

Honestly, the only disappointing thing about this book is that it isn't easily available to preorder outside of the US. Your best bet is through TBD or Wordery. But it's a definite must-buy if you're a fan of badass women, epic fight scenes, Vikings, and family.

Ugh...so good...

Honor above life.

Eelyn has known only one truth: the Riki are the enemy. They are the enemy of her clan, the Aska, and of her god, Sigr. Every five years, the two clans are commanded by their rival deities into battle. This blood feud is their birthright, and every Aska child grows up learning how to become a warrior. This life is not one Eelyn has ever questioned. She is bloodthirsty, dangerous, and would kill any Riki she came across without a thought. Afterall, they killed her brother, Iri.

But then she sees her dead brother on the battlefield, fighting *with* the Riki. That moments sets off a chain of events that has Eelyn's truth unraveling. Chasing after Iri, she is captured by the Riki and turned into a slave. She is brought to live with the people Iri now calls family and bides her time until she can escape to home and start to regain her honor. However, in living with the Riki, she starts to see her sworn enemy differently and comes to terms with the idea that the two clans might need to unite in order to survive.

The first half of this book hooked me. Eelyn is one kickass girl. I don't read much fantasy, much less YA fantasy about Vikings, and so much of this book was a novelty for me. If you like your fantasy with some raw violence and murderous rage, you will not be disappointed. I don't typically don't, but it really worked in this book. One of my favorite moments is when Eelyn tells her brother, the one she risked everything for, that she wishes he was dead, and she means it. She has a rawness to her that I don't encounter often in YA.

The best parts of this book are all in the beginning chapters. The second half was more about Eelyn warming to the Riki and the whole bit about uniting the clans felt a little after-school-special to me. We're not all so different after all... except that's a theme from a thousand other YA books, and I could have done without. I liked Eelyn better when she wanted to kill them all. She is given a "love interest" and you know it's coming, but it doesn't make much sense. A lot of the middle of the book gets bogged down in the day to day life of the Riki people and it wasn't all that interesting. In the end, I was hot and cold about this book, and it wound up being pretty average on the whole.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an advanced copy of this book.

More often than not, when I pick a YA fantasy up, I am not expecting to be surprised. Entertained, maybe, and possibly charmed, but not surprised. Never surprised. I feel like if I do, I am setting myself up for disappointment on purpose.

Because rare are the YA fantasy books that are so original they don’t immediately remind you of previous fantasy books you’ve read. This is why it’s extremely easy for readers and professionals to market those stories as ‘‘said book’’ meets ‘‘said book’’.

It’s when you’re unable to do that when you review a book that you realize that what you hold in your hands is completely fresh. And isn’t that an amazing feeling? To know that you may have just read a new classic that will allow for more stories about Vikings to be published in the future?

To my surprise, it is more character-driven than action-driven. It is interesting because there is strong, intense action in the beginning and for the last one hundred and so pages of the story, but what is in-between is relatively calm and measured.

That is absolutely normal, seeing that when Eelyn becomes a captive, she is unable to pursue her past activities that mostly involve fighting. She is forced into a submissive life that consists of her performing household duties and helping the enemy in different ways. Clearly, as she is doing those things, she is planning her escape and how she will get back at her kidnappers. At the same time, she is torn since the brother she thought lost forever is back into her life as one of her new enemies.

Eelyn is a fully fleshed out heroine. She may be out for blood and not progressive-thinking, but I understood where she came from. In her culture, honour goes above everything. By being taken from her group as she was fighting the enemy, she believes she has lost her honour in the eyes of her God. It is imperative that she recuperates it, otherwise she will not be allowed access to the afterworld. Her motives are justified. But I also liked that she found it in her to see the world through her enemy’s eyes.

I was happy to be reading a standalone YA fantasy novel, as those are fairly rare, but now that I finished it and loved it, I want more. This is a satisfying novel, though, so this is just me being greedy.

From start to finish, this was a riveting, intense and heart wrenching tale that I fell so in love with. And with comps like Wonder Woman meets vikings, you had me from the first page. And I was devastated when I reached the last. And that cover ... *Swoons*

It's not often you come across a book set in the time of vikings, and certainly not one that doesn't make the world into a gimmick to make people read. The story, the world and the characters played off each other beautifully and naturally. It is a world rich in detail, but also simple and minimal, if that makes any sense at all. You can see it all in your mind without being overloaded. This is mainly due to the writing style, which I thought was wonderful. Not overdone or too literary. The research done for this time period and world is also evident. Makes me curious if there is any truth to the Aska and Riki peoples. My only wish in regards to this world is that the author or publisher had included a glossary. There were a few terms thrown around that I either forgot the meaning or had to go back and find the first mention of it to remind myself. Or even just to know how to pronounce them.

Young does not hold back in describing the darker parts of this world. I mean, we're talking visceral imagery here. I now know how to describe popping someone's eyeball out of their head, so thanks for that. But seriously, there were several parts that made me cringe while reading. Not a this-is-so-bad cringe, but a holy-s**t-you-just-went-there kind of cringe. And Young *went* there. Animal sacrifices, bodily injuries, battle and death. All of it was raw and honest, and there were a lot of holy s**ts from me. If you like your blood and pain, then here you go!

I adored the characters in here. Not a single one was weak, annoying or without purpose. Eelyn fast became a favourite for me. Aside from the obvious of her being a bad-ass, never give up female warrior, she just has so much depth. The girl is in pain, both physically and emotionally, and the way she handles herself and her situation is both admirable and understandable. Her love for her family, her people, and those newly entered in her life was a wonderful element to her and the story. As you can see from reading the description, there is in fact a romance that brews between Eelyn and Fiske. But let me just stop for a second and shout out my thanks to Young for making it a perfect slow burn. Nothing kills the vibe of a book more for me than that insta-love that has at times become so cliche amongst characters. I'm so pleased to report this book did not disappoint in that department. It's a soft, tentative and true romance that gave me so many damn feels.

This was probably the first book I've read this year that, as I mentioned, had me absolutely choked to reach the last page. I finished it on my coffee break at work, and when I opened my Kindle at lunch, I was genuinely sad there was no more for me to hide away in. It has a conclusive ending, and seems to be a standalone and not the first installment to a new series. And although I'm sad that that is all we may get of Eelyn and Fiske, I'm also glad. It ended beautifully, with every loose end tied up and left a future full of hope and promise.

Five out of five stars. Easy.

This book was an enjoyable read! The messages of peace and acceptance of those who are different that run through the book were refreshing considering that the story itself revolves around two warring factions of a Viking like culture. There was a little romance, but the story did not hang on it at all. The lead character was both sympathetic and, at times, annoyingly closed minded. Watching her evolve and grow was part of what made this book so enjoyable - often we are faced with strong female leads who are stagnant and don't change. Overall, the plot was compelling, but I found that it was the relationships - family, friendship, and a little romance - that drove my interest in the story.

I am so glad I got to read an early copy of this book and cannot wait to get the physical copy in my hands. While the story is action-packed, it is such an emotional journey. Raised to be a warrior, Eelyn knows what is expected of her on the battlefield, but when faced with a brother she thought was dead and in the hands of her sworn enemies, she struggles with her feelings of betrayal and what family means to her, because it isn’t always about blood.

Thank you to the publisher for a free arc of this book in exchange for a review. This does not affect my opinion.

The concept of this book sounded SO COOL to me. Vikings! And a YA Dystopian adventure! I signed right up.

Unfortunately, the story completely failed to hook me. I know these types of books can be tricky and there's a lot that has to go into the world building - but I wasn't invested in any of the characters and I felt like I was almost immediately skimming ahead to get to the "meat" of the story. Ultimately, I didn't have the patience required to see this one through and I wound up putting it aside.

When Eelyn, a seventeen-year-old warrior from the Aska viking clan, heads into battle, the last thing she expects to encounter is her brother, Iri.

Her brother whom she has been mourning for the past five years.

Her brother that she watched die.

Her brother who is now wearing the armor of the Riki, their rival clan.

Following him into the wood, she sets herself on a path that is ugly and undesirable, but ultimately has the potential to change the future for all of the vikings in the area.

How far are the Riki and the Aska willing to go to assure the safety of their own?



★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆

I don’t know that I can think of another novel that I have ever read that centered around a community of vikings. This was so amazing and unique! I grew some intense attachments to characters and could not put this one down.

I appreciated the role of women in this title so much! Not only is Eelyn a tough, powerhouse of a character, but there are other strong women present as well. She isn’t an ‘oddball’ as a woman for being a warrior–many of the women are strong, admirable fighters. You never saw a man treat a woman any differently in battle than the men, and I LOVED that!

One of my favorite things about this novel was the slow-burning romance between two of our main characters (sorry, can’t spill the beans on this one! Read it to find out!). And it was just the perfect amount of romance for a YA title, in my opinion. As a teacher, I like being able to recommend YA titles to students that I know will not ‘cross any lines’ (and therefore make for a possibly angry parent). Sky in the Deep had just enough sexual undertones to this relationship that to make for a couple heated moments, without ever blatantly crossing that line. It was fabulous and I need more of these characters!

(That is not to say that I wouldn’t recommend YA titles that do push the line to adolescents that I personally know–with disclosure of touchy content. But in a school setting, we have to have some boundaries and some amount of censorship in order to respect opinions of others’ families)

The themes of family are so strong in this novel. I come from a large family where fostering and adoption is very present and supported, so I always love when there are any type of themes in novels that really support the concept of family being what you make it. Family doesn’t always have to be those that we were born into and the bonds that we build with those that we love can be just as strong as biological siblings or parents. The bond that Iri shares with Fiske is so powerful, and there is a young child in Fiske’s family who will steal reader’s hearts as he comes to know and love Eelyn–it’s hard to believe that all of these characters are fiction and that someone sculpted these relationships and emotions from words and presented them to us on paper.

We can also learn so much from the political, and just straight human being, themes within this novel of diversity. Living among the Riki, Eelyn begins to draw deep and powerful connections between her own clan, the Aska, and this clan that is a deeply hated rival. She begins to see the parallels between their religion and her own… their similar focuses on family and those they love.. and the most powerful thing that they have in common during this dangerous time–the will and fight to survive, above all else.

According to Adrienne, there will be a companion novel released in 2019 that has a lot of new characters and some previous (loved) characters. More information will be released soon regarding this title. I know this will be an automatic addition to my TBR and cannot wait to read it!

**Trigger Warnings: Brutal Violence, War, Assault, Attempted Sexual Assault, Death



Thank you to Adrienne Young and Wednesday Books for providing me with a DRC of this novel via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

First I would like to thank netgalley for accepting my request to read and review an arc of this book.

Wow! This book was so good! I always know when I’m going to love a book and not be able to put it down when I find myself choosing to read any free minute I get instead of watching TV or staring at my phone. I first saw this book on Goodreads a few months back. I even pre-ordered this book because the plot really intrigued me. I’ve never read, let alone a seen a YA story, with a Viking plot. I was afraid I would get bored, but I was pleasantly surprised. The world-building wasn’t heavy, which made it very easy to follow along with. I really loved Eeyln. She’s a tough, skilled warrior that is proud of who she is. Even though her heritage and her roots are really the center of this story, she never leaves those things behind. In fact I believe they become more important to her as the story goes on. At first I was afraid that Eeyln being a female Viking warrior would be brought up in the way a lot of other fantasy novels are with a female warrior or fighter as the main character. In other stories the identity of a female warrior would constantly be brought up as a “rarity” or simply an exception to a male-dominated group of warriors and fighters, but with this story, female warriors just are. It’s accepted. In fact, it’s encouraged. There were a few plot points in this story I saw coming, but I really enjoyed them nonetheless. I’m not sure if this is a stand-alone novel or the beginning of a series, which I would love to see continued, but this was a story I will definitely revisit again.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Wednesday Books for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I’d like to start by saying that I could not put this book down. If you are looking for a strong female heroine then you have found it Eelyn. She’s pretty bad a$$ and even kicked that up a notch.

The story is about two Viking clans that every five years has a standing clan war. Five years prior Eelyn thought she had lost her brother to death fighting the Riki clan only to discover when she is captured that he was a live and well and fighting with her enemy. This causes an internal balance between hating her enemy and seeing their side. She has a growing love for her captor Fiske and feeling like she has betrayed her own family and god.

These two clans are brought together by a more terrifying enemy and forced to work together or have both clans wiped out.

Holy cow there was action from page one. The story does get pretty gruesome which for me only added to the story and has some pretty epic battle scenes. To balance out the violence there is a little romance, or a enemy to friends to lover book.

I was fine with the ending but yet was questioning why this was only a stand alone. I would love to see where this story could go.

I originally gave this book 3 1/2 stars on my blog and on Goodreads, but since I can't give half stars on NetGalley, I will bump it up to FOUR STARS, because it really was an enjoyable read!

The story follows Eelyn, a seventeen-year-old warrior who is fighting alongside her Aska clansmen in an ancient rivalry against the Riki clan, when she sees her dead brother, alive and fighting, on the side of her enemy. She is so hurt with betrayal that she is captured by the Riki and forced to survive the winter in the mountains with her enemy. But there is another clan, so ruthless they are thought to be legend, and when they raid the Riki village, Eelyn is given no choice but to trust her enemies in order to avoid being slaughtered.

I was thrilled when I received the ARC of this book because it was one of my most anticipated young adult reads for April! The cover is GORGEOUS (it was what drew me to the book in the first place) and I love historical fiction, especially ancient historical fiction! My expectations were high!

From the first page, we are thrown into the world of the vikings… or, at least, a viking-esque world. I am not an expert on vikings, but I know enough to appreciate the author’s research; the detail that went into describing the Riki village and the chores Eelyn and Inge do around the house, as well as their elaborate religious rituals… everything is so grounded in the time of the vikings. However, because the story is so heavily focused on the age-old rivalry between the two clans, we do not see any of the tropes typically found in other viking stories (ie. the sailing and the raiding of the English, etc.), and the fact that the two clans are completely fictional only furthers the feeling that this book lies somewhere on the border between historical fiction and fantasy – which just so happens to be my favourite type of fiction. But, I think that the main reason why the detailed descriptions of the everyday worked so well was because of the plain, get-to-the-point style of writing.

I know this doesn’t sound like it should be a positive aspect of the book, but if it weren’t for the bluntness and quick flow of the writing style, this book would be very slow to get through. There are large sections of the book where not a lot happens, but the chapters are short and well structured which makes it feel as though you are flying through the book. I also think the overall narrative arc was very tight and nicely structured, and this laid everything out on the table in the opening chapters so that you knew what to expect without it being so predictable that it was unenjoyable.

What took me the most by surprise whilst reading the opening chapters, was that it was very obvious that this book would be a character driven story. I loved the just how important family is in this book – and not just biological families, but chosen families. At its heart, it is a story about love trumping hate. Every character, at some stage of the story, is put in a position where they must try to understand or try to forgive someone who is different to them, and this is probably the strongest thread in the entire book because it gave it some really heartwarming moments and quotable lines. Not a single relationship was toxic or abusive – female friendship triumphs in this book – and this was refreshing to see (especially in the YA genre) because they still had their struggles, but were able to understand and overcome them. This was honestly the highlight of the book for me.

To me, the biggest downfall of this book was that it missed that extra umph. There was nothing about the story that made me truly heartbroken, or extremely happy, or biting my nails with suspense. Instead of being a rollercoaster of emotions, it was more like a slow and steady stream, just trickling along. Yes, it was a beautiful stream, but it was just a stream in a world full of them. Don’t get me wrong, I really did enjoy this book, but the characters felt as though they were all given the same personality. There was nothing really distinguishable about any of them, and it made me feel a little detached from their story because there was nothing I could grab onto or relate to. The romance wasn’t horrible, but it wasn’t exactly breathtaking either, and though the characters live in a brutal world, nothing really brutal or traumatic happens to them (and in the one scene where something big does happen, it is an attempted rape scene). The majority of this book was a whole lot of telling instead of showing, and while the writing came in handy with making it a quick read, it just didn’t allow me to be overly invested in any of the characters. That being said, even from my detached, observational position, I could still appreciate the story and the messages.

Three and a half stars feels like the perfect rating for this book, but as I said, I will bump that up to 4 stars for the sake of this review. It was well crafted, thoughtful, beautifully captured a detailed world, and had great representations of the different kinds of love and the importance of understanding those who are different from you. The only thing preventing me from giving it a full four stars was that everything about this story felt very safe – as in it didn’t push the boundaries, or try to ensnare the reader with gripping characters or an intricate plot. I still would definitely recommend this book to all readers of YA, as it reads not just like historical fiction, but fantasy too.

YA Vikings. You cannot get any better than that.

I don't know what to say. I feel like no matter what and how I say it, it still wouldn't be enough to give this book's gloriousness justice. Because Sky in the Deep was just that (and more). Glorious. Brilliant. Addictive. Bloody. Gruesome. Romantic. I. Absolutely. Loved. It.

Inside and out this book is just incredible. Look at that gorgeous cover! It's simple and yet looks so badass and intriguing and screams "read me now!" I am having serious cover lust.

I love everything about Sky in the Deep. The writing was incredible and had me so invested in the story from the very beginning. I read the first chapter and I never wanted it to end. The plot was simple and straightforward and honestly not how I thought the story would go. Which isn't a bad thing. I just expected lots of twists and something completely different. But with the writing being so addictive I didn't let that affect my enjoyment of the book. The romance was super slow burn! It didn't take up much of the story (which was good) so what little swoon I got I savored completely. I always did love the enemies-turned-lovers trope. Eelyn was an amazing heroine! I love her unyielding bravery and loyalty. She's the kind of person I would want and trust to watch my back- literally and figuratively.

Sky in the Deep is riveting and savage. I fell in love with the writing so much and I badly wished there was more. I now have an unhealthy obssesion for Vikings (both the tv show and not the tv show). I cannot wait for this book's official release so I can read it again!
What an amazing debut! Highly recommended!

This book wasn't my cup of tea, but I will definitely recommend it to fans of historical fantasy, especially those who are hungering for Viking fiction! I liked the main character and her loyalty to her people.

4.5 out of 5 stars (I rounded up)
I'm not going to lie, this book took me a little time to get into to it. I started it, and then another book caught my attention, and then I read some more and then another book caught my attention...

BUT..

When I did finally give my undivided attention to this book, I loved it! This book has betrayal and love and emotions. SOO many emotions.

Usually when I am reading a book, I can tell about half way through what I am going to rate it out of five stars, but I couldn't use that system for this book, becasue it just kept getting better and better.

I gave this book 4½ out of five stars because it did have a slow beginning, but once you are a few chapters in, its amazing!

There are so many things I would like to say in this review, but I'm afraid I can't say them without spoiling the book, so you will just have to read the book for yourself! Seriously, read it. You won't regret it.

I am shocked that this book is a debut from the author Adrienne Young, it was just so good! I can't wait to read the companion novel coming in 2019.

This book does have a lot of gore and violence, so if you don't like reading about blood, exercise caution when reading!

I would reccomend this book to anyone who likes fantasy, love, and war or viking related YA books.
Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with en e-ARC of Sky in the Deep.

If you would like to read more book reviews check out my blog at www.sarahjuneblog.com.

Sky in the Deep is the debut fantasy novel from Adrienne Young, and I see good things in this author's future. While this book has been classified as fantasy, don't expect many fantastical elements. There are no magical or futuristic elements. We are basically operating in a made-up world that had a Viking feel with two warring people's who follow different gods. So you can expect lots of action and fighting and conflict.

This story is told in first person by our heroine, Eelyn, a seventeen year old Aska warrior. We follow Eelyn through battle, betrayal, and later enlightenment as she discovers that the two clans are not that different, especially when faced with a common enemy. Despite her age, I felt that Eelyn was a mature heroine, and I was glad of it. Her people live a simple, yet brutal life, and Eelyn has been a warrior since the age of 12. While I liked her fighting ability and bravery, it was hard to imagine such a young and small girl killing male and female warriors from her enemy clan. She both suffers and delivers gruesome injuries, and the author didn't pull any punches when it came to gory aspects of fighting.

I got caught up in the drama of Iri's seeming betrayal, and Eelyn's response to it. While she didn't express a lot of emotion outwardly or in an inner monologue, I could imagine the feelings of a young girl when confronted with such a situation. Once aspect where I felt the book did suffer was with the first person narration. We only got Eelyn's reactions to things, where I think we could have benefited from having Fiske's POV, at the least. There was a budding romance between Fiske and Eelyn but I felt disconnected from it. There weren't any emotions to draw me in, and adding in those details for both our characters would have enriched the story quite a bit.

I did like all of the secondary characters, and wouldn't mind this story turning into a series to give us glimpses into the lives of her father, Myra, and Inge. I don't think there are any plans for that, but it would be nice to see the hardship suffered by both clans turn into a prosperous alliance.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book that I received from the publisher, Wednesday Books.

I received this book for free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

A young woman learns her brother is alive - and living with the enemy - in this epic tale of love and war. Let's review the phenomenal Sky in the Deep by Adrienne Young.

Run to your local bookstore to purchase this novel when it comes out in April. It's a phenomenal story of family, courage, and love set in medieval times. Eelyn's world is rocked the day she discovers her "dead" brother fighting alongside the enemy. Circumstance forces her into an uneasy position when she ends up in enemy territory. At its heart, this story is about family - the family given to us by blood and the family chosen by us through love. It's about people looking past their prejudices to embrace a new reality. Truly a powerful story relevant for today.

Eelyn is a compelling character. Her Aska heritage and faith are core components to her characterization. While secondary characters are not nearly as complex as Eelyn, they provide a foil to her growth. One of my favorite aspects of the story is the romance between Eelyn and Fiske. Their evolution from enemies to lovers is slowly and methodically built over the course of the novel. I wish Eelyn connected to other Riki characters outside of Fiske's immediate family, but the tightly woven plot line didn't leave much room for further development.

It may be a character driven novel, but it's got plenty of action and adventure. It does not shy away from the blood and gore associated with tribal clans warring over religion and land. At times the scenes are brutal, but never did the violence feel out of place. The setting would not be as vibrant without each of the clan's religions. It creates a believable world where the characters react to their surroundings. I'm excited for future books from this author if they are this good!

tl;dr An immersive setting, a complex character, and themes of family, loyalty, and love make this a must read.

2.5/5

Negative points:
- Overall, the characters were underdeveloped and i couldn't connect with or care for them. The majority of the relationships were established by the narrator and I couldn’t see how or why they cared for each other, or even believe they actually felt the things that were said they felt for each other;
- The ‘romance’ came out of nowhere, was pretty bland and it had no substance. It even made me a little uncomfortable, because it felt like it didn't came from a place of infatuation, it was more like a coping mechanism to all the trauma the characters went through.
- The thing that bothered me the most in this book were the excess of full stops where commas or semicolons would make the writing flow A LOT better. The sentences just kept getting interrupted in weird places (with the goal of giving what was being said intensity, i guess) and it annoyed me so much;
- Weird action sequences and things like the character having her back to someone, in the dark, saying she couldn't see their face and then telling us his actions in detail. Sometimes, the main character was almost like a mind reader, stating what characters were thinking and feeling in detail with just looking at their eyes.

Positive points:
- The premise, i've never seen any viking inspired YA book before, and that was exciting;
- Somehow, i had no idea of what would happen, couldn't really guess the course the story would take, and it was the sole reason i kept reading (not in a suspenseful way, but in a ‘how these people are gonna react because i have no idea what they are like'’ way);
- The character Mýra was my favourite, i enjoyed her relationship with Eelyn and I wish we got more of that;
- The politics part of this world, the little we got to see was kind of interesting and i wish it was developed more;
- The battle scenes were nice, especially the last one.

In the end, as it was through the entire book, everything was resolved really easily, and all the plot points had underwhelming resolutions. Sky in the Deep was not a bad book, it just had a lot of potential and it fell far short.

Review in portuguese: https://www.skoob.com.br/livro/resenhas/710893/edicao:712332