First, I want to thanks the publisher and netgalley for letting me read this book before its release..

Sky in the deep is very different from what I read in fantasy YA. It is a special book. Intense. Sincere. Beautiful.
It's the first time I read something related to the Viking and I loved it.
Our heroine, so badass, fierce. A love interest beautiful in every way.
I loved their relationship, especially in this context because their clans always hatred each other. Their connexion is deep and so true it melts my heart.
But things change and for the better when a common ennemy is showing.

The book has a good pace and was well written, between characters development, the coutumes and daily life and battles. There is always something to learn, to discover.
I'm glad it is a one shot but secretly I hope there will be more because the setting is quite unique.

I feel attached to the characters and I will surely miss them.

Thank you, Netgalley and Wednesday Books, for the ARC and the opportunity to read and review this book. My views are entirely my own. This was truly an awesome read! Sky in the Deep is badass, with a MC that leaves you wanting to scream at her and in support of her. 10 out of 10 recommend.

My review as I posted on goodreads already:

Thank you to netgalley and the publishing house that gave me a chance to read this book in exchange for an honest review.
***
Our MC Eelyn is a fierce and feisty character who believes strongly in who she is and what she stands for.... which of course means all that gets blown out the water when she sees a ghost across the battlefield.
Eelyn is of the Aska, enemies of the Riki who meet on the battlefield every five years and the story starts out at this new cycle of battle between the 2 clans. Eelyn is ready to do battle with her fighting mate Myra. The last clash between the Aska and Riki, Eelyn lost her previous fighting mate, her brother Iri and she doesn’t intend to lose Myra. During the battlefield as she clashes with the Riki she is saved by a ghost, a boy who looks like her brother would if he’d survived but it couldn’t possibly be, she saw him die. Didn’t she? Eelyn chases after the ghost in the next clash and things start going downhill for her from there. Captured by the Riki, Eelyn must face what she knows, what she thinks she knows and everything she doesn’t as she waits for the opportunity to escape back to her people.
Of course, things are never that easy.
A legendary, ruthless clan makes a reappearance. If Eelyn hadn’t already experienced loss at their hands when she was younger she wouldn’t believe it possible but it most certainly is and now driven by a need for survival and love for clan and the brother she thought dead the most dangerous and possibly impossible task has befallen on Eelyn and Fiske, the boy who saved her brother all those years ago, to unite the clans to survive this enemy.
***
This story is brutal and bloody and I loved every bit of it.
First of all, Vikings.
Vikings!
Okay?
Eelyn is a warrior, she has trained and fought hard for her skill.
Her loyalty to her family and clan is admirable.
She is a badass, but she is a believable badass. She gets injured, her injuries slow her down, make her fumble. She is human. She gets back up and keeps fumbling along. She is amazing.
Her emotional struggle with her brother was interesting. It was a different type of battle but a battle nonetheless.
The relationship between her and Fiske had possibilities. Not sure I liked how fast it seemed to play out but I felt the spark between them at least which is more than I can say for most YA books.
***
The best part about this book? Besides having Vikings, kickass women in battle, family and loyalties being tested? It’s a stand-alone. A fantastic, beautiful stand-alone. I’m so happy right now. Definitely recommend.

I adored this book. I found this book very engaging (yes that is my favorite this for books) and the story was well executed.

Eelyn is a warrior that resonates with me. Deep family ties, honor above all and working hard. The battle scenes feel intense and got me sitting on my seat. The romance felt believable and I could actually feel their relationship growing on the pages without taking away from the overall story (very important to me!)

Also, this is a standalone novel. I am so happy for that! I'm kinda tired of series now, and this is a small added bonus for me. :)

Actual Rating 4.5
*I received an eARC of this book from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review*

After reading it I realised it is a debut novel by Adrienne Young, It didn't feel like a debut, It was wonderful and writing was impeccable.

This story got all the elements, love-hate relationship, family, friendship, a badass-warrior-stubborn heroin, I am in for it.The story was a bit slow at the start but after you survive that slow pace,voilà you are here in catchy and fantastic part.

Aska and Riki, two tribes by two gods Thora and Sigr, are enemy of each other, and their generations are just fighting to each other for sake of their gods who were supposed to against each other, Events changes in one war, when Eelyn found her brother Iri fighting at the side of Riki, Iri who was dead for them for 5 years while fighting in Aurvanger. She got caught her self by Riki while tracking her brother.

I was kind of in book slump, But OMG, this book drag me back on track. Though I am still wondering about how to pronounce some name of characters 😅, I hope I am not the only one who suffers from this struggle.
Ending was bit quick, It was good but I just want to read some more.

I read this entire book in one sitting, well lying, I was in the bath and the water literally went cold while I was in there because I couldn’t put this book down. It’s so fast-paced (particularly having just finished such a slow story) and I was completely transported into this world.

I’ll start by saying that there isn’t a lot of ‘fantasy’ in this book beyond the fact that it is obviously not a real story being told. Those looking for Viking magic wielders may be somewhat disappointed. However, I don’t think that’s a downside at all, the action and the characters more than fulfilling my needs for excitement and adventure.

I keep talking about pace, and fast-paced books are something of a double-edged sword. On the one hand there isn’t time for the reader to get bored, however, you do sacrifice some time for worldbuilding and detail. This is more of a ‘learn as you go’ kind of setting, you find out aspects of culture and society as the story progresses rather than being told them in any kind of formulaic manner. That’s entirely a matter of personal preference, I think that in this case it is done very well and I preferred this method for this story.

I will also confess that my knowledge of Viking folklore is very limited, my husband would be able to evaluate it more, and hopefully, I’ll know more after our trip to Norway at the end of the month (eek!). However, right now I can’t speak to the historical accuracy of this setting, don’t go in expecting to see Thor and Loki wandering about, it’s not that kind of story, but there are a lot of details in the kinds of homesteads, weapons and hairstyles these characters have. It’s the right kind of detail for this story, managing not to stall the story but helping you to feel immersed in this setting.

The plot is lovely, it’s got action, travel, character development and twists and turns. While I think the ending is a little rushed, I loved what it did with the idea of family and loyalty as well as that of age-old conflict and changing times. Fair warning, there is a heavy, very predictable, romance aspect to this story that I know will turn a lot of people off. I would recommend going into the story with that in mind as that way it probably won’t bother you as much. I find that if I know what I’m getting myself in for I’m much more likely to enjoy it rather than finding it annoying.

Should you read this? If you are looking for a fresh, fast-paced read with oodles of action and interesting characters (including a wonderful female protagonist) then you should pick this up. I’m excited to see what Adrienne Young comes out with in 2019!

My rating: 4/5 stars

By the way, I received a digital advanced review copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Sky in the Deep comes out on the 24th of April so be sure to pre-order if you’re interested!

ARC provided by publisher and NetGalley for free, but this does not influence my review.

Right out of the gate this book grabs you and pulls you in. The action and adventure, in the beginning, had me cheering for the Aska to slay all the Riki as they are mortal enemies. I wasn't expecting the story to unfold the way it did.

We follow the tale of Eelyn who while battling for her way of life, her people, and her pride. Everything is as it should be until during a battle she spots what she believes is her brother fighting alongside their mortal enemies. While investigating she is kidnapped by the Riki and what ensues is a tale of loyalty, faith, and with some romance.

Vikings, kick-butt female, and a little romance had me wishing there was more when the story ended. I am very much looking forward to owning this one in print.

***Review posted on The Eater of Books! blog***

Sky in the Deep by Adrienne Young
Publisher: Wednesday Books
Publication Date: April 24, 2018
Rating: 5 stars
Source: eARC from NetGalley

Summary (from Goodreads):

Raised to be a warrior, seventeen-year-old Eelyn fights alongside her Aska clansmen in an ancient rivalry against the Riki clan. Her life is brutal but simple: fight and survive. Until the day she sees the impossible on the battlefield—her brother, fighting with the enemy—the brother she watched die five years ago.

Faced with her brother's betrayal, she must survive the winter in the mountains with the Riki, in a village where every neighbor is an enemy, every battle scar possibly one she delivered. But when the Riki village is raided by a ruthless clan thought to be a legend, Eelyn is even more desperate to get back to her beloved family.

She is given no choice but to trust Fiske, her brother’s friend, who sees her as a threat. They must do the impossible: unite the clans to fight together, or risk being slaughtered one by one. Driven by a love for her clan and her growing love for Fiske, Eelyn must confront her own definition of loyalty and family while daring to put her faith in the people she’s spent her life hating.

What I Liked:

Warning: this book is a new favorite of mine and there will be a lot of fangirling in this review. I can't guarantee everything will make sense or flow coherently but I can guarantee that it will be abundantly clear that I loved this book. So much.

Y'all, I don't even have the words. I don't know how to write this review. All I know is that I've just finished reading the book, after sitting down to start it several hours ago, and I want to shout to the world how much I enjoyed the story. This is one of those books that clicked with me as a reader instantly, and at no point did my enjoyment of and connection to the book let up. I'm sorry if I won't be very articulate in this review. I'm sorry I won't do this book justice. And I'm sorry for those that did not (or will not) enjoy the book. It's a new favorite of mine, and one that I'll be rereading and thinking about for a long time.

The story opens with immediate acting, in which Eelyn and her people (the Aska) are getting ready to face off with the enemies, the Riki. Eelyn and her friend Myra are fight side-by-side when Eelyn is thrown down and about to be killed by a Riki - when someone stops the Riki. Much to Eelyn's surprise, that someone is Eelyn's brother, who she watched die five years ago. It turns out that Iri is not dead, and has been living with the Riki for the last five years. When Eelyn, now badly injured, is taken by the Riki, she must learn to survive in the enemy's village until winter is over. But with the closing of winter comes the emergence of a stronger, common enemy of both the Riki and the Aska - the Herja. Eelyn may be the key to the union of the Aska and the Riki, which could lead to the survival of all against the Herja.

From the opening scene, this story was filled with action, constant nonstop battle and conflict. It isn't all bloodshed and war, though there is some of that and it is brutal. Even with Eelyn badly injured and taken as prisoner among the Riki, the flow of the story never slows down. I thought the pacing was really well-written, except maybe towards the last few chapters (things were a bit fast).

Eelyn is a strong, fierce warrior, though she isn't a heartless killing machine. Yes, she is a Viking warrior, but she is entirely human, with a loyal, noble heart. She loves her family and her people, and holds fast to her traditions and values, but even still, she begins to see how the Riki are just like the Aska. Eelyn's character growth is obvious; she is angry and bitter at first (and rightfully so), but her willingness to forgive creeps up on her. She was dealt a cruel hand and the Riki did badly by her at first, but she came out stronger, and she saw the truth of things.

I so wish this book could have also included Fiske's POV, like alternating third-person POVs or something. Fiske was an enigma a first - he seemed to be cold and driven and lacking in emotion. But all of his actions and decisions started to add up as we learned more about him as a man. He is a good person given difficult choices to make, and I can't fault him for what he did for his family, for Iri, for Eelyn. I adored Fiske. It took some page time for me to start to really like him, but I knew there was more than meets the eye. And hey, it took a lot more page time for Eelyn to like him. (And rightfully so. I'd hate him too at first, if I were her.) His redemption was sound though. He acknowledges his wrongs to Eelyn. This was so important and I'm glad the author made sure to write this into the story.

Eelyn's relationship with her brother is a tricky one. She is so angry with him for leaving the Aska even after he was healed by the Riki, for choosing to stay with the Riki, for never letting the Aska know that he was alright, for leaving her/forgetting about her. She tries so hard to harden herself against him; honestly I didn't really blame her at first, but I also slowly came to forgive Iri, just as Eelyn slowly came to forgive him. The author does such a good job of writing Eelyn's relationship and complicated feelings towards her brother. She is happy he is alive, but she is angry that he is alive (and living among the Riki, like family).

The story comes to a climax when the Aska and the Riki both are attacked by the Herja. A good solution? The Aska and Riki should join forces. The two clans have been rivals for a long time, but Eelyn and Fiske are willing to try to convince both clans to fight together.

There is romance, if you couldn't tell! It's a subtle romance between Fiske and Eelyn. There is no insta-love or insta-lust - and you'd see why, when you see how Fiske and Eelyn meet and what happens after that. Eelyn shouldn't have fallen for Fiske, but she did, and I get it. I see why. They are so similar, and they needed each other, and they grew to care about each other. I loved how subtle the growing feelings were - I expected the romance between Fiske and Eelyn, but I also love watching it bud very slowly. And hey, no love triangle! A good slow-burn, hate-to-love romance. Two of my favorite tropes when it comes to romance!

The ending is a really, really good ending, for the Aska and the Riki, for Eelyn and her people, for Fiske and Eelyn, for Iri and his new paths. I so respect Adrienne Young for ending the book the way she did - it's a good HEA. Don't get me wrong, everything isn't sunshine and rainbows in all things, but the author also didn't do something obnoxious and cruel to any of the characters. The ending is so positive and hopeful and I loved it.

What I Did Not Like:

Hmmm, I guess I wouldn't have minded more kissing? Fiske and Eelyn's chemistry was super subtle and didn't really start showing until more than halfway through the story - and for good reason (Eelyn was hurting and hating everyone, and rightfully so). But I would have loved to see a little more chemistry and tension between them, because I feel like they would have had such fiery chemistry. Their chemistry is simmering in a subtle way, which is cool, but there's nothing wrong with some good passion too. *wink*

Anyway that's not really a bad thing or a complaint, more of wishful thinking but HEY this book was excellent, don't mind me!

Would I Recommend It:

I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants an action-packed story with a tough but vulnerable heroine (i.e. a warrior who is also not a cold-hearted killing machine), a difficult brother-sister relationship, a smoldering hate-to-love romance, and a pact that could change the course of history for the two clans. This story is so powerful because it shows how two sets of people can seem so different but are really just like the other. I think any YA reader would enjoy this book, and it's a standalone so there's no waiting for additional books!

Rating:

5 stars. This is the type of historical fantasy (or maybe just historical fiction - it's not always easy to classify Viking-based fiction) that I love and need more of. I love the kickbutt heroine who isn't perfect and isn't merciless, but is still fierce and tough. I love the kickbutt hero who makes difficult decisions to protect those he cares about, and whose selflessness is so underrated by those around him. I love the story of the Aska and the Riki coming together to survive. This book is a new favorite of mine, an instant preorder, a novel worthy of shelf space. I can't wait to read more by the author, unrelated or otherwise!

I am such a sucker for stories set in a Viking/Nordic-type of culture, so when I got the opportunity to review this book, I was ecstatic. Sky in the Deep tells a story about two warring clans, The Aska and The Riki, and how one Aska girl named Eelyn gets captured by the enemy in the search for the brother she thought was dead. I really enjoyed this one, and I thought the fighting scenes in this book were really brutal, but in a good way. Although there is one scene in this book about a eyeball, that I kind of had to skim because it was gross. Young doesn't try to sugarcoat the culture in this book, it's dark and realistic and she really paints for you the setting. I totally just pictured Whiterun from Skyrim, but that's because I am OBSESSED with Skyrim.


Eelyn is kind of an unlikeable character, which is kind of why I liked her. The majority of the book she spends as a Dyr (or slave for The Riki) and she tries to fight tooth and nail to get out of it. She was a warrior through and through, and she was pretty bitter. I had to laugh at times when she would say things in her head about how she could just wait for everyone to fall asleep and slit their throats. Girl was savage! And I liked it. I also like that we slowly see her change her perspective and realize that her enemy was not that different from her own people. When a bigger enemy threats both clans, it was refreshing to see her put all her past opinion aside so that both clans could survive.


I really liked the relationship that develops between Eelyn and Fiske. I had a feeling about Fiske when I first met him in this story, so I wasn't surprised about how the relationship between him and Eelyn turns out. I don't think Fiske really wanted to take Eelyn capture, but he was doing what he thought he was supposed to do. Fiske had already broken the rules of his clan before, so it was clear his heart saw that they were more alike than either clans really realized.


I liked this book a lot, but I feel like I wanted more out of it. The ending did feel a little rushed, but I felt all in all it was a really decent book. If you like books about warriors from Nordic-style cultures, I would recommend this one.


*I received a free egalley copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.


Happy Reads Everyone!

I hate this feeling when you have no idea how to rate a book, and well it’s happening with this one.

<i>I received an e-ARC copy via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.</i>

I believe that two things ruined somehow this book for me, the first one being the hype and the second one my lack of time to read it. Honestly, when I received the ARC I was over the moon: a few of my friends have already read it and loved it. Plus, it has amazing ratings on Goodreads – really, you can’t miss the hype. So when I got to read it myself, I started to get scared to be disappointed because in my head it was already something exceptional, and well I ended up being disappointed indeed. The other problem that I had is that I started it when I had no time to read, i.e. at a bookfair, and having to read this book for five days somehow got me bored and I had to force myself to finish it. Of course it has nothing to do with the book itself, but I think that it is also why I am finding it so hard to rate it.

When I first started it I was excited and a bit impressed. I loved the fact that the story started right away in the middle of a fight scene and I absolutely adored the world and its culture. It felt new and original and I was super happy to read something like that. There are quite a few other fight scenes in this book and they are all epic and well written. Really, I was hooked every time and it’s one of the main reasons of why I loved this book, the other reason being the main character Eelyn who I really liked: she was strong and never lose sight of her goal.

But, as I said, something still felt off as I was reading. Sometimes I felt as if nothing happened and when I try to summarize the book I realize that it is the case (which shouldn’t be a problem because I love slow-paced books and I have nothing against the ones in which nothing happens, but here I still got bored). It may be because I didn’t really care about the other characters, like Fiske for example. I wasn’t rooting for the romance, which I guessed immediately. I believe the problem may be me in this case, but I just wasn’t interested. Anyway, the story focused more on the characters in the end than the plot, and if like me you didn’t really care about them and only were there because of the said plot… well, you will be left like me, waiting for something more.

To be honest, it is a good YA book. It is original, well written and very interesting. I was just somehow waiting for something else, for something more – maybe more battles, more feels. Maybe it’s just because I became very hard to please when it comes to YA because I already read so many… Maybe it’s just me, but I still was disappointed. I decided to give it 4/5 stars for now, it sure is a good book and I'm sure many people will love it but maybe it wasn’t the right one for me. 4 stars is a really great rating for me so I still believe that I loved it but I just wasn't in the right state of mind for it, I think.

I started this book as something to clear my head before bed and could not put it down. I loved the differences between the two peoples and the realization that they were the same. Eelyn and Fiske were fun to watch and see how they fought and snarled. The pace of the entire book was perfect which is difficult for a lot of authors. A quick, interesting read that I recommend. Looking forward to more from this author!

I received this book for free from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and Adrienne Young for allowing me to read and review this novel. I loved it! I will be recommending it to all of my #bookstagram friends.

Mini review:

I received this E-Arc via Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

I was this book circulating twitter and GR for awhile. I’m not exactly a fan of Viking books but wanted to try this regardless. Unfortunately I didn’t enjoy it.

For the most part I didn’t care about anything. I wasn’t that invested in any of the characters. I did like how well the MC’s struggle with her brother was written. But after that it became boring.

The fight scenes were well written. And it was nice to see how family oriented the book was. The only character I liked was Halvard (I forgot his name) and the mother.

The romance came out of nowhere. It was obviously going to happen, but I didn’t really feel any build-up. Seeing as Fiske was threatening her half the time. And Eelyn was mostly thinking about escape or killing everyone.

Overall I didn’t really care for this. Still recommend.

I'm really disappointed to say this one did not work for me at all. The tough female heroine spends more time doing household chores and getting rescued than anything else. The battle scenes were vivid but the writing had a middle grade feel to it that didn't match up with the more graphic material. Full review on 5/2/2018!

Well that was different, mostly.
If I were to give a true review it would be 3.5/5. I bumped it up to 4, because I enjoyed more than not.
This is an original story about a warrior Aska girl named Eelyn, fighting for her clan against the vicious Riki. Things change when she sees someone fighting with the Riki, someone who should be dead. What are the Riki really and what happened to this walking dead guy. Together can they change the warring clans?
I enjoyed the originality of the Sky in the Deep. I don't think I have ever read a book exploring the Vikings historically or otherwise, let alone a young adult book and the author does a really good job with world creation.
Young adult books tend to rely heavily on romantic relationships and I really feel like that holds this book back. I enjoyed Eelyn as a character and her relationships within her clan and with the Riki, but Fiske seemed very flat and I couldn't really see their relationship building enough to truly impact the plot. Not to mention how often she "cries" after his introduction. It seemed pretty heavy handed and stereotypical. I would have preferred a bigger emphasis on Iri or Inge instead or even her father.
Really good book, I would definitely recommend it to a certain audience and a wider audience with a disclaimer about the romantic relationship.
Thanks to NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for a review.

(Review will go live April 4, 2018)

I immediately requested this book when I strayed upon it on NetGalley. For one, I live in Minnesota, so it's almost obligatory that I read any YA novel about Vikings. But that aside, the Viking things alone would be enough regardless of geography simply because it sounded like a breath of fresh air. I mean, I love fairytales and royalty fantasy fiction as much as the next person, but there's been A LOT of those published recently. But a young woman Viking? Sign me up!

Eelyn is a warrior. Her father is a warrior, her brother was a warrior, before dying tragically several years ago, and her entire society is built around a strict rotation of warring and preparing to war with their rival clan, the Riki. But, as the book description above states, things go very wrong when she catches sight of her should-be dead brother battling against her clan alongside a fellow Riki warrior. Now, captured, alone, and surrounded by the enemy, Eelyn struggles to understand a brother she no longer knows and a people who seemingly frighteningly similar to her own.

The first thing I loved about this book was the author's willingness to live in the world she built. Unlike other books, *cough*"The Cruel Prince"*cough*, Eelyn is a warrior and we SEE her fight. She kills people, and she doesn't make apologies for it. This is her world, so why would she question these ways? Again and again, even as the battle lines move and the enemies change, we see Eelyn's skills and why she is respected as a fighter. Further, there is never any mention of her gender playing any role in things. For one thing, she's by no means unique for being a female warrior. Her best friend fights alongside her, and they have a practiced, methodical way of moving across a battlefield that only comes through much repetition and trust. So, too, in the Riki camp, women are just as likely to take up an axe or sword as the men. It was refreshing how free of comment this book was on this premise.

The action scenes in particular stood out. They are sprinkled throughout the story, successfully picking back up the pace just when things were on the verge of becoming a bit slow. The battles were also given a good amount of page time, with many details about the use of the land in strategy and the actual fights taking place. I was all over this, but it does mean you have to be a fan of battle scenes and sword/axe fighting to enjoy this book.

The storyline itself was fairly predictable. We all know going in that it's going to be a pretty tried and true version of a main character learning that those she's always hated might not be all that bad and oh look, here's a convenient OTHER that they can both band up with against and she will be the point of connection between them. However, for all of that, I feel like the story was managed well and saved from too much predictability by the honest and challenging inner struggles that Eelyn goes through, particularly with her feelings towards a brother who she mourned but now finds alive and well, living with her enemy.

Eelyn is not a perfect person, and it is her imperfections that save what could have been a pretty typical story. Her anger, resentment, and prejudices do not go quickly or easily away. Even by the end of the book, it is still clear that she struggles to accept what her brother chose, and she is quick to understand and sympathize with her people's distrust when she proposes banding together.

I did enjoy the romance as well, though it did progress a bit quickly for my taste. The book is fairly short, however, so this was maybe a bit unavoidable. What really made it was how free this plotline was from any grand romantic gestures or flowery, angsty prose. Fiske was an example of one of my more favorite romantic heroes: silent and steady. Between his solid presence, and the fact that most of the emotional stakes of the book were still tied up between Eelyn and her feelings towards her brother, the romantic plotline served as an understated but sweet portion of the book.

Again, given the shortness of the book, things did progress quite quickly throughout the entire story. I could have done with several more chapters of Eelyn's time in the Riki village and a slower arc for her coming to understand these people. However, the writing was beautiful, particularly the descriptions of winter in the deep forest. And the action is appropriately violent and exciting. If you're a fan of historical fiction and are looking for a quick, standalone read, I definitely recommend checking out "Sky in the Deep!"

Rating 7: A breath of fresh air in YA fiction, where the female warrior is appropriately badass and the action carries readers through what could be a slightly predictable story.

This was fun and action packed! The protagonist was super badass and likeable.

Wow. When I started reading Sky in the Deep I couldn’t stop, I raced through the pages. The combo of the unique story as well as the characters had me riveted. Even when I finished reading, I did one of those. What was that awesome movie I watched, oh wait it was a book I read. I loved loved this book so much!

I loved Eelyn. She is this badass warrior and is fiercely loyal to her clan the Aska. It’s interesting to see her change and grow as she finds that things aren’t always what they seem. That hatred that she was taught isn’t necessarily right. I loved watching her develop as she struggled with the things she is supposed to hate but also the things she love and how could they be the same thing at times. Through Eelyn’s eyes we see her own traditions and how they differ from the Riki but are also very similar. She is just such a great character.

All the other characters are great two from Iri, who I had my own complicated feelings about. I could understand the conflict between the siblings. I have older brothers myself so I always think, how would I feel. Then of course Inge, Runa, Halvard and Fiske. (I love Fiske). They all have their special things about them that really just compliment the story.

What are great storyteller Adrienne Young is! The plot is fast moving, I never felt any lag. The fighting scenes were filled with action but not too overwhelming. It was the right amount for the story. You can’t have a book about warring clans without some blood. I actually like that the main characters are not exempt from getting harmed. The fighting season is a brutal time for these clans and it was definitely shown from both sides. I kept the Herja looking like the White Walkers from GOT. I honestly don’t even think they were described that way but it’s what my brain decided and could be swayed. In general though I could vividly picture all the settings and things happening. I really did feel like I had watched a movie.

Hate to love relationships are kind of my favorite type. I’m hoping there is lots of fanart for this book, because I would love to see art from this book.

I could rave all day how this a great read. I really did love it and I can not wait to see what Adrienne Young comes up with next.

I'm sad to say this book fell into the overhyped category for me. I was so excited to get the ARC, but as I read it I was more and more disappointed. With so may five stars, how could I fid it so dry - I'm having that "I read a completely different book" feeling.

Meet Eelyn. She's a badass warrior, fierce and unafraid to fight or say what she means. Then she's thrust into a story that has her spending half the book crushing garlic or whining about her injuries. After the first chapter of total brilliance, ending on a cliffhanger in which we don't know if she saw the ghost of her brother, she's thrown into a world of servitude for so, so long. And this is where we discover how shallow her character is, along with everyone else.

The book suffers from poor pacing and lack of depth. There were many dry parts at the beginning that were difficult to get through. I don't want to give too much away, but there was so much that was hyped only to be given away too easily. The final battle starts so late in the book, I was sure the book would end on a cliffhanger, but no, it just ended way too fast.

I was so excited about the Viking lore, but honestly, that was the only part that kept me reading. The world and fictional language feel and sound like old real Viking warfare. But it is all action and no substance, and the tropes are the same ones we've seen in a thousand YA fantasy novels. It's like a shadow puppet story, only 2D the entire way through.

Eely might have been fierce, but she read like any other YA heroine. She's not bringing anything new to the table, even with her will to fight. There were too many typical YA fantasy tropes, and even though the writing wasn’t bad, I couldn’t imagine anything. Too much telling. Not to mention she's thrust into an opportunity for real growth, and all she really does is fall in love with a guy ad that counts as all the growing she's going to do today.

I would still recommend this to people who strictly read or enjoy YA fantasy because I think Vikings are awesome and other YA readers would love this unique setting, but everyone just felt super flat.