Thank you Netgalley for the ARC!

My goodness. This book was action packed. I loved every single thing about it. The main character was badass. I wish there was more!

I have not had the best of luck with my recent review books, many have not worked out for me. So, I was cautious going into this one. My caution was unwarranted. This was a great book. It's not often that you get to read a viking young adult book. The story starts out strong and you quickly get to know Eelyn and see her in battle. The book just takes off from there. Eelyn is confident, headstrong, and set in her ways. But. over the course of the story you get to see how events and the people around her change her attitude. I liked Eelyn a lot. She reminded me a lot of Caelana from the Throne of Glass books. I also liked the side characters and would love to learn more about them. I am rating it a 5 stars but if I could, I would probably bump it down to 4.5. While I liked Fiske, out of all of the side characters, I felt that he was the least developed of them. Excellent book overall. I am excited to see what else this author has. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me the opportunity to read this.

Thank you Netgalley and St Martin's Press for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

When I think of the word Viking, I imagine big, burley men on a battlefield swinging axes and swords and fighting for their lives. I never really thought about children having to fight, until now that is.

Adrienne Young's debut novel Sky in the Deep is an amazing debut that you will not be able to put down. I love books that start right with the meat of the story from page one and while the story jumps off to a fast pace, it remains that way while also building characters and the world around them. This is a great family orientented fantasy novel and I cannot wait for more from this author! My full review will be posted on my website www.bookofcons.com closer to release date.

AMAZING!!! I absolutely love this book!! It was emotional, violent, impacting and totally badass! This is a must-read for sure!

Sky in the Deep is a beautifully written novel about a young girl who is every bit as fierce and strong as she is kick butt, brave and completely bad a$%. Truly, she makes you want to be her, fighting, death, and brutality and all.

She is a warrior in every sense of the word and set in a very much Viking-esque atmosphere, this novel is one that will keep you on the edge of your seat eagerly turning the pages wanting more.

Romance, struggles, and fights to the bloody death, this is a novel that will stick with you. It grabs hold of your emotions and keeps them front and center while it mercilessly plays with them as the story progresses and moves at a fast pace that will leave your heart pounding and your lungs gasping for breath.

Truly a stand out YA stand alone novel that is sure to grab your attention and leave you wishing there was more to come.

Confession time.  I didn't really expect to like this book.  I saw a few good reviews from others in a book group and decided to "wish for it" on netgalley.  When I got my wish, I was a bit worried, but decided to give it a chance.  I am so glad that I was wrong.  I ended up loving everything about this book!



Sky in the Deep has so much to love.  The writing and world building was great and it pulled me in right away.  It's a bit violent at times and there are some gross moments (the eye, OMG), but they really added to the story.  There is a lot of fighting and a little romance.  It's a hate to love romance that worked so well for me.



Eelyn is an Aska.  She fights with her father, best friend, and the rest of her clan.  She watched her brother, Iri, die in battle five years earlier and it still haunts her.  She wants revenge against the Riki for killing him.  

The clans worship different gods.  The Riki god, Thora, erupted from the mountain in fire.  The Aska god, Sigr, rose from the sea.  Every five years, the Aska went to battle against the Riki to defend Sigr's honor, bound by a blood feud.  The Aska wore armor of red leather with bronze metal.  The Riki wore brown.

There is another clan, the Herja, that killed Eelyn's mother.  The Herja were thought to be a myth.  Not everyone had ever seen them, but they were brutal and dangerous.

One day during battle, Eelyn believes she sees her dead brother, Iri.  She sees him again and decides to follow him.  Iri is fighting with the Riki.  Eelyn is taken by Iri and his best friend, Fiske.  It's mostly for her safety.  Iri feels it would be better to capture her than to have the clan kill her.  Eelyn is taken to their home and finds that the Riki are very much like her.  Iri has a family there that love him.  It doesn't matter that they aren't blood related.  They took him in and healed him.  Iri believes that Thora healed him when Sigr left him for dead, when his clan left him for dead.  He owes his life to Fiske and his family.  

The Herja attack the Riki villages and Eelyn starts to believe that the Aska and Riki must join forces to defeat the Herja.  But that comes with many complications and possible betrayals.  Not everyone can see past their hatred to defeat a common enemy.



I really don't want to get into much more and ruin the story for everyone.  I will say that I loved Eelyn's growth as a person during this book.  It had such a good message that people can change and you can love and respect people who are different from you.  Fiske was another favorite of mine.  I really loved his whole family.



I gave this book 5 stars and will definitely read the next book that Adrienne Young writes.  I received a copy of this book from netgalley for review.  I already pre-ordered a final copy.

My request on Netgalley was approved by the publisher, so thank you St. Martin's Press!

Sky In The Deep by Adrienne Young

My Rating: 4 / 5 🌟

When I heard that this book was about Vikings, I had some assumptions of how the book was going to be. But it was definitely not what I expected.

The story follows Eelyn who had thought that her brother had died 5 years ago but then found out that he was actually still alive and living with the enemy. Later on, she somehow ended up into the hands of the enemy and now had to deal with her brother's betrayal.

Although the story is set in a Viking fantasy world, it focuses a lot more on the family aspect in the book. And it was raw and emotional and heart wrenching to read about.

I'll be honest, when I first started reading the book, I couldn't really get into the story or connect with the characters. So, I decided to put myself fully in Eelyn's shoes and OH MY GOSH, it was truly an emotional rollercoaster ride.

The relationship between the characters basically drives the whole book. And the family aspect being focused in the book goes beyond the line "blood is thicker than water." Personally, it was really hard to read because it just really hit home for me, but at the same time, I think Adrienne did an amazing job with it.

Although I really did enjoy the book, the execution of the plot still felt a bit flat for me but nevertheless it was still a complex yet enjoyable read.

I wanted to give a 3.75 🌟 at first but then I still can't seem to get the story out of my head and I really feel like I can reread this book and learn something new each time, so I decided to round it up to 4 🌟.

And if you think of picking up something different than your usual YA fantasy, then you should definitely give Sky In The Deep a go.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

I got the chance to ask Adrienne Young, the author of the book, a few questions regarding about "Sky In The Deep".

This interview is SPOILER FREE.
[ ] Added by me.

Here's the questions:

1. "Sky In The Deep" has been getting a lot of major buzz lately, it was featured on Bustle's '27 Most Anticipated YA Fantasy Books Hitting Shelves In 2018' list and the early reviews have been great so far. So, what has been your reaction to all of this?
A: I’m excited and honestly, still trying to believe it. The reception to Sky [In The Deep] has been so much more than I could have hoped for. I actually don’t read my reviews because as an author... it’s just hard. But I have friends who send me snippets of the best ones so I’ve gotten to see a little bit. It makes me so happy that people are understanding this book.

2. "Sky In The Deep" focuses a lot about family that goes beyond the line 'blood is thicker than water'. Was it something you knew you wanted to focus on before writing the book or did the idea came to you slowly while writing the book?
A: That thread kind of started surfacing as I got further into the book. I didn’t really plan on exploring that but I try not to plan much at all before I start writing. I usually just start with the inciting incident (Eelyn seeing her dead brother in battle) and see where it takes me. I really love how the family stuff unfolded in this book.

3. Eelyn is a very complex and layered character, was it hard to write the book in her point of view?
A: No, it felt really natural. I was really deep in her head and I tried to just follow her lead. I enjoyed it but it was emotionally taxing. I wrote a lot of myself into her character.

4. Although "Sky In The Deep" is a Viking story which you don't see very often in YA, were there any other YA books that inspired certain aspect in your book?
A: I can’t really think of one. But Laini Taylor is one of my all time favorite authors and her writing has been a major inspiration and influence for me. So I definitely think my admiration of her work infuses into my stories.

5. For the readers who are still hesitating about picking up "Sky In The Deep", why do you think they should give it a go?
A: I’m asking a lot of questions in this book, many if which have very real reflections in our current world. No book is for everyone. But the story is all about questioning what you’ve always been told is true and choosing for yourself how you will live and who you will be. For that reason alone, I think it’s worth a try.

I blew threw this book. Like in one day blew threw. I was just in the mood for something a little bloody and a little violent so I knew this was just what I needed to pick up. The blood and the violence did NOT disappoint. While I did find the story lacking in some areas, it was a well overall told story. I would definitely recommend this to a friend who is in the mood for some violence....

Eelyn is a Viking and a member of the Aska clan. The Aska clan absolutely hates the Riki clan and vice-versa because of a dispute between their two Gods, Sigr and Thora, respectively. The Riki and the Aska hate each other so much they meet up every five years, on the dot, to violently kill one another. 17-year-old Eelyn is a true Viking warrior, so she is so there for a battle against the Riki. Only something weird happens: during the battle, she sees her brother, Iri. Except Iri died in a battle five years ago. Eelyn saw him die. And why the hell is her somehow-still-alive brother fighting with the Riki against his own clan?

Eelyn is desperate to find out, so, during the next battle, she abandons the fight to chase after her brother. And is promptly captured by the Riki and taken up to their village in the mountains, where Eelyn must somehow survive the harsh winter as a slave/prisoner of war. Iri is perfectly happy among the Riki, which pisses Eelyn off – how could he abandon his family and his clan? But Iri is determined to stay, and he and his Riki best bud Fiske hatch a plan to help Eelyn escape after the first thaw.

Oh, except there’s this creepy weird third clan called the Herja. There’s a ton of them and they’re out to get both the Riki and the Aska. But can the Riki and the Aska set aside their differences long enough to prevent their total annihilation?

Sky in the Deep is a fun book – if you like YA and Viking stories, you will find a lot to enjoy here. The weird thing is, I couldn’t tell where this book fell. Is it straight-up historical fiction that’s supposed to take place in pre-Christianity Norway? Or Iceland before all the trees got chopped down? (There are very few trees in Iceland. The trees they do have are better classified as “shrubs.” As a Pacific Northwestern Tree Dweller, I found it very unsettling. There’s nothing to block the wind, damn it!). I got the sense that Sky in the Deep was supposed to be fantasy, but there are not many fantastical elements to it. No magic, no creepy pale zombies, nothing like that. Perhaps it was just straight-up historical fiction? Perhaps I’ve become so used to expecting magic in every YA book I read that I just assumed there would be fantasy elements? Probably. Good job, biased me.
My thing with historical fiction like this is I like to know just where the story is taking place. Young does use a smattering of Scandinavian words throughout the book, which made it harder for me to pin down exactly where this was supposed to be. Sváss is an Icelandic word for something like “sweetheart” or “dear one”, the Aska afterlife, Sólbjǫrg, is Old Norse for Sunset. Dýr is Old Norse for “wild Beast” or “animal” but in Sky in the Deep’s context, means something more like “servant” or “slave.” “Ond Eldr” in Sky in the Deep means “breathe fire” which I’m going to guess is close, because eldur is the modern Icelandic word for fire. Not sure where the ond comes from, but the modern words for “breathe” in modern Icelandic, Norwegian and Swedish, respectively, are andaðu, puste and andas, so…maybe at one point it was close to the word ond? I’m sure it doesn’t mean “evil older” as Google Translate told me… The Aska clan’s words, vegr yfir fjor (Honor Above Life), when put into Google Translate for Icelandic comes back with “road over last year.” Google Translate also really wants to add a U to vegr, making it into the modern Icelandic word vegur, which is the word for “way.” For example, Laugavegur is a street in Reykjavik – its name translate to “wash way” because the street led to the hot springs in Laugardalur where women would do their laundry. It’s also the name of a trekking route between Landmannalaugar and Þórsmörk which, you guessed it, leads to some hot springs. Fun fact: I did a small bit of the Laugavegur trail. I didn’t last long. There’s this part of the trail called The Cat’s Spine that isn’t super fun if you’re terrified of heights. As I am.

Anyway, it looks rather a lot like Young just went to the Vikings of Bjornstad’s website for her Old Norse. Which means the story could take place anywhere where they spoke Old Norse, but I’m going to go with Norway or Sweden simply because Iceland doesn’t have that many trees (even when they did have trees, I’m willing to bet you there weren’t that many) and Finland is home to an insane language that has nothing in common with its neighbors. Seriously, Finnish, what is up with you? What is up with the entire Finno-Ugric language family?
Moving away from the book’s location (I could go on and on forever and ever about word origins and Old Norse) to the plot. The central story arc is basically Eelyn learning that the Riki are not so different from her own people, not the monsters she was always taught that they were. Though it doesn’t make much sense that Eelyn would spend so much time learning how the Riki are just like her, only to then have her and her new friends immediately turn and redirect their hate onto a convenient third group. What’s so bad about the Herja anyway? Well, they killed her mom, they’re pale, they have a weird religion, they do human sacrifices, whereas the Riki and the Aska do the honorable thing and just sacrifice poor animals instead…The Herja really didn’t seem too different from the Aska and the Riki. I mean, if Eelyn spent any time with the Herja, maybe she would’ve found “hey, they’re just like us!” also? Is it weird I kind of wished that the Herja were actually, I dunno, zombies or something? What does that say about me when I want the “bad guy” in a story to be less than human so I can have more of a reason to dislike them? Yikes.

I try not to judge ARCs too harshly, because you never know what relationship they will have to the finished product. I seldom have time to read the finished version of the ARCs I get. Plus I’m lazy like that. Also, I wouldn’t want anyone judging my uncorrected proofs too harshly, either, because honestly, I’m not great with spelling. I’m a bit of a disaster when it comes to words that are spelled differently than they’re pronounced. Anyway! I did enjoy reading this book. The writing is good and I like Viking stories and YA, so I had fun while reading it. The battle scenes are action packed and exciting and Eelyn is a relatable and sympathetic protagonist. She’s also a badass who at one point gouges out a dude’s eye with her bare hands. So if you want a YA Viking tale, then you will like this book. However, if you think too hard about the implications of two groups uniting only to do the same thing they did to each other forever and ever to a third group, then you might end up with a headache.

RECOMMENDED FOR: Fans of YA historical fiction, Viking fans, fans of badass female protagonists, Old Norse aficionados.

NOT RECOMMENDED FOR: Anyone who immediately starts a deeper analysis of the Riki and Aska’s hatred of the Herja, non YA fans, people who dislike lots of violence, people who really need to know exactly when and where their historical fiction takes place.

Back when I first heard of Adrienne Young's debut, I was already very much excited for it's release since it's pitched as a YA fantasy novel that's part Wonder Woman and part Vikings. (It literally says that on the back cover of my review copy!) With that said, I totally expected for it to be thrilling, filled with all kinds of action, adventure, and emotion, and I'm so, so satisfied that that's exactly what I got while reading Sky In The Deep. Read on for a more detailed review of this exciting Spring 2018 release from Wednesday Books.

If I were to be completely honest about this, then I'd have to confess that I didn't really click with this book instantly. It took me a while to get used to the writing, the world building, and the characters, but that doesn't necessarily entail bad things. I understood the idea of the story enough to know that there are a lot to establish about the tribes, about the world, before things started moving forward. The first hundred pages might have been a little hard for me to go through but towards the ending, I love how every single detail made the story well-connected and well-written. Some of the terms and names used by the author were also very unique and so I would very much love for the finished copy to come with pronunciation guides of some sort. Nonetheless, everything still managed to keep my interests afloat.

As for the aspects that impressed me, I was very much intrigued by Eelyn, and I loved her as an empowering, feminist for a main character. I loved her development from start to finish, and in the end, I grew fond of being in her head space. I enjoyed seeing her grow as a strong warrior, and her journey towards survival, to me, was very engaging. I also liked how she always seemed to value her family before anything else, making her a mature, sagacious heroine. As a result of her being family-oriented, I also adored the family dynamics featured in this book. Each familial relationship felt genuine, and I love how loyal everyone were to their families, and this further made me love the characters, major or minor, overall.

The last thing that I believe is worth highlighting is the subtle bit of romance that the author was able to incorporate into the story. Most of my friends know that I'm almost always on board when it comes to love stories. Unfortunately, that's not always the case for fantasy novels. I usually like my action-packed stories served with less romance or swoon and that's exactly what I got in Sky In The Deep. The romance between Eelyn and her love interest (don't want to spoil anything for 'ya!) wasn't excessive and I think it was just the right amount, not at all obscuring the limelight from the actual plot and story. On the contrary, I think it actually complemented it even more, and it just adds up to the overall feel-good vibe of Eelyn's journey.

"Filled with luxuriant world building, heart-stopping battle scenes, and well-developed characters that are extremely easy to root for, Adrienne Young's debut will no doubt give it's readers the thrill and exhilaration that comes in reading an impressively written book. Albeit being a fantasy story that's completely action-packed, it still manages to focus on relevant topics like great family dynamics, faith, loyalty, betrayal and even love, so rest-assured that readers are in for a well-rounded reading experience that's equal parts unique and engaging."

Sky in the Deep is one of my most anticipated books of 2018 and I am so thankful I was accepted to read this arc. It was even more brilliant than I could have imagined this book to be.

Recommend: Probably
Review:
This cover drew me in, but the plot is what captivated me and had me hooked. Seriously, what is better than a fierce warrior woman, the weaving of Norse/Celtic mythology, and vikings? Yes, VIKINGS! I was so excited to read a book about vikings, because the only ones I have found so far are romance novels (which I also enjoy, but they are about a sexy viking and sex, not really the culture and mythology).
THE CHARACTERS:
EELYN- She is tough, she is fierce, she will stab you, walk away with out looking back and not even bother to wipe your blood off her face. Seriously, she starts off kicking butt and pretty much ends that way. I love how tough she was, I love how dedicated she was to her tribe, I love how she refuses to give up or flinch. She is pretty freaking amazing and embodies what a strong female MC can be. She is also smart though. She refuses to let views cloud her judgement, she knows what she needs to do to survive, and she knows how to do what needs to be done. She is not just brawn, she is also brain.
FISKE- Hello handsome, I will happily join the Riki for you. Okay, that was't really true at the beginning since I was waiting for Eelyn to stab him and I would have cheered for it, but as the story continues and we learn more about him, I definitely started liking him. He is not just strong and passionate, he is also smart, determined, and knows how to access a situation. He doesn't speak much, but that kind of adds to his strength. He is silent, but that silence makes him deadly since even though he is huge, he is definitely capable of sneaking up on you and killing you without you even realizing it.
IRI- I'm still not sure how to feel about him. I mean, he was kind of a traitor and he betrayed his family without ever looking back, but he wasn't really a bad guy. I mean, he never really apologized for his actions and to me he kind of just turned his back on his family and decided to act like they never existed until he kind of HAD to, so I don't exactly like him. I mean, I don't hate him, but I also probably wouldn't have shed a tear if he died.
THE PLOT:
This book starts off with a bloody battle, ends with a bloody battle, and everything in between was a fight for survival, a realization about life, and an acceptance. Seriously, I don't want to give too much away, but even though I took off a star because I did find it boring a few times, it was still a blood-pumping ride that I want to experience again.
Also, there is a little bit of romance, but it is so realistic and I wasn't even sure about it until almost the end. This was not a magical romance that changed the world and saved everyone. This was not a romance that just happened as soon as they met (kind of the exactly opposite of love at first sight), and this romance is not unrealistic in it's existence. And another amazing thing? NO SUPER SPECIAL SNOWFLAKE! Eelyn is not the MC we have been reading about with special powers who is going to change the world, and I loved it. I loved how real and relateable she was.
The ending was beautiful and simple and left me feeling complete, though I wouldn't object to another book that takes place in the same world.

FINAL THOUGHTS:
I really enjoyed this book. While I had to take a star away because there were a few times that I was just bored or wanted to skip ahead, in all I was very happy with this book and loved reading it. I think Eelyn is a very strong, wonderful female MC, I think the romance is realistic and perfect, and I think the plot flowed amazingly with an ending that perfectly finished the book. I have already purchased this book because I do want to hold it in my hand and reread it, since I am positive the format will be an even better read.
I think you will enjoy this book if you read it and I will definitely recommend it to friends who are looking for a tough female in a book that isn't centered around romance.

WOW! This was one of those books that just grabbed me and wouldn't let go! I could not put it down for anything. I was completely immersed in the story, totally invested in the main character and her life!

First off, the set up is brilliant! Two warring clans? A brother back from the dead? An forbidden romance? Check. Check. And check. Sign me up! Second, the setting is so incredibly vivid, I could see and feel and smell and touch everything! This was the viking story I never knew I needed! I think it's being pitched as a YA fantasy, but it felt like a YA historical fiction to me--and an amazing one at that! I've never read anything viking related before, so everything was completely new and wonderful to me! And finally, the characters--mainly Eelyn, the heroine! Her pain was my pain. Her heart my heart. Her fight my fight. Her story came to life with an aching sort of beauty that kept me enraptured!

There were a few things I could nitpick, but honestly, I didn't even notice them or think about them until after I was finished because I was that into the story!

Highly recommend!!

**FYI, I got this one on Netgalley in exchange for an honest review!

I might be biased (as if for the genre/romance), or my feelings are based on my lack of good books between now and my last good book, but I loved Sky in the Deep. I can't even explain it. This is a Viking inspired historical fantasy (think Winner's Curse books) with no magic but strong belief in godly beings. Eelyn's voice is one of my favourite parts. It never once gets swallowed, we hear it loud and clear what she loves, hates, and is slowly discovering about herself and everyone around her. What I love most about this is Eelyn's self-discovery. I like seeing her interact with others, and I like seeing her and her love interest - I won't lie, their romance is slow burn and it's not love to begin with, but along with Eelyn, this is what you're reading this for. This is one of those books that's a personal journey for the main character.

This is a simple book, that's pretty much a standalone. So it's not an epic, and I think I like that kind of change, of something extremely simple and brief yet surprisingly weighty.

Unexpected and so good! The action is raw and real without being too explicit, the relationships are believable and compelling, and and the world building is superb. 100% recommend.

This. Was. Awesome.

If you're going into this expecting high stakes, bloody battles and outright war, you are not going to be disappointed. I had extremely high expectations for Sky in the Deep considering its viking inspiration and the battle axe on the cover. And this book more than pulled through for me. The very opening scene is our main character, Eelyn, kicking ass and killing her enemies. Without hesitation, without reservations. She's a warrior and she will not apologize for it.

I loved Eelyn. She's by far my favorite part of this book. Like I said, she is an Aska warrior. Every five years, her clan, the Askas, meet in battle against the Riki. It's a war spanning generations, a conflict between the gods. Eelyn wholeheartedly believes in the righteousness of this battle; the Riki are her enemies. This battlefield is sacred. I loved Eelyn's steadfast convictions and her faith in her god. This may not be a religion we recognize, but I hardly see any faith in YA, so this was refreshing. There was no questioning, there was no coming into her faith. Eelyn's belief in Sigr was true and as much a part of her as her Aska blood and her armor. She was also an intensely capable heroine. Not only was she an iron-forged warrior on the battle field, she knew how to take care of herself elsewhere too. I don't LOVE comparing YA main characters, but I have to say that the majority that I see are either proficient in fighting or proficient in other skills. But Eelyn knew how to fight, how to care for her armor and her horses, how to tend to the gardens and the fields, how to cook and do other chores. She wasn't a princess thrown up in a tower incapable of caring for herself and her people. And she was extremely confident. I love that she KNEW she could take care of herself; I loved that she looked inward for the strength to push through even the hardest of trials.

And in case you thought Eelyn's skill on the battlefield made her a special snowflake, let me put your mind at ease. Yes, she is a bad ass warrior beast, but so is everyone else in her world. They're all strong, they're all capable. The men and the women, both. Eelyn's people are made for war.

Another thing I really loved about Sky in the Deep is that I never felt like a supporting character was sidelined. There were a good number of side characters, and when I thought about them individually, they all could have been the main characters of their own stories. Iri, who fell in the trench and was rescued by the enemy. Fiske, who lost his father and now had to care for his whole family, including the strays they took in. Runa, the village healer who fell for the enemy. Myra, Eelyn's fighting mate, who lost everything and overcame that pain for her people. Every single one of the people that Eelyn met along her journey had their own stories to tell. For me, this made the whole book richer, like it was a real world I was falling into instead of just a story on the page.

Unfortunately, not everything about this book was perfect.

Even with the richness of the side characters, I couldn't seem to get attached to any except young Halvard, Fiske's little brother. I don't know if that's just my inner nature to protect tiny adorable beans, or if Halvard really was special. But I loved him and my heart broke for him so many times. That said, I couldn't find room in my heart for the others. Maybe it was their deliberate distance from Eelyn. I'm not sure. But I just didn't love them.

I also thought the ending was a bit rushed. Sky in the Deep is roughly 350 pages long and I think it could have benefited from being longer. This would have given us more time spent with the side characters I mentioned earlier, while also giving the Aska and the Riki time to get comfortable with the idea of working together. I felt that the MORTAL ENEMIES who had been at war for generations probably should have taken more time to warm up to one another. And while the battles in this book were bloody and grimly satisfying, the last one at the end left me wanting more.

That said, I will not take back my assertion that This. Book. Was. Awesome. It really was. It was deeply satisfying to read about Eelyn, this strong, capable warrior girl who's strength came from inside herself, from her faith, and from her family. I love a story centered on family, both those you are born with and those you find and gather to yourself. I loved this world and its people and I loved Young's writing too. If you want a wild ride, a Viking-inspired story, a fierce heroine, and a found family, you will get all of that and more in Sky in the Deep.

This book ... Oh this book. I actually had to sit on my review for a night because I was so enamored and wanted to make sure that I captured my feelings appropriately. I was a little hesitant at first, mostly because this book had a lot of hype surrounding it and I'm most often disappointed by things like this. Well, let me tell you, the hype was spot on. This book, about Eelyn and her battles (take this in multiple meanings) takes a surprising turn.

*POTENTIAL SPOILER* What I thought to be a story of a warrior's battle with honor turned into something so much more; so much deeper. Yes, the struggle for honor and staying true to oneself is prominent throughout the book. You can feel her struggles and the tides within her struggling to determine the true direction. The author has done a spectacular job in creating a very three dimensional character with relate able struggles. What really drove this book into a 5 star book was that it was a secret love story. Maybe I am the only one who will be surprised by this, as the description sort of hints at it, but the first 75% of the book is subtle enough that I was pleasantly surprised at how well the romance played in. Not to say it gets too gooey or romantic, but the blend of war tale and love story is seamless and fluid. I can't speak highly enough of the intricacy with which the author weaves the tales. Overall, loved the story and the characters and the direction it took. Can't wait to own this book!

Those who love amazing characters, swoon worthy romance, and thrilling action will adorethis book as much as I do!

Let me just start by saying that I LOVED this book! I didn't really know anything about it before I read it, but it was recommended to me by a friend so I thought I would give it a try. And it completely surpassed my expectations! It was the viking novel I never knew I needed in my life and I immediately wanted to read it again!

There is very little dialogue in this book, which surprised me. I often feel that books like that drag and I find myself wishing they were over, but that did not happen here! There may have been little dialogue but everything said was important and had a purpose, I found myself looking forward to character interactions more, excited about what they would say and do next.

And the characters! Eelyn was fierce and strong and I loved her character development. She goes through so much but she still knows what she wants and she doesn't give up fighting for it. Overall, she was amazing and we need more characters like her! I also absolutely loved Fiske, and his family. The representation of family overall was amazing and one of my favorite things about this book. And Halvard?! Cutest kid ever! He is impossible not to love and I wanted him to be my little brother too!

And lastly, I love that this was a standalone! We don't get many of them in the fantasy genre it seems and it was so refreshing. I missed the characters as soon as I finished, and I would love to have even just a little bit more, but it was perfect as it was and doesn't need to be dragged out into a long series.

So, now that I'm done rambling, go order yourself a copy of this book and read it when it comes out next month! You'll love fierce Eelyn and her story!

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

“Vegr yfir fjor. Honor above life.”

This viking-inspired fantasy story was surprisingly character driven. Outside of some immensely intense action opening and ending the story, this is really about Eelyn’s personal journey rediscovering her brother and learning that their differences don’t define them.

I loved seeing the viking culture explored in both the Aska and Riki clans. I loved seeing how their religion and afterlife beliefs influences their actions. It really showcased how the clans were alike and similar. I also like learning some of the legends and politics too - it really helped with the worldbuilding. I really liked Eelyn as a main character. I found it easy to relate to her and I like that she got to express her anger at her brother for disappearing.

Although I loved what we saw of the different clans ceremonies, I don’t feel like I know a lot about their gods. I feel like I have a broad understanding of the culture but not specifics, which would have grounded the story for me. I also feel like I don’t really know whe the Herja are - they seemed more like boogeyman, almost supernatural, but I’m not sure. Besides liking Eelyn, I didn’t really connect with the characters. I was upset at Iri for a large part of the story, but I did grow more favorable toward him like Eelyn does.

There were some genuinely heartwarming moments that absolutely captivated me, combined with the intense and brutal action created a full and engaging story. The Sky in the Deep is a solid fantasy debut that pulls you into a fantastical world centered on family.

I received a copy of the book from Wednesday Books via Netgalley as a part of the SST Blog Tour.