Sky in the Deep by Adrienne Young is a very interesting tale about a young woman named Eelyn, who is a member the Aska tribe. She has been raised by her father to be a warrior, one whom has lost her mother and brother to other tribes. Her brother to the Riki, a rival clan they are always at odds with, and her mother was lost to the Herja, a legendary clan that even the Riki don’t know exists. While fighting one day and about to be killed, her brother appears and stops the Riki man from killing her. This shatters her world, so during the next battle she chases after her brother and winds up in the hands of the Riki. After she is captured by the Riki and purchased as a dyr (basically an indentured servant) instead of killed, she simultaneously wants to escape and also figure out why her brother, Iri, has joined the side of the Riki.

The way the book began, I thought it would focus more on the battles than what the story actually is. While the battles are a lot of fun, I am glad the book took the turn it did. The meat of this story is of a young woman learning to understand there is more to the world than she has been taught. Her time spent with Fiske’s (the Riki that saved Iri’s life) family is one of struggle. She is angry and ashamed, wants to escape or die instead of being dishonored. Yet as she fights within herself, she realizes the Riki have much in common with her own tribe. When the Herja arrive and the only way to survive is through unification of the two tribes, Eelyn takes on a much larger task that she wonders if she can handle it.

Eelyn was an amazing protagonist. She had this fire within her that helps the reader connect with the character in a way that isn’t present with many books. No matter the emotion she felt throughout the book, it was projected with ease on to me as the reader. As I read the words, I could feel her fear, her anger, her happiness, and so forth. The look on my face probably mimicked hers through much of it, I can’t lie. I left this novel thinking back through the story and examining how her changes, large and small kept occurring.

The cast that surrounds Eelyn is equally as good. Iri is the loving brother who has found a new family, but had never forgotten his original, and helps keep Eelyn alive with capture. His new brother, Fiske, had me initially stereotyping him as a very angry and rough viking, but quickly realized he was much more compassionate than he originally appears. And while I loved Iri, Fiske, Inge, Myra and Eelyn’s father, I’d have to say the stand out for me was Halvard. He plays such a key role in breaking down Eelyn’s walls she had built, and helps push her in the right direction with her search for understanding. He was such a darling boy, that every time he would exude his joy around Eelyn I kept having the biggest grin on my face.

When it came down to the battles and violence that comes from the conflicts between the various tribes, Young is not afraid to write the gruesome details. You feel and picture the action as it is happening as she writes them with much fluidity. She also has a way of writing that helps the emotions emanate from the pages. During the second half of this book, I found myself wiping tears away from my eyes plenty. Some were of joy and some of sadness. I haven’t had a book do that to me in a good while, where the tears welling up were a mixture of different emotions because I didn’t have time to wipe away the first feeling before the next took over. I have to congratulate the author on that feat, because it was an amazing feeling.

Those looking for battles and violence with Sky in the Deep will surely find it, but maybe not as much as they hope, especially during the first half of the book. It is more a book about how Eelyn grows to see the world from a narrow viewpoint to a larger understanding of everything and everyone around her. She takes what she has learned and utilizes that to spread it to others. By the time the last page is finished, I leaned back in my couch satisfied and happy I was able to accompany Eelyn on this journey. I recommend this book highly, and as I finish this review I can still feel some liquid in my tear ducts trying to escape.

Highly recommended for all! For the first time in forever, I don't have anything particularly negative to say about a book. A really really nice surprise. Sky in the Deep exceeded my expectations and so much more. Incredibly thankful I had the time to read this magnificently crafted work.

Sky in the Deep is about a girl whose world takes a turn when she finds a truth to be shattered, and the way she and the people around her subsequently deal with that and the other things that end up taking place.

I loved the progression of everything, the pacing, the dynamics, just everything about this book in its entirety. While the course that the characters and their world took was definitely predictable, the way that Adrienne Young presented all the information was absolutely wonderful.

What I love about complex worlds is that it's easier to push aside things that might not be as appealing about characters and character dimensionality, because of the balance that needs to be found regarding world and character information. Here, while the things that needed to be learned about the way Eelyn's society worked (or didn't work) did detract a little from the characters as a whole, I still saw them decently well, and wow did I connect with them.

I felt for everyone. The struggles that the characters encountered and the classic "there might something more to the story" contributed beautifully to the appeal of Sky in the Deep, though I'm currently still thinking about the title choice for the novel.

One thing though, I wish that the MC's relationship with her family back home could've been developed more before the plot takes its course, but no complaints because e v e r y t h i n g.

Can't wait for this diamond to hit the shelves! Many many thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the incredible ARC.

*I was able to read this thanks to netgalley*

The story is based around Vikings and there are 3 different groups who are constantly at war.

I loved that friendship in this book between Eelyn and Myra PLUS I love that their friendship was stronger and didn't break because a guy was involved. That always bothers me in YA books when a guy comes along and friends aren't friends anymore. I also like the strong bonds of family that this book represents.

There is MAJOR girl power in this book and I love it. Everyone fights on the battlefield. Eelyn and Myra totally kick ass!
I loved this story and I really am hoping another book comes from this. The story could definitely continue in my opinion.

Okay, I think I might need to step away from YA fantasy for a while. I'm going to read Ash Princess and a couple of other ARCs I've committed to, but after that I'm going to start being much more selective and stop being seduced by pretty covers and exciting blurbs. I might be lying about this, but here's hoping I can restrain myself.

The thing is, Sky in the Deep feels like one more in a long line of shallow and emotionless fantasies. When I began reading, I knew very little about it. A few chapters in and I was thinking "wow, this is so dry and boring" so I decided to go see if any other reviewers agreed with me. Instead, I found 5-star after 5-star rating, plus a starred Kirkus review. Convinced I must have been missing something amazing, I pushed on to the end.

And I don't get it. I'm having that "I feel like I read a completely different book" feeling.

There are some attempts to do something different here. The world and fictional language feel and sound like old Scandinavian, complete with Viking-esque clan warfare and brutal violence. But it is all action and no substance, and the tropes are the same ones we've seen in a thousand YA fantasy novels.

Eelyn is a standard strong warrior heroine, apparently, though the plot is mostly moved forward by her being captured and/or saved by the male characters. There's the sibling love driving Eelyn's motivations. There's the aloof love interest who is as bland as steamed cauliflower. In fact, there is not a single memorable character. The whole book lacks character complexity or depth.

Sky in the Deep opens with its strongest chapter. A bloody action scene ends on a cliffhanger: Eelyn believes she sees her dead brother fighting for the enemy clan. Next thing you know, Eelyn has been kidnapped by said enemy clan, the Riki, or more specifically, by her future love interest. Nothing says romance like a guy shooting you with an arrow and then kidnapping you.

After a few terrible attempts to escape, Eelyn settles into life with the Riki, who are mostly nice and welcoming to her. Then there are pages and pages of conversation, garlic crushing, and wood carving. Where is the suspense? The excitement? The ferocity? Why do we care?! It was SO HARD not to skim chapters.

I guess I would recommend this for fans of violent action scenes interspersed with pastoral activities. For me, this lacked some suspense, characterization or a deeper intriguing theme that would make me want to read on. I was bored.

I don’t think I have enough words for how wonderful this book turned out to be. After reading the description and hearing praise for the book, I went in thinking that it would probably be a good read but my expectations were blown completely away. The writing flows so well and is so easy to read, the characters are very well developed, especially Eelyn the main character, the suspense continued literally from page one until the end. Also, while I love a good series, I am glad this is a stand alone novel. I cannot wait to see what else Adrienne Young writes!

I almost couldn’t believe this was a debut novel because of how wonderfully written this was - from start to finish, it’s an empowering, exciting, and extremely satisfying read. With a strong ensemble of characters and brilliant imagery, it was difficult to put this one down. A highly recommended story, indeed.

I received an arc to honestly review thanks to Netgalley.
Woman Power +Viking = The best possible combination. I have been waiting for a book like this for years, especially after watching the Viking tv show. This is action, power, heritage, a bit of love and amazing writing. I couldn't put it down. I would highly recommend anyone who wants a fast paced standalone, that kicks butt. Amazing read.

Fast paced, thrilling and action packed! A book you’ll definitely want to read. An extremely strong heroine who has a heart of Iron and strong beliefs. She fights for the people she loves and what she believes. The story will keep you hooked from the very first page. This is something you won’t want to miss!

4.5 stars, reflected on the ice of a frozen lake.

This book! Clan wars, SHIELD MAIDENS, "Norse" mythology. I loved everything about it.

If you love shows such as Vikings or movies such as The 13th Warrior, this is the book for you. And if you're not sure? I don't care, read it anyway.

This book jumps right into the action. We immediately find ourselves in the midst of a decades long clan war, following the main character, Eelyn as she and the rest of her Aska clanspeople fight the Riki clan, their sworn enemy. One of my favorite parts of this book were the battle scenes. Young does not skim over them, nor does she soften them. Instead, they are detailed, ruthless and descriptive enough that I could picture every sidestep and ax swing, I could hear every battle cry and the clash of bodies.

As the book description suggests, Eelyn soon finds herself it the heart of enemy territory, at their mercy and seeking answers after she sees the impossible. While many typical female characters may be written to appear strong, but are truly dependent and weak, Eelyn is everything but weak. I loved her character (and all of the others), she is savage and vicious when she needed to be but also loving and empathetic at other times. It was easy to connect with her character and I feel that's one of the main reasons I came to love this story.

As the story progresses, Eelyn sees the lines she always felt were rigid and unyielding, begin to blur. This is a great story of opening your world to accept others and loving them for who they are, despite being taught to always focus on your differences.

Despite the sometimes brutal battle scenes, this book is chalk full of slower, softer scenes (which are no less great), including a smattering of growing romance as the book progresses. The romantic aspect may have been my favorite part overall (what can I say, I'm a sucker for these things), but it never felt overbearing or forced. Instead, it blossomed slowly and tentatively as the story progressed and fit into the plot well. And of course its one of the best romantic tropes there is (*coughenemiestoloverscough*).

And I just have to say, the ending battle was so cool and plotted out well. I loved the way this book ended (NO CLIFFHANGER, praise da Lord) and felt very satisfied and fulfilled with it. I can't wait to read the next book Young has planned for this world!

Overall, another great new release (seriously 2018, this is getting out of control) that I hope you will all try out.

*Received this ARC from Netgalley for an honest review.*

HOLY CRAP GUYS!

I'm so happy that I finally found time to read this book and I like read it within a couple of hours! IT WAS THAT GOOD! I literally couldn't put it down!

Sky in the Deep was such a fantastic book to read. I love Eelyn's character throughout the whole thing - even though she did come off as whiny sometimes I loved the crap out of her anyways! I found it so freaking interesting that her brother Iri, who everyone thought was dead (for like years!) was alive. FREAKING ALIVE. Just sitting there smiling and shit. ALIVE PEOPLE. I was so mad that he made them all think he was still dead. I was also mad because Eelyn was mad because he basically had this whole new life that didn't really include her or his own people.

Besides that I loved the amount of sexual tensions between her and Fiske. Also, I love the names in this book! This book kind of reminded me of like Game of Thrones or something like that. It had a lot of tribes or clans and different people they worshipped or prayed to. I also really like how she fought with an axe. I don't even think I could pick up an axe let alone kill someone with it.

Overall, I'm obsessed with this book. I think I'm in love with this author. I'm dead serious that I will look for more of Adrienne Young's books.

I gave this book a chance - 5 chapters worth, actually. It just didn't catch my attention the way I needed it to. The pros are that it has a great female protagonist who is self-sufficient and interesting and I think it'd be a great fit for someone looking for that in a story. It also reads as something that I haven't seen much of in recent young adult novels. The battle scenes were brutal but appropriate considering Eelyn's culture. The drawback for me is it seems like a slow moving plot despite the fact that it's an adventure.

Sky in the Deep is an action packed story about two Viking tribes locked in an age old blood feud. I loved this from the start. We kick the story off right away with following our main character, Eelyn into battle. All of the fight scenes and battle were so well written, I loved reading them and getting swept up into the excitement and action. Eelyn is a strong character and I just loved her. I don’t think I would have normally picked up a book about Vikings but I’m so glad I did because this blew me away. The ending seemed a little rushed and wrapped things up almost too nicely, I was honestly kind of hoping it was a series and would leave us with a cliff hanger but then I checked and saw it was a stand alone so I’m not surprised. The ending isn’t my favorite but it didn’t in any way take away from my enjoyment of the rest of this book.

This book was so good. If you are someone who doesn't read YA, this might be a book to read anyway. Too often in YA, when we are given a character who is raised to be a warrior we are also given a character devoid of emotion beyond anger. Eelyan is a human character, she feels an array of emotions, she is still a warrior but when she is in a situation where her anger and sadness have claimed her she lets it show with tears the way a human would.

There are some really amazing characters in this book, and the setting is just amazing. this is the first time I have read a book about Vikings, and while I don't know a great deal about their culture, the culture created for this book felt real. And the all the characters felt like real people. They reacted to things the way you'd expect people to react in their situation.

I feel like I should mention this, in case it's not something you want to read, but there is a good deal of violence in this book. One particular scene got to me and I had to put the book down for a few. It's a fairly graphic torture scene where the MC pops a man's eye out with her thumb. I am going very light on the detail here in my review the actual passage in the book goes into almost unnecessary detail. It was very gross.

I also really like that this is a standalone novel. That's something else that I feel like is pushed too often. To make everything a series.

This was a fantastic book. Highly recommend.

Ooookay, where to start?... I was absolutely HOOKED from the first chapter! I mean, Vikings, clan wars, majorly awesome female warrior protagonist, can you get better than that?! And All. The. Feels. Side effect of reading this epicness: I kind of want to learn how to fight with an axe now... Anyways, I LOVE this book! Go read it!

reviewed for romantic times book reviews

SKY IN THE DEEP rages over the fate of a young warrior as she becomes a captive of the clan with which her people have a centuries-old blood feud. Heart-racing action ignites alongside painful truths and twisting depths as the characters must learn how far their hatred is willing to go, and how costly forgiveness may come. A must-read for YA Fantasy fans, this is certain to be a top release of 2018.

Lots of action filled these pages (could it be a Viking-inspired fantasy without it?) and between each battle cry and swing of an axe there runs the deeper themes of family and loyalty. The ending of this book does not come easily. Eelyn is not a happy let’s-make-the-best-of-things type of girl, she’s a warrior with a lifetime of hatred bred into her soul, which makes her a wonderfully complicated and interesting main character.

I found myself riveted by the story and its characters so I will call this one a success. It definitely lived up to the hype for me!
-pooled ink Reviews

This book exceeded my expectations. It was fast paced and well written book. Based on Nordic (Viking) tradition this book shows the confusion of battle and love for family and clan.
The book follows a young Aska warrior girl Eeleyn who follows her heart in battle against the rival Riki mountain clans. She risks all to see her dead brother again. Her choices help decide the fate of the two clans and their warring gods and religious beliefs. Will they unite or will they fade into history?

Sky in the deep
Adrienne Young

This books is probably my favourite read in the longest time!! I can’t get over how amazing it was and I need more!!
‘Vegr yfir fjor’ – Honour above life.
Sky in the deep follows the story of Eelyn, 17 year old Viking from the Aska clan. This book is beautifully written about fate and destiny. Was it the gods who sent Eelyn on this path? The Aska have a life long rivalry with the Riki clan but all that comes into question when they are faced with an enemy bigger than them. Can the two clans join together to defeat their mutual enemy and live their days in peace?
What do you do when you find out the closest person to you who thought was dead for the last 5 years turns out to be living and breathing and living with your sworn enemies? How do you overcome that betrayal and move forward? The relationship between Eelyn and Iri is strained but wrapped in love and betrayal.
Eelyn is help captive to the Riki and she begins to see that this clan is just like hers. They do the same things as hers, wear the same clothes, use the same medicines, just worship different gods. She starts to see her captives not as monsters but as normal people just like her and that’s a battle in itself with the way she has been brought up.
This story was wonderful, I can’t wait to read it again. I love everything vikings and these beautiful sayings used throughout the story such as ‘Ond Eldr’ – Breathe fire

I am always exited when I find a standalone fantasy novel there is something so satisfying about a well done standalone novel. I am very impressed and satisfied by this strong debut. The writing is lovely I was enticed by every page, somehow Adrianne even made doing chores interesting to read about. There wasn’t as much fighting as I expected from a book about rival viking clans. But I’m not complaining because I think there’s enough and each one is epic, and the story is really about the relationships.

Each relationship was beautiful, and even though the book is only a little over 300 pages the relationships all developed naturally and slowly. I really liked the main character Eelyn she’s tough and compassionate. Throughout the book she questions everything she believes in and the journey she goes on is heart wrenching. I sympathized greatly with her and there was quite a lot of unexpected emotional moments.

I strongly suggest going into this knowing as little as possible. I had forgotten most of the synopsis before starting it and I’m glad I feel like knowing nothing added to my enjoyment. All you really need to know is that this is a standalone viking YA novel. In a nutshell it’s about fighting for whats right, letting go off prejudice and finding love in unexpected places

<b>“Ond Eldr. Breathe Fire.”</b>
I cannot put into words how much I loved this book!
It was so thrilling and alluring. I was completely sucked it and felt as if I was one of the characters in the story. This Story was full of thrilling suspense and I loved every single second of it!