A raw, emotional, and heart racing story that takes you into the world a warrior. This book had me right from the cover. It draws you in and promises that this will not be a fluffy story. Indeed it is dark, real, detailed, and thoughtful. The author painted a picture of the Riki and Aska clans battles and the wounds left from it. Eelyn is a hardened warrior who would rather die than be taken by the enemy. But maybe the enemy is just like she is. Now faced with decisions she never thought she would have to and find a way to bring the clans together to save them all.

This novel was a great read!! I liked the plot of the story. Eelyn, the "Storyteller" of this novel, is a 17 year old girl from clan Aska. Her enemies are the Riki clan and the Herja. The Aska and Riki fight each other every five years. 5 years ago, Eelyn lost her brother, which devastated her. She is a warrior and when she sees her brother alive, she is in shock. When she follows him, she is captured by the Riki. Eelyn is stubborn and tries to escape and fails. She is very angry with her brother and feels a deep betrayal. However, she has to rely on Fiske, her brother's best friend. Fiske is a warrior, stubborn, but protects Eelyn. He promises to let her go after the frost, but how can she trust a Riki? Eelyn learns much in her time with the Riki and sees they are not so different from her own people. She even begins to trust Fiske and begins to fall in love with him and he with her. When the Herja attack the Riki, Eelyn and Fiske realize they cannot defeat them alone. After losing many, they need to get an alliance with the Aska, who have also been attacked by the Herja. Will the two sides be able to put aside their differences to stop the common and greater enemy or will old prejudices keep them apart? A choice between family and loyalty becomes blurred when trying to save those one cares about.

This book was bloody fantastic. It has a little bit of everything - action, betrayal, kindship, romance. I honestly finished it all in one sitting.

Currently, I am unable to continue reading Sky in the Deep. I found the pacing of the novel quite slow, Eelyn's narrative didn't quite envelop me the way that I wanted it to, or the way that other people found it to be so captivating. Perhaps it was because I was reading the novel on my kindle rather than as a hard copy in my hands. I will come to Eelyn's story again when the publication hits shelves. The cover is absolutely gorgeous though.

It's like Vikings but without all the unnecessary violence against women. This book did such a good job of setting the tone and making us understand the dynamic between the clans and how that plays out for our characters, without making boring info dumps. It's action-packed, its filled with different kind of strong women, wand beautiful complex relationships. Besides, the writing is so vivid it's like I'm watching my favorite show/movie. Prejudice in a fantasy setting is always interesting to read, and this book approached it wonderfully.

Adrienne Young's Sky in the Deep is an exceptional YA novel set in a harsh and violent primitive world where clans routinely attack each other over pride, stores, and revenge. In the midst of a battle with the rival Riki clan, young warrior Eelyn thinks she sees her brother who is believed to have been dead for five years. A surprise attack the following night brings her face-to-face with her lost sibling. To keep his identity secret, she is taken as a slave into the seemingly foreign, but eerily similar world of the opposing clan.
Young's pacing is tight and addictive. Her characters are convincing and worthy of the reader’s total investment. And while many books can easily get bogged down in overly detailed descriptions of an world’s religious canon, Young mets out just enough to keep reader interest and character background moving.
I predict this book will be a hit for audiences of all ages. Sky in the Deep is one of the best novels I have read in a long time, and I will be telling many friends about it.
Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press/ Wednesday Books, and Adrienne Young for an advanced copy for review.

***4 Stars***
*ARC provided via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review

Sky in the Deep tells the story of a young viking named Eelyn who's captured by her rival clan, the Riki. Among the Riki is her brother, Iri, whom she thought was dead. Eventually, Eelyn has to make the choice to join her Aska clan and the Riki together to defeat the Herja.

I really enjoyed this story! The author did a great job with world-building. You can tell she did her research. I know next to nothing about vikings but Ms. Young painted a very clear picture for her readers. Eelyn was fierce and loyal. She was a young girl who kicked ass on the front line during battle!

This novel was filled with fighting, killing, and lots of gore. I loved it. This author did not shy away from the violence in this novel. I actually found myself getting a little squeamish at times. It was awesome! 

Although this story was not romance heavy, there was a romance mixed in with all the epic battle and bloodshed. Eelyn and Fiske's romance was subtle, but that just made it have more of an impact. 

"I don't belong to you."
"Yes, you do." He pulled the hair back out of my face so he could look at me. "Like I belong to you." 

Eelyn's love for her people was palpable. She had an undying love and devotion to the Aska and it was interesting to read about her conflicting emotions regarding her loyalties. Although she hated the Riki, Eelyn comes to see them in a different light and she sometimes struggled with her acceptance of them.

I do wish the ending was a little longer. It felt a little bit rushed but at the same time, it did not leave me with any unanswered questions. I just think it could have been drawn out a tiny bit more.
Overall, this was a great read. I'm really looking forward to reading more from this author! Her writing style flowed smoothly and she did a great job with character development.

Love the cover! and I like that the heroine of the story is strong, however I felt the overall story of the book lacked depth? and I found it hard to get into.

Vikings was a different twist than what I am accustomed in a YA fantasy book, and that was great. Lots of battles, blood, family, and traitors.

Overall gave it three out of five stars.

Sky in the Deep stands out from the countless fantasy novels spread across the globe. You won’t know what you’re getting from this action-filled fantasy until you submerge yourself into this deep story. First, I didn’t expect this level of blood and gore and that’s not a bad thing. War consists of pain and suffering so Young does an excellent representation of that in her novel. Second, the underlying theme in this book will resonant with many readers; the proverb, “We are more alike than different”, really sets the tone of this story. Lastly, the main character, Eelyn, is a complex protagonist with a strong character development that I think many readers will enjoy.

My favorite part has to be that every scene has a purpose, and nothing happens only to complicate things or elongate the story. We get a concise and tight fast-paced plot from start to finish without any filler scenes. My only complaint might be that there was no “real antagonist” and when I say “real antagonist”, I mean there wasn’t a direct force that competed with Eelyn other than her inner conflict. Regardless, there was still loads of danger and suspense to keep me entertained.

I recommend this read to anyone looking for story dealing with self-growth, truths, loyalty, and love in addition to some kick-ass action scenes.


Thanks again for the ARC!

First off, I would like to thank the publisher and author for providing me this ARC to review. Please note that the version I read was an advanced copy, and certain events/language may be changed in the published edition.

Stars (Out of 10): 8/10 Stars

Favorite Character: Fiske

Spoiler Free: I was so happy when I saw I was approved for this book on NetGalley! I’d been hearing quite a lot about it, and seeing it all over instagram, so I was thoroughly hyped!

Overall, it ended up being a phenomenal story, and I absolutely love the world and characters the author created! I was hooked for most of the story, and the end thoroughly wrapped everything up. But this was not just a simple story about vikings and war, but ended up holding quite an emotional story. I won’t spoil it for anyone, but this story is just as much about understanding and learning to accept one another as it is about fighting.

My main qualms with the story have to do with the beginning and the synopsis. First off, I felt the beginning was rather chaotic, as we are both thrown into a brand new world with tons of characters, and thrown into battle within the first chapter. It ended up being hard to follow both, and I ended up having to focus more of my attention on learning how characters aligned to each other and why they were fighting rather than the fight itself. Additionally, the synopsis for this story wasn’t done in the best way. It reveals event that don’t happen until 50%-60% of the story, and seems to spoil the entire story arc almost. This ended up leading to a story where I kinda already knew most of what was going to happen.

Nevertheless, I still really enjoyed the story, especially the last 40%. In that last 40%, I ended up really connecting with the MC and her love interest, and my worry over them added to the suspense of the final parts of the book. Additionally, I love how well-rounded the ending was, while still giving the reader space to think and wonder what will happen in the future. It didn’t just abruptly end after the final battle was fought, but rather worked to describe the aftermath, which was just as big a part of the plot as the enemy they had to fight.

Lastly, while I did admittedly feel detached from characters at first, which was most likely due to our MC needing time to connect with the side characters as well, I did end up loving almost all of them, especially Eelyn and Fiske. The characters were all solid, and the morals they held close to them weren’t lost just because they fell in love/made a new friend/etc. It felt realistic, and the emotional problems they went through all molded well with the physical plot.

In the end, I do highly recommend for all you guys to check out this book when it comes out in April! (I’ll still be picking it up myself, I need that gorgeous cover on my shelf!)

Wow. This book was incredible. Ferocious and thoughtful and intensely character focused. The strong theme of family and loyalty plus an achy slow building romance that was even sweeter for the wait to get there, all made this a completely addicting read. Eelyn had my heart from beginning to end, and I became totally focused on her complicated emotional and physical journey through this book. Nothing this girl faced was easy but she was fierce through it all.

Love Triangle Factor: None
Cliffhanger Scale: Stand-alone. More of these gorgeous fantasy standalones, please.

*NOTE: I will write a longer review for my blog http://www.loveisnotatriangle.com and review this title on major retail sites like Amazon*

So, I started reading this last nigh about 10pm. I was done before midnight. It’s a fast and easy read.

I’ll admit that I was a little disappointed that it was so not edgy. The cover is dark and gorgeous. You have a world where almost every character we meet is a warrior. The book is violent, with battles, terrible deaths, and tons of blood.

And no edge.

I’m still not sure how that’s possible, but the book wasn’t very dark at all. It was kind of mix of Romeo & Juliet and a standard historical novel – like a bodice ripper without the bodice ripping.

I did like our characters very much. And I know who would end up with whom and who wouldn’t die and exactly how it would end. It’s kind of…sweet (despite axes and swords and arrows and blood and blood and blood).

The book should have been grim – instead it’s love conquers all.

So an okay read for me. It just didn’t live up to expectations.

I was extremely lucky to receive an e-book ARC of this story and I just have to share with all of you my thoughts and feeling. Because this book made me feel so many things. I cried, laughed and was so stressed for these characters I a not sure how I am going to function now that it is done with for a while. I know I am going to be buying two copies of this book as well as the audiobook if we get one. It is going straight on my favorites shelf.

But let me give you the summary so you know a bit of what I am talking about.

OND ELDR. BREATHE FIRE.

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.



Reading that summary way back in December of last year. I know I was going to love this book. And thank goodness I was right. This book takes place in a world, not like ours but kinda if you go back ages to hen our world had Vikings. Pretty much what I am trying to say is that this world didn't feel forgiven. it felt like home already. I was able to quickly understand everything that was going on, the belief systems of the people and the blood war.

From there I got to really know the characters. And I felt for them. I was in the middle of one of the harder scenes for our MC and I broke down and cried for the loss she experienced and what she was experiencing at that moment. now I have teared up in other books, but this is the first time I have fully broken down and cried for almost a good 20 or more minutes for this character. I didn't want to sleep, I just wanted to keep reading. And unfortunately, I had to make myself stop because I worked the next day. But Every chance I got a moment to read, you know I was back in this world. It brought me to such a raw point that I feel that everyone needs to experience this dark, enchanting book.

So go pre-order the book, trust me you won't regret it. I know I'm never going to.

E.



Ps. A huge thank you goes out to Adrienne agent who set me up with an ebook arc off of NetGalley.

This was such a hyped book for me and I was scared and excited to read it.
I loved the beginning. It grabbed me right away and I could see how so many people have loved it. But then I thought it kind of lost steam up until about the middle. I was sure this was going to be just a 4 star read. I was so angry at Iri along with Eelyn that I just wanted to yell and throw my Kindle at the wall. My heart hurt along with hers and at some parts I didn't even want to keep reading, I was so angry at Iri.
The second half of the book was amazing. There were so many emotions and so much action. The whole book took such a different turn that what I thought it was going to be. All of the anger I had at the beginning started to make sense and I felt myself turning along with Eelyn.
I loved all the characters. They were all so easy to relate to and so well described. They each had such a distinctive personality that it was easy to remember them and tell them apart even when they were first introduced. Sometimes with unfamiliar names, it is hard for me to remember who is who, but that was not the case with this book.
One of my favorite things about this book was that the whole book was focused on fighting and war, but the fighting scenes were only as long as they needed to be. I find fighting scenes very boring and hard to follow, but each fighting scene in this book was the perfect length and description.
I also love the romance of the book. It was so well timed and believable. Actually, the relationships between all of the characters were just so perfect. I'm not sure if I've ever read a book where the characters emotions were so perfectly described. I felt everything along with all of the characters. Anger at Iri for switching clans, but the confusion between betrayal and happiness that he was still alive. All of the characters are fiercely loyal to one another which was my favorite aspect of them all.
The ending was so satisfying and perfect. I love it when books end exactly how I want them to end. I definitely get where all the hype for this book came from and now I will be adding to it!

5/5

Wow I absolutely loved this. You don’t often find stories about Vikings and this was just amazing.
This appears to be a standalone and I wish it were either longer or a duology or a series. I’m so not ready to let go of these characters and the world.

This story is filled with action, intrigue, strong characters and a bit of romance.

As this is a Viking inspired novel there are lots of fighting scenes in the book but between the battle scenes we get a look at the day to day life the Viking clans. The two clans that are at war with each other might not be so different after all as our main character Eelyn comes to learn.

The MC Eelyn is a 17 year old Viking part of the Aska Clan and a complete badass. She’s incredibly strong physically and mentally and you’ll fall in love with her without a doubt.

Fiske is part of Riki Clan the clan Aska is at war with. He’s a big brooding Viking who rarely shows his emotions but he’s extremely compassionate. He is such a wonderful character.
I really enjoyed these two characters and the bond and relationship they came to share.

This story is about being able to grow as a person and being able to come together with those you don’t get along with for the greater good. It’s about seeing that the things you thought you knew and believed might not be true. It’s about finding yourself in dark times and pulling through and becoming a stronger person.

I loved everything about this novel and highly recommend it.

Holy moly Batman, was this book an adventure! As much as I loved all the action sequence and the badass women of the story, I did not expect this to be so violent. It didn’t have a huge impact on me I was just very surprised. This book is not for squeamish at heart. Eelyn, the main character was hard to like at first because she was so close minded to kill all her enemies. Once she opened up her heart I loved her all the more. She was so courageous and brave. I would so want her as my fighting partner. This book really felt like I was in the Amazon with these strong and deadly women. Oh yeah, the men were good too but Eelyn and Myra were better haha. It was a perfect ending to this standalone and I’m glad I gave this book a chance.

OND ELDR. BREATHE FIRE.

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.- Goodreads

Jumping right into this, Eelyn can fight. She can completely hold her own and just destroy those around her. For a majority of the book, she was injured, so if what I read was at her weakest, you can only imagine what she is like at her strongest. I love how badass she is when she is on the battlefield.

As much as I liked her, the story was predictable. Predictable in the sense that the author set the entire book up, where there was only one way to go. There could have been many different ways to go but you see the road very clearly and that was my issue with the book. Nope, I lied. I wish Fiske has more depth and the author gave him more personality because I liked him and wanted more of him.

That is pretty much my only issue with the book. Even the romance, which was non traditional in the YA genre was really good. It wasn't stars exploding around them nor was love found on the perfect day, in the perfect moment, in the perfect weather. Shoot the love wasn't even found on the battlefield. It was just there and the author was really subtle about it and if you didn't catch the signs building (or the obvious) then you would have thought it was instant.

I liked that fact that other than the emotional struggle of finding out her brother is alive and now being help captive in a different tribe, Eelyn was sure about herself in the sense that she knew what she didn't want and she knew what she was willing to sacrifice. Even after everything was said and done, she held on to her faith and her beliefs and I admire that. 

There isn't a whole lot of physical fight going on. There are 3 maybe 4 breakout scenes that you can visibility see a battlefield. I want to say think of when the Romans fought hand to hand but with a lot more dirt, muscles, blood and darkness. 

I liked this book and I wasn't expecting to. There is a lot of hype behind this and normally I am not for that. But this meets the hype and the ending is just right. I want more from this universe but not necessarily from Eelyn and Fiske.

4 Pickles

Compelling, gripping, beautiful novel that I already see myself rereading for many years to come. I feel rent open by the love and loyalty Eelyn feels and how it shifts throughout the story in response to the things she discovers. This is an amazing telling of one girl going through many hardships to find out that her clan really isn't all that different from the one she's been raised to hate, and they have the same basic needs and desires as herself and her clansmen. How do you continue to hate a culture when they become more human to you? She feels betrayed by her brother's choice, but, as much as she fights it, slowly comes to accept it and his newly claimed family. When the Herja attack, she realises more about herself and her life than she expected.

Eelyn's journey drew me in from the first page and I absolutely loved every minute of it. This girl is a strong Vinking badass who takes shit from no one and will cut your balls off for your trouble. I think I've developed a girl-crush! Of course, the protagonist wouldn't be so interesting without some flaws, right? Well, hers are very relatable, as she's grown up in a culture who's told her that the Riki are the blood enemy due to some god's clash ages ago. She's stubborn and believes in the tradition of her people...until she doesn't. How can she continue to believe that these are the enemy after all she's seen? Still, trust is hard won and it takes time to change thoughts you've been entrenched in from the time you're young.

Fiske, her captor, is not all he seems from the beginning. I love his part in her story and I thoroughly enjoyed that even though he 'owns' her, he's still fair and just. He protects her time after time when he really doesn't have to do anything and I love him for it. He's a phenomenal character who just gets better as their journey progresses.

I am glad I did not read the summary before reading the book. I was warned that it gave away too much of the story and now that I have finished the book and read the summary, I agree. I throughly enjoyed this Viking inspired tale about a fierce warrior who also happens to be a girl. I did wish for a map, or even a little historical briefing as to the time in which the story was based. I look forward to reading more by this author.

Any slight to moderate criticisms I may have noted while reading this are completely overpowered by the fact that I decided to start casually reading something in between boring parts of the Winter Olympics (Ice Dancing is my jam) only to ignore the competition and everything else in my household altogether (including my laundry, the dishes, and hygiene) and stay up until 2 AM to finish this, and then had problems sleeping despite the late hour because apparently, the book was that much of a rush.

<b>tl;dr</b>: So, vikings. Can I have more, please? (Especially BAMF female ones, please.)