Ever since last year when I first heard about Sky in the Deep I have been incredibly excited to read it. Being so excited about a book never usually works out too well for me as I tend to over hype it and ultimately end up disappointed.
Thankfully, this was not the case for Sky in the Deep.
Adrienne Young's writing is simply wonderful and her story hooked me right from the first page. Sky in the Deep is an epic story of a female viking navigating life, battles and family loyalty.
After finishing this book, I'm already excited for more of Adrienne's writing!

This book is a freaking brutal masterpiece! Action packed and will leave you biting your nails in anticipation as to what will happen next. No one said that the viking life would be easy!

I have been waiting with baited breath to get my hands on Sky In The Deep. And let me tell you up front - it did not disappoint. I found the first chapter of the novel online a few months ago, and it immediately grabbed my attention. It's a young adult fantasy about vikings, and the female MC, Eelyn, is both tough and likeable. As soon as the story starts, the reader is thrown into a whirlwind of battle along with Eelyn - 'in medias res,' as they say. We learn in the first chapter that Eelyn's brother is thought to have been dead for years, yet during the fight she spots him amongst the enemy warriors, and this is where her adventure begins.

This fast pace is maintained throughout the rest of the novel, where Eelyn finds herself tangled up with the clan her long-lost brother abandoned his family for. The plot is intriguing, the world-building is well done, and ultimately this is a book that's difficult to put down. It encompasses betrayal and forgiveness, hate and understanding, and what it means to be a family. That was one of my favourite things about Sky In The Deep: the relationships. Though Eelyn is a warrior through and through, just like her father, they still obviously share a deep love for one another. The same goes for Eelyn and her best friend, Myra, who always have each other's backs and are able to work through the tensions that threaten to separate them towards the end of the book. Then there is the male love interest, who helps Eelyn learn that sometimes your family are the people you choose. This is by no means insta-love, by the way; the relationship is complex and slow-building, following the evolution of Eelyn's trust.

Sky In The Deep builds to a climax that is tense and exciting, and wraps up on a note that leaves the reader feeling fulfilled. It is not only Eelyn that has a learning curve to navigate in this story - together with her friends she is able to help her clan undergo a transition as well. Though I would love more of this story, I can't deny that the ending came at a perfect time, and there is nothing lacking that would require a sequel. It was a wild ride, yet my heart is happy.

Something about vikings, a bit of fantasy, and historical romance has always fascinated me. This story melds all of these themes perfectly and delivers a story that punches you in the face and then pulls you in a fierce and breathless hug. Eelyn is a young Aska warrior, fighting alongside her father against Riki village raiders. Then one day, she sees someone she never thought she'd see again, her brother she watched die years ago. Her world is suddenly turned upside down when she's taken by the same village she'd sworn were her enemies, and forced to face her brother's betrayal. With every fiber of her being, she is determined to be free from them, and Fiske, the enigmatic Riki warrior who can't decide whether he wants to keep her alive or dead. However a greater danger looms over them, and soon they find themselves in the fight of their lives, and struggling to unite the warring clans to face this newest evil. Once you start this book, you won't be able to put it down.
It's rare that I find books that take me on a journey from the start, and have me feeling what the main character feels. This book does exactly that. You feel Eelyn's pain, anger, sense of loss, and love throughout the entire story. I have never felt so on the edge of my seat before. She weaves words seamlessly into a wonderful cloth that wraps around you, taking you into the world of Aska and Riki. Young's descriptions are so vivid, I could imagine it all, the cold of the fjords, the ice and snow of the mountains, I can't wait to see what this wonderful author will write next.

I am not ashamed to say that I read this in one sitting.
Adrienne Young is on the right path to becoming one of my favourite authors of all time. If she keeps writing the way she does, that is.

Because she writes like a goddess. As long as her stories are as magical as her writing, her future books will always be winners. Every sentence was a straight up piece of art. I kept staring at the pages like TELL ME HOW TO WRITE LIKE THIS. I was completely entranced the whole way through and loved every single scene SO much... it just kept getting better and better. The entire story was beyond gorgeous yet brutal because well, this is a book about vikings after all.

The characters are so three-dimensional and original. Eelyn is who we all want to be when we grow up. She's SO much more than the cliche trailblazing female warrior or angsty misunderstood character. She's a super tough warrior and just felt incredibly real.

I've never been more excited for a book to release so all my friends can get their grubby paws on and read it!

Sky in the Deep made me feel empowered.

I loved everything that this little book had to offer and I am going to try to contain my fangirling to sound coherent.

Adrienne broke so many barriers in YA it was so refreshing and unique. I loved how this book truly focused on family and staying grounded and true to who you are and what you love while also growing as a person.

The characters. Wow. Through the whole entire book I was so entranced with each and every one of them. Eelyn was special and I have not loved a heroine this much since Raven. I actually felt like I was in her and I was truly feeling everything she was. I felt despair, anger, betrayal, hurt, compassion, love and I couldn’t get enough because she was raw and real. She was not afraid to show her feelings but I never saw that as weakness to her character, it made her realistic and human and that was so incredible to read because so many times in YA these characters feel unreachable and unrealistic but you won’t find that here.

I felt each character had so much depth as well as the world, I could feel the cool wind, smell the fresh air and each scene played so vividly in my head.

I am not going to say anything about the love interest other than you will LOVE him. *heart eyes* Hate to friendship to romance? I’ll NEVER get enough. BEST TROPE EVER.

I adored Eelyn’s brother as well, he was like a giant teddy bear!

My only complaint is that I am BEGGING FOR MORE. PLEASE.

I have so much more to discuss and I’ll post a more in depth review when closer to publish date but I don’t want to spoil anything and I want to finish by saying this is a masterpiece of a book and a piece of Eelyn will always be with me.

SKY IN THE DEEP is an enjoyable read with a fresh take on fantasy. I loved the Viking-esque elements, and they felt very carefully yet naturally incorporated into the story. The mythology behind the two clans (Riki and Aska) was also well done.

I was surprised by the action scenes, which were almost flawless, and quite gruesome! (Readers beware if you're not a huge fan of blood!)

I think I got a bit lost in the middle; it felt sort of murky and not a lot happened until 50% of the way through. That's when I realized this book is very much character-based rather than plot-based. I actually enjoyed the character development and felt that, given the short time the characters had together, there was a strong emphasis on characters' emotions and how those emotions play out.

My favourite parts of the book definitely had to do with the family dynamics between Iri and Eelyn. I loved reading how their relationship grew and changed!

Overall, an enjoyable read, though much more character-based than plot-based. 4 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for sending me a digital arc of "Sky in the Deep" by Adrienne Young. This book is awesome. The characters are strong and well developed. The setting and style reminded me of the show "The 100" which is something I am always happy to find. I know my students will love this edgy story and think it deserves a spot in any YA library.

I really enjoyed this book. We had a tough female lead who kicked butt. I loved the Viking like atmosphere. The love story was there, but wasn't over powering the rest of the story. The family relationships and the new found friendships were presented in a refreshing way that really kept my interest. The danger of the other clans attacking kept me reading and hoping that my favorite characters would live to see another day. I read on goodreads that there might be another book to go along with this one? I would definitely pick that one up too. I'm curious to see what it would be about.

I stopped reading at 49% - chapter 25.

I'm SO bummed! I knew several people who read ARCs and absolutely adored Sky in the Deep. I was so confident I would too, but then it never sucked me in.

Almost straight away I could feel myself not connecting with the book.

- I thought the writing was mostly telling instead of showing. Particularly in the beginning it was written very much like, <em>"He swung his axe at me. Then I ducked. Then I ran. Then he stabbed me again. Then this happened. Then that happened."</em> It just felt so... procedural? Like it was all written out but there was no emotion.

- I didn't find myself caring about ANYONE. I was just so indifferent and because of that I couldn't get invested. If I didn't care about any of the characters I didn't care about the story... thus I didn't really care about the book.

- I got to 49% and not much had happened. There'd been two battles then a whole lot of chores and grumbling.

Clearly Sky in the Deep does have something going for it because so many people seem to have loved it. I'm really disappointed I wasn't one of them. I guess I just couldn't click with the way it was written and that completely threw me off.

I would encourage you to read an excerpt if you can find one, and if it excites you then absolutely give this book a shot.

WOW!!! I honestly am in shock - this is one of the best written books I have read in a very long time. This book has it all - action, romance, tragedy, family, excitement, suspense! It is ALL THAT you dream of in a YA BOOK!!! I am putting this author on my radar, I fully expect great things from her in the future!

Thank you to Adrienne Young and her publishers for allowing me an ARC of Sky in the Deep.

What a book!! I am entrenched in the Norwegian/Viking heritage and so when I heard about this book I knew I had to have it!

It delivered on EVERY level. The characters were well thought out and real and emotional. The storylines were straight forward and made sense from start to finish. The world Adrienne created was real and I felt like I was in there and I felt all of the emotions the characters were feeling!

I was invested in their lives and in their stories. I wanted more. The pages were not enough. I’d have flipped through twice as many, devouring ever page.

It was a fast read as well. It’s called YA, but I don’t know what makes it YA and what doesn’t? I guess I don’t care either way. I call it a great book. Categorize it however you want!

I know on it’s release date I will be at my bookstore to snatch it up!

Five giant stars! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

this was the kind of book i never wanted to put down. it was bloody, visceral, and so much fun. Eelyn is a fierce, defiant, and wonderful character, and her story was just so engrossing. From the beginning battle against the Riki to the end battle where everything comes to a head , I was entranced by this book. I loved the characters, especially Fiske and Halvard, Inge and Iri. This is just a brilliant, action packed book that i never wanted to end, but was extremely satisfied when it was. Just a complete winner.

1.75/5

This is going to be one of those few times where an ARC I was super thrilled to get leaves me utterly disappointed. Unfortunately.

What can I say? I don’t want to give too much away since this isn’t out yet.

The main character, Eelyn, was who almost gave this two stars from me. Well, her and her “love interest.” I don’t want to spoil anything, so I won’t reveal his name. They were pretty much what made this novel bearable. Even still, I won’t pretend I didn’t skim - because I totally did. There were many dry parts in the beginning that were difficult to get through. However, when these two interacted, I actually wanted to read.

I liked Eelyn because she wasn’t weak. She was fierce and unafraid to fight and voice her opinion. However, although I liked her, the other characters fell flat for me. Therefore, the story and characters left me unsatisfied. But I have to say, if it wasn’t for Eelyn, I probably wouldn't have finished this.

Was there anything I enjoyed, you might ask? Asides from Eelyn and the romantic interest, there really wasn’t. I felt as though there were too many typical YA fantasy cliches, and even though the writing wasn’t bad, I couldn’t imagine anything.

Perhaps I’m getting into a reading slump. After all, this is my fourth(?) low rating for this month. I really need to read something good next.

Overall, I would still recommend this to people who strictly read or enjoy YA fantasy, because I think ya’ll would like this since it deals with vikings, and there is no other YA series (that I can recall) with vikings.

<STRONG>WrensReads Review:</strong>

<i>Thank you to the publisher St. Martin's Press: Wednesday Books and NetGallery for providing me with a ebook copy of this beautiful book! Quotes taken from the book are subjected to change with the official release. All opinions on are mine and mine alone.</i>

<b>Release Date: April 24th 2018</b>

Call the coast guard, I am drowning my need to become a viking. Who can I call to train me in how to use an ax and where can I get about fifty of them? As a young 20-something, I feel it would scare off all the wanna-be suitors if I carry around an ax with me at all times, don't you think?

Let's talk about my main girl Eelyn.

<u>Side note</u>: What I love about this story is injuries are actually taken seriously and they aren't like brushed off. Also, these are actual people and and not super people who never get injured.

Eelyn is injured from a previous battle in the beginning, so she is not at her best when a Riki (another Viking clan) corners her and is about to take her life. And then - beyond all odds - her supposedly five-years dead brother stops him and saves her life. Her father believes it is their god favoring her, but she believes different and is rewarded with her skepticism because he isn't dead - he just traded in his Aska armor for Riki. When Eelyn fall captive to the Riki, she sees first hand why she is just now finding out about her brother's survival.

Eelyn lives up to every expectations of a bad-ass. Instead of using a shield, she uses a ax in one hand and a sword in the other. Even though she is injured, she is willing and able to fight for her clan. What is different than the majority of the bad-ass girls of our written-generation is that she actually does have a heart and is compassionate. She cares for her father, who has lost his son and his wife, and she cares for her fighting partner Mýra, why has lost loved ones as well.

But the Riki are the enemy, <b>so why is her brother on their side of the battle field now? Against his own father and sister and kinsmen? </b> You must read this book to see!

The romance in this book is heart-wrenching. I won't spoil who it is and what happens, but I absolutely loved it. I mean, I always love those hate-to-love type of stories, and this possibly that.
It was slow and practical and the characters slowly came together and didn't feel forced.

"<i>The prickling of his stare ran over my body, making me shake as I lifted my hand and spread my fingers, reaching out to him. He looked at it, taking a small step toward me. He moved closer until I could feel his breath on the palm of my hand</i>"

Besides the romantic relations, the family and friend relations aren't pushed on you. They come very naturally and sweetly. Especially the strain between the siblings, Iri and Eelyn. They love each other but they are on opposite sides of the on-going fight between clans. It is written SO WELL.

There is a lot of fighting, some gore, and there is a type of assault that Eelyn goes through. All things that I personally don't mind at all, but some readers might (We all know how I need a little violence in my books).

Overall, this story is about vikings and fighting for what's right. <b>What are you waiting for?!</b>

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This was the best and I am SO GIDDY WITH LOVE. If I could marry a book, man... RTC.

- - -

I'm so ready for this.

This book was a slow burn for me in the beginning. The first few chapters were slow for me but got better after words. Kinda wish that wasn't any romance for Eelyn. Would've been happy with a friendship or a mutual understanding with each other. But other wise a really good debut for this author!

Not enough stars!!

OH.MY.GOSH. I just finished this and now I’m sitting here with a big dorky smile on my face. Such a good book. Exciting and adventurous. Romantic and sweet. It’s just like Amazon said, Wonder Woman meets Vikings.

I loved the romance weaved throughout this story. It’s subtle. I wondered if there was even going to be a romance, and amazingly I was okay if there wasn’t. I was that hooked. But when it showed up, I was super happy.

There is so much I wanna say, but I’ll let you read it and enjoy it for yourself. But the best part is that it’s a standalone! This wonderful story is all wrapped up in one spectacular package. I've added it to my YA list and told all the teens I teach to add it their TBRs.

I found a new author to obsess over. SO GOOD!!

I can’t wait till my daughter reads this book. She’s gonna love it. LOVE IT. Ax and knife throwing is a hobby of hers.

Fierce. Romantic. Spellbinding.

<i>Sky In The Deep</i> is everything I’ve been looking for in a Viking-esque story and so much more! You need this book in your life, people.

<b>What I LOVED:</b> Eelyn is every bit the bada** warrior the cover and summary leads readers to believe which is incredibly satisfying. She is the perfect blend of brawn, brains, and heart, much the way Diana Prince is in Wonder Woman. Her ferocity isn't the result of abuse or trauma, but is born of a deep sense of pride in herself, her family, her clan, and her beliefs. I loved her. I wanted to <i>be</i> her. And I definitely want Eelyn on my side should I ever find myself in a battle because let's be real, I wouldn't last 5 seconds. Because blood and guts and eyeballs. *shudders*

There are great examples of family, loyalty, and friendship (both old and new) woven throughout as well as respect, and the romance that bloomed was hard-won and swoonworthy.

<b>What Left Me Wanting More:</b> Absolutely nothing! <i>Sky In The Deep</i> is the kind of story you hate to see end, with characters you want to hold onto forever (I'm looking at you, Fiske) but even when it is over, you're left happy and content. And maybe even a little eager to go back and experience it all again.

<b>Final Verdict:</b> Read it.

Huge thanks to Netgalley and Wednesday Books for the advanced copy. This review remains unaffected and unbiased.

First of all, what drew me to this novel was the beautiful cover. It is absolutely gorgeous! After reading the book, I also agree that the title was a perfect choice. The second I started to read, I could not put it down. Adrienne Young’s debut is causing a lot of excitement, and she did not disappoint.

CHARACTERS
The main character, Eelyn, is a member of the Aska clan. I loved to read about her as she changed throughout the novel after different events occur. The character development was beautiful and flowed well. Eelyn is a strong person— physically and mentally. She is a warrior and deeply devoted/loyal to her family and clan. Throughout her captivity, she dutifully did her chores but remained true to herself by planning and plotting. What I especially appreciated was that she was still human, and therefore experienced times of joy, pain, and sadness. I think authors oftentimes create super-human characters and forget to make them relatable. Young is the exception.
Two other supporting characters are Iri and Fiske. As the summary reads, Iri is Eelyn’s brother that everyone believed to be dead. Well, spoiler, he survived and she later meets him on the battlefield. Because of Eelyn’s deep loyalty to her clan, it was difficult and painful to see her brother’s betrayal. Throughout the story, they are in constant contact and have to address the hurt in order to heal and reunite. The second character, Fiske, helps Eelyn due to her loyalty to Iri. I absolutely loved how the two of them acted like brothers and how that came to be (no spoilers).

PLOT
These clans, the Riki and the Aska, are unlike any you’ve read about. They are enemies, yes, but more than that, there is such deep hatred that they are relentless in fighting each other. They have different gods, who in their legends, are enemies as well and constantly fighting each other. The book opens with Eelyn and her clan right before a battle with the Riki. They charge, many are killed, and then they return to their camps. Only to do it all over again that same night. This is the “norm” for these two clans as they meet in battle every five years.
The Askas are taught from birth that honor is above life (their motto vegr yfir fjor literally means that). So when Eelyn is captured, she has to decide whether to lay down her honor and pride or kill herself. Fortunately for us readers, she never gets the choice. She is forced into becoming a dyr (slave) and put into an iron collar. And then Fiske buys her. So now, Eelyn is a captive of her enemy and reunited with a brother who has betrayed her.
Eelyn is resilient though. She just has to last through the winter as a dyr before she will be returned to her family. In the meantime, she works with Fiske’s mom and Iri’s adopted mother, Inge. She learns how to adapt herself in this situation but constantly looks for an escape. But when faced with captivity by people who did not treat her cruelly despite their hatred, Eelyn was forced to see their humanity and respect them. The Riki weren’t so different from the Aska when it came to daily life. Through this time, Eelyn goes on a kind of self-discovery journey.

PERSONAL THOUGHTS
For me, I though the ‘sky in the deep’ scene was the turning point of the book. She recognized her change, and knows she can’t go back (although that doesn’t mean she won’t struggle with it). it was also a scene with beautiful imagery and dialogue. The end of the book was truly amazing, and wrapped up well. There was a fantastic mix of action with bloody battle scenes and romance.
If I had to do any critiquing, it would be that the romance scenes actually have a lot of crying in them. To explain, Eelyn is struggling with trying to figure out who she is. Her captivity changed her and she’s slowing been falling in love. This creates bigger problems because it’s like she’s betraying her people. Basically, a lot of emotional events are happening. So every time they kiss she ends up crying. Also, the ending was a little confusing to me as it shifted from scenes randomly and the timing was rather off, but it most likely is fixed and smoothed over by publication. The technical details in no way hindered by love for the ending.

Wow this book!!

I can't even remember how this book came about being on my radar but I'm so glad it did because it was awesome! Perfect mix of vikings, strong female characters, amazing fight scenes and love interest. I found myself so enthralled in the book that I literally did not want to put it down.

buuuuuut

Because this novel is YA it does fall into some familiar tropes that pulled me out of the story or made me roll my eyes. Firstly we have a strong female main character who grew up learning how to be a warrior and a strong fighter and while we see a small glimpse of how bad ass she is, when it counts she falls flat and needs to be "saved" by a male.

Trigger warning!

There is a pretty ambiguous scene involving the main character being sexually abused. Which is so stereotypical and unoriginal that I found myself internally screaming at the author because the story and the main character deserved so much better than that.

Overall the story was paced well enough to keep you interested and I think YA audiences will eat this up. It's really great but I just wish it was a little bit better because this book could have been my book of the year.