I did not expect to enjoy this book as much as I did.

Young's tale of a fierce Viking girl named Eelyn who faces the challenge of her only brother's betrayal, really got to me. The reader follows the headstrong and skilled Eelyn as she grapples with the reality of a brother who she swore was dead, and the reality of years of separation. I thoroughly enjoyed the characters of this story, and the care Young took in exploring their grief and transitions through life after losing (or believing they've lost) a member of their family, and emotional ramifications of learning that the things you believed to be true, aren't always.

I'm not sure if this story is a standalone or the beginning of a series. Either way, I'm excited to see what Ms. Young has in store for YA readers in the next few years.

I received an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

I don't even know where to begin with this book. It's such a great read.

Eelyn is an Aska, and her clan is in a feud with the Riki. Five years ago she witnesses her brother's death during a battle with the Riki...or so she thought. During a fight against the Riki Eelyn spots her brother wearing Riki armor, and follows him though the battlefield. Eelyn is taken captive by the Riki and made a dyr. She also has to wait until Winter to try to make her escape.

This book was brutal. Eelyn is such a badass MC. The relationships between the characters are well developed and I loved how the romance was quietly simmering in background throughout the book.

The writing was beautiful. The setting and descriptions captivated me. I also appreciated that this was a stand-alone book. I find myself dreading to start a new series because then I have to finish all of the books in the series before reading a different one.

Overall, this is definitely a must-read!

SPOILERS AHEAD.
Ok, I had some trouble rating this book. I wasn't sure if I wanted to give it 3 or 4 stars. I mean, I loved the book. Absolutely loved it. It's dark and heart wrenching and brutal and magnificent. I guess maybe a high 3.5 then?
See- there is a major plot hole that I am having some trouble with.
So, long story short, our MC is a member of a clan that goes to battle with another clan every 5 years. And 5 years ago she saw her brother die in front of her eyes. But then as we start the story, the brother she thought died is actually on the battlefield fighting for the other side.
Well, as it turns out- her brother didn't die and was actually saved by the other clan, which then took him in and he found a new family there so he decided to stay.
Okay- I can accept this.
However, what I am having trouble believing is the notion that then he would return to kill members form his former clan. His friends and family members that he grew up with. I mean, his whole point that he makes clear throughout the book is "they're just like us, we're the same." He's supposedly not holding any huge grudge or hatred towards his former clan. And I understand that they are a fighting people, but I simply don't see any of this as a strong enough reason for him to turn around and 5 years later kill the people he grew up with.
I thought this was a major hole in the story and I would have liked to see this addressed in some way. Perhaps he went to defend his new soul brother, but didn't actually kill anyone? Maybe he's really just enraged at his former clan for leaving him to die? Maybe he was on the field as a healer and he has retired from fighting (although i doubt that's allowed as he's able to fight)?
In any case, I thought this was a significant plot hole and I struggled with this book at first because of that. However, once I let that kind of sit on the back burner, I found myself really enjoying this book. There's a lot more happening under the surface and the emotional turmoil the characters (all of them) go through is excruciating, in the best possible way.
This easily would have been a 5 star read had it not been for the above issue I had.

I was all about the freaking axes! I thought this book was really good! The action was great, romance was good, and the ending was perfect. I really hope this is a stand alone!

I received an ARC copy from netgalley for my honest review,  so thank you netgalley and publishers for offering me this book! ♡
This story is about a young warrior who finds out that her dead brother is alive and living with the enemy. When she is captured by him and his friend, they take her to their village and make her a a slave, in order to protect her identity.
This was my first book by this author,  I enjoyed it, It was fast paced for the most part but at times it felt slow and just alltogether an easy read. ♡ I give this book a 4.5 star rating!

Content Warning: abuse, animal death, heavy violence, torture - please be aware before reading!

I was beyond prepared for this book, from its dazzling cover to the tremendous praise it got from well-known authors. While I really enjoyed SKY IN THE DEEP, it reads more of a lighter YA fantasy than anything. It’s very easy to get swept up with the characters’ emotions, and the heavy focus on family is really refreshing. The story, with its lack of world-building and loose plot, is very character-orientated as we explore the growth of Eelyn and eventually fall in love with all the characters. It’s a very fun debut, and no doubt one that fantasy readers will easily love!

The story begins with war. While the writing may seem clunky at first, once I got into the flow it became easier to follow. Eelyn, who tells this story from her first person POV, is a warrior in the Aska clan and grew up learning to hate and fight the Riki clan. The rivalry between these clans is steeped in legends of the respective gods they worship, Thora for the Riki and Sigr for the Aska, and how their battle carried on with their people. Every five years they meet to fight to the death, and in between these battle years they survive and prepare for more war. While I’m not familiar with the history of Vikings, which this book is inspired by, the simplicity of the whole antagony between the two clans was confounding at first. But it also brought for an easy-to-follow plot that lent its focus more to characters, so I ultimately didn’t mind it.

“Our hatred of the Riki was written onto our bones. Breathed into us by Sigr. What had started as a quarrel between the gods turned into the hunger for revenge - a blood feud. Every five years, we lost those we loved.”

In the first couple of chapters, Eelyn finds her brother Iri fighting on the Riki side, against their clansmen. She’s hurt and confused, because she thought he died five years ago on the battlefield. However, she finds herself captured by the Riki when she tries to follow him and brought back to his Riki clan to serve. Her anger and feelings of betrayal were so easily to identify with in the beginning. I really felt my heart go towards Eelyn as she refused to understand why her brother would forsake his clan after a near-death experience, and treat the enemy like family. The more she spends time with the Riki, however, the more she opens her heart to them and realize that while different, they’re very much the same.

“Because thinking we were the same made too many things possible. It made paths fork where they didn’t before. It was terrifying. ‘Are we still enemies? You and I?’
‘No.” He answered, simply.”

This similarity is even more highlighted when the Riki and Aska fall because of a common enemy, the Hejia clansmen. Again, not much detail is given with this aspect of the plot. The major importance is the fact that Eelyn must somehow unite the Riki and Aska to fight against the Hejia despite their animosity towards each other. While the plot itself is really, very basic, and the world-building along the same lines, there is no denying the frosty atmosphere that Young successfully writes. Readers can feel the cold seep through their bones as the story follows Eelyn when the ice first forms and she’s taken away from her home beside the ocean to the mountains.

Eelyn is a very flawed warrior with grief in her heart and battle in her soul. But throughout the story, we can see her opening a bit more. She finds that her initial hatred towards the Riki may not be warranted as they have similar rituals as the Aska, and the evidence of love. I also really enjoyed the relationships and encounters she was with Riki and Aska alike. Her love towards her father was super heartwarming, and the torn relationship she has with her brother heartaching. She vacillates between wanting to love the brother she knew and hating the new one she sees. Despite it all, she can’t help liking the Riki family that brought him in.

The romance that develops is good BECAUSE of its subtly. In fact, more romance-orientated readers may probably want for more, but I thought that the light development was very fitting for the action and emotion of the story. It is evident in the last three-fourths of the story and woven easily with the rest of the plot rather than seen as a hindrance, despite the forbidden romance bent it takes. It also seems quite natural with the way the story progresses and how the characters grow, so I for one am quite satisfied with that front.

I wouldn’t quite call the world-building lacking, but rather unnecessary to the story. The progression of the character development really made the day, even while the simple plot kept the action going. I really enjoyed Eelyn’s character and am very happy that this is a stand-alone, with a conclusive ending that could leave room for more. (In fact, there’s a companion sequel coming in 2019, and I have a guess on whose book it is!) Overall, SKY IN THE DEEP is about the love of family, and the love of people beyond blood relationship. You don’t need to be someone’s brother or sister to know how to love them as one. There was fantastic action, incredible characters that you really grow to love, and heartfelt relationships that make SKY IN THE DEEP a hit. Fantasy readers must definitely pick up this historical fantasy!

“We were warriors. And she was willing to fight for me the way I was willing to fight for her. Nothing would ever change that.”

4.5 Stars

I will begin this review by saying that I read this book in one sitting, no dinner cooked, no homework done, no sleep gotten. So, be prepared when you open this novel up to be completely useless for 4 – 5 hours. Sky in the Deep completely blew me away.

Sky in the Deep is a novel about a young warrior who finds out that her dead brother is alive and living with the enemy. When she is captured by him and his friend, they take her to their village and make her a dyr (a slave), in order to protect her identity. It is a book of self discovery, understanding, love, family and conflict. Young is clearly a very talented writer who can delve deep into the human psyche in what seems like a very simple, clear way. Her writing is not complex, it is fast paced, to the point and concise. However, every word carries a meaning, every glance a deeper thought, ever action means something.

I absolutely adored the book. If you are looking for a good read, full of emotions, self discovery, strong female characters, love and fights – read this book! You will love it!

This book is YA Vikings.

It is brutal.

It is violent.

It is unflinching.

And I loved every second of it.

From the very first pages, you get a very clear understanding that there will be no holding back in terms of the warring families.

”Vegr Yfir Fjor.”

Honor Before Life is the Aska way and Eelyn is part of the Aska clan. Her father is leader and she stands alongside him and the other clan members each fighting season when the Aska and Riki find themselves at war.

Five years ago she watched her brother die during the battles, but she sees the impossible…. Iri fighting against his own people wearing the battle colors of the Riki. It can’t be true and her father is sure it’s just his spirit blessing her with his presence, but when she sees him again at the next battle, she can’t resist following to make sure.

Eelyn finds herself trapped though and taken captive by the Riki who is fighting with her brother, Fiske and made a dyr… and with winter forcing her to endure the season in the Riki village and the betrayal of her brother, as a slave, she’s determined to get back to her father and forget the brother who has forgotten her and the family he should be fighting for.

I absolutely love complicated characters and this book has them in spades. From Eelyn to Fiske, from Iri to Inge and Myra I just loved getting to know them all and see their growth from beginning to end. Seeing the hate and anger between the warring clans at the beginning and fighting a fight that almost seems to be happening just because it always has, to the point when they realize they finally have a common enemy and the realizations along the way that though they may pray to different gods, they actually have very few differences was just amazing. Eelyn is fierce and strong and clever and Fiske is … Fiske comes across as the strong silent type. He watches, he learns… and he kicks ass when he needs to.

I loved Young’s writing style. With intense action scenes and lush, beautiful prose, she had me turning pages until I was forced to stop. The romance will sneak up on you in the best of ways and it is lovely, and sweet and just perfection.

Ultimately this is a story about family and loyalty and forgiveness and you will be knocked off your feet at how incredibly Adrienne Young tells it.

I can’t wait to see what she writes next!

This book is so good. Like "stay up way too late because I can't stop reading" good.

This book was metal.<br>
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My expectations going in were that <i>Sky in the Deep</i> was going to be a cookie-cutter YA. The cover, frankly, is awesome. The contents, though? Probably just gonna be typical, right? She's gonna get captured by the enemy clan, life as a viking thrall, escape attempts, yadda yadda, then she's going to fall in looooooooooove with one of the enemy warriors, right? I expected to feel maybe 2 and a half emotions.<br>
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Instead, this book is about a SIBLING BOND and SIBLING BETRAYAL AND LOYALTY which is actually the only thing I have ever cared about in my LIFE. When Fiske said, "he's <i>my</i> brother" -- the sheer jealous, territorial rage oh my gosh. Why am I so invested in this? I feel like I should shut this line of discussion down before it becomes too exposing, but anyway -- I cared. I cared a lot. Eelyn's deep love and longing for her brother combined with her bitter anger at his "betrayal" stabbed me in the face instantly, and I was 100% invested.<br>
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The plot was good, intense and with an ending that changed the compelling-yet-horrifyingly-brutal world for the better. More importantly, though... some books spend so much time trying to convince you that their heroine is so tough, and strong, and ruthless, but never really deliver on anything. <i>Sky in the Deep</i> does the opposite of that.<br>
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Eelyn is a warrior, but the book doesn't obsessively try to make you believe that she is one -- she just is one. She thinks repetitively about killing people while in captivity, but it doesn't feel fake and forced because she delivers on that both beforehand, and later on. <i>Sky in the Deep</i> doesn't have to <i>tell</i> you that Eelyn is ruthless, because you get to watch her rip a guy's eye out of his head with her fingers. (I said it was metal.) This is a style and quality of characterization from which the vast majority of YA could learn a thing or two.<br>
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And okay, she does fall in love with some enemy warrior, but it's the good, understated kind of <i>Blue Sword</i> romance and completely tolerable.<br>
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The one thing that would have earned <i>Sky in the Deep</i> the final missing star was if it had resolved everything between Eelyn and Iri. The ending was realistic and bittersweet with hope enough, but I <i>need that catharsis</i>.

Sky in the Deep had some qualities that worked for me and others that didn't. I liked the characters for the most part and thought they had some solid development. The author didn't force the romance or brush over the conflict between the two clans just so that Eelyn and Fiske could get together. I do feel like this book focuses primarily on the romance plotline, however, and didn't quite deliver the "lush, vivid world" that the description claims it will.

This is a fantastic, stand-alone fantasy debut. There are wonderful, complex family relationships and friendships. Totally badass fighting sequences, balanced with thoughtful character development. I loved it!

The first half of the book was well done--I liked the pace, the developing relationships between the characters, and where it was headed. The second half, however, felt too rushed and underdeveloped for my liking. The main antagonist was hardly present in the book and dealt with all too easily, giving the ending an impression of how everything, in the end, goes happily. Which definitely isn't a bad thing! But it was way too cut and dry and I felt none of the excitement or danger in any of the scenes.

Thank you, Netgalley and Wednesday Books, for the opportunity to read and review this book. My views are entirely my own.

I cannot gush over this book enough! Sky in the Deep is breathless, vivid, and badass, with a heroine you'll at once want to scream at and for. Debut Adrienne Young has created a book you'll never want to leave, with characters you'll instantly love.

Step into a Viking-inspired world, fully-realized and beautiful, heart breaking and wonderful. Here, Eelyn is a young woman of war, having spent her entire life fighting with and for her people, having felt the sharp pain of war and has emerged the most hardened warrior. After years of honing her body into a weapon, her heart and mind into unforgiving stone, Eelyn mirrors the unyielding surroundings and people of Aska. But her world is turned upside down when she discovers her brother - a brother she watched die on the battlefield - fighting alongside her enemies, the ruthless Riki.

The writing in this debut is beautiful and confident, the characters fully realized and unique. Young has proved herself a confident and adept writer, and has easily become one of my must-buy authors. Fans of Renee Ahdieh’s lushly painted world in The Wrath and the Dawn and the badass, self-sufficient heroine of Marie Rutkoski's Winner's Series will love this book!

This book is so, so good!!!! It's been a long time since a book amazed me! The plot was authentic and engaging, the writing style was impeccable, the characters were badass and striking, and the romance was stellar! I only have good things to say. This book is a masterpiece! I've already been telling my librarian friends about it. I highly recommend it!

Just the word ‘Viking’ was enough to draw my interest to Sky in the Deep but it definitely didn’t hurt that Adrienne Young is an amazing storyteller.

Viking wars, berserker tendencies, and a love interest too; you don’t want to miss this one! If I were a Viking warrior, I would want to be just like Eelyn. She’s strong, feisty, and determined and her character was easy to empathize with. Fiske (oh, Fiske!), Iri, Myra, Halvard, and the rest of the characters that rounded out the story, the setting, the fighting, the rituals; everything made this book fantastic!

I devoured this book while at the same time hoping it would never end. I love that it’s a stand-alone because they are so rare these days, but I was stalking Young before I even finished reading to make sure we were going to hear more from her. Bonus: there’s a companion novel coming in 2019!!

This is a must-buy! Recommended for lovers of fantasy, historical fiction, YA, and romance.