To be honest, I kind of found this book to be dull and predictable. I think most of this came from my dislike of the main character. I found Eelyn to be similar to a lot of YA fantasy protagonists, who are supposed to be badasses because of their fighting skills and lack of emotion. I couldn't relate to Eelyn, who was very stubborn and angry. I just wanted to scream at her that she should be happy that her brother is alive rather than being mad that he betrayed their clan. This book was very much about Eelyn coming to terms with her brother and since I was not a fan of Eelyn and thought her anger towards her brother was stupid, I really didn't like this book. There was also a romance that I saw coming a mile away that I felt wasn't necessary. 

This was not my favourite type of YA fantasy but if you like books about Vikings and betrayal, you might enjoy this.

This was a hard novel to get into. The novel jumps you into an action scene. However, it throws the reader off guard. It was hard to follow what was going on. It eventually became clear. It is a fast-paced tale. However, it is unoriginal. The characters are stereotypical. The romance seemed forced. Overall, I had time getting the book.

Sky in the Deep was one of my most anticipated reads of 2018. The moment I saw that gorgeous cover I fell head over heels for it and I loved how Skyrim-esque the story sounded. Sadly though, Sky in the Deep didn't quite live up to my expectations. Although it was an all-around enjoyable read, it didn't possess the depth and richness of story that I had been hoping for.

Let's get one thing straight, Eelyn is a completely badass character. I loved her fighting spirit, her fighting style (she fights with axes!), and her loving heart. What I didn't love though was reading the book through her eyes. I'm not a huge fan of first-person narration as I find it really breaks immersion for me and I feel that it isn't as strong a writing style as third-person narration is. Whilst Eelyn was a cool character, the setting for Sky in the Deep had so much potential that couldn't be achieved through the narration style, resulting in a surface level reading experience.

Sky in the Deep suffers from a very odd pacing problem. Within the first few pages, we are thrown head-first into bloody, gory fighting which was great. It was a chaos of Viking hair, weapons embedded in heads, and dead bodies everywhere. As the story is slowly teased out though, the pace slows right down only for the ending to be over in the blink of an eye which I felt really didn't do the story any justice. I'm a big fan of slow burn narratives. During the slower section of the book, I really got to know more about Eelyn, her people's ancient feud with the Riki clan, the motivations of the enemy, and some of the wonderful side characters. It felt the story was building up to something that was going to be really great but never reaches its proper climax because the ending felt really rushed. Anger, grief, and rage that has been burning for centuries is put aside in just a few pages in order for the clans to unite against a greater threat and then everyone kind of just... lives a happy life afterward. I honestly think Sky in the Deep could have been done better as a duology to allow for more time to explore the political, cultural and social tensions between the clans, and not rush the final battle as much.

I felt so conflicted over the romance in Sky in the Deep. On the one hand, it was really predictable. On the other, *fans self*. The romance is definitely cute, and at times gets pretty steamy, so I did enjoy it. It's something you can see coming a mile off though and leads to a pretty predictable ending for the book which, again, didn't do the book justice.

I enjoyed the book so much that I literally tore through it. The combination of the story, the characters, and the setting kept me coming back for me each time. There were just a few niggles that kept me from feeling satisfied at the end and being able to give it a higher rating.

The Viking culture was full of warriors and shield maidens. Men and women alike fought for their clans against numerous enemies. There's was a language of violence and strength through battle. Can vikings hardened by battle, make peace with enemies against a common foe? That's what this unique novel seeks to answer.

I loved this book! The full review will be posted soon at kaitgoodwin.com/books! Thank you very much for this wonderful opportunity to connect books to their readers!

Kiss ass female Viking wielding axes! What's not to love?

This was an incredibly fast-paced, un-put-down-able fantasy.

The plot twists will more than keep you on your toes and the characters and setting will hold your attention. As well as being jam-packed full of action and adventure, Eelyn is rough and tough but yet bright and sensitive.

Overall this was a great full throttle fantasy with a brilliant female protagonist.

**Review can be found at https://smadasbooksmack.blogspot.com/ **

I am a sucker for vikings this last year. I know, I am late to the viking party, but I am still there! After binging on all the current seasons of the History Channel show, I was so excited to hear that there was a YA book coming out told from a female vikings point of view. I mean really, who does not love Lagertha? I anticipated a younger version of that character, kicking butts and taking names, non-stop action! Well, that was not this book. If you are looking for an action packed experience, unfortunately keep looking. Sure there were a couple of battle scenes, the book even starts with one, but really this was about the people of the times and how life was in between the battling. I think there were more flash backs of battles than actual battles. But what would I know, maybe this is more realistic to the times than what my brain created for me. (And it didn't hurt that the cover is so gorgeous I had an instant case of cover love, I was going to get a copy of this regardless of content!)

Wow, this was a slow burn for me. It took a while for me to be actually interested in the story (almost 50% of the book was finished!) since it moves VERY slowly but when I noticed that my chest ached and I fought tears for Eelyn I came to the realization that somehow along the way I was invested. This was very much a character study book, with a single narrator that you get to know inside and out. I felt and experienced everything that she did and at times her loneliness and isolation was palpable- they became mine too. I completely understood Eelyn, and without any effort on my part, I bonded with her. There were times where she wished for death and I got it - keep in in mind that I did not want her to die, but I understood her motivations and mind space.

Sky In The Deep was a debut book and I appreciate the difference in perspective and writing style the author used. I will for certain check out more from Adrienne and see what other kinds of worlds she wants to bring to life- I guess there is a companion novel coming out next year that I would love to read (I have lots of speculation on what that will be!). I highly recommend checking this book out even if it is not your usual topic because, yay, Go Vikings!

A worthy fantasy that fell a little for me near the end.

Sky in the Deep is an excellent debut. I remember opening my copy and just straight up diving into it. It was amazing. There is a battle right from chapter one and I loved it.
The action pulled me into the story and it has been a roller coaster ride ever since.

I loved the focus on found families and how sometimes they can change you for the better more than your loved ones. The ending seemed a bit disappointing but overall it was a fun read.

Un·put·down·able

This book was seriously addictive! I started reading in the morning and I could NOT stop. I just had to keep reading despite having stacks of work to get through. Sky in the Deep is a fantastic historical YA and I'd recommend all to read this book.

The book opens with the eve to a battle. A recurring battle where the gods demand their blood offering every 7 years. A battle in which Eelyn lost her brother 7 years ago or so she thought. Her determination to find her brother led to her being caught and forced to live with her clan's enemy. But there is another threat facing both clans and the only chance to survive is if they stand united against a common enemy.

The story is told solely from Eelyn's perspective. She is an amazing warrior. Despite her smaller stature, her determination and resilience shaped her into an admirable character. All the conflicting emotions she felt, love, hate, guilt, anger, came clearly pouring through the pages. And that slow-burn romance is what really gets me. Unlike insta-love that's out-of-control and ends with a crash; a slow-burn reels you in and kept you on tenterhook 'til the last page.

I'm not familiar with Vikings or any historical facts relating to them so this book reads more like fantasy to me though without much magic, it does feel more like historical fiction. The description of nature and of life has the ring of truth in them (it wasn't an easy life).

I cannot stress enough just how much I love this book! Young and old, I'd recommend that you check out this book!

Thanks to St. Martin's Press & Netgalley for copy of book in exchange of honest review.

This book was fantastic! I think I got through it in just one night - I couldn't put it down! The main character, Eelyn, is such a badass warrior queen (well, not literally a queen). She's who I want to be when I grow up. Minus all the killing. I also really admired her resolve to get the fighting to stop and bring enemies together for a common cause.

I absolutely loved her relationship with her fighting partner/not-blood-sister. I mean, they had their disagreements, obvi, but they were still so supportive of each other, and literally willing to kill for each other.

The romance in this book, while expected, did surprise me with how seriously / immediately it came on. It was "now you see me, now you don't" magic trick, just in reverse.

Now, the relationship with her brother was interesting. It is different reading something where everyone thought someone was dead, but he's not, and the character aren't all just excited and maybe a little short-term angry about it. I actually think Eelyn's reaction is really understandable.

I enjoyed the writing style but I kinda wanted more? I don't know what it was, but it felt like the norse mythology and feeling had been americanised.

Disclaimer: I received a free eARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.

Overall Thoughts:

Vikings, war, betrayal, forbidden love? Yup, this one ticked all the boxes, and I was so excited to finally be able to read this, and you know what? It didn't disappoint. It was gritty and gory and pretty much lived up to all my expectations.

Things I Loved:

- I'm all for bad-ass female characters that don't take any crap and can handle themselves. Eelyn is all that and then some. She's been trained from a young age to be a warrior, to handle physical pain, to be able to tolerate a lot. Despite all that, it doesn't stop her from having a more emotional side and being, well, human. And slightly teenager.

- The world-building was fabulous! The Aska and Riki are so different, and yet extremely similar in their beliefs and cultures. Both were highlighted brilliantly, and I loved learning new things about the cultures and being able to compare the two. The lore behind their rivalry and the stories of their gods, I thought, was really well done, too, and I felt entirely immersed in this world.

- I am 100% for hate-to-love tropes and forbidden love done right ... and I was totally rooting for it here. I mean, mention of the romance is in the summary, so it shouldn't really surprise anyone at all. I loved Eelyn and Fiske on their own, which just made their romance all the more enjoyable.

- The plot was horribly predictable and there were pretty much no surprises at all in that regard ... but I kind of didn't even care? It feels so odd to say that, because I'm usually one crying foul because I get annoyed when I can call the entire plot ahead of time. But I was so caught up in the culture and the romance that I was like, meh, I know what's going to happen, so BRING IT ON.

Sticking Points:

- The ending was too easy. There, I said it. I won't give away any spoilers, but there was so much build-up and tension and then ... it sort of just deflated? I was a bit disappointed.

- There were plot points that I felt were just sort of left open and not tied in by the end. Which maybe that's fine and those questions didn't need to be answered and those points were irrelevant, but I'm nosy and I want to know these things.

I was excited to read this this book because it is loosely based on Viking culture. The story centers about a girl warrior called Eelyn, who is part of a clan living in the fjord fighting a blood feud with a clan from the mountains. The only reason given for this fight is that the gods of each clan hate each other. Eelyn is caught by the other clan and she is forced to serve a family as a slave. 

I thought the book had some good bits, but overall it was okay. The first part was kind of slow for me until the middle when it picked up speed, but then it slowed down again. 

What I liked about the story is that the men seemed softer and more in touch with their emotions than the women, which was a nice surprise.

Trigger warnings : lots of violence, torture, slavery, attempted rape. 

I was so nervous about reading Sky in The Deep since I got so obsessed with Vikings (again!) this summer and I wasn’t sure how I will feel about a YA Vikings-inspired book, but it lived to the hype and to my high expectations.

I loved how the author incorporated some of my most favorite aspects from the Vikings’ era like how important honor, family and their clans were to them. I always adored this period because despite the betrayals and the oh-so-many battles, people were so loyal and dedicated to whatever they felt like they belonged to. Our modern society can’t relate.

And everything was so bad-ass in this book from the battle scenes that were very realistic and not boring at all (because I don’t know about you, but sometimes when I read battle scenes, I just go far away and start thinking about something else entirely) to the romance that was subtle, yet very touching (the forbidden love trope is here and you’re going to live for it!!).

FAVOURITE THINGS
- Eeylin was a great heroine, I loved seeing her struggle with getting too comfortable in the Riki clan, an enemy clan because she was so loyal to her father and her clan. Also, her relationship with her brother was so complex and well built because even though I wanted them to make up and be on good terms again, it was understandable how Eelyn couldn’t get past what she perceived as a betrayal on Iri’s side.
- Myra and Eelyn’s friendship was super cute, I wish we got to see more of them fighting side by side and being powerful sisters.
- The family dynamics in this one are absolutely great, I’m pretty sure all of them would die for each other *heart eyes*
- The action scenes were A+, 10/10 would recommend. It would just make you want to get an axe and hit things or maybe not??? Kids, don’t do it at home. 
- slow-burn, enemies-to-lovers trope.
- I also loved the gods and their story and how that impacted the tribes, it was really cool.

“Vegr yfir fjor. Honor above life.” 

THINGS I DISLIKED 
-While I really liked the romance, at times it felt a bit underwhelming because the love interest wasn’t around a lot and we didn’t get many scenes with them before they kiss. I wasn’t confused when they kissed or something because I was expecting it, I just wanted more interactions between them before it happened, you know. Because they went from disliking each other to somehow standing each other to ‘we have a deep connection, I can just feel it, you know it, I know it’ and yeah, it felt a bit rushed. Most probably because there were other things going on, a little more important, but still you understand where I’m coming from.
It has a slow start, but if you stick with the book, you’ll most probably enjoy it!
- I feel like this book would have been better if it was a duology because there are lots of things happening and sometimes the development of many characters suffered because of action scenes or other plot-lines that were going on.


All in all, I would recommend this book to everyone who’s interested in Vikings and loves YA lit or who loves action-packed novels and strong heroines.

Thanks to Wednesday Books for offering me an e-ARC of this book, this hadn’t influenced my review, nor my rating!

I found myself deeply conflicted, reading this book. In a classic case of Fantasy!Stockholm Syndrome, the main character's core identity is wiped completely away and replaced with an attachment to her owner and eventual love interest. That's right, Eelyn is enslaved—a state which, in her Askan (read: Norse) religion, will cost her the god Sigr's favor and any place in the afterlife—and taken captive by, then sold to, an enemy Riki warrior. She's understandably devastated by both her physical abasement and her spiritual damnation, but thanks to a weird storyline involving her missing brother having been previously saved by the Riki warrior and defecting to the Riki himself, and the musclebound attraction of her unexpectedly kind slave owner, Eelyn comes around. A skilled warrior herself, she is transformed by some magical cuddles & etc. with the Riki, and persuaded by her brother's arguments, she decides to unite the Aska and the Riki in the face of a greater threat: another invading people group, this time a group unfortunately lacking in sexually attractive slave owners. Because no adults would ever think of getting over their differences in the face of a common enemy, it's left to these teens to break from tumbling each other in the hayloft long enough to convince their elders that despite having been at war for generations, they should just go kill some other people and worry about all that pesky "you killed my husband but now I'm supposed to watch your back?" nonsense later.

Ah, to be young again. It's been so long since I trusted, much less lusted for a person who beat me at the one thing I liked to do, then enslaved me and made me give up my culture afterward! But hey, battle scars are sexy and I'll do anything for a man who knows how to purge pus from an infected shoulder wound.

I'm Vikings trash like 90% of readers, but no thank you.

That said, Young does put great sentences together, and I really liked Eelyn in the first twenty pages. Eelyn's world comes across as well-researched if somehow fantastic in the choice of names and gods and so forth. This is marketed as young adult fantasy, but if you squint and ignore the name choices, this could just as easily be historical fiction.

Sky in the Deep was one of my favorite reads of 2018. I've recommended it to so many people because I was so good. The love interest in Sky in the Deep is one of my favorite "book boyfriends," and I loved the slow burn romance. 

To see my full review follow the link:

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y77KKqGDNE0&t=5s

I loved this book so much.
I was kinda bummed how it started out so fast paced but I caught on in about 20 pages and I loved everything about it.
Wonder Woman meets Vikings at last
Everything about this book is intriguing from the cover to the language and magic system and world creation.
Thank you to Net Galley for the opportunity to read this book more than 2 months before it's release date!

Honestly, I really, really wanted to like this book as much as everyone else seemed to.  The synopsis sounded fascinating and I loved the fact that there were two warrior clans who have battled against each other since forever and now they have to come together against a common enemy.  However, I found the execution of the book to be a bit dry and lacking.  There were certainly a lot of action but that was it.  The world building seemed subpar and the characters development were minimal. 

From the synopsis, it seemed as if the “ruthless clan that was supposed to be legend” wasn’t as grandiose as I had imagined.  I was expecting some legendary fighters and whatnot but other than the fact that they were large (there were a large number of them – far more than the Riki or Aska individually), that was pretty much it.  They weren’t even considered as legends because they raided Eelyn’s clan, the Aska, a long time ago so, for the Aska, they certainly knew that this clan existed.  Plus, they didn’t even show up that much in the book.  The only important role they played was raiding the Riki clan and thus uniting the Aska and Riki and they were all slaughtered quickly after.  So much for being ruthless and legendary…

As for the character building, I honestly didn’t see much appeal for Eelyn.  The only thing she seemed to care about was her clan and fighting, which is totally fine, but then the author put a love interest there which really offset her character.  The romance that developed wasn’t unexpected as this is a YA novel but I think this book would have been far better if this romance was not there.  It took away some of the core plot and Eelyn’s character development.

Overall, I think this book is hyped up for no reason and the gorgeous cover is certainly distracting as I was honestly expecting greater things.  The storyline itself was also really easy to guess – there wasn’t any real plot twists especially since the synopsis essentially gave the whole book away.

Such a great story! I am always fascinated about books that use a culture or people from history. I love the use of Vikings and their culture and watching the characters develop and grow. Not to mention the mythology and magic! Such a great story!

Fun YA set in a Nordic type land, every 5 years the Aska and the Riki meet in the battlefield and clash. Our main character gets captured and taken slave/prisoner by the Riki, but it is bc she sees her supposed to be dead brother fighting as a Riki.
Good book about the power to change and see beyond differences. Love story was slow build and mild. The villains, the Herja, we not fully explored or explained, they were a mysterious big bad with no known purpose of why they expanded their raiding efforts and about where they came from.