A quick YA novel set in the Viking world. I love the different clans and how they each have their own culture and gods that they worship. I think Young does a phenomenal job at creating an authentic atmosphere that allows the reader to feel immersed within the forest alongside her characters. One of my favorite things that Adrienne Young does in her novels, is activate all senses of the reader. She’s an expert at describing the senses. The smell of the villages, the feeling of the ocean, the vision of Halvard’s eyes. Her writing style is lovely & the characters are lovable. Gunther was definitely a favorite 🖤

It is always a win when the cover attracts you and makes you want to read it, and the text that is inside is just as well written/designed as the cover. It is often so hard to find a book with quality writing inside that coincides with quality artwork on the outside. I am SO excited to say this has become one of my favorite books that I have thus far read from NetGalley.

The writing that Young provides here in this book is exquisite and makes you want to cuddle the book to bed. She writes in a way that will attract even the most “bored” reader into the story, she provides you with sweet and tasty writing that throws you for a loop when you get into it. She doesn’t make history boring and brings it into the story in a way that doesn’t lead on that you ARE LEARNING. This is one of the toughest things that students go through with reading, when they know they’re learning they’ll often choose not to, when they don’t know… it’s even better. It’s like feeding a baby some blended broccoli in mac and cheese!

Something however that I think could be worked on would be the pacing of the book, the pacing of the book leaves something to be desired. I recently reviewed another book which had the same issue. The author cops out in the end and instead of writing many more pages with detail and love—they finish the book JUSTLIKETHISOMGIMDONE. They give you the climactic ending… and leave you wanting more. They do not put a lot of thought into the last couple of pages and instead rush through it. This could have ended in such a better way that I am a bit disappointed.

Thank you to Netgalley for giving me the chance to read and review, "The Girl the Sea Gave Back" by Adrienne Young. Honestly, this book was just not for me. I found it hard to keep reading. I was not able to relate to any of the characters on any level. I have not read any books from this universe. Maybe reading Adrienne's other book would have given me more insight into the world building for this book. Sadly, I DNF this book.

I have never read a book like this. The plot was very orginal. I was hanging onto every word. 4 stars

I could not get into this one like the first. I think I wanted more of the years leading up to her becoming an adult. You get the backstory but then it fast forwards and the gap seems like it needed more filling in.

DNF 30%

I really enjoyed Young's debut novel, however, I just didn't care about any character in The Girl the Sea Gave Back which is interesting considering the writing and story are so similar to Sky in the Deep. If you liked her previous novel, I would still recommend this one. Hopefully you'll have a better time with it than me.

I received an advanced copy through Netgalley in return for an honest review.

I didn’t like this one as much as Sky in the Deep but it was fun to be able to travel back into that world.

Sadly this didn't work for me. I wanted to love this, since the cover is gorgeous and the plot sounds great. I will say that not having read Sky in the Deep, I was able to follow the plot of this one very well without having read the other one. The beginning has a good start with a promise of a mystery of Tova's past and the fighting to come. But despite the beginning having promise, this fell flat for me for several reasons. I never understood why the clans were fighting each other: was it different religious beliefs or something else? I never got a concrete answer on why. I also felt like a lot of the same information was repeated through dialogue and exposition and it felt like the plot never went anywhere. I also really didn't get the romance that's supposed to be between Tova and Halvard. They only meet twice and yet, she has to save him because of fate and nothing else. I couldn't see the romance that was supposed to be there; there wasn't enough for me to believe it. While I do like the author's writing style and the atmosphere was good, this was way too short to pack any punch. I will read Sky in the Deep eventually, but I don't recommend people to start with this one. A real bummer.

I read Sky in the Deep last year and absolutely loved it, so I definitely couldn't wait for this book to continue the story of Halvard and his family. This book is best read after Sky in the Deep, but it can also be read as a standalone.
Tova came from the sea in a boat that washed up on the shore of the Svell lands. When Jorrund, a respected leader of the Svell, finds out that she can cast rune stones and predict the future, he brings her back to the village and takes care of her so the village can use her ability to their advantage. When the stone casting spells certain death for the Svell, they decide to attack the combined villages of Riki and Aska, now called the Nadhir, in the largest village of Hylli to steal away their land. Tova disagrees, but feels powerless to stop the Svell until she meets Halvard, the heir apparent chieftain to the Nadhir people. Somehow, they feel like their fates are intertwined, and they may have to work together in order to prevent more bloodshed.
Being able to return to this unique, sharply atmospheric world was a pleasure. The writing was so realistic and the descriptions were so detailed that I could almost smell the salt air and the moist earth, feel the cold wind on my face, hear the clang of axes, and see the events unfolding before me. Adrienne Young's books have now become an insta-buy for me because her writing has taken on a life of its own. I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys gritty, realistic fantasy. I cannot wait to read Adrienne's next book!
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley, and I purchased a beautiful hardcover from Amazon. A positive review was not required, and all opinions expressed are entirely my own.

I had such high expectations but unfortunately I did not enjoy this book. In the end, I decided that I didn’t even want to finish it. I didn’t feel connected to the characters and the world was really confusing.

I really enjoyed this book, when I was about 50% into the plot. At first, I am not gonna lie, it took me a few seconds to get into the plot and it didn't help that the people and clans had hard to pronounce names. I definitely had to rely on my previous knowledge of the clans from Sky in the Deep. I loved Tova but wish she had more time to really grow and be independent. I would have also loved to see Halvard and her relationship develop more but in the end, I was happy with it. I definitely wouldn't read this book before Sky in the Deep but it was a nice companion novel. I had fun reading it!

Yes, yes, yes. I loved Young’s first book and was so excited to be approved for this. Her worldbuilding is so rich and creative, and I’m always here for a Viking narrative. The action scenes, as always, were incredible. The paving, however, was horribly off. I still enjoyed it, but it felt like a less than young is capable of.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

I had majorly anticipated this one. The cover is gorgeous, it's about vikings, what's not to love? Unfortunately, it just fell short for me. For the entirety of the book, it felt like there were details being withheld for the sake of being mysterious, except there was just too much withheld. So much that I didn't engage with the story at all. The story switched between two first person POVs and they seemed like the exact same person. This could have been me...maybe I was tired when reading the book. Maybe I wasn't paying close enough attention. However, there were multiple times that I had to check the chapter heading to see who's head I was in because the characters were just so similar. The book is stated as a standalone, but there were enough nods toward the author's previous book in this world, Sky in the Deep, that I wish I had reread that one before this one, so I could remember the events and in particular, the end of that book. It has been so long that I read it, that I forgot many things and so I spent most of this book trying to remember the context of the references that it took me out of this story. Overall, I'd say 2.5/5 stars, rounding up to 3 for netgalley

Thank you Netgalley and Publishers for granting me early access to "The Girl the Sea Gave Back".

This book did top my favorite reads this year, however I'm currently in the middle of a major move, and will definitely come back at a later time and write out a full review and rating.

Thank you so much!

I found The Girl the Sea Gave Back to be an interesting read. It took me a while to get into but when I did it was enjoyable. I especially liked the world-building and the characters and their interactions with one another. However, this wasn't a memorable read for me. It hasn't stuck with me as some books do and I wish it had because it was incredibly well-written and had everything going for it.

That being said, I can't wait to read more from Adrienne Young and more from this world because it is utterly amazing.

I really enjoyed diving back into the world of The Sky in the Deep. I was not as happy with this one thought. The addition of magic was really cool but the romance was ridiculously insta love. The writing is stunning but the plot pacing is a bit off which was a critique I had of the first book.

Thanks @netgalley loved this book so so much! The plot was very well developed and I really liked the characters it did take me a while to get to this book but after all it’s so good and I’m glad I got to read it

A strong companion novel to Sky In The Deep, which takes the reader back to the Viking world ten years later. While I enjoyed the first novel I found myself liking The Girl the Sea Gave Back more. I greatly enjoyed the duel perspectives of both Tova and Halvard. They have they own stories to tell with their own struggles. They don’t meet until halfway through the book, but I found that worked, since as a reader I got to know the both of them individually. There are characters from the prior book, however, this story could easily be read as a stand-alone. I think the added mystery of who Tova was and her gift with the stones gave this story a mystical feel as well which I thought worked well.

The Girl the Sea Gave Back was a perfect addition to the amazing world of Sky in the Deep. I reread Sky in the Deep just before launching into The Girl the Sea Gave Back, and I loved it even more than the first time I read it. The world is hard and brutal, but so full of natural beauty. The characters are fierce in every way, from the way they fight, live, and love one another.

The Girl the Sea Gave Back wasn’t centered around the main characters from Sky in the Deep, rather, it focused on a side character from that story with alternating points of view from a new character. The book takes place 10 years after Sky in the Deep has ended, and you see how the Riki and Aska people have proceeded after years of brutal war and strife.

The two main characters were so enjoyable to read from. Halvard, the younger brother of Fiske and Iri from Sky in the Deep, is now a grown man and taking on his own role among the people. The second perspective comes from Tova, a girl separated from her people and with little knowledge of her past. She has been taken in by the Svell people, but raised as an outsider and one to be feared.

The way the story unfolded was powerful, and I had my breath held up until the final sentence. I eagerly await to read anything else by this author, as her visual descriptions are so epic and well created that I felt like I was there. The aesthetic (for lack of a better word) of each scene was just breathtaking, and she was able to make me feel connected to these ancient peoples as she imagined them to be. Her writing is powerful and beautiful, and it truly has only gotten better since her first novel.

The reason this installment was not a total five star read from me boils down to a small critique and then an issue of personal preference. The small thing that bothered me that I feel could be improved upon was the way the flashbacks were presented. Between chapters at times, we would read about 12 years ago, or 2 years ago, 10 years ago, and etc. Though I understand these were broken down and arranged to correspond with something that was about to happen next, the way it jumped from year to year in these flashbacks from both povs was a little confusing. It felt a little disorderly, so perhaps finding a different method to show these flashbacks would have packed a bit more of a punch.

The small personal preference had to do with some of the content of the book. I thought that the ritual of initiating the next tribe leader was a little disturbing to read. I don’t know if this was based off of historical ceremonies, but I felt like it warred a little with the beauty of the rest of the book.

Overall, I thought it was absolutely thrilling. I nearly yelled at the end once I realized I had no more left, and truly hope the author continues to spin tales of this amazing world. I will gobble them up greedily.

Both books are totally reread worthy. I highly recommend both Sky in the Deep and The Girl the Sea Gave Back to fans of historical fiction/fantasy and anyone looking for a beautifully written book that will blow your mind.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with this ARC for my unbiased opinion.

I absolutely loved Sky in the Deep - it was one of my favorite books of 2018. The Girl the Sea Gave Back, however, was a bit of a letdown. Maybe my expectations were too high, but I still believe this book wasn’t on par with her debut novel. Young has an amazing talent for beautiful detail and world building, and while she did build upon her first book, the biggest difference I saw was in the depth of the characters and unfortunately, the story as well. The characters were not as developed, and so the plot just didn’t captive me. I didn’t find the two main chapters interesting or relatable, and I’m just not a fan of instalove which is what this felt like because they barely even spoke. The story almost read as a novella due to the pacing and length of the story. Even so, I will still be reading Young’s future book releases because I believe she has a unique talent, and I look forward to discussing The Girl the Sea Gave Back with other readers.