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.

With emotional vulnerability and an epic worthy of the Viking world it's based on, The Girl the Sea Gave Back follows Tova, a Truthtongue who forsees the unraveling of everything she holds dear and Halvard, the young new chief of a rival clan who feels the pressure of survival. The second book in a loosely connected series, the author paints such an exquisite and vivid picture that it feels as if the reader is transported to the world she paints. With sympathetic characters and an intriguing storyline, this book is a real gem!

A special thank you to Netgalley for providing me with a free advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

Thank you Netgalley for sending me this arc. I will be reviewing this book in the near future with an honest rating and review.

I really loved this book. I hope the author puts out more books based in this world in the future. Can I say again how much I really enjoyed this book.

Another beautifully written book set in the same world as Adrienne Young's first novel, Sky in the Deep. This one missed the mark for me a bit, but overall still worth the read. I am all for the descriptive settings and overall ambiance of this story.

This book was not what I was expecting. It was slow going and was a little bit boring with all the rituals with little explanation for them. Maybe if I read the first book in the series, then I would understand it all.

My second book by Andrienne Young and I need to keep reading. I loved Sky in the Deep, absolutely loved it, it was so well written with an amazing world and when I saw a sequel I nearly passed out. Unfortunately The Girl the Sea Gave Back is set almond a decade later and it follows a now grown up Halvard from the first book. That emotional connection helped but this one didn't give the reader enough time to fully get to know the knew characters before jumping into action (the first one started with a huge action scene but it follow a long character build). I enjoy being back into this world and whatever book comes next I'll be looked forward to reading it as well!

This novel had me hooked within the first paragraph! I enjoyed the story line although it was slightly predictable. However, before I even finished I made sure to preorder a copy so I could display the amazing cover on my bookshelf!

DNF....



After the first book, I decided to give this one a chance.



However, after a few chapters, I knew I wouldn't be able to finish it. The first few chapters were slow and didn't really give enough of a back story and as the book progressed, I just couldn't get into it.

THE GIRL THE SEA GAVE BACK is told in alternating points of view from Tova, a Truthtongue living with the Svell as an outcast, and Halvard, a young warrior destined to become leader of his tribe. I liked both characters immediately. Halvard is so eager to do the right thing and has a fierceness and yet this endearing core of self-doubt. Tova has this insatiable curiosity about her past and an unshakeable faith in the Spinners, who weave the fate of everyone.

I found it a little difficult to follow some of the story world and keep track of the broad cast of characters. I didn’t realize at first that THE GIRL THE SEA GAVE BACK is from the same story world as Young’s debut, SKY IN THE DEEP. If I had it to do over again, I think I would have tried to read SKY IN THE DEEP first so that I had a better understanding and more familiarity with the background, the tribes, and Halvard’s huge family.

The story has a very rich feel to it in terms of its history and culture. Each tribe has its own lore, its own gods and traditions, and its own way of doing things. The clash in those traditions created a lot of tension, too. That and the emphasis on the Spinners and their role in weaving together everyone’s fates created a sort of global feel in THE GIRL THE SEA GAVE BACK that I really enjoyed.

It does also have a lot of battles and battle violence. A couple chapters are mostly descriptions of one critical battle. It was a little much for me, but you probably know by now that I’m a sensitive reader, so factor that in and check out my content notes below for more specific details.

If you enjoyed SEA WITCH by Sarah Henning or CROWN OF CORAL AND PEARL by Mara Rutherford then you should check out THE GIRL THE SEA GAVE BACK.

Let me start off by saying that Sky in the Deep is one of my most favorite books, so when I saw this book I was SO excited. This book didn't quite live up to Sky in the Deep's potential, but it may be because I think so highly of it. There is no doubt in my mind that this author knows what she is doing. Her writing is amazing. She gets you hooked instantly which is not a quality of most authors. My main issue with this book was just that I didn't connect as well with characters as I did with the characters from the first book. I think I just wanted more from this book than what I got, nevertheless, it was still a good book and Adrienne Young is a great author.

I was so happy to read this book, I really enjoyed Adrienne's first book (it was one of my favorite book of 2018), but I have to admit I'm disappointed. I don't really know what happened here but I couldn't connect with the characters and the story was confusing. I didn't understand where we were going and it annoyed me. I tried several times to read the book, but I finally abandoned. I'm really sad that I didn't connect with the book despite Adrienne's beautiful writing style.
However, I will continue to support the author and read her next books!

I really loved Sky in the Deep, Adrienne Young's debut novel, so I was excited to read the companion novel, The Girl the Sea Gave Back. It's not a direct sequel, but it's set in the same world as Sky in the Deep and the main characters appear in supporting roles.

Set 10 years after the events of Sky in the Deep, the Nadhir have experienced an unprecedented stretch of peace, but the neighboring tribe of the Svell are growing in strength and may be a threat to the Nadhir, who are still rebuilding after the events of the first book. Halvard is 18 and has been chosen as the heir to the chief of the Nadhir. He wrestles with whether he is truly the right choice for the job.
One of the Svell's advantages is a young woman named Tova. She is a Truthtongue, someone who can see the future. She is also a member of another tribe, the mysterious Kyrr. She washed up on a beach and was found by Jorrund, the Svell's spiritual leader. Her life with the Svell has been hard. Although they need her, they also fear her, and the only person who shows her any kindness is Jorrund, but Tova always wonders if it's because he needs her abilities to maintain his power.  She lives in constant fear of outliving her usefulness to the tribe.

The story is told in alternating chapters from Tova and Halvard's points of view. It's effective because the characters have very distinct voices. Tova's lonely life contrasts with Halvard's much more secure position. She's an outsider with no memories of her past, while he is a favored son of his tribe, with a supporting and loving family. The two have little in common, but when Tova casts the rune stones, a connection between them is forged.

The book has a fast moving plot, and most of the action takes place over just a few days. Young's spare prose works well for the story. The bleakness and beauty of this world really come through in her writing. It's a gripping story, and I hope Young writes more books set in this world.

Although this is sort of a sequel, it's possible to read it without having read Sky in the Deep. But the two books go so well together, I would recommend that you read the first one before reading The Girl the Sea Gave Back.

Well, that was disappointing.

I read sky in the deep a few months ago and while I did have a few faults with the story overall, I thought it was a very promising debut. This book however was a huge step in the opposite direction.

This story, similarly to Sky in the Deep, had so much potential. Set 10 years after the events of Sky in the Deep, we follow two main characters. Halvard, who we met in the first book, and Tova, a girl living as an outcast in her tribe since death seems to always follow her. She has the unusual ability to see the future. When she’s asked to use her ability to decide whether they should go to war or maintain peace, she sets into motion the events for the novel.

I also think this story wasn’t sure what it wanted to be. With Tova’s ability there were some fantasy/magic elements, but since Tova didn’t know too much about her past neither did the reader and it made things feel so confusing and disjointed. Along those same lines, there is a lot of talk regarding fate and destiny. It seemed like the paths of our main characters are meant to cross in some crazy way, but they spent such little time on page together and what could’ve been an amazing star crossed lovers/forbidden love plot line fell completely flat.

Basically, all the things I really enjoyed from the first book were missing. I was hoping that the author would stick with the fast plot lines and action, yet what we got here was only tons of wasted potential and a disjointed plot.