I loved Sky In The Deep and was very excited to be approved for The Girl The Sea Gave Back. This title was good, but I feel like it could have been better. I personally had a hard time connecting to these characters. And sometimes the time jumps lost me and I had to re read parts to figure them out. I enjoyed the fact that it took place in the same world as Sky In The Deep, just 10 years later. It was nice to see what was happening years later. If you enjoyed the first book, I'd say give this one a shot to. I think many Sky fans will enjoy this book as well.

The Girl the Sea Gave Back is a stand-alone novel in the same world as Sky in the Deep though years later. The world building is as beautiful as before. The characters develop a bit slowly but they grow on you. It reads from two characters pov’s but never loses its pace. I loved the back stories mixed with the current story. The politics of the different clans, blood feuds and war keep you entranced and turning the pages. I love that Adrienne Young is sticking to Norse mythology and I hope she continues to write more inside this world she has built.

* I was provided an arc by NetGalley in exchange for a review*

I am slightly sad giving this book 3.5 stars as there is so much excitement in the book community for this one to be published, but this book just didn’t hit full marks for me.

This book is a standalone, which is a huge plus for me. With there being so many duologies and trilogies, I love a good standalone. I found the story to be really interesting, and I loved the concept.

Where this book lost me was that the characters were hard for me to connect with as I can’t say their connection with each other was necessarily strong. Also, as much as I appreciate the going back and forth per chapter for a different characters pov, also having timeline jumps in there made it all feel a bit disjointed.

I’d love to see what else this author has written and give another one a try.

WOW WOW WOW! I want more. This book was so good. I enjoyed to getting to know the characters and their complexities. I wanted an explanation of what happened after the roll of the stones. I can’t wait to share this book with my students. Adrienne Young hit the ball out of the park with this book. Tova is a sweet young girl that doesn't know her purpose in the world. She united with Halvard in an unconventional manner. There was a strong connection from the beginning. Hold on to your seat to see what happens.

The Girl the Sea Gave Back pulled me right in from the start. Another great book from Adrienne Young.

I really wanted to love this book. I am a huge fan of Adrienne Young's book Sky in the Deep and was hoping this would be just like that one. I had a really hard time getting into this one, maybe I just wasn't in the mood for this type of story at the time. I will be giving this one a try at a later date.

Huge Thank you to Netgalley and Wednesday Books for this opportunity!!!

Well I’m going to be honest, this did not compare to Sky in The Deep for me. I think there were a couple of reasons, first the dual narration and the switching between past and present just did not do it for me. I didn’t feel connected to Tova or even Halvard, who I loved in Sky in the Deep.

This book was much more focused on story, and the story was an interesting one, however, because I wasn't connected to the characters, I wasn’t as into the story. Tova and Halvard had just a few scenes together making it difficult to understand what was between them. That coupled with the fact that I had no background information on these tribes left me wanting more. Even the characters from Sky and the Deep, Fiske and Eelyn seemed to be shadows of themselves in this book.

I wanted to love this book, but I just didn’t

Adrienne did it again. This is a beautiful story about a girl with power absolutely killing it. She didn't require a man to save her, there was no insta-love and she made up for the mistakes she made. I really enjoy this world that the author is building. Only dinged it one star because it can be a little slow to build up to the action but is well worth it.

I absolutely loved this book! Although I have a copy of Sky in the Deep, I have not yet read it but heard so many good things about the author Adrienne Young. When I saw the synopsis of this story it grabbed my attention from the get go. I fell in love with Tova and felt for her so much. This story defiantly pulls at the heart strings and has you rooting for her through out the story. The other main character Halvard was great as well and his journey to who he becomes is quite amazing. Although I wished there had been more interaction between the two characters, I also understand why they were apart for most of it. I'm usually not a fan of switching point of views (let's be honest, set the book down for a day or two and you forget who was doing what and where) but this book had me so hooked that I stayed up till 4am finishing it! I will have to pick up my copy of Sky in the Deep now, and I look forward to more books from Adrienne Young.

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for an ARC for an honest review.

I absolutely loved this! I really enjoyed Adrienne Young's Sky In The Deep and it made it into one of my fave books of 2018. This however, was EVEN better. The characters and plot meshed so well I couldn't put this book down. The fantasy elements were great, and I can't wait for everyone to read this!!

HOLY CRAP. Please tell me there’s gonna be a sequel?! Someone please reassure me that wasn’t the end!?! Because I’m seriously gonna cry. I. Will. Cry.

“But the future wasn’t fixed. It was a thread that changed color with the shifting of the present and the past. A wave that rippled out to the vast, open sea.”

The Girl the Sea Gave Back was everything I hoped it to be. Gorgeous cover, beautiful, addictive writing, brilliant, solid world-building and lovable characters- it had all the makings of a great YA fantasy and I loved every page. Devoured this in one sitting and I have no regrets.

I fell in love with the author’s debut but I am nothing short of obsessed with this one. Love, love, love Halvard and Tova. I honestly can’t tell you that I remember much about Halvard from Sky in the Deep. But dammit if I didn’t fall in love with him in this one. And Tova is just as incredible! She’s my favorite kind of badass heroine. I absolutely enjoyed the cameos too. Seeing Fiske, Eelyn and the others was great and so much fun!

‘Maybe death would just feel like going home.’

For anyone looking for romance, there was barely any in this one. But what it lacks in that department, it more than makes up for in action, excitement and brutality. I love how unforgiving and unrelenting the writing is when it comes to blood and gore. (That sounds psychotic I know but still.)

‘…it was only a different kind of pain. One that was a little easier to live with.’

My only disappointment is that the book felt rushed by the end. I wanted, no, NEEDED ten more chapters with Halvard, Tova, the Kyrrs and this beautiful, mesmerizing world.

Highly recommended! This one’s not to be missed!

I received an e-arc to read and review. Quotes cited may change in the final print.

This book was really well done. I have been waiting for a sequel to Sky in the Deep and The Girl Athens Sea Gave Back did not disappoint. The characters were well thought out, the story was entertaining and action packed. The author does a really good job at showing us the scene instead of just telling us about it. Overall, I would definitely re-read this series as I know I’ll find more and different things about it that that I’ll like a second time around.

This book was so good. Adrienne Young did an amazing job with the world building. I don’t know much of Scandinavia culture but I was so intrigued and invested in this story. The writing is simply beautiful and I loved both main characters.

Another fantastic book by this author, I loved this from the first page,
This author is fast becoming one of my favourites, I love Norse mythology and this book certainly delivers that..

“My head back and the words found my lips, the rasp of my own whispering so quiet that I could hardly hear my own voice. ‘I call upon the Spinners. I summon the weaves of fate.’”

In the dark swirling waters, a life may end and be cast adrift. A funeral boat carved to beautiful perfection with a tiny body laid to rest, pushed out and grabbed by the greedy yet beautiful gray blue waves of the sea. Quickly, the boat is swept away by the tide while warm flames catch and take hold of the wood. Now the story of Tova begins as the Spinners of Fate have planned.

Tova does not belong in the village she is raised in. Found on a beach by the local Tara, she is seen as unlucky and strange with her tattoos swirling and twining around her body. She does not know what they mean, but she knows that she is the only one who can cast the rune stones and know what the Fates tell her. Her existence is lonely and difficult. The people wish to see her gone, but curse the fact that they also need her in a way. Will she find the strength to forge her own path and leave the very person who raised her and cared for her in his own way? The Fates have decided, now it is time she finds out what she is capable of and what she is able to change.

“The water crept up over the rocks as the tide rose behind us, the wind turning colder with the stars brightening overhead. I lowered the torch until it touched the corner of the first pyre and the flame caught, traveling over the oil-soaked bodies until it was swallowed in fire.”

Halvard is still a young man, uncertain of what the future holds for him and what exactly he wants for himself. He loves his family fiercely and does not back down when situations become dangerous. His path appears to be separate from Tova’s but they are destined to meet. Their paths are dangerous and entwined. Can two completely different people look past their own beliefs and find a way to bring peace to their people?

I have had the debut novel by this author on my TBR shelf for ages. When I saw this book coming out by the same author, I had to give it a try. I love stories that have some Norse mythology in them and was pleasantly surprised when the publisher granted my wish to receive and review this book. This story flew by and I look forward to the final draft of this book. Some people that have reviewed this book before me mentioned “insta-love” and how they cannot stand it. To me, it does not exactly fit that description. The two characters feel a connection, yes. However, they do not know exactly what it means. All they really know, at least for Tova, is that they do not want harm to come to one another. This novel was beautifully written and I enjoyed the personal growth Tova goes through as the story progresses.

Thanks so much to Netgalley for providing a digital ARC of this.

After loving Sky in the Deep so much, I had high expectations for the companion novel. While still an enjoyable read, I did not love it as my as Sky in the Deep.

It is set 10 years after Sky in the Deep and the narrative switches between two characters, Halvard and a new character named Tova. It was delightful to encounter the other favorite characters from the previous book as well. Unfortunately, I never really connected to Tova's character and didn't like the constant references to "the spinners" with no explanation of what they really were.

The Girl The Sea Gave Back is a companion novel to Sky In The Deep.

This story follows Tova who is found on a half burned boat in a rivals clans shore. She is discovered to be a Truthtongue, someone who can cast the dice and read the fate in the tunes that land. Tova has no recollection of her life before being found on the boat.

What will the dice reveal about her fate and the mysterious man she sees in the glade?

I have been anxiously anticipating this novel all year and it did not disappoint. I will be recommending this novel to all my friends.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for this ARC, which will be available for purchase September 3, 2019.

Boy, oh fucking boy, was this a hard read for me. I’m really, really not the kind of gal to DNF books, but making my way through this book felt like I was trying to pull myself out of slow sinking quick sand.

For one, I’ll point out the obvious that many of my fellow reviewers agree with, this book is sooooOoOo s l o w. You hit the 25% percent mark AND YOU STILL DON’T HAVE A PLOT. I feel almost as if the author confused plot with setting. Like she introduces the nations/clans, and where each nation/clan stands in her world.... and that’s it. That’s what the story is about. And listen, I love a good power-struggle story as much as the next girl, but if your focus is JUST struggling powers, then you NEED to have the characters make up for the lack of a structured storyline.

And the characters were headache inducing bland porridge. For one, the two MAIN characters completed blended together. I had to scroll back to the first page of chapters SO many times just to see which character I was dealing with because honest to god I couldn’t tell. Pair that with the fact that this book had just this MASSIVE entourage of side characters with difficult names, I could NOT keep track of anything. I literally felt so stupid at some parts because I would be like “wait WHO’S Espen again?? Oh shit he’s the LEADER of the clan??? OH that’s why the characters are making a big deal of his death”. In a story about struggle-for-power-clans YOU WOULD THINK that by the 50% mark I would be able to identify the leaders, right?

And feeling stupid while trying to read a book is definitely not a good feeling to have.

Let me take a deep breath and y’all about the writing; actually, let me take some more ibuprofen before I get into it.

The timeline on this story was completely fucked. As Doctor Who would put it, it was genuinely a “A big ball of wibbly wobbly, timey wimey stuff” of a mess. It would always take me a minute to see where we were in the timeline every time we jumped to a different scene. It’s like we go from Halvard’s POV and see his experience, and then jump back in time and retell the experience through Tova’s eyes. And it was NOT smooth transitions; it feels like when you get up too fast, and your vision tunnels as your body adapts to the sudden change. You’re CONSTANTLY jumping back in time if that makes sense. I mean if you read the story, you’ll understand. It always goes something along the lines of:

Halvard: *experiences beginning, middle, end of battle*
[one chapter later]
Tova: *launch back in time and experience SAME battle again through Tova’s eyes*

Which is a fine and dandy way of writing, I appreciate the ambition, but it has to be done EFFECTIVELY. In this story, I could never tell where we were in time. I’d sit back and be like, “wait is this the same day? Is this yesterday? Didn’t he already die? Are we seeing this again or is this a different character?”

I ended up DNFing this book at the 70% percent mark. I hope everyone who’s disappointed can understand, after reading this review, how this book was just not a good match for me. Like a toxic relationship, it drained my energy cause I was constantly trying to figure out what messages it was trying to send me.

One of my most disappointed reads of 2019, what a shame that such a beautiful cover was wasted :/

thank you Netgalley and Wednesday Books for the Advanced Readers Copy nonetheless!

Tova's point of view from the novel was by far the strongest narrative, but as a whole the novel suffered from the lack of tension due to her ability to read the future in the stone die she casts. The plot did not subvert her predictions enough to make the plot interesting--it felt like you knew exactly where all the characters were going to end up from the very beginning. Her romance with Halvard had that star-crossed lovers vibe, but their relationship was thin against the background of clan politics and didn't add enough texture to the plot for their actions to be believable.

Young's writing is lush and beautiful--people who loved SKY IN THE DEEP may be excited to see familiar characters ten years later--but I don't think its enough to engage new readers in the world

Having not read “The Sky in the Deep”, I was worried that I would be a little lost reading this one. That was not the case. This book follows Tova, a girl who is thought dead and set adrift, and found by a member of another clan, and raised there. It also follows Halvard, a member of the Nadhir clan, who comes into her life during an intense time.

Honestly, I had a lot of trouble with this book. I liked the idea of the story, and some of it was good. The battle scenes were really well written! The dual perspectives of this story didn’t really work for me. The layout of the scenes sort of got muddled up, and it seemed like I was either missing chunks of time, or reading the same scenes over and over. I would have liked Tova and Halvard to have been together for more than just that little bit, because I felt that their relationship was created out of almost nothing. I’m sure this is just me, and I just wasn’t feeling it at the moment.

I was given an advanced reader's copy via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.