I loved this book! It was every bit as good as Sky in the Deep, maybe even better. This book is set in the same world, but 10 years in the future. Even though it is described as a standalone on the author's website, I would recommend reading the first book before reading this one. Some characters from the first book do show up. The story is told from two points of view, Tova and Halvard.

Tova has lived with the Svell ever since she was found washed up on shore as a young child. She is what they call a Truthtongue and she uses her gift to help the Svell. She has symbols inked all over her body from a home and clan that she has no memory of. Her marks identify her as someone who can cast the rune stones and see the future. The leaders of the Svell barely tolerate her presence. Now the Svell are divided about their future. Some think it is the perfect time to attack their weaker neighbors. Others think it is better to leave things as they are. When the chieftan asks her to throw the stones, events are set into motion that will change everything.

I was very excited to revisit the world that was created in Sky in the Deep and I was not disappointed. It was great to see some of the characters again. I really liked the two points of view in this book. Halvard and Tova are great characters and I really liked them both. Halvard was just a young boy in Sky in the Deep. He is the younger brother of Fiske, now all grown up and a leader in his clan. The story is well written and there's lots of action. I had a hard time putting this book down. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes YA Fantasy or who likes anything with Vikings in it. In my opinion, this is a 5 star read.

I received a digital copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Sky in the Deep, was a book I liked, but had a problem connecting with in the beginning. This was not the case with The Girl the Sea Gave Back.

The Girl the Sea Gave Back, is set in the same world as Sky in the Deep, 10 years in the future. It follows the story, of Halvard, a young man that grew up in peace, and Tova, a girl blessed by the gods, raised in fear. From the moment, I read the first chapter/ prologue, I was hooked. It's not a sequel to the first book, but If you have read Sky in the Deep, you can appreciate more the development of the world, mythology and characters. I loved that we meet new clans with different customs, practices, morals and approach to religion. Furthermore, the fact that we meet again some old characters and the new dynamics between them, was very interesting.

The writing was beautiful, with dark mystical vibes, and I love how Adrienne Young make me picture the world and the characters, so clearly in my mind. The end, was one of the best parts, especially the final battle and the events after it. My only problem was the romance between our main characters. Even though it feels very strong, I can't help wishing more scenes between them, and honestly, the book was quick and easy to read and a few more scenes with Tova and Halvard, couldn't hurt it.

In general, I love this world and I think I would like one more book, maybe set in the past and with new characters.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with this e-arc, in exchange for my honest review.

Not having read Sky in the Deep, I came to The Girl the Sea Gave Back with no expectations. However, the book really didn't work for me. I read all the way through, but I was bored from start to finish. The concept of the story sounded good in the blurb, but the world building was underwhelming, the timeline felt disjointed, and I didn't connect with any of the characters enough to care about what was happening to them. The romance element, too, felt lacklustre and devoid of depth. There was nothing wrong with the prose per se; the book simply failed to grab me in any meaningful way. I imagine this is going to be a tale that really divides readers, with people either loving it or hating it, with little middle ground. I wish I could have liked it more, as it contained many elements that appealed. They just didn't come together for me as a reader.

(My review will go live on 13 August at the blog link provided.)

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC, was so very excited to read this!

Unfortunately, it just didn't grab me I found myself struggling to keep up with who was who.

I wasn't fully invested in any character until 30% thru the book, and then somewhere about 80% of the way thru I realized I was nearing the end and just then clear on who was who and why I should care.

Loved the concept, but sadly didn't end up loving the book (and I so badly wanted to).

A few highlights:
-women kicking butt with all sorts of weaponry
-mythology galore, the world building was solid
-The cover is fantastic love the artwork for this!

I wish I loved it!

Washed ashore in a half-burned boat, Tova was adopted (enslaved?) into the Svell tribe as a young child. She knows next to nothing about her birth tribe, the Kyrr, or the mysterious black symbols tattooed across her white skin. What she does know, however, is that she has the gift of casting the stones, and her role as TruthTongue is to inform the increasingly hostile Svell chieftain what future the Spinners have ordained. When the Svell make a raid on a neighboring tribe, the Nadhir, Tova feels the guilt of having caused this slaughter and searches desperately for a way to atone.

A young boy during the feud of the Riki and the Aska, Halvard has grown to manhood with the two clans united under their new name, the Nadhir. Doubtful of his own abilities, Halvard finds himself forced by circumstance to take up the mantle of chieftain to lead his people against the huge army of Svell determined to exterminate their villages. When a mysterious Kyrr girl offers her help, Halvard must decide whether to trust her and her gift.

This book is a sequel of sorts to Sky in the Deep, and the events occur ten years after. I truly enjoyed the first book, but this book was really difficult for me to get into. At the beginning, there were so many names and characters introduced all in a clump that I had trouble orienting myself. Throughout the book, Tova's beliefs seemed to shift back and forth--are the revelations of the Spinners inalterable, or are we the masters of our fate?--which made it difficult to empathize with her guilt over the events that followed the casting of the stones. After all, if fate can be changed, why stress about your predictions causing anything? Halvard's selection as chieftain of the Nadhir was a little confusing as well--I found myself agreeing with his own assessment of his abilities and bewildered as to why he would have been chosen. 

The structure of the book was interesting, with many flashback sections to gradually reveal the history of Tova and Halvard's lives. While the prose did have some truly luminous sections, there were also portions that dragged interminably, and towards the last third of the book, I found myself skimming portions (which I rarely do). The constant descriptions of violence did little to advance the plot and became fairly wearisome. The cover is this book is absolutely gorgeous, but the book itself didn't quite live up to my expectations. 

Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. This review will be spoiler-free and remain unaffected by the free copy.

As I mentioned, I heard this was a continuation of Sky in the Deep. While it does reference things that happened in the other book, I don't think it's a necessity to read it in order to understand what's going on. The narrators and the subtext explain everything pretty well. I did end up liking this better than the other book, mainly because this one felt like it always had forward momentum. In Sky, there was a lot of nothing happening while Eelyn was in the Riki camp; in this book, Tova and Halvard are always moving forward with their stories. With actual literal movement as they go from one location to another. They're growing as people, suffering losses, questioning things, stuff like that.

Yet even with having a more forward momentum for the characters, I feel like this book has a lot of wasted potential. There's a lot of emphasis on fate and destiny that could've been explored a lot more than it was. The characters talk about fates being written on a tree (like Yggdrasil) and the Spinners (the Fates) and Tova sees the future, but it's not really analyzed that much-- it's basically just accepted. The gods and the Spinners are portrayed as real entities that have actual control over people. And sure that's probably just because of the culture, but I still wish more was done because it would've made Tova's side of the story much more interesting.

Halvard's side of the story was a nice coming-of-age, but again, I feel like more could've been done with him. I don't want to go into much detail and spoil things, but one decision about him didn't make much sense. This could be another culture thing that I can't relate with, but him being very inexperienced and untrained when the decision is made just strikes me as very odd. I would've loved to see him learn how to be in the role his people wanted to give him-- or at least have to work for it. I would've also loved seeing more of him with his family.

One criticism I have is more on the technical side of things. Every now and then the story gives us a flashback. I hope that the published book gives more of a divide between Tova and Halvard's sections, because the way it happened in the ARC is not very clear and I had to go back and read sentences again. It would start out with Tova, for example, and then switch to Halvard. There was a heading giving a location change that clues the reader in, but it needs to have more space between the characters and maybe even put the locations in bold to better distinguish one from the other.

I'm so glad that there really is no romance in this book. The narrative suggests a connection between them, and honestly the excuse for why Tova is fascinated by Halvard is both sad and stupid, but "romance" doesn't really play a part in things. Honestly, the book could've played the same and would've even been better without that connection added in. The fight scenes were great and there was brutality in the world; it just managed to not be too graphic about it.

The ending is pretty open-ended, which I don't personally mind as it leaves it up to the readers to decide what happens next. But I can imagine some people being upset and expecting a third book to tie up loose ends. Overall, though, I liked it. It was a lot of character growth, which suits my personal taste, but still has a lot of wasted potential that could've made it even better.

DNFed at 32%, I think this book series is just not for me. I'm really into the concept but not the execution

Dynamic read that delves into the complications of family bonds. These bonds are more than blood, crossing into the diversity of a whole village. Tova is found by a father figure who uses her magic of reading stones. Each chaper reads from the first person devoted to a different character. Question aries about what it means to have the power to see fate. Here's a beautiful quote "The spinners were wise, but they weren't always kind. Sometimes fate was a tangled knot." I really enjoyed this fantasy novel. Family, fate, karma from nature, to fighting for survival. Loved it.

4.5 Stars - Thank you St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for an ARC of this book. I loved it! TGTSGB is set in the same world as Adrienne Young’s debut, Sky in the Deep. We follow Halvard 10 years in the future from Sky and a new protagonist, Tova. With their clans at war, Halvard and Tova’s individual struggles throughout the intricate web of fate are told in this brutal Viking inspired world. The story switches POV between Halvard and Tova with flashback chapters of their pasts. Although this book can be read alone, having read Sky in the Deep first did add to the story and enriched it as a whole for me.

Adrienne Young’s writing style just really clicks with me. I give 4.5 stars because I feel TGTSGB didn’t quite flow as easily as Sky in the Deep but the story line is still solid, brutal, and intriguing. Although I like the cover, I really wish it portrayed Tova’s raven black hair. I’m so happy I got to read this book and excited to have the final hardcover in my hands. High five to the author for another awesome book!

I received an arc from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
This book is really great as I expected it to be. I loved returning to the world of "Sky in the Deep", in order to meet again some characters and discover their future. Even more, I loved to meet new characters.
The story of Tova is touching, her path is important and I liked her very much as the main protagonist.
Halvard is also a great character, I was so happy to see him again and e ead about him!
Their stories will unite in a very original way, joining also the northern mythology and the history of the north.
If you love norse mythology and history, this is the book for you!
Beautifully written, it makes you live every battle and war. The reader sees what the protagonists see, feels e hat they feel. It’s just really beautiful!

I really loved Sky in the Deep, but had a very hard time finding a connection in this book. The writing style is almost lyrical, but there was zero connection to the characters and it just didn't hold my attention.

This book is a stand alone novel although it does invite a character from the authors debut novel. It was a pretty medium paced read, the plot was simple and the characters are mostly likable. I would recommend you read this book as well as the authors previous one.

Thank st Martin’s press for the copy
J’ai adoré l’histoire! J’ai aimer entrer dans la vie de tova et halvard ! J’ai adorer l’univers ´ viking ´ les descriptions et les scènes de combat était parfais

Thank you to Netgalley who approved the e-arc the same day I received my Goodreads win of the same book. All comments are my own.

I am going to start this review by saying how disappointing this book was. It did not make the impact I was expecting it to given the author's debut novel. This book was not fun. It was not fast-paced. It was not interesting. It was missing the heart that SINTD had-the relationships that made me fell in love with it. Most of it dragged, and I slogged through the ending with all the gusto of me getting up in the mornings. That is to say, sluggish and swearing at the gods as to why this was happening.

This story takes place ten years after the events of SKY IN THE DEEP, but do not directly coincide with that book so much. Fiske's younger brother, Halvard has center stage, as well as a new heroine named Tova who is a soothsayer in a way. She and Halvard are part of two warring clans. Honestly, that is all I got out of it. There were no emotional ties to either character. I feel personally attacked at how pumped I was to get not only one, but two copies of this and feel as let down as I am.

The major things were lack of world-building, lack of character-building, and lack of story-line. The romance fell flat. So, in other words, there was nothing keeping me from talking about this book. Nothing stood out. Mostly, I wanted it over so seeing as it was short, that was one plus to it all.

This stand alone novel is set in the same world as Young's previous novel Sky in the Deep. It follows new character Tova as she casts the stones for a viking clan about to go to war with their rivals. She becomes conflicted when she sees Halvard (a character from the previous books) and another viking who has similar makrings to her own. She begins to wonder if she was truly outcast from her own clan or if the truth is being witheld from her. 

I was a huge fan of Sky in the Deep and was very excited to read this novel by Young. The action between the clans was a bit more brutal than I was expecting, but overall I really enjoyed this book. I liked how the POV switched between Tova anf Halvard. I also enjoyed how Young approached the romantic relationship between Tova and Halvard in this novel as opposed to the romance in her preivous novel.  There are very little romantic scences bewtween the two. It is focused more on the fate and destiny of Tova and Halvard meeting rather than on actual romantic interactions between the two. 

I would recommend this YA novel to those who enjoy reading Sky in the Deep, Kingsbane, and Dark Shores. 

Thank you to NetGalley for an eArc of this novel. The Girl the Sea Gave Back is expected to be published on September 3, 2019.

I was pleasantly surprised by this book. I admit that I didn't like Sky in the Deep but I wanted to give this one a try. And I am glad that I did! This book follows the same Viking world and mentions tribes from Sky, so it was nice that they were familiar and I had that background. The book starts off with a hook that drew me in and I wanted to know more about who Tova was and who she grew up to be. I thought that the idea of the Truthtongues was super cool. They're basically those who can see parts of the future, like an oracle of a sort. Tova was fairly valued in her society and I thought that was awesome as well, and demonstrated what a strong female character that she was. The title really does apply to Tova and it's referenced in part of the book so I picked up on that quip. Tova is a likable main character and you learn about her heritage along with her in a way that feels a lot like storytelling. I am super interested in Viking folklore and myths which this delivered on in little tidbits. 

That being said, I wasn't in love. I found that not much happened over the course of the book and that it was quite predictable. I feel like there probably should've been some more action considering that this is a story about Vikings but there were some action scenes in there. This reads more as a girl discovering herself story and I'm not mad about that. This is a standalone and I feel like it definitely could've been a series or duology! I want to know more about the Truthtongues and the ancestry of them. Historically, I don't love multiple POVs and this one was fine in that department, but the time jumps did confuse me. I was trying to figure out everything in terms of the time jumps and it was a little tough there. I was surprised that I liked this book as much as I did after my opinion of Sky but I am so glad that I decided to read this one!

**Disclaimer, I was given a free e-ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Also, please note, there are spoilers below for Sky in the Deep.**

Title The Girl the Sea Gave Back

Author Adrienne Young

Description from Amazon

For as long as she can remember, Tova has lived among the Svell, the people who found her washed ashore as a child and use her for her gift as a Truthtongue. Her own home and clan are long-faded memories, but the sacred symbols and staves inked over every inch of her skin mark her as one who can cast the rune stones and see into the future. She has found a fragile place among those who fear her, but when two clans to the east bury their age-old blood feud and join together as one, her world is dangerously close to collapse.

For the first time in generations, the leaders of the Svell are divided. Should they maintain peace or go to war with the allied clans to protect their newfound power? And when their chieftain looks to Tova to cast the stones, she sets into motion a series of events that will not only change the landscape of the mainland forever but will give her something she believed she could never have again―a home.

Cover Art

I love the colors of the cover of this book. The ocean gives a richness to the color scheme that contrasts nicely with the black of Sky in the Deep. This is definitely a book I would purchase for my shelves at home.

Initial Thoughts

I am obsessed with Sky in the Deep. It is in my top five of 2019 and was an amazing story. I love Adrienne Young’s writing style and was so excited when I found out that The Girl the Sea Gave Back is an indirect sequel. I was so bummed when I missed the initial wave of ARCs on Instagram and I couldn’t find any at Book Con. I was ready to settle and wait like everyone else for this title when the publisher approved my wish on NetGalley!

Series Value

I think this setting and these characters have a lot of promise. I love the viking inspired stories and the fact that The Girl the Sea Gave Back is filled with familiar characters and concepts from Sky in the Deep. I hope Adrienne Young continues with the series.

Also, I’d like to mention that I found a certain element missing from this story so I would like to see it play out in another book. But, more on that later.

Some Things I Loved

References to Sky in the Deep — I was so pleased to see not only the familiar tribes, but the actual characters that I grew to love in the first book. They are older and wiser now but still just as lovable as they were in Sky in the Deep. Similarly, I was glad to see the concepts, places, and tribes were familiar and also, expanded upon. We are introducted to two (three if you count the Riki/Aska hybrid tribe) new tribes in this book, and their connection to the rest of the world gives the entire story a fullness and balance that only enhanced the first book’s setting.
Alternating POV — I love alternating POV writing. I can’t say that enough. Sky in the Deep was all about Eelyn but The Girl the Sea Gave Back takes us back and forth between Tova and Halvard, often when they are not together. There is so much story happening and I loved that I, as the reader, could experienced it from both sides.
HALVARD — I always thought he was an underutilized character in Sky in the Deep. I’m glad Adrienne Young agreed. He was meant for greatness and he finally had his chance to shine in The Girl the Sea Gave Back.
Some Things I Wasn’t Crazy About

Plot speed — I thought the entire story was a bit rushed. Eelyn’s story took place over the course of months while this book was over what seemed like a matter of days. I wanted more character and plot development.
Lack of romance — one of my favorite parts of Sky in the Deep was Eelyn and Fiske’s story. I felt like that was somewhat lacking here. We get a tiny bit at the end, but not enough for my liking. However, I can forgive this if there is going to be another book continuing Halvard and Tova’s stories.
Final Thoughts

This book gave me some much wanted updates of some of my favorite literary characters of 2019 and also prompted so many more questions. Adrienne Young took an already excellently built world and expanded on it, making it richer and more abundant (which, I think, is a very difficult task). She has a story line with tons of potential and I would be thrilled to see many more books take place in this world.

Overall, this story was really only missing one thing for me, which is why I can only give it four stars. Fantastically written, but it came up just short of perfection for me.

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Recommendations for Further Reading

Beasts of the Frozen Sun by Jill Criswell – this book is not released yet, but if you liked Sky in the Deep, you will love Beasts of the Frozen Sun. Both stories feature a similar setting (Viking-esque times) and similar character development. Also, from what I’ve read, Beasts of the Frozen Sun is the start of a series.
Warrior of the Wild by Tricia Levenseller – this is another viking-inspired story with an awesome female protagonist.
Onyx & Ivory and Shadow & Flame by Mindee Arnett – this series might not be viking-inspired, but the writing style is quite similar (both are told in alternating POV). There is also magic, political intrigue, and romance.

First thought after finishing it:
This read had some highlights, small ones, but overall it's not really impressive *sad face*

Okay, this was a really difficult review to write and it pained me to give this book a 3 star rating because I really hoped it would be a solid 4 star. And it’s a 3 star rating that I feel like is more of a 2,5 star rather than 3. But rating it 2 stars is too less though < I really need those half star rating options on GR pff. Okay, I’ll get on with the rest of my review now.

The first 70% really didn’t really do anything for me to be fair. I really wish it was different. Overall, I really missed depth and development on basically every front. The story remained really superficial in my opinion. At the same time though, there were some really interesting elements present like the settings and the bits and pieces we got of the ‘fortune telling’ and the Gods of these lands and I really want to highlight those as well.

At first, I thought that I maybe didn’t really like a huge part of the book, because I just couldn’t really concentrate due to the heat over here. But when I got to 70-75% things got much better and then it was so fast-paced that I finished it within no time.

I couldn’t hide behind the ‘no concentration thing’ then anymore, the first 70% of the book just wasn’t really to my liking was my only conclusion. So I guess that overall, in the end, I’ll just have to stick with my initial thoughts and think this book is ‘just okay’ to me. It wasn’t anything special to me and it’s not a story I’d want to re-read someday.

I couldn’t really connect to these characters like I hoped I would. That really bothered me because loving the characters is a huge part of what makes my reading experiences great. Tova especially, just wasn’t doing it for me as a main character. I can’t really pinpoint exactly what it is because she definitely has moments in which she’s kickass but overall I just feel ‘meh’ about her. Harvard was a male protagonist I really wanted to fall in love with but I just couldn’t completely fall for because somehow I couldn’t fully connect with him. Despite him having his own POV, I still felt like his character was quite superficially written? And on top of that the story itself was quite ‘bland’ to me. It wasn’t original and it held no true twists for me, so in combination with characters I couldn’t connect with, the parts I thought that were good couldn’t really make up for it in the end.

I hate writing reviews in which I don’t have more positive things to say, but I like to stay true to myself and be honest. I’m really thankful the publisher granted me with this ARC and I’m sad I couldn’t write a more positive review.

I know that the overall feel of this review is negative so why did I still give it 3 stars? Because of the things I mentioned earlier; the settings were great, the fortune telling was interesting and I liked reading about the Gods/mythology parts. I also thought the writing was really good to read. I know this contradicts everything I’ve said about the book not being impressive and all that, but I love the author’s way with words, so her way of writing is definitely something I like. I really hope she’ll continue developing her writing skills in the upcoming years because I still very much like to read more by her.

I’ve read different reviews on the book; some liked it Even More than the first book, or loved this one and didn’t like the first book. For me it’s the other way around haha. So I guess, you’ll just have to find out for yourself if you’re going to like it or not because a reading experience is so personal and I’m sure lots of readers are going to love this one.

2.5

“They didn’t understand that there was no such thing as a secret. The truth was everywhere. It was in everything. You only had to open your eyes to see it.”*

I read Sky In The Deep earlier this year despite seeing very mixed reviews for it, and ended up really enjoying it. Sadly, this one was not nearly as good of a fit for me.

Honestly, the bare bones of the plot of this story actually had potential, and the writing style is lovely, but the pacing is so, so problematic. There are a lot of scenes that happen that seem like they would’ve worked better had they been used as dramatic reveals. This way, the story would have packed a bigger emotional punch than how things actually played out. I will say though, that the atmosphere in this book is very nice, and was probably my favorite part.

For me it’s usually hard to buy into a romance in a stand-alone story, and in this one the romance doesn’t really appear until around 80% (or 95%, depending on how you look at it...). It’s very fated lovers, but without any build-up... I like the whole “red string of fate” thing when it’s used properly, but here I felt nothing. Although this book seems to be more of a character deep-dive with plenty of action, the romance still deserved to be better developed.

Although this story is unique and holds some promise, it’s under-developed and lacked proper pacing, so I’m not sure that I’d recommend it.

*Quote taken from an uncorrected galley.

I DNF this book at 30% I had high expectations because I loved Sky in the deep and loved the idea of the same type of story but with a “truthtongue” but I honestly felt confused reading this one and felt the story didnt build up very well.

The book follows two point of views from rival clans.

Tova the truthtongue who lives among her group feared and disliked because of what she is.

And Halvard, our favourite young boy from Sky in the deep. But he’s all grown now.

I may come back to this, Im sad its a dnf but I can not push through it.

Thanks to NetGalley for the arc