First off, I just want to say that I LOVE the cover and the title. Everything about the book is alluring. The characters are compelling, the plot is exciting, and there’s just a little bit of magic to make the story more interesting. I was super excited to read this after finishing Sky in the Deep.

I knew this was to be another book set in the same world as Sky in the Deep, and this is the second book within the series. However, the book description lead me to believe this would be in Tova’s point-of-view only, and set a short time after Sky in the Deep. So, it was a little shocking to see point-of-view chapters from Halvard, the child from Sky in the Deep, only 10 years later.

I really enjoyed this book, but I was expecting a lot more Viking battle and fierce warriors. The Girl The Sea Gave Back is focused more on the mystical aspects. Nevertheless, Adrienne Young rocked this book and she’s definitely an author on my “to-watch for” list. I can’t wait to see what this brilliant author writes next!

The Girl The Sea Gave Back is a stand-alone companion book and often called a spinoff, but it reads surprisingly like a sequel to Sky In The Deep. It is set in the same village and deals with a largely similar cast of characters, which makes the return to this Viking-esque world both familiar and welcome. Sky in the Deep left me craving for more and so did this book.

In The Girl The Sea Gave Back we follow Halvard and Tova, two youngsters fresh into adulthood from different clans destined to cross paths and end up on opposite sides of an inevitable war. Their lives couldn’t be more different. While Halvard is a child of peace and chosen to become the next clan leader of de Nādhir, Tova has always been a Rikki outcast living with the Svell. If she hadn’t been a truthtongue, a thread between the living and the future, and cast the rune stones for her enemies, her life would have been forfeit the moment she washed ashore. But the Svell tala, Jorrund, recognised her potential and fought to give her a fragile place within the Svell community. When the power balance shifts, however, Tova’s fate is left in the hands of clansmen who both fear and detest her.

I have always liked Halvard, getting to watch him grow up has been an unexpected pleasure. His personality largely moulded by Fiske, Iri, Inge, Eelyn’s father and Myra, there was no way he would not turn out a fine, strong human being. But getting to know Tova was equally intriguing. I liked who she was and how she dealt with the hardship of having absolutely no one to rely on and having to carry the burden of the rune stones. The story is fast-paced and full of action. As war looms on the horizon and alliances shift, people die and fight for a future that might already be set in stone.

There are appearances from Fiske and Eelyn and I can’t decide if I loved those parts or if they disappointed me. Because as great as it was to have them return, them now being mere side characters left me unsatisfied. I wasn’t ready to say goodbye to these two before and these small interactions weren’t enough. It just wasn’t.

I’m also not sure we needed the flashbacks. It felt as if they were mostly there to give us a piece of Fiske but since we hardly learned anything new in those scenes, I would have preferred a more fleshed out main story. Because that’s something I missed. The book is short and should have been longer. There is not enough room for detail and careful development. It missed something, some of the magic. It’s good but it could have been better, which despite me liking it, also left me somewhat disappointed.

Adrienne Young’s writing on the other hand, I’m a big fan of. Her words seem simple but they carry weight. They draw people in. I like the way she builds scenes and has a nose for small but significant moments.

If you loved Sky In The Deep, I recommend picking this up. Vikings are fun and so is this world. It’s perhaps not as good as the first book but it’s worth reading and enjoyable. And who knows, maybe there will be a third part that will fulfil all our wildest dreams. A girl can dream, right?

Also both Sky In The Deep and The Girl The Sea Gave Back reaaaaally make want to pick the ‘Vikings’ tv show back up.

I will definitely recommend this title. It is very well thought out and imaginative. I can't wait for more titles by this author.

I repeatedly tried reading this book, but I could not get past even the first twenty pages. The names were difficult to follow or remember. I would read the first ten pages or so, put it down, and not be able to remember what I read the next day so I would have to start again (which is not a common occurrence for me). Apologies - no matter how much I tried to force myself, I just could not get into the book.

I really enjoyed Young’s first book, Sky in the Deep, and when I heard she was writing a companion novel in the same universe I had o jump on it! Young is a master of words; each line is lyrical like poetry and paints such lovely pictures. I enjoyed this one, it’ll definitely become one I read more than once!


Thank you thank you thank you so much t the publisher for granting my wish for this book! I was given a copy in exchange for an honest review.

A thrilling fantasy about a girl trying to find out who she is and what her place is in the world. She is a seer and is growing up with a people who are not her own and don't trust her and her ability. Battles rage as she tries to find her fate. The surprising end leaves you craving more.

This is Adrienne Young's second book and I read the first one as an arc as well. I love the way she tells a story, very imaginative and immersive. I am already looking forward to the next story she has to tell. In this book particular I loved the way she used magic, not as a focus but rather a supporting detail. It fit very well with its genre and I loved every word.

Adrienne has done it again. As you know from my previous post, I’d held out on reading Sky In The Deep until a snowy day this last winter, and it instantly captured my heart. I was overjoyed to have been given the opportunity to read The Girl The Sea Gave Back as an ARC.

⁠Halvard and Tova’s story lines are beautifully crafted, and you are once again pulled into the absolute all encompassing world that Adrienne writes. This book moved me so much that I ended up ugly crying on the airplane on my way back from vacation.⁠

I was so excited to see Halvard all grown up. The little boy we’d fallen in love with in Sky In The Deep, by no means has disappeared. Adrienne preserved the heart and soul of a character, even as he grew into a young man. I was so proud to see him, and overjoyed when I got to see snippets of how the community has changed in the last few years, along with moments with characters from SITD.

However, this isn’t just Halvard’s story. It’s Tova’s. Her circumstances and life story were heart breaking. I found I loved her just as much as I loved Halvard and seeing how their story lines circled around one another was fascinating. I fully believe that one of Adrienne’s strengths is how much she understands character, and the fragility and resilience of the human spirit. She deals with loss and let down as well as she handles joy and tradition.

I also just stand in awe of the fight scenes that she writes. It’s masterful, beautiful, and compelling. You feel pulled into what is the frantic energy and slow motion capture of a battle scene. It’s another astounding part of how the world of Halvard and Tova comes into place.

Adrienne cemented herself as one of my dearly beloved authors with Sky In The Deep, and The Girl The Sea Gave Back is a heart rending sophomore novel that will keep you looking for the specific kind of pain, and joy that Adrienne creates. I would highly recommend this stunning novel.

Additionally, this beautiful book is out TODAY so go make sure that you grab a copy. The first editions have a special surprise under the cover and it will ONLY be for the first editions!⁠

Thank you to Adrienne Young, NetGalley, and Wednesday Books that provided me this advanced readers copy in exchange for an honest review.

My Review: I was so anticipating this book, it was one of my top releases of this year because I LOVED Sky in the Deep. It took me quite a bit to get into this one, which sometimes happens when you have a second book that is a companion and doesn't follow the same characters. I also really struggled to connect with the characters, part of it was in my mind Halvard is still the little boy we saw in Sky in the Deep and I struggled to wrap my brain around the fact that he is grown up (like when you see a family member when they are little kids and don't see them again for many years, in your mind they are always that little kid). Also, Tova was a bit mysterious and disconnected by the nature of her roll as Truthtongue, so I struggled to connect with her in any way. I did however really enjoy the way they each grew as characters throughout the book. It is a slow book as it is mostly driven by the characters as opposed to plot driven, but if you can sit back and let it take shape the wait is so worth it. Once again Young knocked it out of the park with the rich world and culture, diving deep into the various belief and religious systems. All in all a rich, beautiful book to savor!

My Rating: Even with the slow start and small difficulties I had, I really enjoyed the world and the story that built throughout this book. While I do still prefer Sky in the Deep, this one still earns a solid Four Paw rating!

This review is hard to write as Sky in the Deep was one of my favorite reads last year. Three stars is generous for this book.

I never felt that I was able to connect with the characters. There needed to be more depth to them. The author tried to add that depth in through flashback scenes but they fell flat and interrupted the flow of the story. This made the book a slog to read and it took me a month which is not typical for me.

At times you would see the same scenes from two different perspectives. This just put a stop to the momentum of the book and made you have to rewind mentally before continuing the story.

What did I like? I still like the world and the addition of the different groups with different beliefs. If the MCs could have just told the story instead of all of the back and forth and flashbacks it would have been a better book.

When I requested this book I didn't know it was the second in a series and you must read the first one otherwise it's quite hard to understand the plot and the characters.
The book is well written, the world building interesting but I couldn't connect to the story and found the characters a bit bland.
Not my cup of tea.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

When Sky in the Deep came out, I think the whole YA book community was so excited. It was a wonderful book, great story, compelling characters, and the setting was perfection. The Girl the Sea Gave Back is no exception. At times riveting, anger inducing, and it even has moments of tenderness, wrapped in with the world of Vikings. The descriptions of the characters, along with the settings (and the inclusion of our previous characters from Sky in the Deep), make for a wonderful book and story line. I hope that Adrienne has plans for a third book in the setting, because I know many, like myself, will jump to read it.

The era of Vikings is fascinating to me. What they did, what they ate, who they were. And The Girl the Sea Gave Back makes it very real. Overall, I loved this journey!

There's really not much to say, but that:

1) This is as good and powerful as Young's first book, Sky In The Deep. Tova's voice and Halvard is just as strong, just as wanting as Eelyn's.

2) I loved seeing my old favourites back in this one, even ten years later. It's wonderful to see an older Halvard as well!

3) The world is just as interesting, a fantasy historical based on a Viking setting.

4) There's more on the deities, on the fates, and mystic in this one. But it all pulls well together.

5) Good pacing - there's always something happening, but also a good balance of character building.

I find that this is an overall easy, heartfelt, simple little standalone that just feels in all the places that want the feels as much as the action. I really enjoyed reading this. It was a good break from reality, without boring me. It was a fantastic read.

Hadn't read Sky in the Deep so found this book hard to follow. It was very slow paced and I kept waiting for some complex terms and names to be explained and it just didn't happen.
Great bit of world building but not very easy to follow.

The time jump definitely threw me for a loop when I first started reading but the story line was very good. I am very glad I read sky in the deep first. I also hadn’t checked they were the same series until after. Seeing old characters in new roles and seeing how much they’ve grown is so sweet. Meeting new characters and learning their history is also very interesting. This book was definitely one for the shelf.

Wow.
First, that cover. It's gorgeous. It instantly caught my eye and I'm am glad I decided to read the synopsis, which drew me in further. I've read Adrienne Young's previous work, Sky in the Deep, and I was deeply impressed by the world-building and complexity of its characters. The Girl the Sea Gave Back is no different as it actually takes place in the same world as Sky in the Deep but with a different cast of characters. We follow Tova this time as she must confront the collision of war upending everything she has known. The prose was beautiful and the action scenes were quite descriptive if not at times starkly brutal. Tova is a strong heroine who tries to do what's right, even when no one is there to stand beside her. Overall, a great story.

This was one of my most anticipated reads of the year and I was so lucky to receive a copy through NetGalley for review.

Last year when I read SKY, I wasn’t really expecting to like it; I’m not the biggest fan of the whole Vikings thing, but oh boy was I wrong. SKY ended up becoming my favorite read of that entire year.

The Girl The Sea Gave Back is no different.

This story follows Tova, who is found and raised by people who fear her. She has the gift of being a Truthtongue, the ability to read the stones and to predict the future for the clans, and because of that, she is considered a pariah. Not only do they fear her for what she can do and see, but they also blame her for when things don’t go according to plan.
Throughout this story, Tova is challenged with either following what she’s always known and been taught, or going against the current to find her own balance of right and wrong.

This story is not a SKY sequel; it is a story all on its own. Though we see returning characters, and there’s coinciding themes, this story is definitely Tova’s.

The Girl The Sea Gave Back is about harboring guilt, coming to terms with who you are vs what you want to be, finding peace among war, and deciding whether to follow fate or to choose your own destiny to follow.

I loved this book, and I’m so excited to continue to see what Adrienne Young has in store for us.

Five stars

3.5/5 stars...

The Girl The Sea Gave Back is a slow-paced novel that is steeped in Scandinavian mythology and culture. I was really looking forward to this book, but when I started reading it I felt disappointed that it didn't draw me in the way I hoped. For the first two-thirds of the book I had a difficult time connecting with the characters and the overall story. Further, in the last one-third of the book, it felt like the rest of the plot played out without any time to breathe.

I feel like if more care had been paid to strengthening the character interactions and growth, this would have been a much better read. For me, connecting with and becoming invested in the characters is crucial to loving the story that's being told. I liked that the story was told from a dual perspective, but even though Tova and Halvard both had exciting moments within the story, I kept waiting for a little "umph!" to bring me closer to them that never arrived. Even when the supposed romance arrived, it was shoehorned in almost at the end when at that point there hadn't been enough tension between both characters to justify the romance in the first place.

Having said that, I really liked the premise of the story. I felt like the concept had so much potential, and I feel like with more polish this story could have been elevated from middling to great. All the right nuts and bolts were there with the setting, the mythology, the magic, but those aspects didn't make up for the weaker parts of the story for me. I liked the author's previous work, Sky in the Deep, so while I didn't connect with this story, I will read other books she writes in the future.

Everything you hope for in a Nordic ya fantasy.

I would like to first thank Netgalley.com for the advance ecopy of The Girl the Sea Gave Back by Adrienne Young in exchange for an honest review. Yes, you read that right, author of Sky in the Deep – Adrienne Young – has written another stand alone young adult tale. Believe me, you will not be able to put this one down!

Not to mention the beautiful cover, Adrienne’s tale is wistful and magical. It will leave you wishing for more stories of clans, the fjords, mystical seers and psychic stones.

This story starts off with a terrible loss. The death of a chieftain’s daughter. A beautiful viking funeral.

…. but that was just the beginning of the story.

Fast forward a decade.

A young stone reader is taking refuge with a foreign clan.

A clan war is on the horizon.

Which side is right?

Will the stone reader finally get some answers to her past?

Will fates arrange as the stones say?

Can she really trust the man who saved her on the shore all those years ago?

This book kept me on my toes the entire time I was reading it. I award it 5 out 5. Now, time to go check out Sky In The Deep!

#netgalley #adrienneyoung #thegirltheseagaveback #stmartinspress #september3rd2019 #bookishmommyblog #thistuesday #nordictales #vikingtales #godsandwar #ya #readwhatyoulove #dorianstayaway

DNF @ 35%

Let me start by saying that I loved Adrienne’s first book Sky in the Deep, devoured it in under 12 hours. So I am devastated that The Girl the Sea Gave Back didn’t go the same route. Unfortunately I had a very difficult time connecting with the story and the characters as well as struggling with the pace. Even though this is a “review” I’m not here to discourage anyone from reading it. That’s your choice, always. Not every book is going to connect with every one (that’s okay!) and this will not prevent me from reading Adrienne’s next work or even trying this one again in the future. I just wish this had worked out differently. :(