Thank you to Netgallery and the publisher for providing me for a digital arc for my honest review.

"The Girl the Sea Gave Back" has a beautifully designed cover. I need to be honest here, I didn't realize this was a part two in a series, what I gathered from researching the series. It is in the same universe but it is not about the same characters as the first novel. Definitely believe it held it's own as a stand alone novel. But maybe I would've been more invested in the characters if I would've read part one. I enjoyed reading "The Girl the Sea Gave Back”, but I wasn't in love with it. There are two center characters, Tova and Halvard who are from two different communities that have been at war for centuries. Personally, I loved Halvard he is a very strong character who goes through quite a bit of character development. I also cherished the view we get of Halvard's relationship with his family. Tova on the other hand is very hard to like, she is closed off for good reason but I felt closed off from her as well. Would still recommend giving it a read.

Jess

I loved the sky in the deep so I had high expectations for this book and it delivered! I loved the world, the writing, the characters. This author has definitely become one of my auto buys! I love everything she writes!

I ended up getting a physical copy from the author, so I didn't read this one. I like this book. Though I didn't love it as much as her first book I did enjoy the characters. I can't wait to read her next book.

3.5 stars

The pacing was a little off to me. I felt like the first 2/3 of the book had pretty solid pacing (maybe a tad slow), but then the final third felt a bit rushed. This wasn't a super long book, so I wouldn't have been upset if it'd been maybe 50 pages longer. Even so, this was a really good read!

Thanks to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the eARC.

Adrienne Young has done it again. She throws us right into the action and keeps it going until the very end. The world building and writing is incredible, and I look forward to more books from this author!

The Girl the Sea Gave Back was one of my most highly anticipated books for 2019. Adrienne Young is a brilliant storyteller and I love everything she's done so far! TGTSGB was brilliantly written and a compelling companion to The Sky in the Deep. Oftentimes sophomore novels are such a let down, especially when you're as into the debut as I was with TSITD. Not so with Young! TGTSGB was every bit as epic as Sky - world illustration, character development, and fight scenes on point! Absolutely couldn't stop reading once I started. If you're going to pick it up, just clear the rest of your day. Trust me, you'll thank me!

I wish I had loved this more but it lost me about halfway through. The beginning was very compelling but the writing style just couldn't hold my attention. I kept putting it down and really struggled to finish it.

This was one of my most anticipated books for 2018 and I’m sad to say that I found it lacking. I loved the last 25% of the book, it was what I was expecting the whole story to be like. Instead I found my self reading the first 75% waiting for Tova to find her strength and make a move without the Svell. I pushed through though and I’m glad I did, but now I’m wishing there was more. I want to know what happens next, especially between her, a certain chieftain and her family.

**Edited Review**
The Girl the Sea Gave Back was one of the first eARCs I was approved for back in February when I started reviewing ARCs. There was so much buzz about it in the book community and I was ecstatic to be one of the first people to read a highly anticipated release. I knew it was a companion novel but it was said it could be read as a standalone, so excited me did just that. I did not like this book at all. One of the most anticipated releases of there year and I disliked it so strongly. I struggled from months on whether or not I even wanted to write a review that I was sure would be controversial. Then I thought maybe it was just because I didn't read Sky in the Deep first. I couldn't connect to the characters because I didn't understand the villages/clans were and had no idea who anyone was or how they all related to each other. So I went back and read Sky in the Deep and LOVED it, it's now one of my favorite novels.

After all that I went back and reread The Girl the Sea Gave Back and still didn't like most of it, but I appreciated certain aspects of it more. I loved seeing Halvard again and seeing how he grew up. He was a sweet boy in Sky in the Deep and was now a grown man, trained to be a chieftain and lead his people, the combined clans of the Riki and Aska, into their new peace and continue it. I enjoyed his parts immensely and found myself skimming Tova's parts to get to his faster. That being said though, the character development just wasn't there for either Halvard or Tova. It missed its mark here, unlike the amazing character development we received in Sky in the Deep.

I had a really hard time connecting with Tova. I felt bad for how she was treated, an outcast of the clan that found her and lied to about how she came to be at the village. The Svell distrusted her and treated her horribly all because she was Kyrr and was deeply connected to the fate Spinners and could read the future from her stone. They didn't want anything to do with her until the wanted something from her. Tova was supposed to be this strong female character, in charge of the future and the stones she cast to read it. Her trials with the Svell were supposed to make her into this admirable and tenacious character. I was told more about her than I was shown though and that's where I had trouble connecting. It wasn't until the end that Tova found her strength though. The first 70% of the book was her going along with the decisions of the Svell chiefs to appease them, even though they were awful to her and blamed her for what the stones said. I wanted her to be stronger sooner.

The last 30% of the novel is where The Girl the Sea Gave Back really hit its stride and engaged me. Tova and Halvard we finally united and the plot started to move forward. The ending felt unfinished though, I wanted more of Tova's clan, the Kyrr. I wanted to know what came after the final toss of those stones and there was that potential for more. It felt like the story had finally just started and then it was suddenly ending. The stone and Spinners fascinated me and it would have been nice to have more background on them. The romance aspect of the book was also a tad insa-lovey and underwhelming since they were apart 70% of the book. The after I desperately wanted would have given the romance the time it need to grow I think.

While I feel like the ultimate hater, I just want to say while this obviously was not the book for me, the writing was beautiful. Young does such an amazing job of painting this viking world. From the villages to the landscape I could see it all perfectly. I knew not only what it looked like but how it felt to be there and any author that can do that is a fantastic one. So while The Girl the Sea Gave Back and I did not mesh well, I still loved Sky in the Deep and will continue to read any future works by Adrienne Young.

With plenty of action, brutal battle scenes, and a greater look at the mystical aspects of the fictional world in which it's set, "The Girl the Sea Gave Back" is an exciting stand-alone companion to "Sky in the Deep". I enjoyed the book's dual perspectives as they were quite literally dueling. A lot of the focus and conflict in the book, to me at least, was centered on Tova's internal and external struggles. The heaviness of Tova struggling to belong anywhere coupled with the impending war between clans made the book feel very high-stakes. My only wish is that this book could have been longer so I could have gotten to know the characters a little better.

I enjoyed this followup to Adrienne Young's debut - which I devoured. While this was not quite what I was expecting, it was an engaging and quick read.

This was my first experience reading Adrienne Young and I was blown away by her imagery. I enjoyed the story as a whole but didn’t feel personally connected to the story. The romance felt a bit too rushed to be believable but Young’s writing was her saving grace. The premise pulled me in immediately and her writing makes me want to pick up her first book right away.

Sky in the Deep by Adrienne Young is one of my all-time favorite books. The Girl the Sea Gave back is marketed as a companion novel, but it feels more like a sequel. There are quite a few references to the events of Sky in the Deep and many of the same characters, and I think the details of the story and world might be confusing if the reader hasn't yet read Sky in the Deep. That being said, I enjoyed the character-driven plot of this novel and the magic system. Adrienne Young never disappoints!

I hate to say that I was not a fan of this book. Especially after loving Sky in the Deep. I wanted and expected a story about Halvard, and instead I got a story about instalove and Halvard was incredibly dull. It was disappointing to say the least.

I loved SKY IN THE DEEP last year - Adrienne Young's beautiful prose and brilliant characters grabbed me hook, line and sinker. It was a no-brainer that I wanted - no, NEEDED - to read THE GIRL THE SEA GAVE BACK this year.

First off, just take a look at that cover. Isn't it beautiful?!!?!?!?!?! (Yes. Yes, it's stunning.)

Okay, now, the book itself was phenomenal. The MC, Tova, is so strong and intriguing, and her story is wonderful to follow. I loved the references, mentions and appearances of SKY IN THE DEEP characters, too - having the two stories set in the same world really accentuated this novel! The ending was also perfection - it couldn't have ended any other way; I was incredibly satisfied!

This story is wickedly clever, fast-paced and FUN, and the sea-related elements are just too incredible (think: pirate-vikings and magic/divination and just all-around beautiful water imagery prose!!!!!).

Reading SKY IN THE DEEP will definitely add to your reading experience of THE GIRL THE SEA GAVE BACK (mainly 1. To give you a taste of the world & the characters, and 2. To give you that little burst of happiness anytime an easter-egg character appearance occurs!), but regardless, THE GIRL THE SEA GAVE BACK is definitely a great read nonetheless!

After reading Sky in the Deep last year, I knew I needed The Girl the Sea Gave Back. I am pleased to say that this stunning cover does not disappoint in the least. This book follows the journeys of Tova and Halvard. Tova came to her clan, delivered by the waves of the sea in a basket. Mysteriously alive. Utterly alone. Tova can decipher the stones of her clan and read the future. Needless to say, what she finds isn’t good and sets her path toward Halvard and his clan.

I loved how the book balanced the action with a very atmospheric viking-style setting. Now, if you’re worried that you have to read Sky in the Deep first, don’t. While I would suggest it, you by no means have to and can enjoy this book all on its own. The reason I would suggest it however is because I found it helped me keep track of the cast of characters in this book. There are a lot of characters to remember and I’d be lying if I said I was successful.

Personally, I definitely missed having a little slow burn romance going throughout the entire book, but that’s just me. If you’re not really into that sort of thing then this is right up your alley. I did particularly enjoy how Young added to the lore of her world without going overboard in the short amount of time the book took place in.

The ending will have you on the edge of your seat, unwilling to pull away for a second. I loved seeing how everything came together, and how Young didn’t just reuse the same type of ending from Sky in the Deep with this one. The ending was fitting and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

The Girl the Sea Gave Back by Adrienne Young is a wonderful YA fantasy novel. Beautifully written with a strong heroine and unique plot. The world building his amazing and Ms. Young just pulls you in to her story.

I ended up not being able to finish this book despite it being a super interesting concept. The characters just fell a little flat and I did not feel the plot was going anywhere.

I received a copy from the publisher via Netgalley for an honest review.

And then I won a copy in the giveaways on Goodreads!

This novel takes place ten years after the previous novel ended and although we do see glimpses of some of the other characters we knew, we are mostly focused on Tova who is called a Truthtongue because she can read the ruins and see into the future...to a point. I do love that Tova very much says that this is what she sees, but who knows what the Fates/Spinners are going to let happen! This novel focus on warring clans again and what she sees in the ruins could either bring them together or destroy everyone.

This novel was harder to get into because it has been awhile since I read the previous novel and this is absolutely one of those books that should have a "Previously on..." chapter with a synopsis of the whole first book to remind me! This novel was a fast past, battle filled novel from the beginning and while that was quite awesome visually, it made it really hard to really get to know the characters and really form a bond with them. The relationship for me as a reader to the characters was very surface, I just did not get to know them as well as the first novel and it was rather disappointing in that aspect. Quite enjoyable and I love the bad ass Vikings!!

Extremely underrated young adult novel! The Girl the Sea Gave Back is much better than the extremely overhyped Sky In the Deep. I'm not sure how this flew so under the radar, but it deserves more attention and will definitely be enjoyed by ya fantasy fans.

I was provided an e-arc from netgalley to read and review

I unfortunately missed the opportunity to read