I adore Adrienne Young's writing style and the unique setting of her book worlds. The characters are always strong and the story is flawless, interesting and well-paced. And can we talk about the cover? A work of art!

What a fantastic dip back into the world of Vikings. Young writes in such a way that you feel like you are there, fighting alongside them, learning their customs with them and falling in love with them too.
Well written and clearly, heavily researched, The Girl The Sea Gave Back is a fantastic read that moves in the world of Sky in the Deep.
I love that we got to see the world from Halvards point of view. I loved his character in Sky in the Deep. Such a kind and honest soul who really made this book something special.
4/5🌟

This is a strong sequel to a very strong first book, so I'm confident that students will enjoy it. The story moves quickly and the characters are likable. Great book.

Tova was destined for more than to be a tolerated outcast, "sacrificed" by her own people, and left to wash ashore in a foreign land. From child to woman, Tova has read the rune stones, a talent that is more than just skin deep, like the telltale tattoos that adorn her body. Tova has no memory of her family or her people but she does remember the runes and what they mean. A descriptively stunning book that makes it easy to imagine a Viking-like world with warriors in leather and furs in the forests and by the fjord. An amazing story about two people; one girl/woman's journey to find her way and determine what her own destiny will be, the other a young man destined to be a leader who preferred to live in peace but was ready to fight for the Nadir if needed. Told in two voices, both Tova's and Halvard's. Two paths that were weaved together long before either character knew what was to be. Excellent character development and a moving plot line that builds right up to the very end!

I do think this deserved a 3.5. I did not read the first book and I was able to follow along with this one, we are several years since the first book with a new main female lead. Tova is sent from her people in a death ceremony and washes ashore as a gift from the gods in the land of the Svell. Some of the Svell believe she is cursed, others take advantage of her ability to prophesy, most resent her. Halard is chosen to lead his people, but he is not sure he is worthy. When it comes time to go to battle, he is willing to use all the tools at his disposal, but this battle is for the total survival of the tribe against strong odds. The dueling narrative was effective in this story and the editing was mostly flawless, but the passage through time made this story not as effective.

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Tova does not have people of her own, instead she is an outcast with a clan that does not want her yet uses her skills to read the runes. When the clan has to make a choice about starting a war, she is the one who decides their fate. Halvard has enjoyed the life of peace that his people settled into in the last 10 years, not really knowing what fighting for his life really looks like. But now the time has come to step up and fight for his people...or die trying.

The Girl The See Gave Back is almost completely the opposite of Sky In The Deep, which is the companion novel set 10 years prior. I picked up Sky In The Deep expecting an action packed viking warrior battle like every episode of the show Vikings, but instead it was a quiet, introspective novel that dealt with a lot of angst and grief, but ending in a fast harsh battle. Well, The Girl the Sky Gave Back was action packed, almost from the start we see clans battling and people fighting to the death. At every turn there was some kind of action, be it training, or stealthily sneaking, to full out scary battles where most people get injured and it is raining death. I will say that I had a harder time relating to the characters since we basically meet them in the middle of the action without any time to get to know them. We did occasionally get back story told in random time points from the past that helped to show how both characters came to this end point which did help.

The story was dual narrated by both the main characters, which is my favorite in a romance story- which this was not actually, but it hinted at the potential for more. Halvard was introduced in Sky in the Deep as a cute and curious child so seeing him as a serious adult was a new change. I love that his family showed up, which were more grown up versions of all the character that I had previously met. Tova was a different type of character, one that was controlled my faith and chance, but basically knew nothing of herself and where she came from. They were such different characters who had only a few brief interactions during a war, but the author did a great job of showing that the fates had more in store for the two.

The ending, while leaving the conclusion up to fate aka the imagination of the reader, it seemed like this world was wrapped up. That being said, I would love another story set in this word full of fighting, magic, clans and lasting love. The author makes her worlds feel real, as if I am part of it, I can feel the ax swing by my face, the sweat running down my spine, the adrenaline spike from the stress of the situation. I look forward to whatever she wants to create next.

When I saw the cover and title of this book, I knew I had to read it. It was stunning and everything that I look for in a cover. The premise sounded interesting too. But then I found out it was a sequel, #2 in a series, so I read the first book, “Sky in the Deep” first, of course. The thing is, I didn’t expect to enjoy the first book. It’s description didn’t draw me in the same way. But then I enjoyed it.
So I picked up this book, the sequel, expecting to enjoy it too. Except I didn’t. Not fully.
Here’s why;
There were far too many characters introduced at the beginning of the book. Like my head was swimming and I didn’t know who was who or how to keep up with so many so quickly (and their unique names didn’t help). And I didn’t really care about any of them, because I hadn’t been given any reason to.....because.....they weren’t the same characters from the first book.
Which led to another reason I didn’t really enjoy it. I wanted to know what happened to the characters from Sky in the Deep, and this happens in the same world, but not with the same characters. In fact there are very few from the first book. So that led to more confusion.
But then, the story just didn’t grab me. The overall idea of this girl who was found at sea was interesting. But I pegged the ending pretty early on. I mean, I think it was pretty obvious, honestly.
It reminded me of the way The Giver is a “series,” none of which go together or tie in to each other until the very end of the series. Like with The Giver, if I had known that going in, I might have had different feelings. Like maybe I didn’t even need to read the first book before this one. It didn’t seem to be tied together at all, other than mentioning the tribes from Sky in the Deep. Maybe that would have helped.
One thing that Young does very well, though, is fight scenes. And the whole series had a very Sarah J. Maas feel. I’m new to this general genre, but Young’s writing reminds me a lot of Maas.
Anyway, gorgeous cover, interesting world that I hope to visit again....but with the characters I actually cared about and not so much these.

First I want to say I really loved Sky in the Deep and I couldn’t wait to get to Halvard and Tova’s story. Imo it started off strong, the first chapter sucked me in ... then I started to get confused and then stayed confused through out most of the book. I didn’t connect with the characters the way I usually do and that effected me totally enjoying this book. Overall it was an alright read.. I would recommend if you enjoyed SitD.. but remember it is a very different story for sure.

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Many thanks to NetGalley!

I haven’t read the author’s previous book set in the same world- Sky in the Deep- but this book can be read as a standalone and I did not feel lost at any point reading this book. I don’t think it’s necessary to read it in order to enjoy this book but it seemed to be well-received so I will be checking it out at some point.

The Girl The Sea Gave Back is a solid book and I did like it well enough. I didn’t love it but it was a good book for nights when I’m unable to sleep and only a book can help. I finished it in around four hours of reading in bed. It’s fast-paced and action-packed so it makes for a pretty quick read. It’s also well-written- especially the many fight scenes in this book.

The main character, Tova isn’t really a fighter herself, which I appreciated. She’s more of a soothsayer or a Truthtongue who sees the threads of fate and from there, tell the future. She lives among a tribe called the Svell where she doesn’t really fit in because of her markings which mark her as one of the Kyrr, a mysterious tribe who never leave their lands. This makes her alienated and hated, especially when she cast stones predicting terrible things happening to the tribe.

So this book had a lot of good ideas and both Tova and Halvard had interesting backstories. Unfortunately, it falls flat in its character development and world-building. The world felt like a backdrop for the characters, instead of a living, breathing world. It’s not very well-developed in this book and I wanted to know more about the kind of world that this characters inhabit, instead of it being a setpiece.

As for the characters, a lot of them were very one-dimensional and not very interesting. The build-up to Tova and Halvard meeting and maybe having this budding relationship wasn’t very convincing and just made me roll my eyes. Fate here was used like a deus ex machina and it made for a terribly predictable plot. Normally, predictability isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but in a book where everything seemed to be predictable, it could use a twist to shake it up.

Overall, I wasn’t very impressed with The Girl The Sea Gave Back. I was a little disappointed because the gorgeous cover and the description did make me feel hyped, only to find it didn’t live up to my expectations.

Without any knowledge of the first book in this series, I found the book to be confusing and I didn't like it as much as others might. I would recommend it for fans of the first book..
The writing style and the story just isn’t for me. I received a complimentary copy of this book via NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

My rating is 3.5 stars.

In this book, we follow Tova as she starts to discover more about her past and herself. Although this is a stand-alone, I think I should have read Sky in the Deep first. There is barely any world-building which made it slightly confusing to read as a supposed stand-alone story. It did make me want to read her debut. Her debut novel was much hyped and much loved. I am a huge fan of the historical aspects of the book.

Young has some beautiful writing and an amazing grasp of her world. Her story is exciting but predictable which means that there were no real surprises. My favorite thing about reading is the surprises and gasps but because they were missing, I didn’t feel any love for the plotline.

The writing was beautiful and the characters were interesting but there was barely any world or character development which is why I gave the book a low rating. It also ends on a high note but left me with a lot of questions.

I’m sad I didn’t love this book. I don’t think it was terrible but I do think there was a lot of missed potential. I do think that Sky in the Deep will be amazing when I read it, and perhaps reading it will shed some light on the world and on this book.

This book contains beautiful imagery and is well-written. It reminds me a lot of Vikings, the 2003 King Arthur movie, and The Last Kingdom, but with a female-centric bent, which I loved. It took a little bit to get into, honestly, but once it got started, it was fun and compelling. I don't think I'll pick up the rest of the series (I didn't know this was the second one but it didn't seem like I was coming into the middle of anything), but I'm not annoyed that I read this one. I'd recommend it to teens for sure.

I received a copy of this book for free in exchange for an honest, voluntary review.

The cover is absolutely breathtaking but the content itself doesn’t quite match up with its presumed caliber. Judging a book by its cover 101.

I loved Sky in the Deep. The writing was beautiful, the characters and their depth were wonderful, and the plot progression, although slow at times, was still very enjoyable to the reading process.

Unfortunately, this book falls very short of the bar that the author’s debut set, which makes me wonder if maybe the publishing process was rushed or if the author’s writing and the editing process just let the story build the way that it did.

The characters seemed flat, their adventures dull, and I guess I would say that I felt generally detached from them and their development. It was also harder for me to understand the setting and world and the characters’ relations to one another, maybe because of setup ambiguities. Still, I enjoyed the premonitions and mystical fates that led the characters along their journeys.

My thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press (Wednesday Books) for the lovely ARC, so sorry that I missed the archive date !

3.75

You know, they say "Comparision is the thief of joy" and it is so true for this book. Had this been the first book, I would have LOVED IT. I mean, don't get me wrong, I still really liked it, but in comparison to Sky in the Deep? It was a little lackluster.

Let's get the most important thing out in the front here, THIS BOOKS FOLLOWS SWEET BABY HALVARD!!!! Yep, that's mainly what you need to know. Oh, and it's set 10-13 years in the future (the timeline jumps a lot giving flashbacks so I can't remember exact numbers) so our baby boy is now a man!

I really enjoyed Tova's character and getting to see bits and pieces of our friends from the first book. That was all great. The characters are really well done and I think that's definitely one of Young's strong suits.

For me, where this one fell off track is the pacing and the plot. I felt like I was a third of the way through the book before I ever really got to a plot starting to form, but also at that point, I already had figured out how everything was going to end so??? It was just strange pacing and the plot was pretty basic.

And you know, for a book with a lot of blood and death and fighting, the end was pretty anti-climactic. I don't feel like there were any surprises or big reveals or any "wow" moments.

That all being said, I think if you enjoyed Sky In The Deep, you'll also enjoy this one. It's not a bad book by any means, it just pales in comparison to its predecessor.

Cover - 5; Characters - 5; Pace - 3; Plot - 3; Writing - 4; Enjoyment 3.

** Side note, I did get a review ARC of this book but didn't read it until after it's release and I'd already purchased my own copy. =)

I almost feel like I should have two different ratings, one for the first half and one for the second. They were drastically different. I think Young really shines when writing action scenes, it's a shame we had to wait so long for anything to really happen. The first 50-60% of this was rather uneventful but the battle in the last half was EPIC. I only wish there was more of that throughout the rest. It felt like a lot to wait that long for the payoff, which inevitably felt kind of abrupt after such a long wait.

The first time I heard about this book was the beginning of the year. It was in multiple book groups that I'm in, that started commenting on it. With a little bit of research, I learned, that while no characters from Sky in the Deep come in, they are still connected. So I decided to read Sky in the Deep first. I love that Sky in the Deep and The Girl the Sea Gave Back are two different books. They are connected by the world, but they don't have to be read together. I love that!

I loved the book. It had some amazing characters, world building, and character development! So I came into this book with high standards. I was so impressed by Young's writing in both books, that I was hooked on it. The story, the originality of a subject that I wasn't sure I would like was awe inspiring.

The pacing of The Girl the Sea Gave Back was slow. That is why it's getting 3 stars from me. It could have been a shorter book. I also wasn't as connected to this book as I was the first one. I am looking forward to more books that Young writes! Her writing is phenomenal, and I'm looking forward to reading Fable when that comes out as well.

A wonderful followup to the previous book. Its distanced from the material before but widens the horizons just right. The characters are developed and the absence of lots of romance (which is something of a plague in YA) is glorious. The vikings story is made interesting with nice battle sequences. I can say that it is a bit lengthy and did drag out a bit in the later part of the book.

This magical book was one of my favorite books in this genere hands down! Magic, love and a tear jerker at times Im left in awe of this authors writing. I read this as a standalone and would recommend to read in order but i really did enjoy it !Tovas story was addicting! Definatly going to get the first book!! Loved this!!!!

Sky in the Deep was hands down one of my favorite reads of 2018. The moment I heard there was going to be a spin off, I was excited for it. Especially when I got wind that a few old characters might make an appearance. But The Girl the Sea Gave Back left me feeling rather disappointed. It wasn’t as magical as I had hoped it to be.

There was just something about Tova and Halvard that I couldn’t connect with. Their stories were okay, not amazing but just okay. I think both characters could have benefitted more if they had more personality. The one aspect I did love was seeing Eelyn and Fiske again.

I think my biggest problem was I expected it to be just as wonderful as Sky in the Deep and the moment I realized it wasn’t, I felt let down. So my recommendation to you is to don’t do what I did. Look at this as more of a standalone and not a continuation. I think if you do that, you can find it to be a pretty epic story.

I thought the first companion novel to this was ok and honestly kind of boring so I am not surprised I did not enjoy this one. I think I wanted to give it a chance because it was different from the first but it was just lackluster.