Sky in the Deep — Adrienne Young

July 19, 2018

Sky in the Deep

TITLE: Sky in the Deep
AUTHOR: Adrienne Young
RELEASED: April 24th, 2018; Wednesday Books
GENRE: Fantasy
AGE RANGE: YA

SYNOPSIS:OND ELDR. BREATHE FIRE.

Raised to be a warrior, seventeen-year-old Eelyn fights alongside her Aska clansmen in an ancient rivalry against the Riki clan. Her life is brutal but simple: fight and survive. Until the day she sees the impossible on the battlefield — her brother, fighting with the enemy — the brother she watched die five years ago.

Faced with her brother’s betrayal, she must survive the winter in the mountains with the Riki, in a village where every neighbor is an enemy, every battle scar possibly one she delivered. But when the Riki village is raided by a ruthless clan thought to be a legend, Eelyn is even more desperate to get back to her beloved family.

She is given no choice but to trust Fiske, her brother’s friend, who sees her as a threat. They must do the impossible: unite the clans to fight together, or risk being slaughtered one by one. Driven by a love for her clan and her growing love for Fiske, Eelyn must confront her own definition of loyalty and family while daring to put her faith in the people she’s spent her life hating.

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Wow, this review is so overdue, and I’m so sorry for that—I think I honestly completely forgot that I hadn’t reviewed it yet, but it’s been a full two months since I read this book! That said, it was enjoyable enough that it stuck with me pretty well, so… let’s do the thing!

“Vegr yfir fjor. Honor above life.”

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First of all, let me say that I went into this book feeling cautiously optimistic; the synopsis didn’t completely sell me, and I was a little bit worried that it would be one of those super hyped releases that let me down. Thankfully, that was not the issue at all, because this book sucked me in so fast!

I was the ice on the river. The snow clinging onto the mountainside.

I love stories involving icy tundras and characters that fit this Viking-esque vibe, and Sky in the Deep definitely supplies a version of that. From the first page, there is so much action and bloodshed, and unlike many YA authors I’ve read, Adrienne Young doesn’t shy away from showing you a little gore and devastation! Obviously we’re not talking adult grimdark levels here, but if you’re very sensitive, well, don’t say nobody warned you!

I hadn’t lost her. I hadn’t buried her. I’d only let her change into something new.

More than anything, I loved Eelyn’s character and how capable and intelligent she is. Despite the fact that she’s been raised to believe certain things about her enemy tribe, she’s not so set in her ways that she can’t grow to recognize when things don’t quite line up with her upbringing. She’s got this fantastic fighter’s spirit, and I truly enjoyed watching the world go by through her eyes.

The writhing, bleeding hole inside of me closed up. I let him erase it. I let him make it go away.

Of course, there’s also the matter of the romance, which is a bit slow to build, and never overpowers the main storyline. That said, it’s swoon-worthy in its own way, and I’m such a sucker for these characters that look like big, scary tough guys on the outside but end up being gushy teddy bears inside, so if you feel me on that, you’ll probably appreciate Eelyn’s love interest just as much as I did.

“What are you thinking?”
“I’m thinking I don’t want to fight anymore.”

Overall, I so thoroughly enjoyed this story. I loved the fighting, the romance, the depictions of faith, the mysticism in certain scenes, and the atmosphere. I felt like I should’ve been surrounded by icy fjords while reading this book, and it’s the type of story I can happily recommend to anyone who enjoys fantasy, and that I will happily come back to again and again.

Buddy read with one of the best, Taylor ♥

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More about Destiny @ Howling Libraries

Just a horror aficionado/geek girl trying to juggle motherhood, reading, blogging, gaming, and everyday life.

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Leave a comment

    1. insidemylibrarymind

      July 19, 2018

      Ah so glad to hear you enjoyed this one! The synopsis didn’t completely sell it for me either, and I wasn’t even sure if I would read it, but I ended up getting in an Owlcrate box. Good to know it’s as good as everyone is saying it is! Great review!

      Reply

      1. Destiny @ Howling Libraries

        July 19, 2018

        Yesss, I loved how slow the build-up was! It made it much more meaningful to me – I remember going into it a little bit worried that it would be too quick to be believable, but they definitely have to earn each other’s trust and all. ♥ *swoon* haha!

        Reply

    1. (Danielle) Books, Vertigo and Tea

      July 19, 2018

      I have been so on the fence with this one! I have picked it up at BN and put it down more times than I can count. It is now competing with Malice haha. Your review has me decided it it worth a read though ? I just have been uncertain of what to expect, but this sounds great!

      Reply

    1. Meredith Ritter

      July 19, 2018

      OMG I love this so much!! Still one of my top reads this year and I LOVE YOUR REVIEW! It’s perfect ? so happy you enjoyed it.

      Reply

    1. Fawn & Fern Books

      July 19, 2018

      So glad to hear you liked this! I listed to Adrienne’s podcast on First Draft which made me want to read this, but the reviews are all over the place.

      Reply

      1. Destiny @ Howling Libraries

        July 19, 2018

        Yeah, reviews are a bit scattered, aren’t they? I think we see that so often with books that come in book sub boxes, too – I feel like I always see lots of mixed reviews for anything that gets sent out to people as a “surprise”!

        Reply

    1. Marie

      July 19, 2018

      Lovely review! I’m really happy to hear you enjoyed that one – I don’t know if I will give it a try, because I’m a bit worried now about the gore parts in it haha, but it still sounds like a very interesting read overall 😀

      Reply

      1. Destiny @ Howling Libraries

        July 19, 2018

        Thank you! Haha, that is totally understandable. I would say *most* of it is fine, but there is an interrogation scene that hit one of my rare “ick” spots (gore rarely bothers me, but certain specific things do), so I felt like I should mention it! 🙂

        Reply

    1. Tammy

      July 19, 2018

      I loved this too! And I was surprised, I’ve had bad luck in general with YA lately.

      Reply

    1. Kaleena @ Reader Voracious

      July 20, 2018

      Wonderful review, Destiny! I have been afraid to pick this one up because of the hype and my overwhelming obsession with Vikings and Norse mythology, but I might have to give it a try.

      Reply

          1. Destiny @ Howling Libraries

            July 20, 2018

            Dude, RIGHT? That’s me right now with The Death of Mrs. Westaway and The Kiss Quotient – I keep seeing both of them everywhere, the hold list at the library is MONTHS for the audiobooks and I can’t get the physical copies on hold yet (my system won’t allow loans from other branches until a book has been out 6+ months), and I’m just trying to remind myself that I have a LOT of ARCs to read in the next couple of months and that I need to be patient and wait until my book ban “break” at the end of August.

            Reply

    1. Flavia

      July 20, 2018

      I’ve heard nothing but good things about this one! I’m just not really into vikings right now ? hahaha

      Reply

    1. Ilsen Leon

      July 26, 2018

      This sounds great! I will definitely pick it up! Great review!

      Reply

    1. Rae

      August 3, 2018

      I’m listening to this on audiobook right now!! Started last night and I’m already half way through! LOVE IT so far!!! Great review, Destiny!

      Reply

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