I got an advanced reader's copy of this book from Net Galley in exchange for a fair review.

I liked the concept of the story. I liked Eelyn both when she was a fighter and what she became in the end. The Riki tribe did seem more flushed out than the Aska, which is because of the fact that you spend the majority of the book with them.
I feel like it feels rushed at the end though. It took ages to get to what I felt like the plot was. I would almost classify this as YA Romance. I have mixed feelings on this one.
3.5 out of 5

This book, you guys. THIS BOOK! Sky in the Deep isn’t a book I would’ve picked up this quickly without all the hype. This is one of those instances where the hype is deserved. I don’t think I’m going to be able to convey just how incredible this story is and how much I loved it. This book was mesmerizing from the very first page. It’s brutal, moving, beautiful, and heart-wrenching. I couldn’t look away but I didn’t want it to end. It’s one of those books that creeps under your skin and stays there. It’s something special.

Adrienne Young’s writing is spectacular. She delivers an emotional and brutal story with such precision that it left me in awe. Her writing is sparse at times, letting you read between the lines, but also richly detailed. Her talent is truly astonishing. I will read anything she writes in the future.

There are no weak characters in Sky in the Deep. I mean that in the physical sense just as much in the emotional sense. Every character had so much depth. I felt like they were old friends by the end of the book. I cared about them deeply and missed them when it was over. Eelyn was so fantastically written. Her growth throughout the story was immense, but so believable. The side characters were just as developed as Eelyn and Fiske.

Family is a huge theme in the book and I really loved the dynamics and openness of Fiske’s family. Their interactions warmed my heart. The way they put themselves out on the line to take Eelyn in spoke volumes about the kind of people they were. I loved seeing Eelyn slowly discover that too. Inge was a favorite of mine. Her wisdom and kindness brought so much warmth to a book that could’ve easily been cold.

Of course I have to mention the romance. This romance was slow burn at its best. Their feelings were definitely unconventional in many ways, but they so realistic. While this wasn’t necessarily a swoon inducing romance, the depth of feelings was moving. I loved seeing it slowly unfold. I also loved that Eelyn didn’t fight it when she realized she had feelings for Fiske. These two have a firm place on my favorite romances list.

I feel like I’ve already gone on forever and I still have so much to talk about! I’ll try to wrap this up soon, but first I much mention one of my most favorite parts of the story. Sky in the Deep deals heavily with the topic of prejudice. The wars between the clans have been going on for as long as Eelyn can remember. She was raised to hate the Riki. She knows no other way. Seeing her realize the Riki were just the same as the Aska was remarkable. She learned that what you’re taught might not always be what’s right. It was really magnificent.

Sky in the Deep needs to be on your 2018 reading list. This is one of those books that doesn’t come around very often. It’s brutal and violent, but also beautiful and breathtaking. This is a stunning debut that I urge you to read.

Loved the Viking theme and the warrior female main character. I would love to read a sequel.

Sky In The Deep by Adrienne Young was absolutely amazing! Such an original plot for a YA book. No instalove (yay) and a plot mostly about family and ties. It truly was a breath of fresh air and I will now read anything Young writes. Fiske and Eelyn, Halvard and Inge, and Iri... all the love for these characters!

Disclaimer: I received this book for free from Netgallery in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoy seeing some variety being introduced to YA fantasy. This book is definitely different from the majority of books being published. I’ve personally never read a YA book focused on Vikings, nor have I heard of any other books within this particular genre. So, I enjoyed the opportunity to read something different.

However, there were a few areas where the book fell short for me. The plot lacked any real depth. Based on the book’s description I was expecting an epic journey filled with tough choices and daring decisions. I prefer a book with more twists and turns. The author obviously put great effort into creating the cultural beliefs and traditions of the clans, but the storyline was just a bit bland.

It was a pleasant and short read.

3 KINDS OF PEOPLE WHO WILL LOVE THIS BOOK AS MUCH AS I DID

1. People who love action-packed books
Heck, this novel begins with an intense fight scene between Eelyn and her people, and their sworn enemies, the Riki. Obviously, being a viking book, war is always just around the corner. There are tons of those training montages we say we hate but secretly love, which are just as fun to read as the actual fights, which we don't get a lack of, either.

The pacing's not too fast and not too slow, which makes said fight scenes perfectly powerful, but not too overbearing. Add that in to the very simple-but-elegant world-building, and you've got yourself a pretty solid viking read!

2. People who love awesome characters and relationships even more
Sky in the Deep is surprisingly a character-driven novel. Eelyn's strength is in her body and in her soul. She can stand on her own in a fight, and she can stand firm with her beliefs. Her relationships with her brother, her captors, and her clan, are absolutely beautiful and realistic. They can be rocky at times, and there are definitely lots of disagreements, but in the end, love prevails.

I also adore the romance, which was subtle and very lowkey. It takes a backseat compared to the action and familial love, which is really refreshing. BUT! It's definitely still super swoon-worthy. Plus it's an enemies-turned-lovers trope, which I know we all love!

3. People who love books with beautiful messages the most
This book manages to bring across so many wonderful messages about love and family, and standing up for what you believe in. It does this without being pushy and in-your-face, which is a tough feat for most. Kudos and bonus points to miss Adrienne Young for making me want to become a stronger individual!

The cover is what initially pulled me in. LOOK AT IT! Dark, mysterious, badass female warrior. How could I not want to read it? I without even reading its description requested it on NetGalley. Once I was approved I started it right away. I was beyond excited but the first chapter worried me. It was a bit slow and I felt disconnected from it. However, I didn’t let it stop me and I’m so happy that I pushed on because it surprised me in so many ways.

The book is heavily inspired and influenced by Viking mythology. From that alone the reader should be prepared for scenes of violence and this book has tons of them! But don’t let that turn you off because it has a fantastic balance between scenes featuring violence and beautifully written passages that deeply explore human emotions and bonds. This is what I think the author did best. I cheered when the book’s protagonist Eelyn went into battle. She was fierce and treated her enemies without mercy. I felt like I was right there swinging an axe alongside her, blood spraying everywhere…it was exhilarating! This types of scenes were placed in between scenes where the author examined Eelyn’s emotional state. She starts out in so much pain, her anger eating away at her. It hurt my heart but the development...it was so well done. It was gradual and not without a few bumps along the way. It felt honest and true to real life.

I loved how this is a standalone novel. So many books now belong to a trilogy or series, which is great, but sometimes that’s bit of a commitment. However, standalones also come with their own pitfalls. They are sometimes rushes and with too convenient endings. This book was well paced and ended in a satisfying way that didn’t feel like the author was just trying to end it. This is most definitely a book that all fantasy lovers need to read! And…..it looks like a companion novel will be released in 2019!!!!! *jumps up and down* I can’t wait to get my hands on it!

“Vegr yfir fjor. Honor above life.”

I really don't know what I was expecting, but this book was really, really great. Action packed, emotional, and character driven.
There's been a lot of strong female characters recently who I just don't connect with? They're too fierce, or blood & battle driven. But Adrienne Young doesn't fall victim to that mentality. This book is about Vikings. So battles galore. But the battles and fighting don't take over the characters life. Thank you so much.

The story is about Eelyn, a 17-year-old Aska warrior. Eelyn has lost both her mother and her brother due to fights between the Vikings clan. At least, she thinks she's lost her brother until he shows up on the battle field. Fighting against her clan. I mean, the guy is supposed to be dead. Not fighting with the enemy.
Eelyn reacts like most people would probably react. Which to be honest, I loved about her character. She's rash, hot-headed, and deeply loyal. Her fierce spirit doesn't dim her emotions, and when she can, she actually thinks through her decisions.
I really liked Eelyn's character.

The book spirals into some intense action. Trying to avoid spoilers, so I'm just going to say, Eelyn is captured by her enemies. From there, the story is a blend of fighting, and mysteries, and slow burn romance.

More reasons to read this book. (AKA, everything I loved)

The relationships! I loved Eelyn's relationship with her dad. It was so tender, and fierce, and they loved each other SO COMPLETELY. Probably the best Dad/Daughter relationship I've read in a LONG while.

Each character. I can't talk a lot about each character without spoilers.But each character is well-devolved and you should fall in love.

Slow-burn romance. I was afraid the romance would detract from the story. But it didn't! Instead, it built it up, adding to the emotional layers.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. It wasn't that long, and I was able to read it in just a few hours. I think I do have trouble reading battle scenes. I can't tell if this is a problem just with this book, or with my reading. But I sometimes get very confused during battle/action scenes. Several times in this story, I was kind of lost.
And I felt the book ended too abruptly? It was hard to tell if we'd jumped forward in time, and why.

I definitely recommend Sky in the Deep if you love action, fierce female characters, soft & sweet love, and Vikings.

Arc provided by Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

I admit I was sold as soon as I saw the cover and the mention of vikings. And maybe the fact that Sky In The Deep is called one of the most anticipated YA fantasy releases this year, although that also made me a bit afraid it won’t live up to the hype. But thankfully Sky In The Deep is actually worth all the praise it has been receiving. What a wonderful and well written debut! Although this story has no exact time setting and appears to be more fantasy than historical fiction, with the viking culture playing such a central role it is easy to deduct this story was set long ago (probably 800s?). Would I have liked a more detailed worldbuilding with more descriptions and facts? Yes, but I can also understand why the exact details have been kept vague, focusing instead on the characters and clan feud plot. I would have liked to have a glossary for the foreign words and phrases used, although most are easy to interpret from the context. These little things aside, I absolutely loved this story. The main character is the typical strong female lead, but Eelyn really came alive in the descriptions and dialogue and was easy to connect to. The different clans and the old feud between the two had me completely hooked, as well as for the plot twists that changed their future forever. Definitely the best viking-inspired story I’ve read to this date! I admit I could have done without the romance, but at least we were spared the dreaded love triangle. And I’m sure romance fans will love that little twist (although I saw it coming quite early on). In short, while not perfect, this debut still managed to completely blow me away and Eelyn’s story will stay with me for a long time. Vikings to the win!

Despite a few minor details that made me lower the rating slightly, there is no doubt I absolutely loved this book. I have a weak spot for viking stories and Sky In The Deep has to be the best viking-inspired fantasy story I’ve read to this date. The writing is very engaging and made it really easy to like this story. The plot and clan feud turning into something else was an interesting one and while there were slow parts, you will get plently of viking fighting action as well. A little advice: don’t read the full blurb before you start reading it! This one is more fun going in completely blind. YA fantasy fans who like their stories having a dose of romance, well developed characters and a couple of pretty intense fighting scenes will love Sky In The Deep. A very powerful debut!

It usually takes me some time to get into a story - in this case though I was sucked into the book from the first page.
The story is told from Eelyn point of view, who's been raised by her father after her mother has been killed. Eelyn and her clan, the Aska, have been living a hard life full of battles and raids and due to a blood feud that has been going on with a rival clan, the Riki, for eons it doesn't look like that will change anytime soon. It has always been a simple concept - Aska against Riki, fighting to the death in a battle every five years to appease their gods. Until one day Eelyn sees her brother Iri fighting on the battlefield. On the side of the Riki, slaying his own clansmen. Oh and she saw him die 5 years ago in battle. Now Eelyn is dead set on finding out what happened but then she gets caught by the Riki and things change for the worse...

I absolutely loved Eelyn and she makes a great heroine. She's strong and stubborn but not in an annoying way. She was also surprisingly honest with herself and while she had a hard time seeing things from a different perspective she was still always trying to do the right thing. The other characters where also very intriguing, especially Iri and his best friend Friske whom Eelyin hated initially but ended up having a very special relationship with.
The main point of conflict was Iri's betrayal of course. He and Eelyn were always very close, especially after their mom died, and Eelyn is suffering after she finds out that Iri has been alive and been living with their enemy all this time. She's heut and confused and feels the betrayal to her bones. It created an interesting dynamic between the characters and made for a very emotional read. I have to say though that <spoiler> it bothered me a great deal that the thing with Iri was never really explained and we didn't get much closure on that. Why did he never get in contact with his family? I get that he wanted to stay with the Riki, but I really can't accept that he let his family suffer and mourn, thinking he was dead. The same about him going along to fight and kill the Aska. He of all people should know better and that fact really made me think less of him</spoiler>.
I also loved the viking like clan system. Like I said it's a rough life but I loved that they made no difference between men and women. Women are just as easily warriors and clan leaders as men.

The basic story of Sky in the Deep might not be the most complicated one but the emotional story definitely was. I really enjoyed this book and wouldn't mind seeing these characters again.

I have so many conflicting feelings about this book. While the setting is, in some ways refreshing and unique- a pre-Viking era unspecified region of Scandinavia, probably Norway, based on fjord descriptions- the actual story, though well-written, bothered me.

Eeylen is a seventeen-year-old girl fighting with her fellow clansmen, the Aska, in a fjord region called Aurvanger (making me have weird associations with World of Warcraft and The Maelstrom…). Every five years, the Aska clan fight the Riki clan, due to a blood feud between the two clans. Eeylen, though injured and in pain, takes on Fiske, a large Riki man, and is saved from being killed by her brother, Iri, who supposedly died in the clash that took place five years earlier. Eeylen’s family unit, consisting of her father and her friend Mýra, believe she saw Iri's ghost, who was protecting her, and that her seeing the ghost was a gift from the clan's patron goddess, Sigr (Old Norse for Victory). Eeylen, however, firmly believes that she saw her brother alive and now a grown man. She has already suffered the loss of her mother to the merciless Herja tribe. (Herja is a complex word in Scandinavian/Estonian culture meaning variously villain, demon, to wage war, to plunder, in the Faroese, Finnish, and old Icelandic languages.) This echo of Iri's loss troubles her deeply. How was what she saw just a ghost?

It turns out that Eeylen is correct because, in a subsequent battle near Aurvanger, Eeylen sees Iri again, follows after him, and is captured by the Riki, who by the way, follow the goddess Thora (Old Norse related to þora, meaning To Dare, and whose totem is a bear). Eeylen is shot in the shoulder with an arrow by Fiske, who, we are assured repeatedly, did this to save her from death, as a sort of favor to Iri, who is now fighting with the Riki, against his former clan the Aska, who left him to die after he and Fiske fell off a ledge fighting, five years before. After capturing Eeylen, Fiske buys her from his clan and makes her a dýr (a slave, but literally from the Old Norse and Icelandic, an animal), a loss of honor which will bar her from entering Sólbjǫrg, a sort of Heaven/ Valhöll, “the hall of the fallen.” The mystical story of how Iri came to live among the Riki and Fiske's family shocks and angers Eeylen. And she is ashamed to be a dýr. But Fiske and Iri plan to let her escape after the thaw, to her home village of Hylli. In spite of this possibility, Eeylen thinks of escaping under treacherous winter conditions many times, to recover her honor, and to get away from her traitor brother, Iri. And yet, life among Fiske’s family is not so very bad. She forms a genuine attachment to Fiske’s younger brother Halvard. She begins to like Fiske’s mother, Inge. She begins to like Fiske, too. I would call it Stockholm Syndrome (sorry guys) but it would be bad form. The whole point that Young is seeking to make is that moment when you realize that your enemy’s enemy is your friend, and that your friend is not so different from you. It’s a book about forging bonds to make something new.

This is a violent book, with vivid gore. It is also a book in which we have a seriously injured teenager who repeatedly takes up arms, in spite of ripping open sutures in her wrists, in spite of burns on her neck, in spite of a suppurating wound through her shoulder (where are her fevers, her septicemia, from this festering injury?), and thus very unrealistic. It is also a book with shimmering moments like Fiske and Eeylen’s encounter with a bear. And a book with trope-y moments in which again and again, guys rescue our heroine and she falls in love! There were things I loved, like Eeylen’s honorable instincts to protect a child who trusts her, and things I disliked, as in why, to me as a reader, Fiske still feels stoic to the point of blandness with Eeylen, or the entire concept of someone falling in love with their captor. While I get the abuses that Eeylen suffers are in part because of her fighting nature and the need of Fiske and his family to create a convincing picture of her being a dýr, I have grave misgivings about books for young people that plant the seed of an idea that your captor is really okay and lovable.

In any case, a writer to watch. Even if I was not sold on aspects of the plot, Adrienne Young can write.

“…the last time I saw my brother was five years ago. Lying dead in the snow.”

Sky in the Deep is a debut, standalone, young adult fantasy novel that stars two different Viking clans. But this is a story about betrayal, then survival, then a choice. You all, I really enjoyed this one. I thought it was unique, well written, and has some amazing characters.

Our main protagonist, Eelyn, has lived the last five years mourning her brother’s death. Every five years, the two rival Viking clans battle for no reason other than blind hatred. And five years ago, Eelyn had to watch him fall off a cliff and was forced to leave him dying below. But this book starts out five years later, with a brand new battle, yet Eelyn sees her brother, Iri, before her very eyes.

The two rival Viking clans:
➽ Aska – Worship the god Sigr, water and the sea, and Eelyn’s clan where her father is the leader.
➽ Riki – Worship the god Thora, mountains and fire, and the side that Iri is currently fighting for.

Eelyn doesn’t even know how to process what she is seeing, especially being on the opposite side of the battlefield with her presumed dead brother, who was once her fighting partner. And her hesitation costs her, because she ends up captured by a Riki, who spares her life for some unknown reason.

“I’d abandoned my clansmen on the battlefield to chase after the brother who didn’t even want me.”

Then we get to follow Eelyn becoming a slave for the people who she has vowed to always kill. But slowly, she starts to realize that maybe the Aska and Riki have more in common than anyone would ever think, including a common enemy, the Herja, that will eliminate them all the same way they killed Eelyn’s mother.

I will say that I thought this read a little older on the young adult scale. I mean, yeah, the main character is totally seventeen-years-old, but her brother is five years older and the story does star him, too, even if we don’t get his point of view. A lot of dark things happen in this book, and the author doesn’t shy away from the violence. And rape threats are used a lot during this story. Like, a lot a lot, so just know that going in. And content/trigger warnings for loss of a loved one, violence, murder, gore, sexual assault(s), physical abuse, slavery, talk of suicide, and war themes.

And even though this is a brutal book, the romance is so damn sweet. I mean, it’s a slow burn without question, but enemies to lovers will forever be my favorite. But seeing it happen to a nice guy, too? It was really sweet and I really enjoyed it. I might even go as far to say that the romance in this book was my favorite element of the entire story.

“I remembered the way he looked, lying with eyes staring into the sky that day I’d left him in the trench in Aurvanger. The broken boy bleeding in the snow beside my brother. I wondered if the gods had a plan then.”

I also love the sibling relationship between Eelyn and Iri. In general, I’m always a sucker for books about siblings who unconditionally love each other, but this story had such a unique twist and dynamic, I absolutely loved unfolding the mystery behind what happened five years ago.

My heart was also truly stolen by Halvard and his relationship with Eelyn in this book. Like, best character and the most amazing little cinnamon roll ever. There is such a strong emphasis on found family in this book, and I was so here for it. Truly, these 350 pages carry a beautiful and important message about how life is about surrounding yourself with people who love and accept you, regardless of what blood runs in your veins.

Overall, I really did enjoy this one. I wish the rape threats weren’t so abundant, but besides that I feel like this is a really solid story that is action packed and truly captivating. I never wanted to put this book down, and each time I picked it up I felt absolutely teleported into this world. Also, I kind of have a soft spot for girls that wield axes. I really enjoyed it, and I cannot wait to see what Adrienne Young does next!

I received a free copy of this for review from NetGalley **

4.5 stars. I really really enjoyed this book. Very classic YA fantasy story but I liked the characters and there`s just something Vikings and enemy clans. I read a lot of dense adult fantasy so I quite enjoy a good easier YA read to give my mind a break and have fun. Definitely recommend.

Young has a very unique writing style, and at first I struggled to get into her different ways of describing things. However, the very first page of the book hooked me right away, which is a pretty big deal. Young created a dark, atmospheric setting and her language reflects that. Aside from her sometimes awkward descriptions, I found her writing style refreshing. It was also a really quick read, which I appreciated. I couldn’t put it down!

What I love about this book is the importance it places on family and beliefs. The clans live and die for their family and their beliefs, and that’s powerful. Without saying too much, it was interesting to see how the book approached faith and beliefs, especially with regards to learning and choosing to see beyond prejudices and hate. The book focuses on family: biological, found family, friends so close they’ve become family, and romantic love. To see these various relationships be equally strong and emotional was lovely.

Something that detracted from my enjoyment of the book is that I found some of the secondary characters to be a little one dimensional, and therefore the bonds between some characters aren’t as well written as they could’ve been. We’re supposed to feel this great bond between Eelyn and her brother, but I don’t feel it. He doesn’t, in my opinion, get enough page time with her for us to feel their relationship rather than just have it described to us as being a deep bond.

I also struggled a bit with the romance. I don’t find Fiske to be a very sympathetic character. He does some less-than-ideal things. Not only that, but their relationship sometimes suffers from the same issues as Eelyn’s relationship with her brother: it isn’t fleshed out enough for me to fully believe it. I love where they are at the end, but I feel like something was missing during the middle of the book.

"Sky In The Deep" is a great viking-inspired story of love, faith, and family. It’s about choosing light over dark, growth, and creating a better future. It also has some vivid battle scenes which I loved. While this book is a standalone, a companion novel has been announced.

As soon as I realized Sky in the Deep was about Vikings, it immediately became one of my most anticipated reads of 2018. (Have I mentioned that I love Viking stories?) I was hoping for an exciting, action-packed read, and I’m thrilled to say that I got that and so much more. Sky in the Deep opens with our main character, 17 year old Eelyn, and her Aska clan engaged in battle with their lifelong enemies, the Riki clan. The fighting is fierce and the energy is electric, but all of that fades away when Eelyn sees something on the battlefield she never expects to see – her brother, who she watched die in battle five years ago, apparently alive and well and fighting for her enemy. It’s a total WTF moment and I was immediately hooked and, like Eelyn, I had so many questions that I wanted answers to.

How is it possible that Eelyn’s brother is there if she actually saw him die? And why in the world would he be fighting against his own people and for his sworn enemy?

During one of the clashes between the Aska and Riki, Eelyn is captured and taken up into the mountains to the Riki village. If she can survive winter in the mountains surrounded by all of her enemies, she has the opportunity to confront her brother face to face and demand answers.

But when the Riki village is raided by a ruthless clan who has also attacked the Aska village in the past – the same clan who killed Eelyn’s mother — Eelyn becomes desperate to get back to her family. It becomes clear that if the Aska and the Riki are going to survive, they’re going to need to work together to defeat their common enemy.

Can Eelyn convince her father and her clan that the Riki are not their enemy and that they need each other?

Eelyn was such an epic main character. I really loved her. She’s a fierce and proud Aska warrior and her loyalty to both her family and her clan knows no bounds. Some of my favorite scenes from Sky in the Deep are those scenes where Eelyn is out there fighting like a total badass on the battlefield. What I also loved about her character though is that she’s not all fierceness and badassery – she’s also a vulnerable and conflicted sister who fears that her brother is a traitor to her people and doesn’t know what to do about it or how to feel about it. I thought the author did an incredible job of conveying every emotion Eelyn was feeling. Her pain was palpable, as was her anger, her initial hatred of the Riki, her feelings of betrayal, etc. Everything about Eelyn was so vividly depicted that it was just very easy to feel a connection with her.

Sky in the Deep is one of those books that I would consider to be the best of both worlds – if you enjoy action-packed battle scenes, you’ll love it, but if you enjoy character and relationship-driven stories, you’ll love it too. The battle scenes were truly thrilling. There were axes and swords flying everywhere and I was on the edge of my seat each time Eelyn fought, hoping that she would make it through unscathed. The scenes were vivid and somewhat graphic but didn’t really veer over into outright gory territory, which worked well for me.

As if those action-packed scenes weren’t fabulous enough, the book is also filled with relationships that just really got to me. I’ve already mentioned the conflicted relationship between Eelyn and her brother. That one just broke my heart because Eelyn was so crushed to think her brother was a traitor. I really wanted to hate him for hurting Eelyn with his betrayal, but then we hear his side of the story, and everything I initially thought of him got turned on its head and I just wanted brother and sister to reconcile so badly.

The brother-sister relationship takes center stage when it comes to relationships, but it’s not the only relationship by far. I thought the author did a beautiful job depicting the evolution of the relationship between the Aska and Riki clans once they realize they face a common threat and need to band together if they hope to survive. I loved the range of emotions that she has the various Aska and Riki clanspeople, Eelyn and her captor Fiske in particular, move through – the long-standing hatred, the mistrust, the curiosity, tentative acceptance, friendship, etc. These relationships were all so messy and so realistic and I just ate them up!

And yes, there is a romantic relationship as well. And guess what? I didn’t hate it! Why? Without giving too much away, I’ll just say that it was a subtle relationship that gradually developed over the course of the story and I never felt like it took over the story or distracted from anything else that was going on. There’s no insta-love at all – in fact, it’s quite the opposite. It’s enemies to lovers all the way, which apparently I’m a huge fan of!

Even though I loved Sky in the Deep overall, I did have a bit of an issue with uneven pacing. Those action-packed battle scenes had me absolutely flying through the pages, as did the scenes where Eelyn confronted her brother or where she clashed with her captors. But then I would hit the occasional lull when the story focused more on the day-to-day life of the Riki and Eelyn’s thoughts as she watched them and did chores for them.

These domestic-focused chapters were still beautifully written– let me be very clear on that– and they definitely served a purpose, which was to show Eelyn that her sworn enemies are normal people just like she and her fellow Aska are. My issue was mainly that reading about sewing and gardening and other chores just felt a little mundane in comparison to the adrenaline rush that goes along with reading about someone slashing and hacking their way across a battlefield. I think this would have been a 5-star read for me if there had been fewer passages that dealt with household chores.

Sky in the Deep is a fantastic read that has something for everyone. If you’re into character-driven books that feature fierce females and plenty of complicated relationships, then this is a book for you. However, if you’re into action-packed stories that feature warring Viking clans, this is a book for you too. And finally, if you’re into a slow-burn romance featuring enemies who suddenly don’t hate each other quite as much as they thought they did, then yes, Sky in the Deep is for you as well.

Buddy Read: Melanie @Meltotheany, Amy @ACourtOfCrownsandQuills , Jules @JAIronside Always a good time with these bookworms! <3

*HUGE thanks to Wednesday Books/St. Martin's Press, Netgalley, and Adrienne Young for the early review copy in exchange for my honest opinion

PLOT

Sky In The Deep is one of those books you definitely shouldn't judge by the cover. As a avid fan of the History channel series Vikings & anything Norse Mythology really, I had this book on my radar for quite some time. However, although this book has battle & blood shed...It was & wasn't the focal point in this story. We have two Viking clans with different sets of beliefs & each has their own God they worship. Every year these two clans face off in a bloody battle to appease what they believe is the will of their Gods. We are given history as to why the Gods feud originally started & all year round those of fighting age prepare for battle & the gathering of supplies to heal their wounded. Our MC Eelyn from the Aska Clan lost her brother Iri on the battlefield five years before the start of the story. Eelyn lives with her father who is a great Viking warrior & Myra her friend/adopted sister of sorts. The story takes off with Eelyn preparing for the yearly battle against the Riki Clan alongside her father & Myra. Whilst  on the battlefield, Eelyn comes close to death and face to face with the brother she believed to be dead. Eelyn is in shock & desperate for answers when she makes the decision to follow Iri and his Riki friend Fiske against their wishes. Her decision to follow Iri into Riki territory sets off a series of events that will make every character question their beliefs.

Sky In The Deep is a VERY character driven book, which means it was my type of book but it may not be for everyone. The plot is pretty straight forward, it isn't deeply layered or complex with promises of plot twists. Instead, Young delivered a story about family ties & my all time favorite...those people we CHOOSE to be our family. There's a sense of betrayal underneath it all and sorting through those feelings to see the bigger picture. This is also a slower paced story with attention to detail, each & every time I opened this book I felt transported to their time & place. I LIVE for this style of writing because it wakens my imagination and senses with descriptions of nature, climate, and YES battle! With the being said, I did end up feeling like the pacing was a bit off since this to my knowledge is a stand-alone. My love for the characters is what really carried the story for me & ultimately my attachment is the reason for which I rated this read 4 stars.

CHARACTERS

Eelyn Our MC has lived the life of a shield maiden ever since she was a little girl, training side by side with her brother Iri. Eelyn is loyal to her loved ones & the Aska clan. She isn't the YA female heroine you're perhaps used to seeing. There were times I wished she fought a bit harder against those who wished to do her harm considering she was a trained fighter/killer. Overall I enjoyed seeing her road to self discovery, she had the most growth in this book. Most of all, I loved that Eelyn never abandoned her beliefs while understanding she was evolving into someone new.

Myra Eelyn's best friend who is more like a sister. Myra is a side character I have to mention because her scenes were some of the most passion filled to read. She is someone who has lost everyone she loves to these yearly clan wars. She only has Aghi (Eelyn's father) & Eelyn who have taken her in as family. Which means she will fight tooth & nail to protect them. I LOVED reading the scenes where they readied their armor & checked with each other for weakness/injuries. Eelyn & Myra are the definition of ride or die BFF's!

Iri Not my favorite of the characters if I'm being honest. I can see how thinking you were left for dead in battle can mess with your head. I can see why he found a home with the Riki after one of them saved his life. However, I wanted more dialogue from Iri specifically between him & Eelyn. She's both elated to see him alive & furious to see him willingly living as a Riki.

Fiske The Riki who saved Iri's life & is basically like a brother to Iri. Fiske is honestly that guy who is all tough on the outside but mush for the people he loves. He's also one of the MOST open minded characters I've ever come across in YA Fantasy. He is someone who follows his heart no matter what others may think. Fiske is a new found favorite of mine.

Inge The Riki who took in Iri wounded and helped bring him back to life. She is a healer and a motherly figure to those in her household & a healer to those in the village. Inge LOVES her boys & most importantly she knows their hearts.

Halvard Can't forget to mention this little guy who is Fiske's little brother who is not of fighting age. Halvard dreams of one day joining his "brothers" but until that day he helps around in the house. Halvard immediately takes a liking to Eelyn and her religious beliefs. I loved this characters innocence against the back drop of so much violence.

WRITING & FINAL THOUGHTS

If you're looking for a slower paced book with an emphasis on family ties and relationships, Sky In The Deep is a solid choice. We do get the battles we all know the Viking culture thrived in but it isn't the core focus of the story. There were some pacing issues I personally feel if ironed out, would've enhanced this read for me. Mainly because I enjoyed the time I was spending with each of these characters. It's rare when you find MC's & side characters you truly get attached to & so I greatly enjoy and appreciate these types of books. I also enjoyed learning about both the Aska & Riki culture and religious beliefs. When I was reading this book I was easily transported to the Fjord by Eelyn's home. It was very easy to silence my surrounding & get absorbed into this world. The romance (cause there is one lol) is hate-to-love & slow burn to another level HAHA! part of me got a bit impatient with this ship #jussayin smh. Overall, Sky In The Deep was a very enjoyable read for me & I'm going to miss these characters.

Sky In The Deep hits shelves April 24th!!! are you ready to take a trip into Viking territory?!?! <3 <3 <3

***REVIEW WILL GO LIVE 4/20/2018, ALL LINKS WILL BE ADDED***

'Sky In The Deep' is a fantasy that has SUCH an EMOTIONAL CORE.

It's not often I really connect with fantasy characters, but Eelyn and Iri (particularly Iri, let's be real) got me good. The sheer family-ness of this whole thing was so strong, but you know what was even stronger? The FAITH. It was something special - the scene with the bear when they were fishing? Chills. Literal <i>chills</i>.

The writing was so incredibly cinematic. I was listening to the audio version on my Kindle, and it made the fight scenes that much more intense. I will admit that the conflict in the middle (vis a vis the travelling) felt extremely contrived, because when it came down to it, there was no issue, and the journey - which I thought would be a lot longer - spanned, like, a five page chapter.

What I loved was that we were absolutely thrown into the deep end of this world. It build itself. Slowly. While I found this a little bewildering in the beginning as I was trying to work out who was who, it was really effective for when the different clan crossed paths and had to teach each other about their people and culture. It made info dumping feel a lot less...dumped on you.

The one thing - and I have to say it - that disappointed me was the friendship between Eelyn and Myra. Probably because Myra was only present in the very beginning and the very end, but I felt like we were told E and M had a blood bond of sisterhood but I didn't really feel it, and the lack of development of their relationship became even more apparent later in the book.

I also have to say that I could have done without the romance. I don't think it added anything, particularly, and it would've been nice to leave it at strong bond of friendship, you know? But, hey, I'll look over it considering how many FEELS this book gave me as a whole.

'Sky In The Deep' has all the murderous vibes of 'And I Darken', the community aspect of 'The Host', and the survival of 'Hanna' (movie starring Saoirse Ronan). Love.

Sky in the Deep is a viking-inspired story that focuses on the rivals between two clans: The Aska and the Riki. Eelyn is a strong warrior from the Aska clan. On the day she’s fighting the Riki clan, she sees something impossible: Her presumed-dead brother, Iri, fighting alongside the Riki. Due to certain circumstances, she is captured and taken to the Riki’s village where she is forced to reevaluate everything she’s ever known.

So, let’s talk about why I gave this book 3 stars. I try not to fall into the hype of a popular new YA release, so I went in with low expectations. However, I truly expected a more plot-driven story with action (since the central theme is war, after all.) While I loved the characters and the setting, I felt like something else was missing.

With that being said, I’ll now discuss what I liked and disliked:

The Good:

• Eelyn is strong, brave, and ruthless. I am always down for a badass female lead. I also enjoyed her path to self discovery.
• The supporting cast. I simply adored Halvard and Inge. They were the backbone of this book, in my opinion.
• The writing. Young provided stunning imagery to this world. There were some gruesome scenes that had me going, “Ewwww!” And I don’t usually flinch at that stuff. You’ll probably know what I mean once you get to that part. LOL.
• Fiske. While I wish he could have been a more complex character, I found him to be a genuinely sweet person who just wanted to do the right thing.
• It’s a standalone. I love series but reading a standalone is also so satisfying! I did hear there might be a companion book releasing next year? But I don’t know what it’s about.

The Bad:

• One-dimensional characters. I believe this story would have benefited from a multi-POV structure. Only being in Eelyn’s mind made it difficult for me to understand Iri’s thoughts since I feel like he’s the most complex character. I also would have loved to read Fiske’s POV!
• The pacing. Overall I felt that the plot wasn’t very complex. You could basically break this book up into 3 parts: The opening war scene, a bunch of stuff not happening in the middle, and then the faster-paced conclusion. In fact, the ending wrapped up so suddenly I thought I was missing some pages!
• Rape threat is brought up a few times, which is a shame. I won’t get into the specifics, but it did make me roll my eyes.
• Don’t expect romance. Maybe the hype made me expect a huge romance, but in reality it was very minimal. Nothing hot and heavy, ya know?

I definitely still recommend this book if you’re a fan of war fantasies. It reads like a typical YA set in a Viking-inspired world. It is short and easy to fly through. Just keep in mind the pace does get rather slow for the majority of the book, but some of the characters made up for it.

This book follows a female viking whose clan has been fighting against a neighbouring clan due to an ancient rivalry between their gods. During the latest fighting season Eelyn comes across her beloved brother fighting for the enemy. The brother she saw die 5 years prior. As she tries to follow him to get some answers the rival clan captures her and while planning her escape she discovers a deadly band of killers has been destroying villages from both clans. With so few survivers left Eelyn and her brother will need to convince both clans to unite against this new threat.

After seeing these amazing reviews going around I had high expectations going into this. All I knew about it was female vikings and I was immediately interested, but it wasnt as dark, intense and action packed as I was expecting from a viking novel. Its also more of a historical fiction like The Valiant than a high fanatsy in my opinion. The story just didnt pull me in as much as I was hoping it would. The pace was up and down. We get some fighting right in the beginning, but then the main character is taken captive a couple chapters in and the pace slows down until about the middle and then it picks up again.

While I waited for the plot to move along during the first half of the novel the main thing that kept me reading was trying to find out what was going on with the main characters brother Iri. Despite not completely connecting with Eelyn I still liked her as a character. Shes not only this strong warrior, but she also has some depth to her that we get to see as she struggles with forgiving her brother as well as staying true to her clan and not to be taken in by the kindness of her brothers new family. She also wasnt afraid to cry which was refreshing from a badass female character.

Im also very picky when it comes to captive stories and hate to love romances. Theres just certain things I have a very difficult time forgiving from a love interest and the main characters helplessness as a captive tends to frustrate me more than anything. Towards the halfway point the novel started turning around for me. The whole captive situation didnt bother me as much and I started liking the other characters a bit more. I also love the idea of a fighting partner and the bond they would share, but I wasnt a big fan of Eelyns fighting partner.

Eelyn, a young warrior of the Aska clan with fire in her blood, faces her worst enemies and her worst fears in Sky in the Deep. Action-packed from the first page, Sky in the Deep had me hooked. Spending the winter in an enemy camp Eelyn has to reevaluate what family, loyalty, and honor mean to her. Strong, brave, and fierce, Eelyn is a courageous warrior who learns not only how to fight and survive, but how to love and change. Eelyn is a refreshing character, with a strong sense of self, who had me rooting for her from the first page.