I originally gave this book 3 1/2 stars on my blog and on Goodreads, but since I can't give half stars on NetGalley, I will bump it up to FOUR STARS, because it really was an enjoyable read!

The story follows Eelyn, a seventeen-year-old warrior who is fighting alongside her Aska clansmen in an ancient rivalry against the Riki clan, when she sees her dead brother, alive and fighting, on the side of her enemy. She is so hurt with betrayal that she is captured by the Riki and forced to survive the winter in the mountains with her enemy. But there is another clan, so ruthless they are thought to be legend, and when they raid the Riki village, Eelyn is given no choice but to trust her enemies in order to avoid being slaughtered.

I was thrilled when I received the ARC of this book because it was one of my most anticipated young adult reads for April! The cover is GORGEOUS (it was what drew me to the book in the first place) and I love historical fiction, especially ancient historical fiction! My expectations were high!

From the first page, we are thrown into the world of the vikings… or, at least, a viking-esque world. I am not an expert on vikings, but I know enough to appreciate the author’s research; the detail that went into describing the Riki village and the chores Eelyn and Inge do around the house, as well as their elaborate religious rituals… everything is so grounded in the time of the vikings. However, because the story is so heavily focused on the age-old rivalry between the two clans, we do not see any of the tropes typically found in other viking stories (ie. the sailing and the raiding of the English, etc.), and the fact that the two clans are completely fictional only furthers the feeling that this book lies somewhere on the border between historical fiction and fantasy – which just so happens to be my favourite type of fiction. But, I think that the main reason why the detailed descriptions of the everyday worked so well was because of the plain, get-to-the-point style of writing.

I know this doesn’t sound like it should be a positive aspect of the book, but if it weren’t for the bluntness and quick flow of the writing style, this book would be very slow to get through. There are large sections of the book where not a lot happens, but the chapters are short and well structured which makes it feel as though you are flying through the book. I also think the overall narrative arc was very tight and nicely structured, and this laid everything out on the table in the opening chapters so that you knew what to expect without it being so predictable that it was unenjoyable.

What took me the most by surprise whilst reading the opening chapters, was that it was very obvious that this book would be a character driven story. I loved the just how important family is in this book – and not just biological families, but chosen families. At its heart, it is a story about love trumping hate. Every character, at some stage of the story, is put in a position where they must try to understand or try to forgive someone who is different to them, and this is probably the strongest thread in the entire book because it gave it some really heartwarming moments and quotable lines. Not a single relationship was toxic or abusive – female friendship triumphs in this book – and this was refreshing to see (especially in the YA genre) because they still had their struggles, but were able to understand and overcome them. This was honestly the highlight of the book for me.

To me, the biggest downfall of this book was that it missed that extra umph. There was nothing about the story that made me truly heartbroken, or extremely happy, or biting my nails with suspense. Instead of being a rollercoaster of emotions, it was more like a slow and steady stream, just trickling along. Yes, it was a beautiful stream, but it was just a stream in a world full of them. Don’t get me wrong, I really did enjoy this book, but the characters felt as though they were all given the same personality. There was nothing really distinguishable about any of them, and it made me feel a little detached from their story because there was nothing I could grab onto or relate to. The romance wasn’t horrible, but it wasn’t exactly breathtaking either, and though the characters live in a brutal world, nothing really brutal or traumatic happens to them (and in the one scene where something big does happen, it is an attempted rape scene). The majority of this book was a whole lot of telling instead of showing, and while the writing came in handy with making it a quick read, it just didn’t allow me to be overly invested in any of the characters. That being said, even from my detached, observational position, I could still appreciate the story and the messages.

Three and a half stars feels like the perfect rating for this book, but as I said, I will bump that up to 4 stars for the sake of this review. It was well crafted, thoughtful, beautifully captured a detailed world, and had great representations of the different kinds of love and the importance of understanding those who are different from you. The only thing preventing me from giving it a full four stars was that everything about this story felt very safe – as in it didn’t push the boundaries, or try to ensnare the reader with gripping characters or an intricate plot. I still would definitely recommend this book to all readers of YA, as it reads not just like historical fiction, but fantasy too.

YA Vikings. You cannot get any better than that.

I don't know what to say. I feel like no matter what and how I say it, it still wouldn't be enough to give this book's gloriousness justice. Because Sky in the Deep was just that (and more). Glorious. Brilliant. Addictive. Bloody. Gruesome. Romantic. I. Absolutely. Loved. It.

Inside and out this book is just incredible. Look at that gorgeous cover! It's simple and yet looks so badass and intriguing and screams "read me now!" I am having serious cover lust.

I love everything about Sky in the Deep. The writing was incredible and had me so invested in the story from the very beginning. I read the first chapter and I never wanted it to end. The plot was simple and straightforward and honestly not how I thought the story would go. Which isn't a bad thing. I just expected lots of twists and something completely different. But with the writing being so addictive I didn't let that affect my enjoyment of the book. The romance was super slow burn! It didn't take up much of the story (which was good) so what little swoon I got I savored completely. I always did love the enemies-turned-lovers trope. Eelyn was an amazing heroine! I love her unyielding bravery and loyalty. She's the kind of person I would want and trust to watch my back- literally and figuratively.

Sky in the Deep is riveting and savage. I fell in love with the writing so much and I badly wished there was more. I now have an unhealthy obssesion for Vikings (both the tv show and not the tv show). I cannot wait for this book's official release so I can read it again!
What an amazing debut! Highly recommended!

This book wasn't my cup of tea, but I will definitely recommend it to fans of historical fantasy, especially those who are hungering for Viking fiction! I liked the main character and her loyalty to her people.

4.5 out of 5 stars (I rounded up)
I'm not going to lie, this book took me a little time to get into to it. I started it, and then another book caught my attention, and then I read some more and then another book caught my attention...

BUT..

When I did finally give my undivided attention to this book, I loved it! This book has betrayal and love and emotions. SOO many emotions.

Usually when I am reading a book, I can tell about half way through what I am going to rate it out of five stars, but I couldn't use that system for this book, becasue it just kept getting better and better.

I gave this book 4½ out of five stars because it did have a slow beginning, but once you are a few chapters in, its amazing!

There are so many things I would like to say in this review, but I'm afraid I can't say them without spoiling the book, so you will just have to read the book for yourself! Seriously, read it. You won't regret it.

I am shocked that this book is a debut from the author Adrienne Young, it was just so good! I can't wait to read the companion novel coming in 2019.

This book does have a lot of gore and violence, so if you don't like reading about blood, exercise caution when reading!

I would reccomend this book to anyone who likes fantasy, love, and war or viking related YA books.
Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with en e-ARC of Sky in the Deep.

If you would like to read more book reviews check out my blog at www.sarahjuneblog.com.

Let me first say, what led me to request this book was the cover. It’s beautiful. I thought this would be an exciting read.

Eelyn is part of the Aska Clansmen, and every five years they battle the Rikki. Because some gods are mad at each other. Which, I don’t understand why they would continue to hate each other so much. There was action. It was pretty cool, but it seemed to go slow. I didn’t have the connection with the characters and didn’t have the need to want to continue. But I did.

I don’t want to give a whole bunch away in this review. I feel that there’s a lot of readers, who will enjoy this. But it was difficult to get into it. I think Young does write well, but it didn’t capture me as a reader.

Overall, Two Boundless Stars

Sky in the Deep is the debut fantasy novel from Adrienne Young, and I see good things in this author's future. While this book has been classified as fantasy, don't expect many fantastical elements. There are no magical or futuristic elements. We are basically operating in a made-up world that had a Viking feel with two warring people's who follow different gods. So you can expect lots of action and fighting and conflict.

This story is told in first person by our heroine, Eelyn, a seventeen year old Aska warrior. We follow Eelyn through battle, betrayal, and later enlightenment as she discovers that the two clans are not that different, especially when faced with a common enemy. Despite her age, I felt that Eelyn was a mature heroine, and I was glad of it. Her people live a simple, yet brutal life, and Eelyn has been a warrior since the age of 12. While I liked her fighting ability and bravery, it was hard to imagine such a young and small girl killing male and female warriors from her enemy clan. She both suffers and delivers gruesome injuries, and the author didn't pull any punches when it came to gory aspects of fighting.

I got caught up in the drama of Iri's seeming betrayal, and Eelyn's response to it. While she didn't express a lot of emotion outwardly or in an inner monologue, I could imagine the feelings of a young girl when confronted with such a situation. Once aspect where I felt the book did suffer was with the first person narration. We only got Eelyn's reactions to things, where I think we could have benefited from having Fiske's POV, at the least. There was a budding romance between Fiske and Eelyn but I felt disconnected from it. There weren't any emotions to draw me in, and adding in those details for both our characters would have enriched the story quite a bit.

I did like all of the secondary characters, and wouldn't mind this story turning into a series to give us glimpses into the lives of her father, Myra, and Inge. I don't think there are any plans for that, but it would be nice to see the hardship suffered by both clans turn into a prosperous alliance.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book that I received from the publisher, Wednesday Books.

I received this book for free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

A young woman learns her brother is alive - and living with the enemy - in this epic tale of love and war. Let's review the phenomenal Sky in the Deep by Adrienne Young.

Run to your local bookstore to purchase this novel when it comes out in April. It's a phenomenal story of family, courage, and love set in medieval times. Eelyn's world is rocked the day she discovers her "dead" brother fighting alongside the enemy. Circumstance forces her into an uneasy position when she ends up in enemy territory. At its heart, this story is about family - the family given to us by blood and the family chosen by us through love. It's about people looking past their prejudices to embrace a new reality. Truly a powerful story relevant for today.

Eelyn is a compelling character. Her Aska heritage and faith are core components to her characterization. While secondary characters are not nearly as complex as Eelyn, they provide a foil to her growth. One of my favorite aspects of the story is the romance between Eelyn and Fiske. Their evolution from enemies to lovers is slowly and methodically built over the course of the novel. I wish Eelyn connected to other Riki characters outside of Fiske's immediate family, but the tightly woven plot line didn't leave much room for further development.

It may be a character driven novel, but it's got plenty of action and adventure. It does not shy away from the blood and gore associated with tribal clans warring over religion and land. At times the scenes are brutal, but never did the violence feel out of place. The setting would not be as vibrant without each of the clan's religions. It creates a believable world where the characters react to their surroundings. I'm excited for future books from this author if they are this good!

tl;dr An immersive setting, a complex character, and themes of family, loyalty, and love make this a must read.

2.5/5

Negative points:
- Overall, the characters were underdeveloped and i couldn't connect with or care for them. The majority of the relationships were established by the narrator and I couldn’t see how or why they cared for each other, or even believe they actually felt the things that were said they felt for each other;
- The ‘romance’ came out of nowhere, was pretty bland and it had no substance. It even made me a little uncomfortable, because it felt like it didn't came from a place of infatuation, it was more like a coping mechanism to all the trauma the characters went through.
- The thing that bothered me the most in this book were the excess of full stops where commas or semicolons would make the writing flow A LOT better. The sentences just kept getting interrupted in weird places (with the goal of giving what was being said intensity, i guess) and it annoyed me so much;
- Weird action sequences and things like the character having her back to someone, in the dark, saying she couldn't see their face and then telling us his actions in detail. Sometimes, the main character was almost like a mind reader, stating what characters were thinking and feeling in detail with just looking at their eyes.

Positive points:
- The premise, i've never seen any viking inspired YA book before, and that was exciting;
- Somehow, i had no idea of what would happen, couldn't really guess the course the story would take, and it was the sole reason i kept reading (not in a suspenseful way, but in a ‘how these people are gonna react because i have no idea what they are like'’ way);
- The character Mýra was my favourite, i enjoyed her relationship with Eelyn and I wish we got more of that;
- The politics part of this world, the little we got to see was kind of interesting and i wish it was developed more;
- The battle scenes were nice, especially the last one.

In the end, as it was through the entire book, everything was resolved really easily, and all the plot points had underwhelming resolutions. Sky in the Deep was not a bad book, it just had a lot of potential and it fell far short.

Review in portuguese: https://www.skoob.com.br/livro/resenhas/710893/edicao:712332

Well Hello Viking awesomeness, Adrienne Young!

Sky in the Deep is released April 24th 2018~ and I will already say...go check it out! Add it to the TBR!! I was provided this ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. 💜

I have waited and hoped for a long time now that someone would start doing some Viking based YA. *crossed fingers* And sometimes we do get lucky hahaha ;0)

I must say this book starts bloody, if you know anything about Norse mythology and Viking culture though, this shouldn’t be a surprise to you. We follow the story of Eelyn who is a warrior of Aska, that has a battle waged with the Riki Clan. Until one day she sees her brother fighting on the Riki side, her dead brother... (*insert dramatic music*)

Personally I think the above description is all you need to know. Reading the whole jacket blurb kind of gives too much away so try and surprise yourself!

What did I like~ THE BATTLE SCENES!! All the battle scenes were faaaaantastic. They’re intense, bloody, and nail biting. Haha Adrienne Young sure kept me involved and wrote them well.

The characters~ Eelyn was very well written but actually not my favorite. That’s excellent though as Adrienne Young has made this much more a character driven novel than plot driven. I enjoyed seeing the development of everyone and how they played parts to the final ending.

Things I didn’t like? Well there is a rather large lull about 15% in to about halfway. I get it’s give the characters and “in their thoughts” insight, but after such epic battle scenes, I was itching for more. I expected more haha

The story reads like a TV show for me. Meaning it didn’t build too strongly but felt more like a side story. Which in itself isn’t bad, but this is a stand alone book and I was hoping for something more solid.

Overall Rating: 3 Stars
Plot: 3 stars
Character Development: 3.5 Stars
Dialogue: 3 Stars
Writing: 4 Stars

I would recommend this to any fan of YA. It was a fun read and I’m happy Viking tales are getting some attention. There is so much good material there for use. Take a chance and give a read. 💜

Enjoy!!
~Ash

The main message in Sky The The Deep is strong, do you accept newfound truth and change your ways or do you pretend to not notice it and keep doing what you were doing before? Can you swallow your pride or do you choose to stay in your comfort zone? This also brings us to another related point, that we should learn both sides of the story before assuming matters.

That being said, we're humans and sometimes we only do the right thing because we've been cornered into it. Eelyn, Iri and Fiske all realized the truth but, if it were not for the bloodthirsty Herjas descending upon them, they would've went back to the way it was before.

One aspect of Eelyn's character is her reluctance in letting go of grudges, especially those that have hurt her and I totally relate to this. Finally, a character who didn't easily forget someone's treatment of her just because they've changed their tune; I just never got the people who could do that.

Since the people in this book are of a rougher, more brutal nature, like that of Vikings, some aspects of their culture and the things they did didn't sit well with me. As beautiful as this tale is, I still think the writing in SHADOW WEAVER: The Ederiss Chronicles by Claire Merle is more lyrical. Anyway, that's just me being a bit picky.

Sky In The Deep by Adrienne Young is a ferocious story of fighting on the battlefield, with the people you thought you knew, and the war within yourself.

Such an interesting story, I have to admit that I picked this book mostly because I love Vikings and I like the synopsis! It was a great story,I enjoyed most of it!Once I start reading I couldn't put it down!

Eelyn was hard to like at first in my opinion, yes she was a badass,stubborn and tough heroine but she was a little bit annoyed in my opinion.As I continue reading the story I find myself liking her more!The story has a lot of action and a little bit of romance .

Overall, it was a great story!I would love to read more books from this author!

I really, really enjoyed this one! I loved the original setting. There was a slight pacing issue, but overall the Sky in the Deep kept me hooked. While I'm not a huge romance person, I loved the romance in this story and felt that it only added to the complexity of Eelyn's relationships with the others in her life. I would definitely recommend for someone looking for a fresh feeling YA novel.

4.5 Stars

This was so good. Sky in the Deep starts off with an action-packed scene and it keeps up that pacing for most of the book.

The Aska’s and the Riki’s have been at war for as long as anyone can remember. Their two gods oppose each other and so every five years they meet on the battlefield to destroy the other. Eelyn, an Aska, is fighting in her second battle when she spots her thought-to-be-dead brother fighting on the opposite side. After she is captured by the Riki (while trying to get to her brother), she is sold to his best friend, Friske, to be a servant in his household. On the service this seems nefarious, but really he was saving her from the possibility of being sold to another clan.

While there is much action, there is also a lot of looks at relationships, culture, and philosophies. I thought all of this fit seamlessly together and loved watching Eelyn discover that the Aska and Riki really weren’t that different from each other (and that maybe this was they fought was pointless).

When the Herja, a violent clan many believed to be legend, began attacking both the Aska and the Riki villages, Eelyn and Fiske must learn to trust each other in order bring together and save both of their people.

I connected to every character in this book and was thoroughly invested in their lives. It was such a well-written novel with the perfect blend of action, fantasy, and romance.

Recieved ARC from the publisher for an honest review.

Two tribes fight endlessly due to old beliefs of waring gods. During one of these battles, main character Eelyn sees her dead brother on the battlefield and must investigate. Is he alive or a vision from the gods?

With a very Viking/Norse feel to the book, it was enjoyable and the book flowed nicely for a quick and easy read. The storyline was very predictable. Lots of battle violence and content that would not be appropriate for younger readers. However, this is a nice change from the fantasy, dystopian, and retelling of fairytales that the YA market seems to be focusing on.

I had hoped this one would be good but it blew all of my expectations out of the water. I will admit I was initially drawn to the cover but then when I heard YA Vikings it flew to the top of my 2018 wish list. This level of excitement is often a recipe for disaster but once I sat down with this book I did not get up again until I had finished it. I loved everything about it. Eeyln was such a wonderful character- strong but still so full of emotion and vulnerability. I loved reading about a world that I know next to nothing about. I love that while there was a lot of action there was so much more character development. I love that this is a standalone but that there will be a companion novel coming out next year so I can revisit the world without worrying that Eeylyn story will be messed up with a sequel.
I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest opinion.

I accidentally requested this book and so I cannot give a review since I did not read it.
Good luck to the author and publisher for much success! Giving it 5 stars but not posting review anywhere since I did not read it.

Dark and filled with epic battle scenes, Sky in the Deep was an action-packed fantasy that takes readers on a journey from hate and prejudice, to understanding and acceptance. And Vikings! Which completely explains the epic battles.

The action starts immediately with Eelyn and her Aska clansmen battling their long-time enemy, the Riki. During one battle she happens upon the impossible — her long-deceased bother fighting for the enemy, against his friends, family, and clansmen. The joy of learning that her beloved brother isn’t dead after all is quickly doused when she realizes that Iri not only betrayed her, but he betrayed his father and every Aska, past and present. After Eelyn is taken by the enemy, things slowly (very slowly) shift into place and life-changing realizations are made. The road to acceptance is always a hard one, and in this case, even more so. Vikings weren’t exactly known for their long and deep talks ;-)

While I found Sky in the Deep to be overall enjoyable, the first half dragged quite a bit for me. The pacing was quite slow at times and while there was quite a bit of action anything concerning character relations moved at the pace of an iceberg. Not to mention, Eelyn is filled with such anger and volatility that it took me quite a bit of time to actually care not only about her, but for her. Emotions for the first half were fairly one-dimensional - shades of anger and I wanted desperately to feel something else. The second half of this novel saved it for me because the second half was where things really got complicated concerning both clans’ preconceived notions and prejudices and seeing each character eventually reach a level of understanding was definitely a saving grace. And I get it, the transformation can’t happen too soon, but I would have preferred Eelyn (and Iri, actually) to have a little more dimension because it would have made me actually like them from the start. Which I didn’t. The only character I liked from the beginning was Fiske.

All in all, Sky in the Deep was certainly a fun and action-filled fantasy with a strong and smart female warrior at the center of it all. Several important themes and a hint of romance help to balance all of the dark and violence, and it’s definitely one I’ll recommend for anyone looking for a period historical YA with a lot of girl power. 3.5 stars.

*eARC received via NetGalley.

I really enjoyed this. The only thing I have to say about it is that the world building was a litte lackluster which left me confused for a big part of this book.

4 stars!

“Honor above life.”

Sky in the Deep is about Eelyn, a young Aska girl who while in battle sees her dead brother. Taking off after him, she discovers he’s been alive all this time and has joined the Riki people, her enemy. For her protection, she’s taken by her brother and hidden as a slave so no one will suspect they are related. But new danger is near and the two tribes need to see if they can work together to face the oncoming threat.

“The moon rose up over my broken home and I broke with it.”

I think this is a really amazing debut novel from Young, it’s very compelling and I didn’t want to put it down. I found the romance to be a bit weak, which was disappointing because it could have been really great. I liked the story a lot, seeing Eelyn’s struggles which who she is and what she’s always known. Being thrown into a new environment isn’t easy and she had a lot to deal with.

I think lots of readers will love this book and with a debut like this, I am excited to see what this author will bring to us in the future!

“I was the same but I was different.”

ARC provided by the publisher via netgalley. All/any quotes in this review came from an advance unedited copy and may be subject to change in the final product.

Eelyn, an Aska, has trained her whole life for her clan's battle with their rivals, the Riki. She knows that they're savage, ruthless fighters whose only goal is to see her and her people dead. So what happens when she sees her older brother Iri -- the brother she saw die on the battlefield years ago -- amongst the Riki?

Eelyn feels she has no choice but to follow Iri. She's injured, captured, and taken to a Riki village far from home. Forced into life as a dýr, a fate worse than death for an Aska warrior, Eelyn must come to grips with the longing she feels to rejoin her clan and the growing loyalty she feels toward the people who took her in and helped her heal. In the midst of it all is Iri's best friend, Fiske, a man who sees her as a threat but also does his best to protect her from the other Riki who struggle to accept the outsider who has infiltrated their community.

Wow! I'm honestly surprised by how much I enjoyed this book. I struggled a bit at the beginning to figure out what was going on, but it quickly became clear and then I was hooked. Eelyn is one of the strongest characters I've read about this year, a highly trained warrior who has no qualms about slitting a man's throat or running a sword through someone's heart. But Eelyn isn't just a grizzled warrior. She's also a teenage girl who misses her family. Who struggles to come to terms with the fact that the brother she thought was dead is living happily with the enemy. Who feels bound by the customs she grew up with but is maybe realizing that the differences between the Riki and the Aska are smaller than she thought. Eelyn's reaction to essentially becoming a servant is as realistic as it could be. I was worried that we'd have a touch of Stockholm Syndrome, but the Riki who take her in seem, for the most part, to be genuinely kind and to honestly want to keep her safe.

And can we talk about Fiske for a second? He's all powerful warrior one minute and then lovingly helping out his mom and protecting Eelyn the next. The slow burn as Fiske and Eelyn realized their feelings for each other just about murdered me, but I'll die happy. It was such a sweet romance in such a violent book.

I received a free advance copy of Sky in the Deep from the publisher (via NetGalley) in exchange for my honest review. Sky in the Deep releases on April 24, 2018.