This was one of my most anticipated reads of the year and I was so lucky to receive a copy through NetGalley for review.

Last year when I read SKY, I wasn’t really expecting to like it; I’m not the biggest fan of the whole Vikings thing, but oh boy was I wrong. SKY ended up becoming my favorite read of that entire year.

The Girl The Sea Gave Back is no different.

This story follows Tova, who is found and raised by people who fear her. She has the gift of being a Truthtongue, the ability to read the stones and to predict the future for the clans, and because of that, she is considered a pariah. Not only do they fear her for what she can do and see, but they also blame her for when things don’t go according to plan.
Throughout this story, Tova is challenged with either following what she’s always known and been taught, or going against the current to find her own balance of right and wrong.

This story is not a SKY sequel; it is a story all on its own. Though we see returning characters, and there’s coinciding themes, this story is definitely Tova’s.

The Girl The Sea Gave Back is about harboring guilt, coming to terms with who you are vs what you want to be, finding peace among war, and deciding whether to follow fate or to choose your own destiny to follow.

I loved this book, and I’m so excited to continue to see what Adrienne Young has in store for us.

Five stars

3.5/5 stars...

The Girl The Sea Gave Back is a slow-paced novel that is steeped in Scandinavian mythology and culture. I was really looking forward to this book, but when I started reading it I felt disappointed that it didn't draw me in the way I hoped. For the first two-thirds of the book I had a difficult time connecting with the characters and the overall story. Further, in the last one-third of the book, it felt like the rest of the plot played out without any time to breathe.

I feel like if more care had been paid to strengthening the character interactions and growth, this would have been a much better read. For me, connecting with and becoming invested in the characters is crucial to loving the story that's being told. I liked that the story was told from a dual perspective, but even though Tova and Halvard both had exciting moments within the story, I kept waiting for a little "umph!" to bring me closer to them that never arrived. Even when the supposed romance arrived, it was shoehorned in almost at the end when at that point there hadn't been enough tension between both characters to justify the romance in the first place.

Having said that, I really liked the premise of the story. I felt like the concept had so much potential, and I feel like with more polish this story could have been elevated from middling to great. All the right nuts and bolts were there with the setting, the mythology, the magic, but those aspects didn't make up for the weaker parts of the story for me. I liked the author's previous work, Sky in the Deep, so while I didn't connect with this story, I will read other books she writes in the future.

Everything you hope for in a Nordic ya fantasy.

I would like to first thank Netgalley.com for the advance ecopy of The Girl the Sea Gave Back by Adrienne Young in exchange for an honest review. Yes, you read that right, author of Sky in the Deep – Adrienne Young – has written another stand alone young adult tale. Believe me, you will not be able to put this one down!

Not to mention the beautiful cover, Adrienne’s tale is wistful and magical. It will leave you wishing for more stories of clans, the fjords, mystical seers and psychic stones.

This story starts off with a terrible loss. The death of a chieftain’s daughter. A beautiful viking funeral.

…. but that was just the beginning of the story.

Fast forward a decade.

A young stone reader is taking refuge with a foreign clan.

A clan war is on the horizon.

Which side is right?

Will the stone reader finally get some answers to her past?

Will fates arrange as the stones say?

Can she really trust the man who saved her on the shore all those years ago?

This book kept me on my toes the entire time I was reading it. I award it 5 out 5. Now, time to go check out Sky In The Deep!

#netgalley #adrienneyoung #thegirltheseagaveback #stmartinspress #september3rd2019 #bookishmommyblog #thistuesday #nordictales #vikingtales #godsandwar #ya #readwhatyoulove #dorianstayaway

DNF @ 35%

Let me start by saying that I loved Adrienne’s first book Sky in the Deep, devoured it in under 12 hours. So I am devastated that The Girl the Sea Gave Back didn’t go the same route. Unfortunately I had a very difficult time connecting with the story and the characters as well as struggling with the pace. Even though this is a “review” I’m not here to discourage anyone from reading it. That’s your choice, always. Not every book is going to connect with every one (that’s okay!) and this will not prevent me from reading Adrienne’s next work or even trying this one again in the future. I just wish this had worked out differently. :(

Tova doesn't remember the early years of her childhood, all she knows is what the clan who rescued her told her. That she was abandoned at sea by her own people before the Svell found her washed ashore. The Svell gave her a home but they have always been wary of her as her people are considered cursed. As long as Tova is willing to use her gift as a Truthtongue, her ability to read the runes and always know what is true, they will let her live but if she stops being useful she knows she'll soon be killed.

The Girl the Sea Gave back is set ten years on from events in Sky in the Deep, the Aska and Riki clans joined together to fight a greater enemy and have since merged into a new clan called Nadhir. Although the Nadhir are living peacefully and have made no attempt to threaten the Svell the Svell leaders are wary that they could be a dangerous enemy. The Svell are divided on what to do about it, some want to keep the peace while others are determined to start a war now while they still hold the advantage in numbers. When Tova is asked to cast the stones to help them decide how to proceed things are changed forever and Tova is forced to decide whether to help the people who raised her or the clan the runes are leading her towards.

I really enjoyed being back in this world. It was especially nice to see what previous characters are getting up to now and I loved the fact that Fiske's younger brother Halvard has grown into a strong young man who is being groomed to take over as leader of the Nadhir clan one day. Tova's abilities were really interesting, I really like the world building in this series and the use of Norse mythology is cleverly done. I have to admit I was expecting more romance though considering the first book had quite a strong romantic subplot. Tova and Halvard don't even have a proper conversation until about 75% into the book and up until that point they only see each other in passing. I think it was a bit much expecting us to believe they both had such strong feelings based on fleeting glances no matter what fate had decreed. That's a fairly minor issue though, this story was more focused on the action and had some great battle scenes so if you go into it looking for that rather than romance then you won't be disappointed.

I believe this series was a duology and it does end at a point where you're not left on the edge of a cliff waiting for more answers but I'd still be happy to spend more time in this world if Adrienne Young does decide to resist it. She's definitely an author I'm going to be watching out for though and I'm interested to see what she comes up with next.

This book wasn’t for me. I loved Sky In the Deep, but this one just didn’t vibe with me. There were a lot of names and places (maybe a key would have helped), several superstitions, and a lot of rules. I couldn’t keep up with it.
I thought I’d won the lottery getting this book, but I struggled to make it to 25% and even with several months to read this, I couldn’t get into the zone.
This story sounds amazing, love the plot, but I hope things flow a little easier in the finished copy.

I recently read Sky in the Deep, and I was blown away with how well done that debut novel was. It had incredibly lush scenes, fantastic world building, a strong female lead who could hold her own in battle, complex characters, beautiful mythology, etc. The list could go on and on. Therefore, I couldn’t wait to get my hands on The Girl the Sea Gave Back because I was dying to get back to this wonderful world.

The Girl the Sea Gave Back takes place ten years after the Riki and the Aska had to join forces to battle against the ruthless Herja clan. The two clans are now one united known as the Nadhir. The Nadhir have a new enemy to face…the Svell. It’s not quite clear why they are feuding, but an usurp during the peace talks makes the clans even more desperate to spill blood.

The story follows two people:

Tova, a girl who has been gifted with the ability to see the future by reading stones (a truthtongue). She is a captive of the Svell since her gifts can be exploited to their gain. She’s particularly skilled with a bow and arrow, which comes in handy considering the amount of times that people try to kill.

Halvard, a side character from Sky in the Deep…Fiske’s little brother. He is now the chieftain of the Nadhir and leads his clan to battle against the Svell.

That being said, I am so disappointed in the execution of this book. I was not able to connect with either Tova or Halvard because their character arcs lacked depth. The two of them were meant to be the main characters in this story, but they felt like side characters to me. Also, the author strayed away from talking about Eelyn, Fiske, and Iri, but all three of these characters were integral to Halvard’s upbringing, so I desperately wanted to see how they would interact with Halvard as an adult/chieftain.

This book definitely read more like a debut rather than the follow up novel since the plot seemed underdeveloped and we had a lack of character driven plot. While I definitely was underwhelmed by this one, I do still plan on reading the next book by this author to see if maybe this book was just a fluke.

Thank you to Wednesday Books and NetGalley for the eARC. This did not influence my review. All opinions are my own.

This novel is a companion to Sky in the Deep, and I actually HIGHLY recommend that you read Sky in the Deep BEFORE The Girl the Sea Gave Back. Sky gives a LOT of background to the world building - the clans, the religion, and the setting. I truthfully feel like if you didn't read Sky right before this, you will not understand much of what was going on. I say this as someone who read Sky two years ago and remembered enough, but even then had trouble following this story.

Also in comparison to Sky, Girl was a bit of a let down, though I still enjoyed it. It was an interesting concept and I enjoyed the magic system in this novel. Again it was a little confusing and not horribly explained, but I was able to generally follow the plot. Overall I felt this book was a bit dry. It felt more like a short story, or a novella, than a whole novel on its own. Not much happens, and it's very quick.

Overall I recommend this if you liked Sky in the Deep, but otherwise it was just a semi-okay novel. A bit of a disappointment after the author's debut, but still a fun tale. I do look forward to what Adrienne writes next, as her writing style and ability is very beautiful and well done.

The Girl the Sea Gave Back by Adrienne Young is the most anticipated sequel to Sky in the Deep. Getting immersed back into the world of Vikings and ancient Gods was everything!

The story takes place ten years after Sky in the Deep. We meet new characters and see beloved characters again. Right away Adrienne will sweep you up into an adrenaline fueled rush and action packed moments. The battles were brutal and I was constantly on the edge of my seat.

Tova is a Truthtongue of the Kyrr clan, this mystical tribe that is tattooed in markings. A Truthtongue is a type of seer who uses stones with runes to see into the past, present, and future. This makes Tova a very powerful and feared person.

There were a couple reasons I decided to rate it 4 stars. First, the storyline started off slow. The excitement not really picking up until the half way mark. Then we have the possible connection between Tova and Halvard. The potential for a romance to blossom was there and it ended abruptly!! Adrienne definitely teased us readers in the romantic aspect of the novel.

Overall, I enjoyed this title immensely! I will be reading all of Adrienne's words and I'm hoping there is another book in this series. I'll always need need more of these characters!


*I received a complimentary copy of this book from Wednesday Books through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.*

Let me start off by just pointing out how stunning this cover is. It is probably the most beautiful cover I’ve seen this year. It’s a shame that in my opinion the content didn’t match the package. I didn’t make it past the 54% mark or this book so that’s what this review is going to focus on. I have no idea if any of the issues I point out got better by the end.

“The Girl the Sea Gave Back” is your typical YA novel. Outcast girl from one side of a war who (obviously) has a special connection to an important boy from the other side. It’s been done before. Thousands of times. So if you’re new to the YA scene you might enjoy it, but if you’ve read a lot of YA Fantasy you might experience the same problems I faced:

I was expecting a “gut-wrenching epic” and instead what I got was this tale of two bland characters who, to be quite honest, I didn’t care about. At all. Halvard is your typical YA hero: a warrior who was chosen to be the chieftain of a clan and is adored by everyone around him. Tova, “the girl the sea gave back” is just incredibly dumb for someone who had grown up practically alone having to fend for herself from a very young age. She is childish and at a certain point she even started to become annoying. Her actions are incoherent at times: For example, <spoiler> one moment she is giving away Halvard’s location without a second thought, putting her life first, the next she is risking it by aiding his escape– and they don’t even know each other at this point, they’ve just stared at each other (I really didn’t buy this insta-connection thing). </spoiler>
The side characters are all incredibly flat and dull. Even the ones that are constantly appearing aren’t given proper descriptions or developed personalities. Part of it could be due to another issue which is the fact that this was a sequel, yet it isn’t being promoted as such. I haven’t read “Sky In the Deep”, but I still requested an ARC of this, since I thought it was a standalone. It isn’t. Not by a long shot. The first few chapters read like a big “info-dump” and I was incredibly overwhelmed by the amount of character names and clan politics that I was supposed to understand from the go…

The action part is okay, but the story would flow better if some scenes weren’t repeated. For example, we read about a battle from Halvard’s POV and then we switch to Tova’s to read about exactly the same thing. It takes away the excitement from those supposedly powerful moments. There are also certain details that are mentioned time and time again, such as Tova’s Kyrr lineage or the symbol Halvar’s axe, which is boring and unnecessary (even if those could probably play a key role in the story further ahead from where I left it).

To sum it all up, this was certainly not my cup of tea.

Final rating: 1.5 stars

I received an ARC of this book on Netgalley in exchange of an honest review. Many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher!

I absolutely loved Sky in the Deep. It was probably one of the best YA I've read last year and one of the best Viking inspired books I've ever read in my entire existence because somehow it reminded me of Juliet Marillier's Sevenwaters, the nostalgia it evoked, the beautiful prose, the suffering, strong-willed heroine and the harsh but soft hero and the amazing action and adventure scenes plus the almost perfect romance. The problem is probably mine because in SitD I instantly was able to connect with the heroine in the very first chapter and here I wasn't, but at the same time, I'm glad that the author is able to craft different heroines and not stick to the same pattern.
However, TGtSGB although written beautifully, it just wasn't enough to keep my attention. When romance overwhelms a plot it's bad, but so is otherwise, and unfortunately, this was the case.
Nevertheless, I really loved to go back to Sky in the Deep world and I'm really looking forward to reading more novels from the author because her writing is lovely and I hope next time I'm able to feel again the strong connection with the characters I felt in Sky in the Deep. This book... It was enjoyable but just not...amazing like SitD. Maybe if I had read this one first I would have rated it higher, but after reading SitD, my expectations were very high.
Those who love Viking inspired stories, nordic mythology and strong heroines should enjoy this!
ARC provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review (Thank you!)
All opinions are my own.

Tova was set to sea in her peoples funeral boat and was found washed ashore among the Svell. Tova was only six and knows little about her past or who she is, other than she is a Truthtongue. She casts the stones for the people of Svell but has never been one of them. The ink symbols on her skin make her stand out, and she doesn't even know what they mean. Soon, the Svell and another clan to the east going together as one and Tova's world is about to collapse. When the Cheiftan looks to Tova to cast the stones, a series of events get put into motion and will not only change everything she knows, but possibly finally give her something she can believe in, and possibly a home.

The first 6 chapters I felt like I was missing something. The background story was not there and I did not fully understand what was going on. Finally It started to click about a quarter through and I found myself actually enjoying it! The book is told from Tova's POV as well as Halvard, who is with the opposite clan. Their fates have been woven together by the "Spinners". Towards the end of this novel, there was the most EPIC war scene I think I've ever read. Iw as hanging onto the words of every page. I really liked Halvard's character and I was rooting for him the whole time! The only issue I really had was the beginning where I felt a little bit more backstory is needed to help readers really understand the world/beliefs the timing is set in. I understand that Tova knows nothing of her past, which is probably part of the lacking back story, but something a little more would have been a lot more helpful in understanding everything! Towards the end I felt like most of my questions had been answered but it ended so abruptly! Makes me wonder if there is going to be a sequel to this??

I went into The Girl the Sea Gave Back fully expecting to love it since I enjoyed Sky in the Deep so much. Sadly, however, The Girl the Sea Gave Back ended up being just an okay read for me. While Halvard and Tova's stories were interesting enough to keep me reading and the battle scenes were well written and exciting, I just didn't feel nearly as emotionally invested in the characters of this book or in the survival of their clans as I felt for Eelyn and Fiske and their people in the first novel. And in fact, since this was kind of a companion novel for the first one and I knew Halvard was family to Eelyn and Fiske, I spent most of my time wishing Eelyn and Fiske would make an appearance. I did finally get what I wanted there, but I would have liked more of them and really would have liked it to happen sooner than it did.

I am so ridiculously glad that we got another book in this world. This is all ever wanted since I finished Sky in the Deep.

This book takes places 10 years after the events of Sky in the Deep and follows Halvard, who is the younger brother of Fiske and Iri. The Aska and Riki clan have found peace and formed a new clan called, Nadhir. I adore that this isn’t a direct sequel and does stand-alone. If you’re not interested in reading the first book you don’t necessarily have to — but also do read it because it’s all kinds of awesome.

The story is told in dual perspectives from, Tova and Halvard, which means that you get to see the events from both sides. It’s told in both the present day with a few flashback chapters. I adore the addition of these flashbacks. They provided extra context — how Tova, a Kyrr girl, ends up casting runes for the Svell and how Nadhir people have come together. They are only introduced when it's relevant to the narrative.

Adrienne Young has this stunning way of bringing the Viking culture to life. Their belief and gods are effortlessly woven into every aspect of this story. There is an atmospheric quality to the writing and I can’t help feeling like I’m living it. The battle scenes had my heart racing. They are messy, chaotic and, much like I imagine a real battle would be like, quickly become just a matter of survival.

Through Tova, we see more of the religious side of the Viking culture. She is a truthtongue, a kind of seer, from the Kyrr clan and uses runes to forecast the future. Tova’s history is heartbreaking. She’s lead to believe she was abandoned and is used by the Svell’s religious leader to help cement his power. She is hated by them and is often under threat, but she wants desperately to fit in. She fights tooth and nail to stay alive and is conflicted about where her loyalties should lie. Is it with the people she’s known her whole life? Or those the Spinners of fate are drawing her towards?

I am thrilled that we get to see more from Halvard. He was one of my favourite characters in Sky in the Deep. He's now all grown up and heir to the Nadhir clan. He’s struggling with the weight of ruling with the huge fallouts of his decisions and how they affect the people he’s responsible for protecting. There is the relatable fear in him — the fear of not being good enough ¬— which hit me in the chest.

I will say that I felt like the story wrapped up quickly, especially in comparison to the pacing of the rest of the book. I would’ve loved a few more chapters, but that might just be me being selfish because I didn’t want to leave this world.

Overall, I love how this world expanded and shows other facets of Viking history. I loved the addition of the Kyrr and their magic and hope that we see more of them. I think Young has become one of my auto-buy authors. I love her atmospheric writing, the way she crafts characters, her world and just everything reallt. I cannot wait to read her next book.

The Girl the Sea Gave Back is a companion/sequel novel to Sky in the Deep, it is a Viking inspired novel. This one follows Tova who was found by the Svells, they took her in but are scared of her because she is a Kyrr and can see the future in runes. We also follow the POV of Halvard, a chieftain in training. Soon war is brewing…

I personally found Sky in the Deep totally average, and the same goes for The Girl the Sea Gave Back. I didn’t hate it, but I didn’t love it either. I’m not the biggest fan of Vikings, and the whole war story was very boring. It felt most of the time that the story didn’t really go anywhere, or if it did it was never shocking or surprising. The main characters are pretty bland, but I liked how the author connected this book to Sky in the Deep. If you liked Sky in the Deep, I’m sure you will enjoy this one though. 3/5 stars.

Stunning, inspired, and completely unique. Adrienne Young just knows how to write the details to really set the mood/scene. You find yourself completely immersed in this world that almost plays out like an epic fantasy movie in your mind. There is truly beauty in the details of this novel and they all play out for a very satisfying ending!

I loved Adrienne Young’s first book Sky in the Deep so when I heard she was writing a new book and it was going to be a in the same world, I was excited! The Girl the Sea Gave Back is one I couldn’t wait to open up and dive into and I wasn’t disappointed.

This story introduces us to Tova who, as a child is found floating on the shore, and taken in by the Svell only because of the things they think she can do for them. Unfortunately for Tova, she is led to believe that her family didn’t want her, and she figures out a way to survive among the Svell even though they fear and hate her.

The chieftain of the Svell is not interested in war but when his brother goes against his wishes and attacks, they end up face to face with the leaders of the Nadhir, including the man who will take over leadership if/when something happens, Halvard. If you recall, the name, that is because Halvard is the younger brother to Fiske. Ten years later he has grown into someone the Nadhir have nominated to lead them and now that war imminent, he has some difficult decisions to make.

As Tova is tasked with finding Halvard or facing her own death, she has to make some decisions. When she and Halvard eventually come face to face, she chooses to another path. I thought the interactions between the two were interesting, but I didn’t really feel a connection between or with them.

Young writes this story beautifully, but it was a bit slow in the beginning. If you haven’t read Sky in the Deep, you don’t really have to in order to enjoy this book. In the end, I do think I enjoyed the first book more as I was more connected to Eelyn and Fiske. With that said, I did love that we got a glimpse of what the future held for them.

Overall, I enjoyed this book. If you’re looking for a story that has some mystery, plenty of action, and beautiful writing, consider picking this one up. Also, the cover is absolutely gorgeous, and I can’t wait to get my hands on a final copy.

I really wanted to love this book, but ultimately it was pretty "meh" for me. War just isn't that interesting of a topic for me, and most of this book felt like it revolved around battles--the lead up, the fighting, the ramifications. While I thought Tova's personal storyline was really interesting, I found the politics she was caught up in really boring, and I skipped over a lot of that. I also thought the story's structure, which frequently used flashback to build characterization, was distracting. Finally, while I liked the final few chapters and the connection between Tova and Halvard, I didn't think there was actually enough build-up in the beginning of the story to merit that kind of payoff. Why would these two characters, who've known each other two(?) days, get a HEA? It doesn't really make much sense. Ultimately, this book was disappointing. 2.5 stars.

“War is faithful to come looking for us time and again.”

Unpopular opinion coming in again everyone!

Imagine getting a beautifully wrapped gift, pretty ribbon, fabulous wrapping paper. Just oh so lovely. And then imagine your disappointment when you open the box only to find it completely empty.

That is this book.

Gorgeous cover. Plenty of lovely, descriptive prose. But sadly it’s narrative falls flat. Somehow, despite its best intentions, it is empty. Without heart. Without soul.

Coming away from this book, I felt little to no connection to anything or anyone. There is just a sort of nothingness.

It’s been so long so I don’t remember if Sky in the Deep was anything like this, but I don’t think it was because looking at my previous review I seemed to have rather enjoyed that book.

I found little enjoyment in this one. So either that book was superior or my taste has just change between now and then.

This book was all about destiny. If things didn’t make sense, it’s okay it is was destined to be that way. Unlikely coincidences or encounters? Fate! Two people who never met feeling connected to each other? Fate! Destiny!

There’s very little romance, but I can’t even be mad because the constant reminder of their entwined destinies was annoying enough without adding full-on insta-love into the mix. There were definitely unexplained feelings there, which I think I was supposed to be rooting for but I did not. Halvard literally almost strangles her to death. That killed any sort of positives vibes I could or might have had for them. And it’s not like it was a just an empty threat and she knew for certain he wouldn’t hurt her. No, when she reflected on it she literally wonders if he would’ve killed her had Kjelda not interrupted in time. Like girl, if you have question if a man might’ve killed you he is not the one for you!

Even the rather epic battle scenes toward the end couldn’t save this book. Also that ending? What?

This was my first read by Adrienne Young and I was informed by a few that it stands alone as a book and reading book one wasn’t vital. I made the mistake of jumping straight into THE GIRL THE SEA GAVE BACK and I think that I missed out on some world building that would have helped me so much with this read. There wasn’t much space given to any world-building in this book and felt like I was playing catch up with the different tribes, their names, their belief systems and allegiences.

After about 20% of the book I felt that I had some context to understand the story that was playing out with two characters having alternate POVs – Tova and Halvard. These were two characters that were mystically connected but geographically separated. Halvard was a reluctant heir to leading his people and Tova was a virtual prisoner of her adopted people. This story is told over just a number of days with battle, strategy and mysticism at the core.

I enjoyed the mystical part of this story, the fate ruled by runes, spinners and the All Seer. I liked the concept of Tova and her race. There were however, a lot of characters to dislike in this book. So many prejudiced people with cruelty being part of life. The back and forth of past and present was written a little confusingly to me.

Ultimately, I felt unsatisfied with the story overall and this was just an okay read for me. I felt that the connection between Tova and Halvard was pointless in the end but I appreciated the how the different races were at war or peace at different times.