The Girl the Sea Gave Back by Adrienne Young 3 Stars

I like the book, but was confused by the change in narrator every other chapter. The time switches were also disorienting. Tova, once a child rescued by a member of the Svell tribe is a seer that uses runes to tell the future. She is feared and barely tolerated by the tribe. Some of the Svell want to go to war for more territory and some just want peace. The chieftain wants answers and ask Tova to cast the runes. The other narrator is Halvard, a member of a newly formed clan comprised of two former enemy clans. They are the ones that will suffer if the Svell are bent on conquest.

This world appears to be based on a Norse type religion and people who are like Vikings. I did like the fact that there are men and women fighting in battles - that implies equality in society.

Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin's Press/Wednesday Books for this ARC.

This book did not disappoint. And I mean that in ‘I didn’t expect it to be any better than the first’ disappoint. The Girl The Sea Gave Back started out okay, with a prologue full of mystery, but I wasn’t really drawn into the story. It was a struggle getting past the beginning, especially since most of the characters seemed a little flat, with hardly any arc or personality.
But the thing that gets me about this book and the first one is the historical inaccuracy. Call me a hater if you will, but even if it is fantasy, the author has based her world off of a real culture. And it would be appreciated if she would actually research that culture before creating something that sounds like the Vikings TV show instead of real, wild, beautiful, and ancient Scandinavia.
Vikings, while it can be accurate in some areas, is totally inaccurate. If it makes a language professor well versed in the history of the Norsemen (they didn’t call themselves Vikings. The word “Viking” was considered an insult) cry, then I think it would be a bad idea to base your fantasy world off it.
Then there’s the language. I’m pretty sure Young is using Old Norse in her books, but it was obvious she knew nothing about how the language worked in her first book, so I really don’t trust her bits of Old Norse in the second book. Or the first. I’m not an expert, but I have learned a lot about the language.
My point is, her book is sadly lacking in historical accuracy, which would have leant her novel even more attraction. And it would have saved me the effort of throwing the book across the room.
There’s not really much else to say except that while yes, Adrienne Young is good at writing, and some of her descriptions are beautiful, her books are lacking something that would have made them better.

NOTE: I was given a copy from the publisher through NetGalley for review purposes. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This is my first novel by the author (I haven't read Sky in the Deep) and I was pleasantly suprised by how enjoyable it was. The cover is what initiatlly drew me in, but I didn't know that this was a companion novel to Young's other book set in this world.

I appreciate that readers are given information as to the background of the first book going into The Girl the Sea Gave Back. I do feel, however, that it might be beneficial to have read that one before tackling this book, just in case there are any easter eggs or references that are easily missed otherwise. I think I would have gotten even more enjoyment out of some of the characters if I'd read about them before.

The author has a solid writing style which reads easily and fluently and manages to immerse the reader in the story and experience the story alongside the characters. There was not too much magic in this installment, but there is definitely a supernatural element to the story.

I liked the protagonist, Tova, and her adventure and character development, as well as her personal inner struggle to come to terms with her identity and place in the world. Tova is definitely a sympathetic character to read about. Halvard is also such an interesting character whose POV I enjoyed. I do wish, however, that the relationship between these two was a little more fleshed out than it was.

The story itself is quite to the point and not overly complex, and the worldbuilding, while solid, could have been fleshed out more for my liking. The action scenes are solidly done with enough detail to paint a good picture, but without becoming messy and confusing.

Together with the somewhat open end, it stands to hope that there may be another book in this companion series in the future, for readers who crave more. I'm interested to see what the author comes up with next.

Best Enjoyed at Night by Firelight

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the advanced reader copy in exchange for a fair and honest review–I had seriously been looking forward to this one and I could not wait. I absolutely loved Adrienne Young’s Sky in the Deep, so when I found out she was writing another in the same universe, I was stoked (to put it mildly).

The Girl the Sea Gave Back takes place 10 years after Sky in the Deep and focuses mainly on two people. The first is Halvard, the next chief in line to rule the Nādhir, the new tribe formed after the events in the previous book. The second is Tova, a young woman and Truthtongue (a type of seer) who washed up on the shores of a rival tribe, the Svell, to live in hostility and isolation outside of the chief’s village and protected only thinly by Jorrund, the Svell’s Tala (priest) and the brusque warrior, Gunther.

When the Svell chief’s brother decides to take it upon himself to enact war against the Nadhir against the wishes of the chief, they decide to ask the gods how to proceed. Hated by the Svell and seen only as a tool of inquiry into the future, Tova is brought in to cast her stones to and help determine what waging this war against the Nādhir would mean for them. Her cast reveals a dark future for the Svell if they decide to continue down this path…and the stones never lie. But will this prophecy be enough to stop the Svell from marching into Nadhir territory?

The book bounces not only jarringly between Halvard and Tova, but also back and forth in time. For roughly half the book, each alternating perspective rehashes what was shown in the last perspective, only from a different angle. Unfortunately, this drag was a huge downfall for the book. Eventually, it gets better and there is a ton of great information, but the best parts come far too late for this reader. There is also a massive cliffhanger that very clearly establishes this book as the first in a series. Given that, it does set a pretty strong precedence for the series itself. Unfortunately, for me, it wasn’t great as a standalone given all of the good stuff was concentrated near the end and although we get the story on Tova’s origins, we are left with massive and overarching questions.

Honestly, I had really been looking forward to this after reading Young’s debut. Although it was a bit of a let-down for me, that does not in any way mean that I will not be strongly anticipating the next book, nor that I do not recommend reading ALL OF HER WORK. Young is a very talented author and has definitely left me with some burning questions and has set us up for what I can only conclude will be a fantastic sequel.

Since she could remember, Tova had always been an outcast. Growing up among the Svell she was shunned and feared for her ability. When an innocent move led her to Halvard, a young man from a rival clan, she never thought it would take her to a path that would change the course of their lives and the people around them.

I liked how Tova’s past was shrouded in secrets and revealed slowly throughout the book. I enjoyed seeing Halvard’s growth but I felt he didn’t reach his full potential. Both of them had individual appeal. However, the connection between them needed to be stronger because it felt a little detached.

One of the most interesting things about this book is how both of them were underdogs with heavy responsibilities. I love reluctant heroes kind of characters and watch them learn to embrace it. I also loved a few secondary characters from both sides.

The Girl the Sea Gave Back is a story of rising up and righting the wrong. It would appeal to readers who enjoy Viking influenced YA Fantasy.

Fresh from reading Sky in the Deep, I had a lot of feelings going into this book and I'm still not over them. Considering how wonderfully vivid things were in SITD, it was a joy to come back to this world and catch up with old characters. That being said, I wish I could have spent more time some of the players from the last book. I completely understand why the author chose to have them as absent as she did but like I just spent a whole book with these guys so I wanted to see how they were doing.
Taking place 10 years after the events of Sky in the Deep, the Girl the Sea Gave back takes your right back into the thick of it with the same level of vivid imagery and world building as the last time we were in this world. As much as I missed characters from Sky in the Deep, I really fell for many of the characters introduced in this book. Special shout out to Kjeld, Asmund, Tova and Gunther- they really stole my heart.
I also loved how the author continue to play with the idea of fate as well as how each of the characters interacting with their faith and gods and how each clan differed from the next. I enjoyed soaking up all the cultures and traditions.
I will say though that I struggled a little bit with the POV switching. Each chapter alternates between the perspective Halvard and Tova and it was not always a smooth transition. I think the thing I kept catching on was when the new chapter would start and we've gone back in time a few minutes to cover the same scene from the viewpoint of the other character. It would be difficult for me to tell if the chapter was picking up from where the last one left off or from earlier, particularly in battle. It was extremely jarring and would take me out of the action as I tried to piece things together. Since I was reading on my kindle, the first couple times this happened I worried I'd accidentally gone to an earlier chapter or that I was glitching before I figured out that was part of the style of this book.
I also just wish that we'd gotten just a teensy bit more closure at the end. I get that this likely comes down to taste but I just wished things were spelled out a little clearer just because I'm not always the best at nuance.
Overall though, it was a fast paced and richly detailed book filled with wonderful characters and I'd be happy to delve back into this world again with these lovely people. I always want to know more!

I received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I could not believe that I got approved for this book. Not soon after I read Sky in the deep I saw it on NetGalley and I wanted it so bad, but I could only wish for it. So when I got the email that they granted my wish I freaked out. I loved everything about Sky in the Deep, and even though this book was only a companion I was excited to be in this world of Vikings again. I read a lot of other reviews from people that didn’t like it and thought it was slow, but I enjoyed it. There were times it was slow going but it would quickly pick up. The times it was slow and because of some confusion, I rated this book 4 stars, but other than those 2 things I thought it to be a great book.

I am so glad that I read Sky in the Deep not too long ago because there would have been a lot of characters that I probably would have forgotten. I definitely think you should read SITD first since it gives you more world-building and you will understand so much more in this book.

So we have 2 main characters that we follow, Tova and Halvard. Tova is a Truthtongue from Kyrr but has ended up with the Svell. She isn’t really wanted among them, but they tolerate her, for the most part, because of what she does for them. Tova struggles a lot with who she is and where she came from. She doesn’t remember anything from when she was with the Kyrr and has no idea why they didn’t want her anymore. When her story intertwines with Halvard’s she starts to see things differently and wants to right her wrongs any way she can.

Halvard is grown up from when we last saw him in SITD. He is no longer the young brother who wants to be like his older brothers, he is now next in line to be chieftain. He doesn’t always understand why he was chosen and is scared to mess everything up. When war falls upon them he has a lot of decision making and has no idea why it seems that he and Tova are connected in some way. War is knocking at their door again when there was peace for so long. Trying to figure out how to protect his family, the tribe, and their land is a lot, but Halvard is ready to do what he has to.

I loved seeing Halvard again. It was such a wonderful surprise to see him as one of the povs. I really enjoyed his character in SITD and cared for him so much in it. Seeing his growth as a man and a soon-to-be leader was so neat. And to see him being his own person, and not just the brother of Fiske or Iri was awesome. For some, I know, the fact there was little romance in this book was a no-go for them, but for me, there was so much more going on that I was fine without it. I do like a romance thrown in all my books, but if there is a good reason to not have one, I’m totally down with it. I felt like I was able to connect to both povs and some of the side characters as well, and it was a treat to see characters from SITD again.

If you have read Sky in the Deep I think you will enjoy this book, and if you haven’t read Sky in the Deep yet, I recommend to do that first and then read The Girl the Sea Gave Back. Once you’ve read it come back and comment, I would love to hear your thoughts.

A highly anticipated follow up to Sky in the Deep, The Girl the Sea Gave Back tells the story of Tova and Halvard in alternating perspectives. Tova is a Kyrr, who has lived with the Svell for as long as she can remember. Halvard is part of the Nadhir clan. We get to see how these clans interact with each other and how those relationships affect Tova and Halvard.

I was really disappointed in this book. I felt that there was not enough character development, or world building and I found it very hard to decipher what the story was actually about. I didn’t root for any of the characters because even at the end of the book, I didn’t feel like I really knew anything about them.

Just a real let down for me.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I loved Sky In the Deep and when Ms. Young was doing another Viking novel I needed my greedy little hands on this. The Girl the Sea Gave Back takes place ten years after Sky in The Deep. Follows Tova and Harvard who we met in SItD. The Girl the Sea Gave Back started off slow but picked up its pace and wouldn't let go I really liked Halvard he's grown so much and is now the new Chief. He was endearing and relatable especially with his insecurities. Tova took some time to like but once she stood up for herself I found myself cheering for her. I also like that we get to see that the two clans who were warring in the previous book are still at peace. The Girl the Sea Gave Back had just as many authentic fight scenes that were still bloody and gory so if you didn't like that in Sky In the Deep your not gonna like it here. Oh the romance if you blink your gonna miss it. Surprisingly there was more in Sky In the Deep than The Girl the Sea Gave Back so don't expect a romantic read here.

Overall if you like Vikings and books filled with graphic violent scenes and strong MC's you will like The Girl The Sea Gave Back.

I have mixed feelings about this book. I adored sky in the deep but I feel like this one just want as beautiful. That's not to say it isnt a good book with a interesting story but the characters just didnt seem as personable I guess.

Depois que comecei a ler este livro, foi difícil não resistir a vontade de deixá-lo de lado porque eu não estava gostando do que estava lendo, e os personagens também não ajudavam. Durante boa parte do livro nada significativo acontecia para prender a minha atenção.
O ponto de vista da Tova é o mais interessante, claro, pois o livro é sobre ela. Mas quase não acontecia algo que fizesse com que eu gostasse ou sentisse simpatia por ela (no final, eu acabei criando um pouco de simpatia) durante a leitura, deixando a história cozinhando em banho-maria e nunca chegando ao ponto. A caracterização da personagem é muito boa, porém para por ai. Quando vamos ter um vislumbre de uma nova Tova, o livro acaba. Ainda tô procurando e descobrindo o que sentir por Halvard - não é um personagem ruim, no entanto, não é AQUELE personagem que te deixa, sei la, com os olhos brilhando(?) por ele ser um peça chave para o livro.
O livro não é ruim, porém faltaram muitas coisas que fizessem eu gostar dele e dizer "por favor, leiam esse livro!"

The Girl the Sea Gave Back takes place ten years after the end of Sky in the Deep and most of the characters from the first book make an appearance in this one, so it's a sequel and not a companion novel as I initially thought. Although if you read this first you can skip reading the first one because they are the Exact. Same. Book. A good chunk of the story involves recapping the events of the first book and the rest is a rehash of bland and interchangeable characters, fight scenes and minimal to non-existent predictable plot. Besides it takes the concept of insta-love to a whole other level and I can't believe that, once again, all the MC's close family and friends survive while all around them the rest of their clans are dropping like flies.

I was not Sky in the Deep's biggest fan but still I was entertained and minimally invested. Here I couldn't care less. Major dissapointment :(

1.5/5

Set 10 years after the events of Sky in the Deep, the combined clan Aska, and the Riki, the Nādhir, and the Svell continue their ragged peace. Spurned by the cast of the runes, the truce is broken and the two sides seem thrust towards war. But two young people must do everything in the power to try to stop the bloodshed.

Tova is a Kyrr soothsayer who has been cautiously adopted into the Svell clan. Her mentor, Jorrund, found her on a beach when she was six.. The ways of the runes come back to her and she remembers how to thrown the bones and predict the future. Jorrund sees the use of this practice, but the rest of the clan see her as some sort of witch to be feared.

Halvard whom you may remember from Sky in the Deep (yes, Eelyn does make a small cameo in this book) is picked to be the next leader of the Nādhir. He is very reluctant to take on this role because he doesn’t think he is ready nor able to lead the men into war.

This book is everything you could want from a Viking story. The conflicts of the clans, forbidden attraction, and the ax and bow battles in the dark forests. The pacing is perfect as the story shifts back and forth between Halvard and Tova with a couple shifts back in time to help with the backstory. It may not be necessary to have read Sky in the Deep, but it helped to have read it to understand the culture that these people are living in. The gods, the blood feuds, and the rites of war.

Frankly, I loved this book. It had the feels, the right touch of internal vs external struggles that brought me close to these characters. And the reveals were placed so well that I kept on reading and reading to find out how these peoples would end up.

An amazing novel that could fit into any genre: coming of age, realistic battle scenes, and family drama. I was captivated. An escape that touches you.

5 out of 5 stars

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, and the author for an advanced copy for review.

I am pretty disappointed with this read. I really liked The Sky in the Deep so I was looking forward to reading this one for quite a while. Unfortunately I didn't care for this one nearly as much. This book was confusing and slow from the get-go and it didn't get that much better. There were some battle scenes and a few interesting scenes as well, but overall I just didn't care about the characters or what was going to happen. And the "romance" was pretty non-existent.

I truly enjoyed this book. I didnt love it like I loved Sky in the Deep but still liked it. It just felt like it was lacking something.

Disclaimer: I was given an advance reading copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thanks to St. Martin's Press and Wednesday Books for the opportunity.

When I found out that my wish to receive an e-ARC of this book was granted, I couldn't help but gush over it. I haven't read Adrienne Young's debut novel (Sky in the Deep) yet, but I know the hype that surrounded it.

All I know was this book was a standalone and is still connected to the world in Sky in the Deep. And maybe that's why it felt short for me. I couldn't connect and relate to the characters. I had an on and off relationship with them, but that doesn't mean the plot was at stake.

The plot was intriguing and the writing style was good. However, it didn't really glue me to the book that well. Maybe it would've helped if I read Sky in the Deep before reading this. But maybe it's just not my cup of tea.

nevertheless, I'd still be happy to read Adrienne Young's future works, Who knows? Maybe after reading her debut novel, I'll give this book another chance and end up liking it.

Please do grab a copy of the book when it comes out.

First of all, this cover is beautiful. I was so excited to get the ARC since Sky in the Deep was a great story. This book was such an amazing story and I didn't connect with the characters as much as I would have liked, but I didn't think that took anything away from the story.

Thank you to NetGalley for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I haven’t read any of Adrienne’s books before, but even still II had high expectations for this one due to the popularity surrounding it as well as Adrienne, but it wasn't to be. I didn't connect to the characters, the writing got me lost sometimes with the time jumps and I felt like the plot wasn't exactly clear.

There are two main characters from rival clans: Tova, who comes from another clan and is hated in the clan she is now because she is a fortune teller and they basically fear the use of fortune tellers and hate it; and Halvard, someone from the Rikki clan who I hear is from the previous book who is now all an adult.

They find themselves in the middle of a war between their clans but they also refuse to kill each other because there is something going on between them. Tolva felt it more than Halvard did, certainly, but by the time things progressed it fell flat. So basically nothing happened there.

I truly did want to love this book and I’m sad that it wasn’t for me, though I’m sure many out there will love it!

The Girl The Sea Gave Back is a standalone novel set in the world introduced in Sky In The Deep. The story follows the character Halvard 10 years later. The reader is introduced to the character Tova, a Truthtongue stranded in a land not her own. Halvard’s
and Tova’s path intertwines and we revisit familiar characters from Sky in The Deep along the way. War is imminent again in this beautiful but brutal world.

I enjoyed this solid standalone story; there was a good balance in the revisiting of old characters and the introduction of new characters to connect with, as they battle for their lives and a new future.

3.75 STARS
To some extent, this book has some awesome elements, but under other aspects The Girl the Sea Gave Back lacks of something compared to the greatness of Sky in the Deep (which I absolutely love and adore).

PRO:
* I love that Adrienne writes her books based on the Northern world. It's not something common and I love that the story is full of ancient mystical elements and legends.
* The story is very interesting: Tova, the protagonist, is a Truthtongue that lives with the Svell, the people that found her as a baby but that are hostile to her and keep her alive just to use her gifts. When war breaks out, following one of her stones castings, she has to decide if loyalty or betrayal is the right answer for her and all the people of the mainland.
* The story contains its fair share of political intrigues, and everybody knows I love them.
* I've really appreciated that romance is not the focus of the story, but themes like family, loyalty, religion, and war are very much present.
* In the book, we find Fiske and Eelyn again (fangirling moment). Do I have to add more?

CONS:
* I think the story could have been built better, at some point it felt like it was dragging and I couldn't find its purpose. Moreover, this novel lacks the amazing word-building that we had in Sky in the Deep, so I still feel like I absolutely don't know anything about the setting of the story (I know this is a Sky in the Deep companion novel, but it can also be read as a stand-alone, so the world-building is necessary). It's not a very long book, and I firmly believe that if Young had written just about 10/20 more pages throughout the book with a little bit more of descriptions on the setting, populations and historical context, my rating of this novel would have been much higher.
* I liked the characters, but they are not characterized as much as they could have been. At the beginning, it felt like they were thrown in the book without purpose, I didn't know who they were and why they were there. Throughout the book, there are some flashbacks that help us but, at the beginning, it is all very confusing. Moreover, the two protagonists meet after too much time and their relationship is not explored much, they're basically two strangers until the last 20 pages of the book.

All in all, I like Adrienne Young's writing really much and even though Sky in the Deep is a much better book entirely, I think The Girl the Sea Gave Back deserves to be read.