Sky in the Deep

(By: Adrienne Young)

SUMMARY:

Part Wonder Woman, part Vikings—and all heart.
Raised to be a warrior, seventeen-year-old Eelyn fights alongside her Aska clansmen in an ancient rivalry against the Riki clan. Her life is brutal but simple: fight and survive. Until the day she sees the impossible on the battlefield—her brother, fighting with the enemy—the brother she watched die five years ago.
Faced with her brother's betrayal, she must survive the winter in the mountains with the Riki, in a village where every neighbor is an enemy, every battle scar possibly one she delivered. But when the Riki village is raided by a ruthless clan thought to be a legend, Eelyn is even more desperate to get back to her beloved family.
She is given no choice but to trust Fiske, her brother’s friend, who sees her as a threat. They must do the impossible: unite the clans to fight together, or risk being slaughtered one by one. Driven by a love for her clan and her growing love for Fiske, Eelyn must confront her own definition of loyalty and family while daring to put her faith in the people she’s spent her life hating.
Published April 24th 2018 by Wednesday Books

REVIEW:

I gave this book 3.5 stars. I really enjoyed the viking setting (my first viking read!), and the way that it allowed for strong characters and conflict. The relationships in this story were what really blew me away. Both the family ties as well as the romantic connections were realistic and filled with love and depth.

Content and trigger warnings: for war themes, violence & gore, sexual assault(s), slavery, and talk of suicide.

The violence in this book was necessary in order to make the setting and world come to life, and while it was prominent it didn’t swallow the entire story. A bit of Nordic history was also interwoven and helped explain the belief systems and culture that the characters were immersed in.

I loved that the viking setting created a strong main character from the start. Eelyn wasn’t afraid to go against what she “should” do even if it meant making some mistakes. I also appreciated that the protagonists weren’t untouchable during the battles. They got hurt, and their injuries didn’t miraculously heal the next day, which added to the tension.

One of the major themes in this read was about family. It was explored in-depth and showcased how relationships within a family are inherently complicated (even when you deeply love the other person), and that family doesn’t always have to be defined by blood. The romance was intriguing as well because the love interests started as enemies. This allowed it to be a sweet, slow burn with a fated trajectory. Despite themselves, these two characters couldn’t help but fall in love.

The plot, however, was a bit lackluster. I found myself easily predicting what was going to happen next with only a couple of true surprises. The predictability was also, in part, because a lot of the conflict was solved too easily. While it was still fun to follow along with the characters, I had hoped for a bit more grit with the conflict and some unexpected character arcs that never came.

Alas, as with most stand alone books, I wish I had more time with these characters and their world. While the plot wasn’t as mind blowing as it could have been, I still very much enjoyed my first romp into the viking world. The beautiful prose, along with the world and characters within it made SKY IN THE DEEP a worth while read.