Review of Sky In The Deep by Adrienne Young
Rating: 4.5/5 Stars
I received this copy from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
This book! Clan wars, SHIELD MAIDENS, “Norse” mythology. I loved everything about it.
If you love shows such as Vikings or movies such as The 13th Warrior, this is the book for you. And if you’re not sure? I don’t care, read it anyway.
This book jumps right into the action. We immediately find ourselves in the midst of a decades long clan war, following the main character, Eelyn as she and the rest of her Aska clanspeople fight the Riki clan, their sworn enemy. One of my favorite parts of this book were the battle scenes. Young does not skim over them, nor does she soften them. Instead, they are detailed, ruthless and descriptive enough that I could picture every sidestep and ax swing, I could hear every battle cry and the clash of bodies.
As the book description suggests, Eelyn soon finds herself it the heart of enemy territory, at their mercy and seeking answers after she sees the impossible. While many typical female characters may be written to appear strong, but are truly dependent and weak, Eelyn is everything but weak. I loved her character (and all of the others), she is savage and vicious when she needed to be but also loving and empathetic at other times. It was easy to connect with her character and I feel that’s one of the main reasons I came to love this story.
As the story progresses, Eelyn sees the lines she always felt were rigid and unyielding, begin to blur. This is a great story of opening your world to accept others and loving them for who they are, despite being taught to always focus on your differences.
Despite the sometimes brutal battle scenes, this book is chalk full of slower, softer scenes (which are no less great), including a smattering of growing romance as the book progresses. The romantic aspect may have been my favorite part overall (what can I say, I’m a sucker for these things), but it never felt overbearing or forced. Instead, it blossomed slowly and tentatively as the story progressed and fit into the plot well. And of course its one of the best romantic tropes there is (*coughenemiestoloverscough*).
And I just have to say, the ending battle was so cool and plotted out well. I loved the way this book ended (NO CLIFFHANGER, praise da Lord) and felt very satisfied and fulfilled with it. I can’t wait to read the next book Young has planned for this world!
Overall, another great new release (seriously 2018, this is getting out of control) that I hope you will all try out.
Library in the Country 