Sky in the Deep (Sky and Sea, 1)

I really enjoyed this story. Adrienne Young created a lovely set of characters and a landscape that was new and refreshing. Warriors clashing in battle, sweet romances, waves of emotions and page turning suspense. I would 100% recommend this story. Once I got into it and the characters, I couldn't put it down!

Sky in the Deep was one of those early 2018 releases that were raved and talked about a lot in the book community. Super hyped and had a lot of good reviews. Basically, it was one of my most anticipated books of 2018.The synopsis piqued my interest from the very beginning because I’m a sucker for all things Wonder Woman and a fan of the Vikings series. I’m always down for good a “betrayal” story and I couldn’t wait to find out why everyone enjoyed this book so much.Actioned-packed and bloody right from the very beginning, I was sucked in from the very first page. The novel starts off with Eelyn, our mc, preparing to go to war with the rival tribe the Riki. in the midst the battle she spots none other than her brother Iri- who died in the last battle 5 years ago- fighting alongside the Riki- something that shouldn’t even be possible because she saw him fall to his death with her own two eyes.I enjoyed Young’s writing in the first half of the book. Beautiful descriptions that made me felt as if I was there experiencing the same thing. I could sympathize with Eelyn. I actually sided with her actions and that made the novel felt even more real. I could connect with Eelyn and I commend Young for the excellent writing.Around the midway mark in the book, I started to grow tired of the novel. I wanted more action that the synopsis had promised and it was nowhere in sight. I started to get bored until I realized the novel was more character-driven than plot-driven and I started to enjoy it again. The plot showed up when I least expected and after it appeared the book moved so fast-paced that I didn’t want it to end but knew the inevitable was close.charactersAs I mentioned before the novel is mostly character-driven. I enjoyed Eelyn’s character. She’s headstrong, steadfast and intelligent. She knows what she wants and would do anything to get it. Even though Sky in the Deep is a standalone novel, she had a great amount of character growth. I loved seeing how she came to terms with her brother’s “betrayal” (which I wholeheartedly do see as a betrayal). I loved her interactions with the supporting characters, especially little Halvard.Fiske, the main love interest doesn’t talk much but I also enjoyed his character. When he isn’t threatening Eelyn, he’s saving her from herself and showing his familial love for Iri. He was a hard one to decipher but a good character nonetheless.Iri, the brother of Eelyn, I didn’t like so much. Even though I understood his actions, I just couldn’t agree with them. Imagine being alive all this time when you have could have let your family know. Not only did hide the fact that you were alive, but you also went to war against your former clansmen. Eelyn’s feelings were justified.Halvard, Fiske’s little brother (who is getting his own novel, I might add) was a bundle of sunshine. He made the hard parts of the novel easier to get through with his innocence and friendliness with Eelyn. romanceAnd when he kissed me again, the seconds slowed. They stretched out and made more time. I felt his body against mine, unraveling everything else that was between us, and my soul unwound, threading itself to his. And I let it. I gave myself to him. Because I was already his.The romance was slow-paced with everybody’s favourite “enemies to friends to lovers” trope. I’m a sucker for mean on the outside but loveable softies on the inside kind of guys. Even though the novel was a standalone, the romance did not overshadow any part of the story. the romance was swoon-worthy and I wish there was more. endingMy only gripe was the ending. The book speaks about the antagonist as legends and I feel like if they are legends the fight against them should have been more difficult. The ending felt rushed and anti-climactic that it sucked the enjoyment I had for the romance. The ending left me wanting more and I only hope that Young visits Eelyn and Fiske’s story again.Overall, I enjoyed the novel and can’t wait to visit this world again.

First of all. This cover. AND VIKING WARRIOR WOMEN. Just take all my money right now, why don’t you. Of course, there’s also a huge danger in being completely taken by a cover and brief blurb…sometimes the copywriter is a better writer than the actual author. So I was sort of kind of worried that might have happened, but I am very happy to report that it most certainly did not disappoint!FIRST OF ALL:Adrienne Young, can we pleeeeeeeease have a sequel where Eelyn and Fiske are a little older?? PLEASE??? Like maybe a NA type? Maybe where the enemy tribe resurges? I know there is a companion novel coming but it sounds like it might be more about someone else and I just need more of Eelyn. Please and thank you. Ok, now I will attempt to write something more coherent…there ARE some SMALL potential spoilers.Characters:Obviously, Eelyn. Our fierce Viking shieldmaiden. When the book first started, I was slightly put off by just how ANGRY she seemed to be, as if she had no other emotion (other than feeling pain, I definitely got the sense that she was in pain, but her reaction to pain was MORE ANGER). Did she have reason? Yes, probably more than most of us reading. Life in this time was hard, even if women were treated more equally in this Viking world. Eelyn kicks ass, but beneath her strong soldier exterior she still has a heart, she loves her family and her village more than life itself…which is why it hurts her so deeply when she discovers what her brother, Iri, has done. Eelyn is also NOT one of these heroine who walks and talks like a badass but never quite manages to DO anything badass…nope. She is downright brutal at one point in the book, and I found myself quite literally gaping at the page."I’d envied Iri my whole life for his open heart, and now mine had been pried open too."Iri himself is quite…well, I liked him, but I didn’t feel that close to him. I went through about the first half of the books with my arms figuratively crossed on my chest, TOTALLY with Eelyn that nothingbutnothing should have kept him from returning to his family, but then…then things happen. Still, I wanted to KNOW Iri better, because he really seemed like he was a complex character that we just didn’t get to know that well. Eelyn knows him, or thinks she does, and it is from her viewpoint that we see him.Fiske is something else. He really grew on me, because in the beginning I just thought he was a wuss. No joke. Then we see him interact not only with Eelyn and Iri, but his mother, his little brother…and oh wait, he’s not a wuss, he just thinks before he acts. I loved the slow-burn of his and Eelyn’s romance. I know enemies-to-lovers is one of the OLDEST romantic plots ever, but it’s repeated because it works, both in books and sometimes even in real life! I really wanted to see more of them as a couple, in the village and family dynamics…ah well. 2 flames, because while there are some couple scenes there’s nothing graphic or really all that descriptive.Inge, the only real mother-figure in the entire book (as Eelyn and Iri’s mother died long ago), is the best. I loved her so much. She is a healer, not a warrior, and yet she is very clearly just as strong as Eelyn or any of the others. I pretty much want to be her, since I’m pretty sure I don’t have the reflexes to be Eelyn.Halvard!! OMG, this little guy has more guts and spine than several adults put together. And he is so non-judgmental, sees the good in everyone…we all need a Halvard in our lives. I swear the moments when his life is in danger, I went all Mama Bear even just sitting on my couch. DON’T YOU DARE MESS WITH MY LITTLE MAN, YO. At one point I actually thought he was going to be killed off and when I finally got to the end of that passage, I realized I’d been sitting there with my free hand just plastered over my mouth and I had tears in my eyes. THE FEELS.PlotThe plot is pretty well encapsulated in the book blurb, making this story MUCH more character driven than action driven – despite having some really intense battle scenes in the first and last quarters of the book. The middle bit is really more about Eelyn and her internal struggles with being a captive, and of all the dynamics of the Riki village and Iri’s “new” people. It is heartbreaking, at times."The words were small but they were true. ‘I’m thinking that I wish you’d died that day.’"WorldbuildingThere isn’t a lot of detail given, which works quite well for this book. We know that the Aska live by the sea, and the Riki live in the mountains, and they have a generations old blood feud. Their culture is clearly based on ancient Vikings, but other than that…this was a book about people and relationships, not one to immerse you completely in a historically accurate time and place. It does immerse you, just…in a much more narrow way. It works much better than I could have imagined, and I was quite surprised that the lack of detail did not seem to hinder my enjoyment of the story at all.5/5 stars. Highly recommend. My only “complaint” is that I really wanted more, I was very disappointed when it ended…but isn’t that how the best books always are?"I could still see a young Eelyn standing on the beach turned into the wind, a sword in one hand and an axe in the other. I hadn’t lost her. I hadn’t buried her. I’d only let her change into something new."

Me encanta encontrar un libro que te atraiga y no te deje ir hasta la última página. ¡El cielo en las profundidades es ese tipo de libro! Soy un gran fan de los mitos y los cuentos de leyendas, y los dioses nórdicos, las sagas, las batallas vikingas y los guerreros que manejan hachas ocupan un lugar especial en mi corazón.Sky in the Deep se cuenta desde el punto de vista de Eelyn, una guerrera de diecisiete años con dos temporadas de lucha bajo su cinturón. Es dura, apasionada y ferozmente leal a su clan. Cuando descubre que su hermano sigue vivo y vive con su clan rival, el mundo de Eelyn se rompe.Ella es tomada como prisionera; la nueva familia de su hermano intenta mantenerla a salvo hasta que toda su aldea sea atacada. Todo cambia y Eelyn debe aprender a confiar en el enemigo.Debajo de la violencia, el miedo y la acción acelerada hay una hermosa historia de inicio de edad. Amo a Eelyn; ella es un alma feroz con un corazón cariñoso. Los otros personajes: Fiske e Iri, Halvard e Inge, Aghi y Myra están bien elaborados. El desarrollo de la historia de Young es fantástico, y pinta una imagen apasionante mientras sigues el doloroso viaje de este joven guerrero a través de este impresionante escenario, visualizando fácilmente el fiordo y el pueblo de montaña.No quería que este libro terminara ya que amaba ser parte del mundo de Eelyn. Recomendaría encarecidamente Sky in the Deep si estás buscando un debut vívido que se quede contigo mucho después de terminar de leer.

I knew I had to read Sky in the Deep by Adrienne Young the minute I saw the cover. When I discovered it was about a young female warrior, I had to read it even more. Thankfully I was granted an advance copy, and while I couldn’t get to it right away, I devoured it as quickly as possible.I must say, I’m really enjoying the vicious bite women characters are taking on these days. I’ve long been a fan of female driven books, of course, but it seems like lately, our women are taking things one step further and showing a gritty ruthlessness that has never been this apparent before. Eelyn is the perfect example of that; a warrior, raised on the notion of honour over life, she is tough as nails, fighting alongside the men, and often speaking about crushing someone’s skull in.The other female characters are also fierce, and I enjoyed the dynamic that was built between them all. In fact, all the characters were great. There was a broad range of characters who all played their parts, but I really enjoyed that the bottom line of this story was the bond and loss between a brother and a sister. It wasn’t a love story at it’s core, though they each have their own tangents that involve that, but what drives the book is family and loyalty and that sibling bond, be it by blood or soul. I really enjoyed this.The book is somewhat gritty at times, too. The fighting scenes aren’t sugar coated, there is carnage and blood and vivid descriptions of the scene as it unfolds. it’s not overly gratuitous, but it’s realistic and I loved that Young didn’t hold back.Eelyn throws herself totally into battle, making her one of the strongest, rawest characters I’ve seen in a long time. Sure, she ends up finding love, but she doesn’t spend her moments in battle worrying or longing for her beloved, she does her duty, she does her job, and then she worries about everything else. You don’t see that too often, love often tends to blur the lines and get in the way of those kinds of loyalties, so I love that Young went in this direction.Frankly, I loved everything about this story. The structure of it is expected and it doesn’t take any unexpected turns, but the bonds are strong and the characters are well groomed. It moves along at a really quick pace, there’s no long drawn out journey in between, the important points are met and the journey is touched upon, but nothing is overly drawn out so the momentum never loses its pace. I really enjoyed each page, each chapter, and I’d give anything for a little more.I don’t know if there’s an intended sequel, it doesn’t really feel like there is much more to go on after this and while I love the characters, I wouldn’t want to see it drawn out into something more just because. But I’ll tell you this, whatever Young puts out next, I’m going to be first in line to read it. What a brutally beautiful debut. More please.​

I really enjoyed the book. It was something new and short. I am hoping there’s a second part because I think the book has potential!

Uma história sobre família, lealdade e amizade

had the sky in the deep snel uit. spannend en uniek verhaal. met een interessante verhaallijn en wereld