Title: Sky In The Deep
Author: Adrienne Young
Genre: YA, Fantasy, Historical Fiction
First published: April 24th 2018
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
Finished reading: April 19th 2018
Pages: 352
“You’ll find your own end before the snow melts because your pride and your anger are more importan to you than your own survival.”
*** A copy of this book was kindly provided to me by Netgalley and St. Martins Press in exchange for an honest review. Thank you! ***
I admit I was sold as soon as I saw the cover and the mention of vikings. And maybe the fact that Sky In The Deep is called one of the most anticipated YA fantasy releases this year, although that also made me a bit afraid it won’t live up to the hype. But thankfully Sky In The Deep is actually worth all the praise it has been receiving. What a wonderful and well written debut! Although this story has no exact time setting and appears to be more fantasy than historical fiction, with the viking culture playing such a central role it is easy to deduct this story was set long ago (probably 800s?). Would I have liked a more detailed worldbuilding with more descriptions and facts? Yes, but I can also understand why the exact details have been kept vague, focusing instead on the characters and clan feud plot. I would have liked to have a glossary for the foreign words and phrases used, although most are easy to interpret from the context. These little things aside, I absolutely loved this story. The main character is the typical strong female lead, but Eelyn really came alive in the descriptions and dialogue and was easy to connect to. The different clans and the old feud between the two had me completely hooked, as well as for the plot twists that changed their future forever. Definitely the best viking-inspired story I’ve read to this date! I admit I could have done without the romance, but at least we were spared the dreaded love triangle. And I’m sure romance fans will love that little twist (although I saw it coming quite early on). In short, while not perfect, this debut still managed to completely blow me away and Eelyn’s story will stay with me for a long time. Vikings to the win!
Seventeen-year-old Eelyn was raised to be a warrior and fights alongside her Aska clansmen against the Riki clan. The two have been enemies for a long time, fighting each other every five years in a ruthless battle. This year is no different and Eelyn is fighting on the battlefield when something strange happens: she sees her brother Iri, the same brother who she watched die five years ago. Following his ghost, she ends up in a very dangerous situation herself…One that will be both hard to accept and find a way out of.
Despite a few minor details that made me lower the rating slightly, there is no doubt I absolutely loved this book. I have a weak spot for viking stories and Sky In The Deep has to be the best viking-inspired fantasy story I’ve read to this date. The writing is very engaging and made it really easy to like this story. The plot and clan feud turning into something else was an interesting one and while there were slow parts, you will get plently of viking fighting action as well. A little advice: don’t read the full blurb before you start reading it! This one is more fun going in completely blind. YA fantasy fans who like their stories having a dose of romance, well developed characters and a couple of pretty intense fighting scenes will love Sky In The Deep. A very powerful debut!
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Wonderful review Yvo! So great to see some positive feedback on this one. I am definitely keeping it on board!
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It’s definitely worth the read! Then again I was sold as soon as I saw it was about vikings.
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I’ve seen this one at one point. That cover though! Woah! Great review!
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I know right? That cover is gorgeous.
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Nice review! And good to see you liked it, too. I’ve become a lot more wary of debut novels (especially YA fantasy debuts) over the past couple years. But since I’d been curious about this one, the fact that you enjoyed it is encouraging. 🙂
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I agree YA fantasy debuts can be tricky, but this one is without doubt worth the read. I think the viking topic alone helps a lot, since there aren’t that many YA fantasy books with the theme in the first place.
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Thanks for the advice about not reading the full blurb. Some books are best going into blind. This book is already on my TBR list, so I can’t wait to read it!
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Yeah I tend to avoid reading blurbs now just before I pick up a title, because I’ve come across one too many with spoilers… I hope you will enjoy this one!
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So happy to see you enjoyed this one! I got a copy last week. Great review!
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I hope you will enjoy it!
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