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mokiethe_dog34's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
It was bad but it wasn’t terrible. I would’ve liked it to have been more viking-y, and the romance to have had a better beginning. It felt like the mc and the love interest kinda just suddenly fell in love without much context or background. There was fluff after that and I did enjoy seeing them together. As a whole, Sky in the Deep should have been written better and had more detail so we could better understand and enjoy the journey with the characters. ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Gore, Slavery, Grief, Murder, and Violence
Minor: Animal death
reka111's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
Date: 2022.08.14
STOPPED AT 70%
———————————————————
Date: 2022.12.21
I literally didn't finish this book months ago and I've finished it now. You can call this a miracle, you can call it fate or even perseverance, but the truth is that I simply wanted to read, I didn't want to stop at 40 books (my goal for this year), so I started this again. Basically, I love Vikings, Scandinavian mythology, culture, etc., so there was no question that I would read this. This book needed time and I totally understand that. That's how I was with The Familiars. Sometimes I make a good decision, sometimes I don't and this time I feel like I'm in between the two because this wasn't such an outstandingly good book.
Eelyn is a warrior, a soldier, an unbreakable woman. What I liked most about her character was that she was so persistent, that she did everything to protect her people.
Basically, Fiske didn't impress me, even though I should have, because he's a tall, strong love interest and he should have swept me off my feet, but he didn't. I would like to think that it was his personality that repulsed me, but the truth is that even I don't know why I couldn't love him so much.
So I'm ashamed to admit, but I only remember the other characters vaguely or not at all, in any case, Halvard is the tip of my heart, Iri is a traitor to me, but I'm glad that he got the happy ending, Indra deserve the whole world, and so does Myra.
Unfortunately, a lot of time has passed between my readings, so I can't really give a far-reaching opinion. The plot was predictable, but at least it was cute, not exactly an enemies to lovers gem, but it was good by its standards. I recommend it to those who want to read a short book and want to relax a little.
STOPPED AT 70%
———————————————————
Date: 2022.12.21
I literally didn't finish this book months ago and I've finished it now. You can call this a miracle, you can call it fate or even perseverance, but the truth is that I simply wanted to read, I didn't want to stop at 40 books (my goal for this year), so I started this again. Basically, I love Vikings, Scandinavian mythology, culture, etc., so there was no question that I would read this. This book needed time and I totally understand that. That's how I was with The Familiars. Sometimes I make a good decision, sometimes I don't and this time I feel like I'm in between the two because this wasn't such an outstandingly good book.
Eelyn is a warrior, a soldier, an unbreakable woman. What I liked most about her character was that she was so persistent, that she did everything to protect her people.
Basically, Fiske didn't impress me, even though I should have, because he's a tall, strong love interest and he should have swept me off my feet, but he didn't. I would like to think that it was his personality that repulsed me, but the truth is that even I don't know why I couldn't love him so much.
So I'm ashamed to admit, but I only remember the other characters vaguely or not at all, in any case, Halvard is the tip of my heart, Iri is a traitor to me, but I'm glad that he got the happy ending, Indra deserve the whole world, and so does Myra.
Unfortunately, a lot of time has passed between my readings, so I can't really give a far-reaching opinion. The plot was predictable, but at least it was cute, not exactly an enemies to lovers gem, but it was good by its standards. I recommend it to those who want to read a short book and want to relax a little.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Blood, and Death
Moderate: Death of parent, Slavery, and War
Minor: Animal death
viviette's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Listen, this was a beautiful book, it just wasn’t for me. I think everyone should read this…casually… I mean I can see people being obsessed with it (such as my cousin) but it is a very specific book, if that makes any sense. If you like a crazy Viking, slow burn romance, adventurous tense scenery, go ahead and read this!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Blood, Animal death, Death, and Slavery
Moderate: Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Emotional abuse, and Torture
emilylovesgoodbooks's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault, Death, and Animal death
my_corner_of_the_library's review against another edition
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
This book felt like the very definition of, "Thanks, I hate it!" So many things worked for me, but tooooo many didn't.
The Back Of The Book - This isn't really a gripe against the book and author, so it wasn't part of rating the book low, but just a general complaint at the marketing department. This book gave WAY too much away on the back of the book. Seriously, you could have ready the back and skipped to page 275, and you wouldn't have missed almost anything. And even then...read the back, guess what happens next and how it ends....your probably right. That is exactly how it ends. Congrats, you've read the book.
What I did like:
The Characters - I actually really enjoyed most of the characters. For the most part I just didn't like how they were written, which may seem confusing....let me explain. Each character seems to have depth and personality, which is something I love. They all seemed individual despite being very similar and there weren't very many that I straight up didn't like. However, often times things would feel off about the way the characters were written.
For example, I really liked Fiske and Eelyn as a couple. If I saw these two in another book where they weren't together, I feel like I would totally ship them. Their personalities meshed well and they definitely had chemistry. HOWEVER....many parts of their relationship were...weird. For one, it seemed like Eelyn went from loathing Fiske's very existence to finding him attractive then loving him very suddenly (not quickly). We hated him for a long time, sneering at the thought of his name...until suddenly we didn't. She was fine with him and saw the good in him...until suddenly she was in love.
Also...the scene were they do the thing the for the first time...that dialogue was truly disturbing. I can get on board with her going from slave to his equal and lover, but I feel like it needed to be addressed, and this was not the way to do it. Since she did literally belong to him at one point, the absolute WRONG response from him was, "Yes, you do." When she said, "I don't belong to you." She was trying to make a point and he was just horny.
What didn't work for me:
The Writing - There were many things off with the writing of this book. Often times it felt as though it was a translated book that just didn't translate well. For instance, the line: "...his eyes transfiguring from worry to fear." That's not the right word. Your eyes don't transfigure from worry to fear. They shift or change, but not transfigure. Things like this popped up all over the book and it just made no sense.
Also, often times it felt as though parts of the book were edited out that really needed to be there. Often times people would be talking, but there would be no clear dialogue tags and by the end of the dialogue you'd realize it was someone else entirely. For example, when Fiske takes her to the blacksmith's tent to get the collar removed. One moment she is speaking to the blacksmith and referring to him as 'him', then without any transition, she is using 'him' to refer to Fiske because now she's talking to him, without ever making that clear. It felt as though we were missing a line.
The Climax - This actually just pissed me off. So many things in this book were glossed over and NOT given the attention they deserved, but the climax shouldn't have been one of them. This impossible task took no time at all and all went down way too easily. Convincing the Aska to help? One conversation. Convincing the Riki not to kill the Aska? About 5 lines of dialogue and promises from inconsequential people. The big battle that they absolutely should have lost? 2 very short chapters and about 30 minutes.
The Back Of The Book - This isn't really a gripe against the book and author, so it wasn't part of rating the book low, but just a general complaint at the marketing department. This book gave WAY too much away on the back of the book. Seriously, you could have ready the back and skipped to page 275, and you wouldn't have missed almost anything. And even then...read the back, guess what happens next and how it ends....your probably right. That is exactly how it ends. Congrats, you've read the book.
What I did like:
The Characters - I actually really enjoyed most of the characters. For the most part I just didn't like how they were written, which may seem confusing....let me explain. Each character seems to have depth and personality, which is something I love. They all seemed individual despite being very similar and there weren't very many that I straight up didn't like. However, often times things would feel off about the way the characters were written.
For example, I really liked Fiske and Eelyn as a couple. If I saw these two in another book where they weren't together, I feel like I would totally ship them. Their personalities meshed well and they definitely had chemistry. HOWEVER....many parts of their relationship were...weird. For one, it seemed like Eelyn went from loathing Fiske's very existence to finding him attractive then loving him very suddenly (not quickly). We hated him for a long time, sneering at the thought of his name...until suddenly we didn't. She was fine with him and saw the good in him...until suddenly she was in love.
Also...the scene were they do the thing the for the first time...that dialogue was truly disturbing. I can get on board with her going from slave to his equal and lover, but I feel like it needed to be addressed, and this was not the way to do it. Since she did literally belong to him at one point, the absolute WRONG response from him was, "Yes, you do." When she said, "I don't belong to you." She was trying to make a point and he was just horny.
What didn't work for me:
The Writing - There were many things off with the writing of this book. Often times it felt as though it was a translated book that just didn't translate well. For instance, the line: "...his eyes transfiguring from worry to fear." That's not the right word. Your eyes don't transfigure from worry to fear. They shift or change, but not transfigure. Things like this popped up all over the book and it just made no sense.
Also, often times it felt as though parts of the book were edited out that really needed to be there. Often times people would be talking, but there would be no clear dialogue tags and by the end of the dialogue you'd realize it was someone else entirely. For example, when Fiske takes her to the blacksmith's tent to get the collar removed. One moment she is speaking to the blacksmith and referring to him as 'him', then without any transition, she is using 'him' to refer to Fiske because now she's talking to him, without ever making that clear. It felt as though we were missing a line.
The Climax - This actually just pissed me off. So many things in this book were glossed over and NOT given the attention they deserved, but the climax shouldn't have been one of them. This impossible task took no time at all and all went down way too easily. Convincing the Aska to help? One conversation. Convincing the Riki not to kill the Aska? About 5 lines of dialogue and promises from inconsequential people. The big battle that they absolutely should have lost? 2 very short chapters and about 30 minutes.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Death, and Torture
Moderate: Violence
cheye13's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual assault, War, Violence, Blood, and Death
Moderate: Abandonment, Death of parent, Sexual harassment, and Slavery
bookwormbullet's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence and Death
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Sexual assault, and Animal death
Minor: Death of parent
alyssasaurus's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Medical content, Confinement, Death, Gore, Kidnapping, Physical abuse, Violence, Slavery, and War
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual violence, Rape, and Grief
forthesanityof1's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Accidentally deleted my review by pushing the wrong button. This book got points for the first 120 pages and tight writing. Characters were hard to connect with or care about. Plot was unoriginal and dropped a couple big points without explanation. Romance was forced and had no genuine connection that would make me root for it. It only had vikings going for it and nothing more. A let down, but that's what I get for trying a book tiktok likes (tbf I had picked this up BEFORE it hit tiktok but guess I still haven't learned my lesson).
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment, Animal death, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Religious bigotry, Sexual assault, Slavery, Torture, and Violence
egurgens's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
I really enjoyed this book! We get to know the main characters backstory a bit before any drastic really happens, which sets a good base for the main plot to develop. Definitely a great enemies-to-lovers book. Set in (Viking?) villages, there is a continuous war between the followers of two different gods. Every five years, the two sides fight in a particular field, fighting to avenge the blood feud declared between the two gods. Everything changes when an impossibility happens, and Eelyn finds herself surrounded by enemies, learning how to survive in a new way and path in life. A common enemy appears, pulling the two clans into a reluctant alliance.
There is SO much tension in this story, but it really keeps the reader engaged. The reader gets to watch as Eelyn struggles through her emotions and difficult situations, and enjoy watching her develop into the character we end up loving. There are definitely some difficult topics touched on, like the threat of sexual assault, violence, graphic violence, and lots of loss / grief.
There is SO much tension in this story, but it really keeps the reader engaged. The reader gets to watch as Eelyn struggles through her emotions and difficult situations, and enjoy watching her develop into the character we end up loving. There are definitely some difficult topics touched on, like the threat of sexual assault, violence, graphic violence, and lots of loss / grief.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Blood, Body horror, Bullying, Confinement, Death, Death of parent, Genocide, Gore, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Medical content, Medical trauma, Misogyny, Murder, Physical abuse, Sexual harassment, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, War, and Religious bigotry
Moderate: Abandonment, Animal cruelty, Child death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Pregnancy, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Trafficking, and Vomit