Reviews with content warning for Slavery - Sky in the Deep

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Sky in the Deep by Adrienne Young

52 reviews

maddie_rae_reads's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional reflective fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

Sky in the Deep by Adrienne Young

I feel like everyone knows Fable and her world, but not a lot is said of Eelyn of Hylli. I was drawn to this story because I wanted to read more Adrienne Young books, love the Viking vibes, and the FMC’s name is one letter off from my daughter’s name!

As a YA story, it hits all the marks for me. Epic story, coming of age, challenging what is for something better, sweet undercurrents of possible love in many forms, and a (mostly) happy ending.

Highly recommended!

THINGS CONSIDERED SCORE: 90/100

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jennymer's review against another edition

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caffinatedslug's review against another edition

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adventurous 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? No

4.0

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nokvi's review against another edition

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dark emotional reflective tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

Here's the thing, I am extremely lenient when it comes to YA books. As a book catered to 12-18 years old and the author's debut Novel I think Sky in the Deep is an easy and enjoyable novel.

I have one question tho, how did she survive with all those injuries like girl get it together.

Based viking settings with all it's brutality, we find that Sky in the Deep (SitD) is a very character driven novel. There is very limited plot and I can see how that may have disappointed the expectations of those who read it. Opening up with one of it's stronger if not Strongest chapters, we see Eelyn in the midst of battle where she sees her brother who has been dead for the last 5 years. We learn that the Aska and Riki are two rival clans that oft fight and I'm pretty sure that seeing your long dead brother fighting for the opposite side does something to you.

From there, we are taken along with Eelyn as she learns what every YA protag learns when it comes to the similarities between one rival and another. The novel digs, abet a lil shallowly but still, into an examination of belief and self. What it means to be betrayed and forgiven. An examination of family and the bonds which hold us together. We see the role of religion and how it influences one thoughts and actions and the meaning of belonging.

Young writes emotions in a simplistic but effective way that I think once nurtured her pen could be incredible. There are some violent scenes that just... wow.

There are flaws, sometimes it does a lot of telling and now showing and Eelyn makes some questionable choices but she's 16 so that's okay.

SitD may not be the most amazing novel out and it may be a typical YA novel in viking setting, there characters could be fleshed out some more and the themes it addresses should be examined more deeply. But to say it's a bad book? No.

Those who are fans of more plot laden books will find this a slow read but as someone who enjoys character driven plots, it truly is a digestible quick read.

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jackiepreston's review against another edition

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adventurous dark tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

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stardust_heidi's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional inspiring sad tense 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? No

5.0

Adrienne Young continues to prove why she's an easy auto-buy author. I just love the emotion and character growth she weaves into her stories. This one took me a minute to get into, but once I did, I couldn't put it down. I loved the viking-esque setting of warriors and how they learned how to put aside their differences and work together to defeat a greater enemy. Halvard must be protected at all costs; he was the gem of the story, the reason Eelyn's heart learned to soften and grow. Loved the tension between Eelyn and Fiske as well.

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