Reviews with content warning for Blood - Sky in the Deep

Sky in the Deep follows Eelyn, a young viking warrior who has spent the last five years mourning the loss of her brother who was killed in battle. Five years after her brothers death, Eelyn notices something while she is fighting that turns her life upside down and makes her question everything she's ever believed. When she is captured by the enemy clan she is forced to make difficult choices, as she must come to terms with loss, betrayal, despair, and even love.

I had really, really high hopes for this book. I love vikings and when I found out I had viking ancestry I drove deeper into my love for them. So when I received this book in an Owlcrate box I was so excited. But now, after I finished reading, I don't know how I feel about this book.

In my opinion the book is very slow and it takes a while for the plot to pick up. I don't much care for character driven books and I found out early on, that Sky in the Deep in a character driven book.

Don't get me wrong I liked Eelyn as a character and I felt for her and all she had to go through. In fact I felt her reactions could have been more severe.

I felt the romance wasn't developed liked it could/should have been and was just, thrown in there just for the sake of it.

The ending was very quick and rushed in my opinion. The epic fight we get at the end felt like a 15 minute scene in a movie and then it was over.

Overall I enjoyed some aspects of the book but I had more problems with it than I was hoping.

Content Warnings

reka111's review against another edition

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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.

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shehyuz's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional 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? Yes

4.5

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viviette's review against another edition

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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!

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saoreads's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging emotional hopeful reflective sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

For the most part, the heroine cried a lot in numerous chapters, and it captured the scene of overwhelming grief when it came to familial love. The novel is packed with action, from fighting to clan wars. The contrast of living in a war rife with emotions demonstrates how loved ones were taken away for making sacrifices based on their own principles and beliefs. It was easy to understand the world building throughout the plot, with its definitive descriptions. I thought it'd be lacking in character buildup and relationship dynamics, but it worked out well considering the novel was short-lived.

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kelburke's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional hopeful reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

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potatogrr's review against another edition

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adventurous tense medium-paced

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

3.75

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crownedaimee's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional 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? Yes

4.0

“We find things, just as we lose things. If you’ve lost your honor, you’ll find it again.”

This book, oh my god! Vikings? Check. Worldbuilding? Check. Enemies to lovers? Check. I went in not wanting to get my hopes up but boy did it deliver and blow my mind. I was not expecting to enjoy this much as I did. I could not put this down at all. I can't wait to read more books by Adrienne Young.

Sky In The Deep is a debut, standalone young adult fantasy that focuses on two different Viking clans. The Aska and the Riki have been fighting since the beginning of time. Every five years they meet on the battlefield to fight a war that has been fuelled with hatred through the centuries. Their children have been raised to hate their opponents and are taught to fight and prepare for battle. Eelyn is an Aska and had lost her brother, Iri on the battlefield years ago. But during the fight at the immediately takes place at the beginning of the story, she believed she had saw her brother and in her shock, she was then captured by the Riki. It is a story about betrayal, survival and choice.

I immediately loved Eelyn. Despite being raised to kill and fight, she only ever saw it as her duty as an Aska warrior. And I loved when she opened up to enough to let the Riki family she was staying with take care of her and she saw the love that her brother had and the family he called his own. She is fierce and independent but also vulnerable and broken. Adrienne Young wrote Eelyn so beautifully, you could feel every emotion that she went through, her every thought and the conflict that raged inside her. Especially, when it came to the hurt and betrayal she felt she she realised she lost her brother to the enemy. She quickly became one of my favourite heroines.

“Vegr yfir fjor.” Honor above life.”

I love the relationships within this book: the family, the friends and the romance. Firstly, I love the romance between the two characters. I won't say who to avoid spoilers but slow burn and enemies to lovers? What more could you ask for? Then the whole aspect with family. I loved that Adrienne showed that family isn't just the blood that we share but also that family can be chosen. It's unconditional love, trust, respect and acceptance. It was so lovely to see the two clans come together and bridge the gap that existed between them.

I know that there are many mixed reviews for this book, but I absolutely recommend to everyone, especially if Vikings is something that interests you. As well as a badass heroine and a story about love and strength of family.

Content/Trigger Warnings: loss of loved one, violence, murder, gore, sexual assault(s), physical abuse, slavery, talk of suicide, rape threats and war themes.

“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.”

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