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willrefuge's review against another edition
4.0
4 / 5 ✪
I won an ARC from a contest I tooootally forgot about until it came in the mail! This did not affect my thoughts on it and all opinions are my own. I also want to mention that although this is set in the same world as Sky in the Deep, it’s not a direct sequel. And as I’ve not yet read Sky in the Deep—you don’t need to read it to pick up the thread of this one.
Tova lives among the Svell, and has for as long as she can remember. But she hails from somewhere else. She bears the tattoos of the Kyrr—the mysterious people from the Headlands—specifically those that mark her as a Truthtongue, one specially born to read and tell the future. Halvard is preparing to become leader of the Nādhir, having been chosen by all the village Tala. And yet with war looming before them, Halvard and Tova are set on a blade’s edge.
Tova has never really had a people of her own—not that she can remember, at least. Meanwhile, Halvard is surrounded by a loving family; some of his blood, but all are now his kin. Both must fight to protect both themselves, and the ones they love most. But for one such as Tova, who can see what fate has in store—there can be no surprises. That is, until there are.
First off, I really enjoyed this one. I don’t read a ton of YA, but I was a little surprised regarding the amount of blood and death here. Yet as I read a lot of Dark Fantasy and such—didn’t bother me.
The Girl the Sea Gave Back is written from a pair of perspectives. Tova and Halvard chapters are told in 1st PPOV, interchanging between one and the other. Additionally, there are 3rd PPOV flashbacks, also following our two stars. Young’s writing is very descriptive; smooth and flowing, with only slight slip-ups that fail to detract for any real time. Both POVs are incredible, and I really felt immersed in the characters and the story she wove (I enjoyed Tova’s more than Halvard’s by a slight degree, but I loved them both, so).
But as this is the book’s greatest success, it brings its greatest flaw, too. With the alternating chapters, the alternating perspectives, I soon lost sight of whose story I was reading. To combat this, I started taking breaks between POV chapters, which in turn slowed everything down. Thus, the immersion of still great, but it quickly became frustrating to have to mentally disengage after each chapter. I still finished the Sea Gave Back pretty quickly, something I credit to the writing more than anything.
Other than the combat and blood, the only thing that surprised me was the romance. I’ve heard that the romance in Sky in the Deep between Eelyn and Fiske was one of its strongest elements. The same cannot be said of whatever is between Halvard and Tova. I’m not sure what I’d call it, but “hot and heavy” wouldn’t even be close. “Romance” even seems a stretch. There seems to be something between the two of them, but that’s about it.
The ending (spoiler free) is… a bit open, to say the least. I’m not saying that nothing’s resolved or that there’re holes or loose threads, it’s more… it’s open to interpretation. So much so that even three- or four-plus readers may have radically different interpretations depending on what the story meant to them. If you’re the type of reader where everything has to be cut-and-dry come the close… well, this might not sit well with you.
I won an ARC from a contest I tooootally forgot about until it came in the mail! This did not affect my thoughts on it and all opinions are my own. I also want to mention that although this is set in the same world as Sky in the Deep, it’s not a direct sequel. And as I’ve not yet read Sky in the Deep—you don’t need to read it to pick up the thread of this one.
Tova lives among the Svell, and has for as long as she can remember. But she hails from somewhere else. She bears the tattoos of the Kyrr—the mysterious people from the Headlands—specifically those that mark her as a Truthtongue, one specially born to read and tell the future. Halvard is preparing to become leader of the Nādhir, having been chosen by all the village Tala. And yet with war looming before them, Halvard and Tova are set on a blade’s edge.
Tova has never really had a people of her own—not that she can remember, at least. Meanwhile, Halvard is surrounded by a loving family; some of his blood, but all are now his kin. Both must fight to protect both themselves, and the ones they love most. But for one such as Tova, who can see what fate has in store—there can be no surprises. That is, until there are.
First off, I really enjoyed this one. I don’t read a ton of YA, but I was a little surprised regarding the amount of blood and death here. Yet as I read a lot of Dark Fantasy and such—didn’t bother me.
The Girl the Sea Gave Back is written from a pair of perspectives. Tova and Halvard chapters are told in 1st PPOV, interchanging between one and the other. Additionally, there are 3rd PPOV flashbacks, also following our two stars. Young’s writing is very descriptive; smooth and flowing, with only slight slip-ups that fail to detract for any real time. Both POVs are incredible, and I really felt immersed in the characters and the story she wove (I enjoyed Tova’s more than Halvard’s by a slight degree, but I loved them both, so).
But as this is the book’s greatest success, it brings its greatest flaw, too. With the alternating chapters, the alternating perspectives, I soon lost sight of whose story I was reading. To combat this, I started taking breaks between POV chapters, which in turn slowed everything down. Thus, the immersion of still great, but it quickly became frustrating to have to mentally disengage after each chapter. I still finished the Sea Gave Back pretty quickly, something I credit to the writing more than anything.
Other than the combat and blood, the only thing that surprised me was the romance. I’ve heard that the romance in Sky in the Deep between Eelyn and Fiske was one of its strongest elements. The same cannot be said of whatever is between Halvard and Tova. I’m not sure what I’d call it, but “hot and heavy” wouldn’t even be close. “Romance” even seems a stretch. There seems to be something between the two of them, but that’s about it.
The ending (spoiler free) is… a bit open, to say the least. I’m not saying that nothing’s resolved or that there’re holes or loose threads, it’s more… it’s open to interpretation. So much so that even three- or four-plus readers may have radically different interpretations depending on what the story meant to them. If you’re the type of reader where everything has to be cut-and-dry come the close… well, this might not sit well with you.
elfbread's review against another edition
2.0
Can we start with how BEAUTIFUL this cover is? The art instantly grabbed my attention. Plus, I really enjoyed [b:Sky in the Deep|34726469|Sky in the Deep|Adrienne Young|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1508350209l/34726469._SY75_.jpg|55907957], so I was excited to read this one.
When I first started reading, I was a little frustrated that I didn't know or couldn't remember who the characters were (looking at you Myra). The exceptions were the main characters from [b:Sky in the Deep|34726469|Sky in the Deep|Adrienne Young|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1508350209l/34726469._SY75_.jpg|55907957], but the minor characters I had totally forgotten. This ended up not being too much of an issue, as the main characters in [b:The Girl the Sea Gave Back: A Novel|42867937|The Girl the Sea Gave Back A Novel|Adrienne Young|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1550596899l/42867937._SY75_.jpg|55914969] are either new, or were significant in the previous book.
I ended up taking a week's break from this book, because I was feeling a bit burnt out and was struggling to pay attention to the story. After taking a break and reading something from an entirely different genre, I picked this one up where I left off and found out that it wasn't just me, it was the story line. I continued to have trouble staying focused while reading. I think the story was not as well developed as the previous novel and the story seemed very simplistic and linear. There was no major surprise in the story (the ending was easy to predict). Halvard and Tova were not a realistic coupling to me and I did not feel connected to their relationship.
I enjoy [a:Adrienne Young|16640489|Adrienne Young|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1554841626p2/16640489.jpg]'s writing style and thought the world she created in [b:Sky in the Deep|34726469|Sky in the Deep|Adrienne Young|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1508350209l/34726469._SY75_.jpg|55907957] was well developed, but this one was just a miss for me.
When I first started reading, I was a little frustrated that I didn't know or couldn't remember who the characters were (looking at you Myra). The exceptions were the main characters from [b:Sky in the Deep|34726469|Sky in the Deep|Adrienne Young|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1508350209l/34726469._SY75_.jpg|55907957], but the minor characters I had totally forgotten. This ended up not being too much of an issue, as the main characters in [b:The Girl the Sea Gave Back: A Novel|42867937|The Girl the Sea Gave Back A Novel|Adrienne Young|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1550596899l/42867937._SY75_.jpg|55914969] are either new, or were significant in the previous book.
I ended up taking a week's break from this book, because I was feeling a bit burnt out and was struggling to pay attention to the story. After taking a break and reading something from an entirely different genre, I picked this one up where I left off and found out that it wasn't just me, it was the story line. I continued to have trouble staying focused while reading. I think the story was not as well developed as the previous novel and the story seemed very simplistic and linear. There was no major surprise in the story (the ending was easy to predict). Halvard and Tova were not a realistic coupling to me and I did not feel connected to their relationship.
I enjoy [a:Adrienne Young|16640489|Adrienne Young|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1554841626p2/16640489.jpg]'s writing style and thought the world she created in [b:Sky in the Deep|34726469|Sky in the Deep|Adrienne Young|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1508350209l/34726469._SY75_.jpg|55907957] was well developed, but this one was just a miss for me.
gen_ay's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-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
2.75
I really enjoyed sky in the deep so I was excited to see what the follow up had to offer. By the 60%, it started to drag and although I liked the characters, the story started to feel bogged down and the build up to the end felt too drawn out. The conclusion felt rather anticlimactic to me and makes me wish we would have had a more fleshed out ending compared to the meaty middle where, truthfully, a lot occurred that didn’t feel necessary to the book overall.
While I liked the dual POV, the constant going back in time to view the same event through the other main character’s eyes started to feel too repetitive and I feel like it didn’t always add to to the story to go back, but rather the author could have just picked up the story in the new POV from where the last ended from time to time to keep momentum in the plot.
While I liked the dual POV, the constant going back in time to view the same event through the other main character’s eyes started to feel too repetitive and I feel like it didn’t always add to to the story to go back, but rather the author could have just picked up the story in the new POV from where the last ended from time to time to keep momentum in the plot.
wanderinglynn's review against another edition
slow-paced
1.5
Overall, disappointed.
Some of the issue is that the world building is minimal, if non-existent. And what little existed was well explained. Some of it is that the plot is predictable and really lacked any real purpose. The story lacked the tension needed in a fantasy to drive the story forward. Everything felt choppy, particularly when the story went back and forth not only between Tova and Halvard but between past and present of <i>both</i> POVs. And some of it was the pacing was off. The nearly two-thirds of the book, nothing really happens. I started skimming more and more because it was just boring.
I also never really connected to the characters—there was just something missing. I thought they lacked any realness and depth. There was no real emotion. Here's a girl who has spent a dozen years thinking her clan had thrown her out. Her "adopted" clan thinks she a pariah. And yet, I felt none of the anguish, none of the isolation, none of the grief she should have been feeling.
There are threads of an idea but it was poorly executed. It seemed the author was trying to explore the concept of fate” but it came across as a cheap plot device to make the ending work.
Unfortunately, this one just completely fell flat for me.
Some of the issue is that the world building is minimal, if non-existent. And what little existed was well explained. Some of it is that the plot is predictable and really lacked any real purpose. The story lacked the tension needed in a fantasy to drive the story forward. Everything felt choppy, particularly when the story went back and forth not only between Tova and Halvard but between past and present of <i>both</i> POVs. And some of it was the pacing was off. The nearly two-thirds of the book, nothing really happens. I started skimming more and more because it was just boring.
I also never really connected to the characters—there was just something missing. I thought they lacked any realness and depth. There was no real emotion. Here's a girl who has spent a dozen years thinking her clan had thrown her out. Her "adopted" clan thinks she a pariah. And yet, I felt none of the anguish, none of the isolation, none of the grief she should have been feeling.
There are threads of an idea but it was poorly executed. It seemed the author was trying to explore the concept of fate” but it came across as a cheap plot device to make the ending work.
Unfortunately, this one just completely fell flat for me.
scepter's review against another edition
5.0
The Girl The Sea Gave Back is such a wonderful companion book to Sky in the Deep.
Adrienne Young wrote another beautiful, bloody, fragile, viking story that is again full with themes of family, roots and war. But this book is also full of superstition, rune casting, seers and gods.
The story returns to the harsh world of Sky in the Deep and is told alternating between Halvard, who we met before as a child and is now a young man, and Tova, the mysterious girl the sea gave back and who has to find her place in this world of different clans and brutal fights.
I love how the reader sees the events unfold, told from Halvard's and Tova's point of view and how we get to meet Eelyn, Fiske, Iri and some other beloved characters again briefly but in special moments.
There is also a new clan, the mysterious and superstitious people of the Kyrr, who will play an important role and who are so intriguing.
Adrienne Young has woven a tale of fate, belief and of how important it is to know ones heritage and that found family can be just as important as true family.
The Girl The Sea Gave Back is a book that's as strong and compelling as Sky in the Deep without relying too heavy on Adrienne's debut novel. There are some beloved characters returning but they never take away the spotlight from Tova or Halvard.
This is fully their story of coming into their own and taking fate into their own hands.
I hope there will be another book sometime in the future because I have a feeling that their story isn't over yet.
Thank you so much to the publisher and Netgalley for granting my wish and sending me an eARC in exchange for a honest review!
Adrienne Young wrote another beautiful, bloody, fragile, viking story that is again full with themes of family, roots and war. But this book is also full of superstition, rune casting, seers and gods.
The story returns to the harsh world of Sky in the Deep and is told alternating between Halvard, who we met before as a child and is now a young man, and Tova, the mysterious girl the sea gave back and who has to find her place in this world of different clans and brutal fights.
I love how the reader sees the events unfold, told from Halvard's and Tova's point of view and how we get to meet Eelyn, Fiske, Iri and some other beloved characters again briefly but in special moments.
There is also a new clan, the mysterious and superstitious people of the Kyrr, who will play an important role and who are so intriguing.
Adrienne Young has woven a tale of fate, belief and of how important it is to know ones heritage and that found family can be just as important as true family.
The Girl The Sea Gave Back is a book that's as strong and compelling as Sky in the Deep without relying too heavy on Adrienne's debut novel. There are some beloved characters returning but they never take away the spotlight from Tova or Halvard.
This is fully their story of coming into their own and taking fate into their own hands.
I hope there will be another book sometime in the future because I have a feeling that their story isn't over yet.
Thank you so much to the publisher and Netgalley for granting my wish and sending me an eARC in exchange for a honest review!
reginarose310's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0