A review by crownedaimee
Sky in the Deep by Adrienne Young

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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