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A review by my_corner_of_the_library
Sky in the Deep by Adrienne Young
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