Sky in the Deep is Adrienne Young’s debut novel and it’s a Viking-inspired tale filled with intense battle scenes, badass characters, and great world-building.
Adrienne Young can really write. Right from the very beginning, you are immersed in an action-packed and detailed novel combined with poetic writing that seems to come alive on the page. The way that she writes transports the reader right into the story alongside her characters whether they’re doing daily chores or fighting on the battlefield.
There are two clans: the Aska and the Riki. The Aska worship the god Sigr and they fight their enemies according to his will. The Riki are the ones who worship the goddess Thora, every five years. The two clans have an ancient blood feud that has filled them with hatred, but unknown to them, the fates of two people (one from Aska and one from Riki) are intertwined.
Sky in the Deep follows Eelyn who is a fierce and devoted warrior from the Aska clan. She is an independent woman and shows her badass side in the various fight scenes, but she also shows her vulnerable and broken side as she’s still coping with the loss of her brother. Her narration clearly showcases all of her feelings from her pain to her joy and Eelyn is a very easy character to relate to. You can easily feel her emotions, thoughts and conflicts as she reunited with her brother only to lose him again to her enemies. Her betrayal and hurt as well as her joys and love can be felt almost as if she is a real living person.
Fiske is our other main character also faces many challenges throughout the book. Fiske is a part of the Riki clan who rescued Eelyn’s brother Iri when he was almost dying. He has a fierce devotion to Iri and even refers to him as a brother due to the special bond that has formed between the two. Fiske comes off as brutal and uncaring at the beginning, but he ends up being the total opposite.
The romance in this book is so very sweet despite it being a brutal book full of battle scenes and fierce characters. The enemies to lovers romance is very slow-burn, but it is really sweet and doesn’t distract from the story. The two started out as rivals from two different clans until they find themselves forced to live together which changes their situation completely.
Sky in the Deep does read a little older than a typical young adult novel. While it is classified as young adult with the main character being seventeen-years-old, it features many dark things that may not be comfortable for a young reader to encounter. Adrienne Young doesn’t shy away from violence and there is content and trigger warnings for the loss of a loved one, gore, murder, sexual assault, violence, physical abuse, slavery, suicide and war themes.
Sky in the Deep is a story like you’ve never seen before, filled with blood, family, friendship and love. It is the perfect read if you want a badass heroine, but still get the other elements that you need to soften the story. If you haven’t already considered picking Sky in the Deep up, then please do as it’s amazing!
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SYNOPSIS | GOODREADS
OND ELDR. BREATHE FIRE.
Raised to be a warrior, seventeen-year-old Eelyn fights alongside her Aska clansmen in an ancient rivalry against the Riki clan. Her life is brutal but simple: fight and survive. Until the day she sees the impossible on the battlefield—her brother, fighting with the enemy—the brother she watched die five years ago.
Faced with her brother’s betrayal, she must survive the winter in the mountains with the Riki, in a village where every neighbor is an enemy, every battle scar possibly one she delivered. But when the Riki village is raided by a ruthless clan thought to be a legend, Eelyn is even more desperate to get back to her beloved family.
She is given no choice but to trust Fiske, her brother’s friend, who sees her as a threat. They must do the impossible: unite the clans to fight together, or risk being slaughtered one by one. Driven by a love for her clan and her growing love for Fiske, Eelyn must confront her own definition of loyalty and family while daring to put her faith in the people she’s spent her life hating.
