After reading Sky in the Deep last year, I’ve had an ache for Viking stories. There is something about them that is unapologetically brutal, and historic about them. I love seeing the rich folklore, and how the stories can be brought to life in such different ways. However, I haven’t been able to forget about Sky in the Deep, but when I saw that The Girl the Sea Gave Back was going to be a companion novel, I was elated. I was going to have the chance to step back into the Viking world that got me into Viking fantasy.
Now, as a companion novel, it’s not really a sequel to Sky in the Deep. The Girl the Sea Gave Back follows Tova, a young woman who lives among the Svell, the people who took her in when she washed ashore as a child. In exchange, they use her power as the Truthtongue, casting the stones for the clan to see what the future holds. However, she does wonder about her home, and the memories that have long since faded, hoping to one day understand the ink markings on her skin. Although she is feared by the Svell, she’s managed to have a tenable peace with them, until two clans in the East dropped their feud and joined forces. As the Svell are divided in opinion about whether to maintain the peace or go to war with this new group, they call on Tova to cast the stones, and set in motion events that could have catastrophic effects on her world.
From the start of this book, Tova is a young woman who is under quite a lot of pressure, and definitely hated by the very people who took her in because of what she is. I admired her willingness to survive, even under such hostile conditions. Her personality is quiet but determined, and it bleeds through the whole story. There’s also this undertone of frustration that becomes more obvious as you read through the story, because Tova is definitely frustrated with some of the decisions being made, as well as how she’s being treated both by the people who fear her, and someone who doesn’t. There is also quite a lot going wrong, so it feels like you’re getting hit from all angles in this book. I felt like she displays quite a bit of character growth, especially in the last half of the book.
Someone I didn’t mention in the summary, but is also part of the story, is Halvard. If you’ve read Sky, then you’ll remember he’s the little brother in the story. Well, now that little brother is all grown up and now part of the newly formed clan of Nadir (formerly divided into Riki and Aska clans). I think I can give this much away without it being a spoiler, as Adrienne Young herself told readers about Halvard on Goodreads and Twitter. I was personally very excited to see him again, this time all grown up. The relationships that he had with certain characters of the previous book had my heart all warm and fuzzy, which I loved.
This story felt fast paced in terms of action, and extra slow in terms of romance. That being said, it works in this instance because of the things going on. To have the romance develop any faster would have forced the story into something that it wasn’t. I will say that I felt that the romance didn’t feel as developed as it did in Sky in the Deep, but it was still one I enjoyed reading about nonetheless.
I mentioned loving the savage nature of Viking stories, and this is something that is true for myself. We can’t deny that Vikings weren’t brutal, but I felt like this story was definitely more intense in terms of violence than Sky was. There is some physical abuse in this story, so if this is something that you’re made uncomfortable by, read it with caution. However, I do feel that the scene is part of the story and helps cement Tova’s determination to be free from those who wish her harm because they don’t understand her or her power.
The ending was very satisfying and tied up quite a few questions for me, and I think other readers will enjoy that too. I did want to mention that although it is a companion novel, I don’t feel like you need to have read Sky in the Deep to enjoy this book. If you’ve read it then you’ll enjoy re-visiting or finding out what happened with certain characters, but these are minor aspects of the book.
I’m going to rate this book an 8/10. I loved reading it, but I really wanted a more developed romance in the book. I felt like it moved much more slowly, and I would have loved to see it grow into something more meaningful. However, this is my own opinion, other readers might feel differently when they pick it up to read, which I definitely encourage you to do, if you’re even remotely interested in vikings! I don’t think you’ll want to miss it!
The Girl The Sea Gave Back is available from Amazon, Book Depository, and other good book retailers as of September 3rd 2019.
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Synopsis | Goodreads
The new gut-wrenching epic from the New York Times bestselling author of Sky in the Deep.
For as long as she can remember, Tova has lived among the Svell, the people who found her washed ashore as a child and use her for her gift as a Truthtongue. Her own home and clan are long-faded memories, but the sacred symbols and staves inked over every inch of her skin mark her as one who can cast the rune stones and see into the future. She has found a fragile place among those who fear her, but when two clans to the east bury their age-old blood feud and join together as one, her world is dangerously close to collapse.
For the first time in generations, the leaders of the Svell are divided. Should they maintain peace or go to war with the allied clans to protect their newfound power? And when their chieftain looks to Tova to cast the stones, she sets into motion a series of events that will not only change the landscape of the mainland forever but will give her something she believed she could never have again—a home.
