Berls
Written on Jul 1, 2020
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.
- ISBN10 1250168481
- ISBN13 9781250168481
- Publish Date 3 September 2019
- Publish Status Active
- Imprint Wednesday Books
- Format Hardcover
- Pages 336
- Language English
Reviews
Stephanie
Written on Jun 11, 2020
The Girl the Sea Gave Back by Adrienne Young was a June COYER book club pick. I really enjoyed Sky in the Deep so I was excited to pick this book up.
Right off the bat I'm going to say I didn't love The Girl the Sea Gave Back as much. I felt like the whole mystery of Tova was overdone. It seemed pretty obvious who she was. Of course maybe not to her but definitely to the reader. Even when it's revealed who she is there is no real solid explanation as to what happened and why it happened.
There also seemed to be a lot of story without much movement. I'm pretty sure the whole story is the course of less than a week. The biggest saving grace for me was spending time with characters from Sky in the Deep!
Halvard is still a solid character and I loved seeing how he grew into a man and handled his new found responsibilities. I really enjoyed previous characters and even some the new ones.
Gunther in particular was a nice addition. Personally, I never really connected with Tova. I am convinced it's because she couldn't connect with herself. I just didn't have very strong feelings one way of the other for the characters or the story.
The story didn't seem to flow as smoothly in The Girl the Sea Gave Back compared to Sky in the Deep. I'm wondering if this is because of having duel narrators.
Renee
Written on Apr 2, 2020
I am in love with the cover though, simple but so powerful.
alisoninbookland
Written on Jan 16, 2020
Sky in the Deep was a very pleasant surprise. I was ready to fall in love with The Girl the Sea Gave Back but it was lacking something.
The book was only 327 pages but it felt like those pages dragged on. This is a companion book to Sky so you don’t technically have to have previous knowledge of this world/characters to pick it up. I had some background knowledge and still felt lost. Only towards the end did things get more exciting.
The story was just so boring. Normally, I like political strategy in fantasy books but it didn’t work for me here. I felt like I knew nothing about anyone and anything so I couldn’t bring myself to care about the characters. It took me about half the book before I figured out who Halvard was. I just felt lost in the world.
The book wasn’t poorly written, it was just….poorly paced? Second book syndrome? I don’t know.
Basically if you want to read a book by Young, snag yourself a copy of Sky in the Deep ASAP.
leahrosereads
Written on Oct 5, 2019
chymerra
Written on Sep 9, 2019
The plotline for The Girl the Sea Gave Back was interesting. Tova was found in the wreckage of a funeral boat by a Svell holy man. Recognized as a Truthtongue by she is taken to the nearby Svell village. There, she is used to read runes for the leader of the Svell. Things change for her when two rival clans merge into one. Forced to read the runes, what Tova sees will change her life. People will die, and Tova will realize that she can have the one thing that she wants the most: a home.
The plotline for The Girl the Sea Gave Back was fast-paced and well written. I have a love/hate relationship with fast-paced books. I love them because the book zips along. I don’t like them because sometimes, there are plotlines that get overlooked. Which didn’t happen here.
I loved how the author had the tribes modeled after the Vikings. The tribes weren’t exactly like the Vikings, but there were enough similarities that I had pause at points and tell myself, “This is a fantasy book. Not real life.” The two essential things that stood out to me were the Tova reading the runes and the funeral boat in the prologue.
I liked Tova and man, did I feel bad for her at points in the book. What she went through was awful. The Svell hated her because she was a Kyrr Truthtongue, but they used her too. I couldn’t even imagine growing up under that type of hatred. She read the stones that told the Svell that they needed to battle Nadhir, which sets her on course to meet with Halvard. I also liked that Tova was conflicted about her rune reading. She wanted to please the leader, but at the same time, she didn’t want to cause death. I found her connection to Halvard to be interesting. I do wish that more had been explained about why she was connected to him. Something other than he was her destiny. Because I’ll tell you, it did confuse me.
The Girl the Sea Gave Back is a bloody book. There are quite a few battles between the Svell and the Nadhir. I liked that the author didn’t hold anything back when it came to describing the battles. I am not at all affected by blood and violence in a book. But some people are.
There is no romance in The Girl the Sea Gave Back. I can’t tell you all the last time I read a young adult book that didn’t have a romance. I loved it!! There was a hint of it between Tova and Halvard but it didn’t get beyond a hint.
I do wish that Tova’s background had been released sooner. I would have understood certain parts of the book better. I didn’t put two and two together until the middle of the book. And even then, it took me a while to realize who Tova was.
The Girl the Sea Gave Back is not a stand-alone book. I read it as one and was left wondering about several things mentioned in the book. Relationships and how the Nadhir were brought together were the main ones. Read Sky in the Deep before reading The Girl the Sea Gave Back.
The end of The Girl the Sea Gave Back was interesting. The way individual storylines were ended made me wonder if there will be another book in this world. I hope so because I enjoyed it. I hope that there will be more focus on the Kyrr if there is.
Quirky Cat
Written on Aug 26, 2019
The Girl the Sea Gave Back is the sequel to the massively popular Sky in the Deep by Adrienne Young. That being said, so far either novel could be read as a standalone. So if you haven’t read Sky in the Deep, but want to jump right into The Girl the Sea Gave Back, you can do so with little issue. You’ll just miss out on some of the world-building and character references.
The Girl the Sea Gave Back follows young Tova, a Truthtongue separated from her clan, living amongst the Svell. The Svell fear and hate her, but are more than willing to use her ability to read runes to predict their futures. That is, until everything changes.
I’ll confess, even if I hadn’t read Sky in the Deep, I would have wanted to read The Girl the Sea Gave Back. The cover alone was enough to grab my attention, all but screaming ‘read me! Read me!’ as I was browsing. And I know I can’t be the only one that felt that way.
I will say that the two novels did have a very different feel, despite the fact that they’re both set in the same world. So I would suggest that fans alter their expectations before picking up this novel; you’ll enjoy it a lot more than way. At least, I hope you will.
The Girl the Sea Gave Back was an immersive and gut-wrenching tale, much like its predecessor. The world is rich, yet still leaves plenty of room for exploration. It’s because of that I find myself hoping that this will not be the last of the series.
I picked this novel up, having not read the description on the back (to avoid spoilers). Because of that, I wasn’t really sure how strong it was going to tie in with Sky in the Deep. So imagine my surprise to find out just how long it’s been between the two novels. And yet, there were connections between the two. I actually do believe that Adrienne Young found the perfect balance here – it was neither too much nor too little.
Tova is a strong character, having been put through so much. The odd set of circumstances that resulted in her living a totally different life…it was fascinating to see it all unfold. And I’ll confess I spent more than a little bit of time trying to predict how it would come full circle.
Tova’s fear during some parts of this novel was palpable. Young did a brilliant job of putting her emotions to paper here – perhaps too good of a job. It was impossible to picture being in that situation and not feel sympathy for Tova. Even while she made decisions that some of us might not agree with (though maybe we would – who knows?).
While I was invested in the well being of Tova, and more importantly, seeing another war averted or won, I’ll confess that there were elements in this novel that felt somewhat emotionally lacking. The love story elements in this tale, for example. I wouldn’t have minded a few extra scenes added; though what was there is enough to give me a good idea of what happened when the novel ended.
I don’t know if The Girl the Sea Gave Back is going to be the final novel in this series, but I can’t help but find myself hoping that isn’t the case. I want to see more of this world, more of the clans and their interactions with one another. I simply feel like there’s more to this world and the story it has to tell.
For more reviews check out Quirky Cat's Fat Stacks
tweetybugshouse
Written on Aug 22, 2019
This was a four star rating for me i did not love it as much as i loved Sky in the Deep and i not sure if cause it a different kind of story then a brother gone missing. The battle scences cause lets face it most of this book was about a war and how much the Svell where going to use Tova powers to foresee the future.
The timing of this story is set ten years in the future which does make for a uniqueness as time has progressed to where the new clan from the east has had timed to become a stronger tribe. I also liked that both these stories are Viking stories so they are different then what i normally read. I would of liked more world building but their might of not been much to do there as it set in the same place as the previous book. Getting to see old characters with the new ones did make for at times an emotional plot. I think the author would do well continuing with this theme of telling stories set in this place but sharing from other characters points of view.
bgsbooks18
Written on Aug 7, 2019
I absolutely loved this book! Although I have a copy of Sky in the Deep, I have not yet read it but heard so many good things about the author Adrienne Young. When I saw the synopsis of this story I knew I had to have it.. I fell in love with Tova and connected with her so much. Halvard is the other main character. He was amazing as well and his journey becomes quite amazing. It did take me a little while to read this book due to my busy life so I did lose a bit of details. Although I wished there had been more romance in this book, I didn’t think it was bad. The romance was very lite but I’m crossing my fingers for a sequel to clear up a few questions I have with this story line.
Amber (The Literary Phoenix)
Written on Jul 1, 2019
Adrienne Young weaves beautiful worlds.
Sky in the Deep came as a delightful surprise last year, and ever since, I’ve been looking forward to The Girl the Sea Gave Back. The cover is exquisite and I was excited to delve back into this world. There’s something mythical about the mixture for historical fiction and an edge of fantasy in this chilled, foggy landscape. As with her debut, the world spills on to the page in stunning splashes of color and it’s very easy to be mesmerized.
That said, I didn’t feel as though this book was as successful as her debut, and here’s why: I fell in love with Eelyn, but I did not love Tova. There was always something detached and far away about Tova, and it made it hard to share her experiences. She was lost, but instead of pulling the reader in with her confusion and desperation, this created a meandering wall to keep the character out.
I think, on some level, Adrienne Young knew there needed to be another character to balance out Tova’s uncertainty. Halvard was my favorite little side character in Sky in the Deep, and I didn’t expect him to come into this book at all, let alone as a POV. A good amount of time has passed in this world, and Halvard is no longer the brave, kind boy he once was. He has grown into an uncertain, cautious man. As with Tova, I found him distant. There was a lot of talk about the way these two characters felt, but none of it pulled my heartstrings.
The theme of this book was making your own fate, but the plot was unsteady. I think that Halvard’s POV could have been dropped completely, and Tova’s strengthened and there would have been more balance between character, plot, and atmosphere. Don’t get me wrong – the atmosphere dominates, it really does. In the beginning it feels like the plot is about preventing a war and later, it’s about Tova finding out where she belongs, and in many ways, it felt like she was going to be a Pocahontas type character… but the Disney movie version. Honestly, the plot was uncertain and disappointing. Eelyn made me believe that Young could do so much more with her characters, and now I expect it.
I cannot in good conscience give The Girl the Sea Gave Back as much love and as many stars as I gave Sky in the Deep. I didn’t connect with it and I found so many of the situations and relationships forced. But that doesn’t mean I’m giving up on the book. I am looking forward to giving this one another try once it has been finalized, and I’ll curl up some afternoon with the hardcopy and let you all know if I loved Tova the second time through. For now, I’ll close in saying that you should come for the atmosphere, because it’s a truly masterful Norse-esque fantasy setting, but don’t expect too much.