4.5*
I found this book to be such an incredible breath of fresh air! I've been struggling a lot with fantasy lately, but Sky in the Deep proved a unique addition to the genre. It was definitely readable, too, as I was eager to know what would happen to the characters I so quickly grew to love. Let's talk about the reasons I enjoyed this one, shall we?
- The characters, and their growth. As I said above, I really enjoyed these characters, so now I'll explain why. Basically, they were realistically portrayed, totally flawed, and incredibly relatable. They always did what they thought was right for their people- as everyone always does- but they were faced with a lot of tough choices as the began to realize that looking out for their people may not actually be the right thing to do.
- Family was a huge focus of the book. Just like the clans were incredibly important to the characters, so too were their families, and I loved it. The theme of blood-family versus chosen-family was also prevalent. Which would the characters choose, if they were forced? Is one more meaningful than the other? What about when romantic love joined the mix? These were questions that human beings have dealt with throughout history, and are still dealing with. But asking them in such a dark, desperate setting made the stakes even higher.
- The world is dark and brutal. The characters who live in it are unapologetic badasses. This combination is pretty fabulous. They didn't make excuses, they did what they needed to survive. There were quite a few battles waged during the course of the book, and even some smaller brutalities in between, but they made for a compelling story.
- Speaking of the world, it's pretty easy to follow. I think one of the things I've been struggling with in fantasy lately is super complex worlds and magic systems and such. This is a world that is fairly straightforward, and aside from struggling a bit with dialogue, I had no problems immersing myself in the world completely.
- The atmosphere was on point! So you want to feel like the world is dark, and this did. But it also didn't feel like a completely hellish nightmare, which I think was a good mix. There were some scenes that actually made the world seem quite beautiful despite its brutality, and I was pleased that the author captured that so well. Also, it's Viking inspired, and what could be more fun than that? (And yes, it does feel Viking-y which I was giddy about!)
- It's a standalone! Okay, look- I would gladly have taken more Eelyn & Friends, don't get me wrong. But... there's something really nice about reading a book, feeling a lot of love for it, being satisfied with the ending, and being able to say "awesome book!" and leave it at that. And I think that the author did a great job of indulging the readers's questions and curiosities, so that's a win. (After writing this, I did just see on Goodreads that there's a companion novel, and I won't lie, I am totally here for it. But my thoughts on how it wrapped still stand!)
Bottom Line: So fresh feeling, yet so awesomely brutal, this is a definite must for anyone who enjoys a dark character-driven fantasy!
*Copy provided for review