Sky in the Deep by Adrienne Young

Sky in the Deep (Sky and Sea, #1)

by Adrienne Young

Raised to be a warrior, seventeen-year-old Eelyn fights alongside her Aska clansmen in an ancient, god-decreed rivalry against the Riki clan. Her life is brutal but simple: train to fight and fight to 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.

Eelyn loses her focus and is captured. Now, 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 settling in the valley, Eelyn is even more desperate to get back to her beloved Aska clan, which is rumored to have been decimated by the same horde. She is given no choice but to trust Fiske, her brother’s friend who tried to kill her the day she was captured. 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 find a way to forgive her brother while daring to put her faith in the people she’s spent her life killing.

Reviewed by bookishzelda on

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Wow. When I started reading Sky in the Deep I couldn’t stop, I raced through the pages. The combo of the unique story as well as the characters had me riveted. Even when I finished reading, I did one of those. What was that awesome movie I watched, oh wait it was a book I read. I loved loved this book so much!

I loved Eelyn. She is this badass warrior and is fiercely loyal to her clan the Aska. It’s interesting to see her change and grow as she finds that things aren’t always what they seem. That hatred that she was taught isn’t necessarily right. I loved watching her develop as she struggled with the things she is supposed to hate but also the things she love and how could they be the same thing at times. Through Eelyn’s eyes we see her own traditions and how they differ from the Riki but are also very similar. She is just such a great character.

All the other characters are great two from Iri, who I had my own complicated feelings about. I could understand the conflict between the siblings. I have older brothers myself so I always think, how would I feel. Then of course Inge, Runa, Halvard and Fiske. (I love Fiske). They all have their special things about them that really just compliment the story.

What are great storyteller Adrienne Young is! The plot is fast moving, I never felt any lag. The fighting scenes were filled with action but not too overwhelming. It was the right amount for the story. You can’t have a book about warring clans without some blood. I actually like that the main characters are not exempt from getting harmed. The fighting season is a brutal time for these clans and it was definitely shown from both sides. I kept the Herja looking like the White Walkers from GOT. I honestly don’t even think they were described that way but it’s what my brain decided and could be swayed. In general though I could vividly picture all the settings and things happening. I really did feel like I had watched a movie.

Hate to love relationships are kind of my favorite type. I’m hoping there is lots of fanart for this book, because I would love to see art from this book.

I could rave all day how this a great read. I really did love it and I can not wait to see what Adrienne Young comes up with next.

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Reading updates

  • Started reading
  • 10 March, 2018: Finished reading
  • 10 March, 2018: Reviewed