The Girl the Sea Gave Back (Sky and Sea, #2)

by Adrienne Young

[Quirky Cat]

I received a copy of The Girl the Sea Gave Back through the Goodreads Giveaway program.

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.


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