Book Review: Sky in the Deep

Title: Sky in the Deep
Author: Adrienne Young
Genre: Young Adult | Historical Fiction
Publisher: Wednesday Books

Publication Date: April 24, 2018
Source: Publisher
Format: eARC
OND ELDR. BREATHE FIRE.

Raised to be a warrior, seventeen-year-old Eelyn fights alongside her Aska clansmen in an ancient rivalry against the Riki clan. Her life is brutal but simple: fight and 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.
Faced with her brother's betrayal, 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 thought to be a legend, Eelyn is even more desperate to get back to her beloved family.
She is given no choice but to trust Fiske, her brother’s friend, who sees her as a threat. 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 family while daring to put her faith in the people she’s spent her life hating (goodreads).


Meeehhhhhhhhhhh.
Plot: Sky in the Deep has been getting rave reviews from all my blogging friends which has me wondering what I missed. I think at the end of the day, the writing wasn't for. By page one, I already had an inkling that I wasn't meshing with the writing or story, which was a shame. I liked that Sky in the Deep explored family ties and invisible lines and I also missed the memo that Sky in the Deep was a standalone novel. Sky in the Deep was a pretty quick read and the ending snuck up on me as well. 

Characters: One major disappointment for me was that the characters felt very bland which goes back to the writing. I didn't feel I received a proper introduction of any of the characters nor did I empathize with them which impacted my reading experience. I really can't tell you one thing about our main character, Evelyn, as a result.

Worldbuilding: Young's unique setting and exploration of Viking culture were very well done; Young's research showed as she included language, customs, and in-depth descriptions of battle and Viking values. Becuase the book was such a quick read, I never connected with the world nor did I feel transported to it. Once again, this was because I never connected with the writing. 

Short N Sweet: Sky in the Deep was an exploration of family with some good messages, but I just didn't care.


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