Sky in the Deep by Adrienne Young

The gorgeous cover is what drew me to Sky in the Deep by Adrienne Young. After reading the blurb, I was like; I have to read this one. The story is a Vikingish YA fantasy with a heroine you will fall for within the first few pages. It is a beautifully crafted tale and I dare you not to get hooked by the end of the first chapter.

Eelyn is a warrior for the Aska clan and has been training since a young girl to fight their sworn enemy the Riki. She fights alongside her friend Myra and together they are fierce on the battle field. Until one day Eelyn almost gets killed by a young Riki warrior. Her brother, Iri, saves her. Yet, this cannot be possible, Iri died five years ago in another battle against the Riki.

In the next battle Eelyn is determined to find her brother. She has a driving need to know why he has become a traitor and is fighting with the Riki and not against them. This gets her captured and she is taken to one of the Riki villages where she is made a slave. Nothing could be more demeaning for a warrior and she is determined to escape.

While Eelyn bids her time till she can escape, she slowly learns that Fiske, the Riki warrior she is enslaved too, actually saved Iri’s life after he was left for dead on the battle field. What she can’t understand is why Iri has joined the Riki instead of being a slave himself. As time passes she begins to rethink her views on the Riki. She realizes they are not so different after all. Then a mutual enemy of both clans, the Herja, raids the Riki villages and kills many. Eelyn knows the only way to defeat them will be to align the two clans. It becomes her job to bring the two mortal enemies together in order to save both clans from utter destruction at the hands of the Herja.

First and foremost, I loved the character of Eelyn. She is strong and vulnerable both and this made for a well-rounded, and realistic, heroine. Also, the author did an excellent job with character development; therefore, I was able to understand and connect with her. The plot moved quickly. Even though the book was over three hundred pages, I found myself flying through it.

Despite all of the action what really drives this story is the characters. The emphasis on family bonds is the factor behind this. The head matriarch of the Riki family Eelyn and her brother live with becomes a mother figure to them both. Then as Eeelyn falls for Fiske you are drawn in deeper to the conflict within Eeelyn over her own loyalties.

I recommend Sky in the Deep to all lovers of YA fantasy and Viking type stories. One note of caution, there are battle scenes and violence throughout the book; therefore, I feel it is not appropriate for younger readers.

I received a free copy from the publisher, via Net Galley in exchange for my honest review.