Sky in the Deep
Young Adult
Wednesday Books
April 24th 2018
eBook
352
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.
WrensReads Review:
Thank you to the publisher St. Martin’s Press: Wednesday Books and NetGallery for providing me with a ebook copy of this beautiful book! Quotes taken from the book are subjected to change with the official release. All opinions on are mine and mine alone.
Release Date: April 24th 2018
Call the coast guard, I am drowning my need to become a viking. Who can I call to train me in how to use an ax and where can I get about fifty of them? As a young 20-something, I feel it would scare off all the wanna-be suitors if I carry around an ax with me at all times, don’t you think?
Let’s talk about my main girl Eelyn.
Side note: What I love about this story is injuries are actually taken seriously and they aren’t like brushed off. Also, these are actual people and and not super people who never get injured.
Eelyn is injured from a previous battle in the beginning, so she is not at her best when a Riki (another Viking clan) corners her and is about to take her life. And then – beyond all odds – her supposedly five-years dead brother stops him and saves her life. Her father believes it is their god favoring her, but she believes different and is rewarded with her skepticism because he isn’t dead – he just traded in his Aska armor for Riki. When Eelyn fall captive to the Riki, she sees first hand why she is just now finding out about her brother’s survival.
Eelyn lives up to every expectations of a bad-ass. Instead of using a shield, she uses a ax in one hand and a sword in the other. Even though she is injured, she is willing and able to fight for her clan. What is different than the majority of the bad-ass girls of our written-generation is that she actually does have a heart and is compassionate. She cares for her father, who has lost his son and his wife, and she cares for her fighting partner Mýra, why has lost loved ones as well.
But the Riki are the enemy, so why is her brother on their side of the battle field now? Against his own father and sister and kinsmen? You must read this book to see!
The romance in this book is heart-wrenching. I won’t spoil who it is and what happens, but I absolutely loved it. I mean, I always love those hate-to-love type of stories, and this possibly that.
It was slow and practical and the characters slowly came together and didn’t feel forced.
“The prickling of his stare ran over my body, making me shake as I lifted my hand and spread my fingers, reaching out to him. He looked at it, taking a small step toward me. He moved closer until I could feel his breath on the palm of my hand”
Besides the romantic relations, the family and friend relations aren’t pushed on you. They come very naturally and sweetly. Especially the strain between the siblings, Iri and Eelyn. They love each other but they are on opposite sides of the on-going fight between clans. It is written SO WELL.
There is a lot of fighting, some gore, and there is a type of assault that Eelyn goes through. All things that I personally don’t mind at all, but some readers might (We all know how I need a little violence in my books).
Overall, this story is about vikings and fighting for what’s right. What are you waiting for?!
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This was the best and I am SO GIDDY WITH LOVE. If I could marry a book, man… RTC.
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I’m so ready for this.
