Review: Sky in the Deep

Sky in the Deep by Adrienne Young

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

What would you do if everything you thought you knew about your life changed in an instant?

"Breathe fire." --Sky in the Deep

Seventeen-year-old Eelyn is a tough Viking girl whose clan is engaged in a blood feud with another clan who lives up in the mountains. The clans meet every five years to wage war on behalf of their gods. This is Eelyn's second fighting season and the only family she has left is her father and her fighting mate. She fights with everything she has, until her past comes back to haunt her and her life turns completely upside-down. Can she possibly put an end to the ancient feud between their people?

Sky in the Deep is a YA fantasy with an enemies-to-lovers/Romeo and Juliet retelling trope. It references a lot of Old Norse phrases and ideology. I loved that the main character was strong but still not ashamed of crying or showing her emotions. I understand that groups of people actually used to have blood feuds, but I wish there was more motivation to all the fighting because it seemed to lack real purpose ("hey let's kill each other because we live on the fjord and you live on the mountains. Seems worthy of death to me?"). The romance was pretty cute, but I wish it had a little more substance to it. This is a story of learning sympathy for others and defending what really matters.

Overall it was an enjoyable read! I give it 3.5 stars.

Mature content: Lots of descriptive violence, moderate sensuality, suicidal intentions, abuse/torture, animal sacrifice.