Review – The Girl the Sea Gave Back (Sky in the Deep, Book 2) by Adrienne Young (3/5 stars)

Reading Level: Young Adult
Genre: Fantasy
Length: 336 pages
Publisher: Wednesday Books
Release Date: September 3, 2019
ISBN-13: 978-1250168481
Stand Alone or Series: 2nd book in the Sky in the Deep series
Source: Borrowed from Library
Rating: 3/5 stars

“For as long as she can remember, Tova has lived among the Svell, the people who found her washed ashore as a child and use her for her gift as a Truthtongue. Her own home and clan are long-faded memories, but the sacred symbols and staves inked over every inch of her skin mark her as one who can cast the rune stones and see into the future. She has found a fragile place among those who fear her, but when two clans to the east bury their age-old blood feud and join together as one, her world is dangerously close to collapse.

For the first time in generations, the leaders of the Svell are divided. Should they maintain peace or go to war with the allied clans to protect their newfound power? And when their chieftain looks to Tova to cast the stones, she sets into motion a series of events that will not only change the landscape of the mainland forever but will give her something she believed she could never have again―a home.”

This is the second book in the Sky in the Deep duology and I didn’t like this book nearly as much as “Sky in the Deep”. The story moves really slow until the last couple chapters and I really didn’t feel like there was much to it.

Tova has been raised among the Svell, who use her Truthtongue gift to their advantage. However, the Svell are divided…and this division may lead them into a war that they try to blame on Tova’s truthtelling. The story jumps back and forth between Tova and Halvard (chieftain in training of the clan the Svell end up in war with).

This book just felt like a lot…less…than “Sky in the Deep”. Tova is a fairly weak character, she does try to stand up against the people who have been using her at points…but aside from her predictions she does very little in the story. I had a hard time relating to the characters as well, they felt very distanced to me. The romance between Tova and Halvard seems more like a convenience than anything.

I enjoyed the Norse setting and how the gods influenced war. However, aside from that this is a pretty simple story and a pretty quick read. It just didn’t have the same immediacy that “Sky in the Deep” did for me.

Overall this was okay but not my favorite. If you enjoy reading about Norse mythology and war you might enjoy this. I thought it was pretty dull when compared to “Sky in the Deep”.