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captmorgan's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Moderate: Confinement, Gore, Slavery, Violence, Kidnapping, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Sexual harassment, War, and Injury/Injury detail
callistag1's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Graphic: Animal death, Confinement, Death, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Murder, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Slavery
Minor: Death of parent
kassidyreads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
Graphic: Death, Torture, Violence, and Blood
Moderate: Animal death, Confinement, Sexual assault, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Death of parent
a_shlee99's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Blood, Death of parent, Abandonment, and War
roosveld's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Death, Rape, Sexual assault, Slavery, Blood, Grief, Medical trauma, Murder, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Child death, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Gore, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Death of parent, Gaslighting, and Abandonment
Minor: Animal cruelty, Misogyny, and Pregnancy
alyssasaurus's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Animal death, Confinement, Death, Gore, Physical abuse, Slavery, Violence, Medical content, Kidnapping, and War
Moderate: Rape, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Grief, and Injury/Injury detail
egurgens's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
There is SO much tension in this story, but it really keeps the reader engaged. The reader gets to watch as Eelyn struggles through her emotions and difficult situations, and enjoy watching her develop into the character we end up loving. There are definitely some difficult topics touched on, like the threat of sexual assault, violence, graphic violence, and lots of loss / grief.
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Bullying, Confinement, Death, Genocide, Gore, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder, Sexual harassment, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Child death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Vomit, Trafficking, Pregnancy, Abandonment, and Sexual harassment
michellemaas's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I am going to start with the pacing. My version of this book was 300 pages on the dot, and I read it in two sittings with 150 pages read per sitting. While the first chapter jumps right into the action (maybe one of the best opening chapters I have ever read), the next half of the book just focuses on our main characters with nothing interesting happening. Then you get onto the last 100 pages or so and the pacing is perfect with an ideal mix between action and characters development. While I didn't necessarily mind reading the first half (I was still entertained enough to finish the book, after all) I have found that pacing problems, especially in a book this short, could spell disaster. Luckily Adrienne Young made up for it in a hell of an ending, but the inconsistent pacing was inconvenient and something to note.
Next, I want to discuss our main love interests: Fiske and Eelyn. Their relationship was enemies-to-lovers and also a slow-burn supreme. I enjoyed the development of their relationship (especially with the pacing of the plot being a bit off I was worried their relationship might feel a little rushed, but that was not the case at all). Their interactions and falling in love all felt like a very natural progression and also a realistic portrayal of love between the ages of 16 and 24. There was passion and loyalty between them but they were responsible enough to not neglect their duties to their clans in favor of their happiness. I also liked that they were true enemies-to-lovers (down to him shooting her with an arrow) instead of an "I kind of dislike you for no good reason other than it serving the plot"-to-lovers situation. The resolution of their relationship-based conflict was also masterfully done in my opinion since we would usually see the girl giving up everything to be with the guy in a situation like theirs but it wasn't the case this time.
Overall I enjoyed this book even if I felt it could have been better. There were a lot of times that it felt like there was more of a concept than necessarily a plot. Young did a great job of capturing Viking mythology and incorporating their ways of life, beliefs, and rituals into her storytelling but I wish she would have skipped out on the world-building a little to flesh out the actual plot more. Since there are only two books in this series with neither of them being super long the world-building isn't as important as it would be in something like Throne of Glass or From Blood and Ash which are both series with 4+ books with each book clocking in with more than 500 pages.
Finally, I just want to put a disclaimer that I read this book right off of a reading slump, so I was kind of forcing myself to read it since I have been wanting to read it and wanted to get over my reading slump. I don't know if that affected my reading experience and therefore rating. I try to be very fair and unbiased when reviewing the books I've read but I did want to put the disclaimer out there. If you love YA, enemies-to-lovers books with a bit of gore and a few emotional plotlines I think this will be right up your alley. For me, I was just hoping for a more plot-driven book this time around (meaning that there was more stuff happening in the book instead of just focusing on the characters for long periods), but with that being said I still really enjoyed it, and would probably reread in the future so please do not take my criticisms as hate towards the author since there were several redeeming qualities to Sky in the Deep despite its flaws.
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Gore, Hate crime, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Bullying, Child abuse, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Xenophobia, Medical content, Grief, Pregnancy, and War
Minor: Chronic illness, Rape, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, and Sexual harassment
soswiin's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Confinement, Slavery, Violence, and War
Moderate: Death and Grief
soundlysmitten's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
5.0
From depictions of mysticism to accounts of the mundane, the world of Sky in the Deep is built with a sort of lyrical prose. The writing is very atmospheric, so you get a good sense of the setting. And the action is described in a way that’s easy to visualize.
While it’s frustrating to read about Eelyn being taken captive, her experience behind enemy lines is what makes the book. For it’s as she lives among the people she was raised to hate that her worldview is challenged and her prejudice is dismantled.
As far as leads go, I adored Eelyn. She’s a Katniss Everdeen type, a warrior with an indomitable spirit, but not without compassion. Aside from when she has to defend herself and other vulnerable individuals, Eelyn is merciful. She goes out of her way to help whoever she can. Even those who would not spare her any unkindness, let alone spare her life. And while the implications of the story go beyond Eelyn’s personal journey, she is the catalyst for greater change within their collective societies.
Eelyn’s love interest also plays an important part in this story. In the beginning, I simply thought of him as an infuriating brute, as did she. But eventually, the depths of his care are revealed. The tensions between the pair gradually shift from something of contemptuous mistrust to a denial of self. Their bond is one that grows quietly, unacknowledged till all bets are off.
I was especially moved by this novel’s exploration of family ties, whether born of blood, or forged through shared pain, loss, or heartbreak. But be forewarned… there’s a lot of all that, along with a fair share of violence and cruelty. What bothered me even more than the depictions of war was the demeaning experiences Eelyn’s forced to endure. I did have to gloss over some of those. So… I’d say check the content warnings before you pick up this book, but do consider picking it up!
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Gore, Slavery, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Religious bigotry, Murder, and War
Moderate: Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Torture, Death of parent, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Animal death, Suicidal thoughts, and Abandonment