The Girl the Sea Gave Back

“They didn’t understand that there was no such thing as a secret. The truth was everywhere. You only had to open your eyes to see it.”

The Girl the Sea Gave Back creates this epic, yet calming atmosphere around you when reading - much like the sea itself. It’s powerful, evocative, and fast paced. Set in the future of the same world as Young’s debut novel Sky in the Deep, we follow Tova and Halvard, two people torn between peace and vengeance, past and present, as their lives become intertwined in a fight for their survival.

Things I Liked
I thought the action was very well done, if predictable at times. There was a lot of it and it kept me engaged. It also made the story a super quick read for me. I basically read the whole book show more in a day and a half.

I knew to expect it, but I’m surprised at how much I enjoyed the hints of romance throughout the story. I think because it wasn’t very in-your-face, but it was more the promise of a romance, so it didn’t feel too rushed.

Things I Didn’t Like
In the beginning of the story, the shifting POVs could feel a little repetitive at times. I was glad to see from Tova and Halvard’s perspectives equally, but it made the first quarter or so drag at times.

I do think the story relied a bit too heavily on flashbacks. I’d say that around half the book was flashbacks, and while I appreciate fleshing out the world and giving plenty of background to the characters, I was much more interested in what was happening in the present.

The Kyrr were my favorite part of the story. They’re so mysterious and intriguing, so I kinda wish the whole story was about them instead of them barely being in it. There’s so much to explore about their history and culture and I really hope she writes a story for them in the future.

The Girl the Sea Gave Back is a great addition to Sky in the Deep, though the worldbuilding here is a little lacking, I could not put the book down. The action did drive the story quickly, there was a lot of smaller more human moments that gave you time to settle and breathe between scenes. My biggest takeaway is that I just really want a story about the Kyrr people asap.

I received a copy of the book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. show less

Disclaimer: I received this book for free from NetGalley and Wednesday Books in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Adrienne Young weaves beautiful worlds.

Sky in the Deep came as a delightful surprise last year, and ever since, I’ve been looking forward to The Girl the Sea Gave Back. The cover is exquisite and I was excited to delve back into this world. There’s something mythical about the mixture for historical fiction and an edge of fantasy in this chilled, foggy landscape. As with her debut, the world spills on to the page in stunning splashes of color and it’s very easy to be mesmerized.

That said, I didn’t feel as though this book was as successful as her show more debut, and here’s why: I fell in love with Eelyn, but I did not love Tova. There was always something detached and far away about Tova, and it made it hard to share her experiences. She was lost, but instead of pulling the reader in with her confusion and desperation, this created a meandering wall to keep the character out.

I think, on some level, Adrienne Young knew there needed to be another character to balance out Tova’s uncertainty. Halvard was my favorite little side character in Sky in the Deep, and I didn’t expect him to come into this book at all, let alone as a POV. A good amount of time has passed in this world, and Halvard is no longer the brave, kind boy he once was. He has grown into an uncertain, cautious man. As with Tova, I found him distant. There was a lot of talk about the way these two characters felt, but none of it pulled my heartstrings.

The theme of this book was making your own fate, but the plot was unsteady. I think that Halvard’s POV could have been dropped completely, and Tova’s strengthened and there would have been more balance between character, plot, and atmosphere. Don’t get me wrong – the atmosphere dominates, it really does. In the beginning it feels like the plot is about preventing a war and later, it’s about Tova finding out where she belongs, and in many ways, it felt like she was going to be a Pocahontas type character… but the Disney movie version. Honestly, the plot was uncertain and disappointing. Eelyn made me believe that Young could do so much more with her characters, and now I expect it.

I cannot in good conscience give The Girl the Sea Gave Back as much love and as many stars as I gave Sky in the Deep. I didn’t connect with it and I found so many of the situations and relationships forced. But that doesn’t mean I’m giving up on the book. I am looking forward to giving this one another try once it has been finalized, and I’ll curl up some afternoon with the hardcopy and let you all know if I loved Tova the second time through. For now, I’ll close in saying that you should come for the atmosphere, because it’s a truly masterful Norse-esque fantasy setting, but don’t expect too much. show less

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 show more 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”. show less

Let's be honest, I was pretty much conflicted on how to rate this rate. It was good enough to be rated over 3 stars but not enough to be 3.5 in which case I would normally round up but it was pretty much borderline... so 3 solid stars it is! I came into this novel not realising it was part of the series and luckily for me this novel could be considered a standalone. 1 points there my friend. Nevertheless, one of the biggest problems I had with "The Girl the Sea Gave Back" was the pacing and the boring ass ending. The whole lead up to the climax left me with anticipation and when it finally came, I was far more than disappointed. Like what the pho (speaking of pho, I should go get some)? It should've been epic. It should've beat out show more everything else that happened in the book but it didn't and everything just seemed rushed, which is how you never want to end a book. Ever. Besides those negative factors, the novel was fairly enjoyable, the fight scenes were brutal and well written, and I would definitely consider reading from author again in the future.

show less

This is apparently the second book in a series by this author, but it's told from different characters in her series. As I did not read the first (nor knew it was a series), I think that it is fine to read this one on it's own as the characters from the first book simply make an appearance occasionally. I found the writing to be enthralling and well-written, and the story intriguing. I thought the story dragged a little bit at times, but that could be my internal arguing with Tova. I assume there will be additional stories in the series as there are still a lot of unanswered questions.

I was browsing the library and saw this book was written by Adrienne Young. Having just read Sky in the Deep I was curious to see what this book was all about. I was pleasantly surprised that it was the same world just years later with Halvard as the main character and all grown up!! I really enjoyed this book, I just feel like we got left with things unfinished! The ending makes me think we might see more from Halvard and Tova later on (at least I hope so). The reason it's a 3/5 was sometimes I got confused jumping from Halvard's and Tova's point of views.

Okay, now definitely NOT as good as book 1 - I didn't realize this was a part of a series - the cover is absolutely STUNNING and it was definitely full of action and adventure. I loved the magical elements to this one, and the twists and turns of every character, I was a bit confused by the end though I'm not mad at it. I think this is going to be one of my auto-buy authors!