I've been waiting for an eternity to read [b:Sky in the Deep|34726469|Sky in the Deep (Sky in the Deep, #1)|Adrienne Young|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1508350209l/34726469._SY75_.jpg|55907957] and understand all the excitement for Adrienne Young's books. I read "The Girl the Sea Gave Back" first and now I understand the hype! Before I continue with my review, I do recommend reading the books in order to best understand them. I missed several references and subplots because I haven't read "Sky in the Deep" yet.



I will read anything about mythology. Mostly I've read Greek mythology, but I wanted to read more series about Norse culture. This series is perfect for that! There's a stream of consciousness style of mythology storytelling, so much so that you don't want the background detail to ever go away. It's clear that Young did her research because mythology is tied in with the overall plot. Whenever Tova specifically was ruminating on Viking lore, I couldn't stop reading. You can tell that Tova is enjoying the mythology just as much as you are!



Speaking of Tova, she was my favorite character hands down. First of all, her name is badass. Second, she tries her best to be a good person despite all the obstacles in her path. I admire that more than anything else in a main character. I'm relieved that she finally got closure in the end. Hopefully though we get to see more of Tova in the future! I can't wait to see Tova grow and gain confidence in future stories. She's so dynamic and powerful in such an empathetic way.



Overall I couldn't get enough of this story. Young takes an unknown and perilous atmosphere and fills it with lovable characters and meaningful dialogue. This is a must read for anyone who enjoyed the [b:Red Queen|22328546|Red Queen (Red Queen, #1)|Victoria Aveyard|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1449778912l/22328546._SY75_.jpg|25037051] series, [b:To Kill a Kingdom|34499221|To Kill a Kingdom|Alexandra Christo|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1524322945l/34499221._SY75_.jpg|47852101], [b:Everless|32320661|Everless (Everless, #1)|Sara Holland|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1497994448l/32320661._SY75_.jpg|52952286] and the [b:The Lightning Thief|28187|The Lightning Thief (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, #1)|Rick Riordan|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1400602609l/28187._SY75_.jpg|3346751].