August 07, 2019

ARC Review: The Girl The Sea Gave Back by Adrienne Young

The Girl The Sea Gave Back 
Author: Adrienne Young
Publisher: Wednesday Books
Publication Date: September 3, 2019
Pages: 336
Format: Galley/NetGalley

The new gut-wrenching epic from the New York Times bestselling author of Sky in the Deep.

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.

Review: I enjoyed this so much! I really liked that The Girl The Sea Gave Back had a different feel compared to Sky In The Deep but still had a lot of familiar elements and people from it. We got to be introduced to two more of the Viking clans in the area. The Svell, which is the clan Tova has pretty much grown up with, and the Kyrr, the clan that Tova is originally from. And with this book taking place ten years after Sky In The Deep, we get to see not only how the characters from Sky are doing, but also how the joining of the Aska and Riki clans affected the clans around them. 

First lets talk about our faves from Sky In The Deep. We get to see Eelyn, Iri, Fiske, Halvard and Myra again. This just made my heart so happy. I wasn't expecting them to have such a huge role but definitely wasn't disappointed about it. So we find out that the unified Aska/Riki clans are now called the Nadhir. And that Halvard is set to become the next Chieftain of the clan. Guys, little Halvard grew up! He is chosen to be next in line because of him being in the first generation that did not have to fight in the blood feud, the first generation brought up as Nadhir. Despite his own doubts about being Chieftain and whether he's up for it, he really proves himself worthy of the title. We also see the bond that Halvard built with Aghi, Eelyn and Iri's dad. I really loved that Aghi was also like a father to Halvard, especially considering Halvard lost his own when he was younger. I also liked that we got flashbacks into the past, of Halvard's view of certain events that happened in Sky In The Deep. I feel like it definitely not only gave me a better view of those scenes in Sky In The Deep, but also how those events shaped Halvard as he grew after the defeat of the Herja and the clans unified. 

Now lets talk Tova. I found her character really interesting. She's a truthtongue. She can cast the stones and read what the future holds with them. She's not the hardcore fighter that Eelyn was as a main character, but I loved that. She is Kyrr by birth, but brought to the Svell in a funeral boat her parents sent her out to sea in because they thought she was dead. She isn't liked within the Svell and the only reason they really keep her around is because of her ability to read the stones. Most of them even blame her for all the misfortune that goes on in the story even though she only reads the stones. It was interesting seeing her live among people that hated her. Even more so when the Svell decide to go to war with the Nadhir. Tova can sense that so much about the war is wrong, but no one will listen to her. They think that when she cast the stones initially that starting the war would change their fate. While Tova is convinced that its wrong and the war is what causes the fate she read in the stones. We really see Tova struggle with the war since she feels like its her fault so many people are dying just because she cast the stones. Even though it is her "father figure" Jorrund, and the new chieftain Vigdis, who keeps insisting the stones mean the opposite of what Tova tries to tell him they mean. 

I really enjoyed the end, even though I found one particular thing predictable. I loved seeing Tova make her own decision on who to side with based on what she believed from her castings. I also loved seeing what she did for Gunther, who tried to help her when she was younger and even looked out for her and covered for her near the end of the book. I also loved seeing Halvard lead his people in the fight against the Svell. I had this feeling right from the beginning of the book about the Svell and what their outcome would be and I was right. With the way they acted, I just could not see a positive outcome for them. Now the bit I did find super predictable was how the Kyrr came in to play in the war. While they might have always stayed in their own lands, I knew the moment Kjeld left Halvard and his companions on the way back to Hylli after seeing Tova, the only other Kyrr outside of their lands, that they would be playing a part in the ending. However I really did enjoy the outcome with Tova and the Kyrr. It was beautiful. And even though we don't get to see what the stones she cast said, based on the reaction, I suspect its something good and not involving war.