Blog Tour organized by Wednesday Books
GUYS, I cannot express to you how much I loved this book. And yes, I know there's a lot of hype around it, but for me it's totally warranted. I actually waited a while to start this because I was so worried that the story wouldn't live up to my high expectations. But it just cut all of those expectations to pieces. With a sharp axe. And then it exceeded them.
Below are some brief thoughts on this book - sometimes the more I love a story, the less I say about it, which was the case here. After that, author Adrienne Young stops by to answer some questions, including her thoughts on love triangles. Don't miss that.
by Adrienne Young
Read: January 21 - 28, 2018
Published: April 24, 2018 by Wednesday Books
Source: NetGalley (TY Macmillan!)
Category: YA, Historical, Fantasy, Vikings, Family, Standalones, Enemies-to-Love
Find: Goodreads | Amazon | B&N | Book Depository | Indiebound
Book Description: OND ELDR. BREATHE FIRE.
Raised to be a warrior, seventeen-year-old Eelyn fights alongside her Aska clansmen in an ancient, rivalry against the Riki clan. Her life is brutal but simple: fight and survive. Until the day she sees the impossible on the battlefield—her brother, fighting with the enemy—the brother she watched die five years ago.
Faced with her brother's betrayal, she must survive the winter in the mountains with the Riki, in a village where every neighbor is an enemy, every battle scar possibly one she delivered. But when the Riki village is raided by a ruthless clan thought to be a legend, Eelyn is even more desperate to get back to her beloved family.
She is given no choice but to trust Fiske, her brother’s friend, who sees her as a threat. They must do the impossible: unite the clans to fight together, or risk being slaughtered one by one. Driven by a love for her clan and her growing love for Fiske, Eelyn must confront her own definition of loyalty and family while daring to put her faith in the people she’s spent her life hating.
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My Brief Book Thoughts:
Wow. Sky and the Deep was incredible. Ferocious and thoughtful and intensely character focused. The strong theme of family and loyalty plus an achy slow building romance that was even sweeter for the wait to get there, all made this a completely addicting read. Eelyn had my heart from beginning to end, and I became totally focused on her complicated emotional and physical journey through this book. Nothing this girl faced was easy but she was fierce through it all.
Love Triangle Factor: None
Cliffhanger Scale: Stand-alone. More of these gorgeous fantasy standalones, please.
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Q&A With Author Adrienne Young
Q: What’s one quality that Eelyn brings out of Fiske and vice versa? If they suddenly discovered they were were-beasts along with Iri, what form would they each take?
Adrienne Young: I think they bring the same thing out of each other – vulnerability. If there were were-beasts, Eelyn would be a raven, Fiske a bear, and Iri a stag.
Q: I was excited to see you at ALA Midwinter this year, especially when we had a little discussion about love triangles that made my heart so happy. For all my Love is Not a Triangle readers, would you tell me again your thoughts on triangles?
AY: I really hate love triangles. I think the reason is that I can’t relate to them at all. They feel unrealistic to me and I’m loyal to the core, so I can’t root for more than one person and it makes me angry at the main character for being so divided. I don’t get the love triangle appeal at all.
Q: What type of research did you do for your
characters and world-building? What languages did you study to implement the
languages that the Aska and the Riki speak? What was the strangest thing you
had to research for this book?
AY: I did a ton of research for this
story. I actually really love to research things so it was a lot of fun. A lot
of it was stuff like clothing, landscape, weapons, food, etc. But I did a lot
of research into Norse mythology as well to build a foundation for this world.
The language used is Old Norse, but it’s a dead language so studying it was
really difficult. There is a lot of controversy about it among scholars and
there’s no real way to fully understand it, so I just did my best based on my
own investigation. I’m definitely not an expert! The weirdest thing I had to
research was how to tear out someone’s eyeball. Yuck.
Q: What was your writing process like for SKY IN
THE DEEP?
AY: Complete and utter obsession. When I
draft, I get really buried in the world and I don’t really come up for air
until I get to the end. I write as much as I can and limit my intake of other
influencers that could mess with my mindset. I don’t watch TV or movies or
listen to music that’s not on my playlist, and I kind of don’t have a social
life until it’s done.
Q: Any details about the companion novel?
AY: I can’t say anything about the
companion novel yet! But I’m hoping that we can start talking about it soon
because I am really excited about it!
Adrienne Young is a born and bred Texan turned California girl. She is a foodie with a deep love of history and travel and a shameless addiction to coffee. When she’s not writing, you can find her on her yoga mat, scouring antique fairs for old books, sipping wine over long dinners, or disappearing into her favorite art museums. She lives with her documentary filmmaker husband and their four little wildlings beneath the West Coast sun.
Follow the author: Twitter | Website | Instagram | Goodreads
This one sounds so good! I can't wait to read it, hype be darned :)
ReplyDeleteEee, yessss. I am SO thrilled that you loved this book so much :D Stunning tour post lovely. <3 I took part this day too :D And gosh, how I loved this book as well. Cannot wait to re-read it. <3 Thank you for sharing Lauren :)
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