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.
The Review
Facebook suggestions scores again! I'm obsessed with this story and even more so with Eelyn. I have always been a fan of stories with opposing sides that have to band together to defeat a greater enemy and this fit that bill. I'm also a sucker for enemies to lovers. Again: check-mark.
Sky in the Deep is a story about two clans who are mortal enemies. Every spring they meet to wage battle in the name of their gods, Sigr and Thora. Eelyn is captured and her life is flipped upside down, confronted with the reality of the loss of her brother and everything she has ever believed about her enemy.
I liked the romance in this story, because it happens so naturally. It's everything I would have expected and I am not disappointed in the least. Eelyn and Fiske are perfectly matched. The relationship dynamics are epic across the board. Friendship troubles, sibling angst, guilt over feeling something definitely not negative about a people you've been taught that you should. There is SO MUCH drama and I cried through the first half right along with her.
The writing is gorgeous and so vivid that I read it in one sitting without even meaning to. It was just too pretty and engrossing to stop. 5 out 5 stars and one of my favorites that I've read in a while.
