#BlogTour-‘The Girl The Sea Gave Back’ by Adrienne Young

About the book…

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.

‘The Girl The Sea Gave Back’ is out now in paperback and I would urge you to get it, it’s just fantastic!
Set in the same world as ‘Sky In The Deep’, ten years later, this is a welcome return to this world and I can absolutely guarentee that as a lover of fantast and feminist, woman centred fiction, you will love it as much as her first book. It honestly is that good. I have been feeling a deep and abiding sorrow since the end of ‘‘Game Of Thrones’ ended, I had no idea how much I needed epic fantasy in my life until I read this and a couple of other books that will feature in upcoming reviews, and this one is very special.

Tova has survived death 3 times in the very prologue of the story. Cast out in a funeral boat by her people,the Kyrr, believing she had died at the age of 6, her boat is set on fire and left to the elements. Recovered from the sea by Svell Spinner Jorrund, she is seen by them as a harbinger of death yet they dare not kill her as she is covered with ancient prayer runes and is also a ‘Seer of Truth’ for when she casts the rune stones held in a purse around her neck, she is never wrong.

Growing up amongst the Svell, it is thought that she was sacrificed to the Kyrr gods and was abandoned, little does Tuva know that she was believed to have died and been cast off by her grief stricken parents.

As she grows, her talent for the runes does too, except that her accuracy in contrast with the Spinners prophecy casts shadows-at the start of the book, she predicts the death of the Svell leader, Bekan’s, daughter and his grief stricken state has allowed his subordinates to go on unauthorised killing expeditions to other villages. Bekan refuses to go to war, this is not the Svell way after so many people have died due to being brough up under the cloud of god led bloodfeuds. But if Bekan cannot control his people and cannot lead , there will only be more war and death in everyone’s future. You don’t need to be a Truthtongue to see this.

This is a great read which I feel is suitable for more than just Y.A readers, in case anyone reading this is put off by that categorisation.

It is fantasy with a Viking twist, a great mythology is built up without being hammered home, the story is told to you rather than you being hit over the head with references to things which have happened before or presumed knowledge. There are appearances by characters from ‘Sky In The Deep,’ most notably Halvard,but you do not need to have read that to read this.

My only sticking point was struggling to place all the names of the tribes, I think a list of their names and the gods they follow, maybe a family tree might help, so that you can remember who is who. I found the names a bit difficult to remember , but that is probably on me as a reader and my personal preferences are for books.

The battle scenes are terrific- and I think, maybe I read too deeply given the current state of affairs-that there is a lot to say about the nature of ‘belonging’ and ‘otherness’. In a world where we are constantly drawing battle lines and saying who is welcome and who is not, surrounded by fear and supposition, a fantasy novel like this says more about acceptance,love and togetherness than any news bulletin. yes it is violent and yes people die but the central notion about destiny, fate and your path to being yourself are central motifs of nearly all fiction. I absolutely love that the women are warriors too and there is no differentiation between them and the men. They fight to protect their right to be free only when there is no other choice and I am so hopeful for more books based in this world

Mountain sized thanks to the team at Titan Books for my gifted review copy, the cover artist has done another amazing job and it is absolutely gorgeous!

About the author…

YA fantasy author, ‘Sky In The Deep’, ‘The Girl The Sea Gave Back’(9/3/19) & the upcoming FABLE duology from Wednesday Books. Agent: Barbara Poelle, IGLA

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.

Links-http://adrienneyoungbooks.com/

Twitter @adriennebooks

@TitanBooks