The Girl The Sea Gave Back
Adrienne Young
Published by Titan Books
Rating: 4*
This was sent to me by Titan Books after I responded to a tweet which likened Young's new release to Sarah J Maas. I think it was the cover that convinced me most though – it's just so beautiful!
The book alternates between Tova and Halvard. Tova is a Truthtongue; she can read the future. When she washes ashore in a boat, Jorrund takes her under his wing and she becomes a very hated addition to the Svell clan. She is constantly blamed for the events she predicts; if she foresees a death in the future, she is blamed for making that death happen.
Halvard is the future leader of the new Nadhir clan. I don't think his character was as developed in this book because he featured in Young's previous book: Sky in the Deep. While this book can stand on its own, I think there are scenes that can be appreciated more if you'd read her other book, such as moments between Halvard and his family. As this was my first Young book, some of these moments were lost on me. I found myself more drawn to Tova's point of view because she is fully introduced and developed to all readers.
The plot progresses as the Sven clan become power hungry and create a conflict with the new Nadhir clan. Using Tova's predictions to elicit a war, the two perspectives meet on a battle ground. The prose is beautifully written, especially the fight scenes. And Young sure doesn't back away from killing off her characters. The one thing that did take me some getting used to was the pacing; some of the scenes with both Tova and Halvard are told twice, once from his perspective and a second time from hers. I think at times this often halted the pacing, especially on the fight scenes.
I appreciated this book in a way that may not have been intended. I wasn't invested in the romance between Tova and Halvard because they only met twice. I'm a big moaner about insta-love in books. Instead, I was more drawn to their self progression. Halvard learnt how to become a leader and to stop fearing whether the older members of the clan would follow him. Tova learnt that she can choose who her clan is, and to stop feeling guilt for the predictions she makes; they are destined to come true anyway. To me, the final scene wasn't about them finding love, it was about them finding themselves.
A solid 4*. I'd definitely read a book written by Adrienne Young again. If she sticks with the Viking inspired stories, I'd love some more descriptions of the gods they worship. We got a bit of world building in this one, explaining how Truth telling works in terms of Tova, and I found that so interesting, I'd definitely want more!
This book is out today so let me know what you think!
Happy reading :)