With a gorgeous cover comes a gorgeous novel. While this book moved slower than Sky in the Deep, it still had the marvelous character development, the melodic writing, and all the Viking aesthetic I could ever wish for. I loved the addition of a new character, Tova, and her journey to find out who she is and where she belongs. And I absolutely loved seeing all the characters I miss from Sky in the Deep. It makes my heart so happy to know what Eelyn and Fiske have been up to, and this book made me fall in love with Halvard.
This book is deeply intrenched in the Viking aesthetic, which was my favorite part about reading it. The lore with the gods and their relationships with the people are fascinating and well constructed. In this book, the gods and fate had a greater part to play, especially with Tova, and I enjoyed that different aspect of this world. It seems like the world building grew so much from Sky in the Deep.
I do wish this book was longer. I wanted more substance with Tova's relationships with Jorrund, Gunter, and Halvard. I also just want more of Tova. I feel this book barely scratched the surface of who she is, leaving me with wanting more. However, I did love the insights from the chapters set in the past, and I enjoyed the changing point-of-views between Tova and Halvard.
At its core, this book is about fate and choice, an interesting contradiction to explore. I think it's a worthy sequel to Sky in the Deep, even though it didn't quite live up to my expectations. I still enjoyed it and would reread it again along with Sky in the Deep. Adrienne Young has a talent for storytelling, and I'm quite sad this is her last Viking novel for the time being. But I'm gearing up for her next book, Fable, releasing next year. Without a doubt, she is one of my favorite authors of all time.
Writing Aesthetic/Style: 5
Plot/Movement: 4
Character Development: 4
Overall: 4
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