Sky in the Deep

 Young, Adrienne. Sky in the Deep. 2018. 340p. ISBN 978-1-2501-6845-0. Available at FIC YOU on the library shelves.

Deep in the snows of the North, clans live in specific areas and fight one another for supremacy. The Aska, who live in the fjords by the sea, are mortal enemies with the Riki, who dwell in the mountains. Every five years, in a blood feud ritual as old as the world itself, warriors of the two clans meet and fight for honor and glory. Raids are also conducted, but these tend to be smaller affairs.

Eelyn first joined the field of battle when she was 12. At that age, Aska children serve in the rear-guard, dispatching wounded enemy fighters and learning the craft of war. Eelyn served as her brother Iri's support, but when she saw him being savagely slashed and then falling off a cliff, Eelyn lost a part of herself.

Five years on, Eelyn enters the battle against the Riki, this time as a full-fledged warrior. During the battle, Eelyn is injured by a Riki fighter, but as he's about to deliver the killing blow she swears she sees her dead brother coming to interfere. The Riki warrior leaves her on the battlefield. Convinced that Iri's spirit visited her, Eelyn rejoins the battle the next day, only to see Iri again. Following him into the woods, she is captured by the Riki, who take her back to their village where she becomes a slave in the house of her captor, Fiske. 

She is reunited with Iri, who did in fact survive what should have been a mortal wound, and who has joined Fiske's family and is slated to be wedded to a Riki girl. At first, all Eelyn wants to do is escape and return to the Aska, but as hours turn into days she slowly realize that Riki are more similar to Aska than she thought they would be. 

When another tribe raids both Riki and Aska, destroying villages and killing inhabitants, the two clans find themselves isolated and greatly diminished. Only an alliance will allow them to survive. Can the clans, like Eelyn, learn to live with a mortal enemy to fight a greater threat?

A nordic-inspired tale, this story features a strong female character who is driven to protect her family and her home. Fans of fantasy will appreciate the world building, despite the lack of magic.