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The Girl the Sea Gave Back

ebook
1 of 1 copy available
1 of 1 copy available

From Adrienne Young, New York Times bestselling author of Sky in the Deep, comes her new gut-wrenching epic The Girl the Sea Gave Back.

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.

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    • Kirkus

      July 1, 2019
      Able to see the future, a tattooed traveler wonders if she can change it. It's been several years since the long-feuding Riki and Aska clans united to fight the "demon" Herja invaders in Young's debut Sky in the Deep (2018), and the once-bitter enemies have formed unexpected families and friendships. A chief-in-training, 18-year-old Halvard is supposed to lead the newly forged Nādhir in peacetime but instead faces war. Reviled rather than revered by the Svell, Tova--whose tattoos mark her as a Kyrr Truthtongue--predicts the future by reading rune stones and interpreting the Fate Spinners' plans but cannot remember her own past. (Mis)led by violent Vigdis and their Tala's (mis)interpretations of Tova's visions, the ambitious Svell attack the unprepared Nādhir. Soon, battle-untested Halvard races to protect his people while Tova tries to survive the Svell. The forests and fjords suggest a Scandinavian setting, and the weaponry indicates a medieval era. Aside from Tova's seer skills, the tale skews more history than fantasy; tribal gods are worshipped but not witnessed. Battles are described in precise, cinematic detail, as are their terrible consequences, yet resist glorifying violence. Halvard and Tova's world is described as brutal and beautiful--their personal struggles with identity, fate, and community shine against the minimalistic plot and slowly building tension. Even amid violence, the protagonists recognize the humanity of their enemies (or once-enemies, now-allies), and even villains are explored sympathetically. Often grim, sometimes gory, and occasionally sentimental. (Fantasy. 12-18)

      COPYRIGHT(2019) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

    • School Library Journal

      August 23, 2019

      Gr 8 Up-Young's sophomore novel is a fantasy Bildungsroman with Viking flavor, which takes place a decade after her debut Sky in the Deep. Tova has lived as an outsider for as long as she can remember. Washed ashore as a child with no memory, Tova is rescued by a priest and raised to use her Truthtongue foresight to further the Svell's interests. While Tova can read the future by rolling stones, the Fate Spinner deities have plans for the coming conflict between the Svell and the Nadhir, and even Tova's dire warnings can't keep the violence at bay. The novel is told in alternating perspectives between Tova and Halvard (a character from Sky) as they try to navigate clan politics and escalating bloodshed. The Svell are cast early as the villains. Their abuse of Tova is heavily contrasted to the Nadhir, a new clan founded by two tribes who set aside their blood feud and joined together in peace. Young's writing is beautiful, but readers may find that Tova's reliance on Fate and foretelling push her into predictable actions, leading to repetitive chapters. The novel emphasizes character exploration, with Halvard and Tova also sharing a slow, star-crossed romance that is rushed to its conclusion in the last pages. The book spends much of its time building up to a few short battle scenes where the die has, quite literally, already been cast. VERDICT Purchase where Sky in the Deep is popular, as fans will be excited to watch familiar characters navigate clan politics with war on the horizon.-Emmy Neal, Lake Forest Library, IL

      Copyright 2019 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

    • Publisher's Weekly

      October 14, 2019
      As a child, Tova, a seer tattooed ankles to throat with the “twisting, knotted symbols” of the Kyrr, was found in the sea and taken in by the Svell. Now 18, she serves the clan as a Truthtongue, gleaning the future in her runestones, but since the death of the Svell chieftain’s daughter, which Tova foretold, it’s clear that her days are numbered. After the Svell’s unsanctioned attack on a Nādhir village prompts a tragic confrontation, an all-out war breaks out, and Halvard, next in line to be the Nādhir chieftain, fears that he’s not up to the leadership challenge. Set in the same Viking-influenced world as Young’s Sky in the Deep, the novel weaves intricate battle scenes with narratives that alternate between Halvard and Tova, who seeks the truth about her past. But while Tova and Halvard are compelling and their fates are inexorably entwined, their bond isn’t fully explored. Still, lyrical prose (“The fjord changed the land, rivers weaving like roots down the mountain on the way to the sea”) and an evocative atmosphere elevate Young’s tale of war, identity, and fate. Ages 12–18. Agent: Barbara Poelle, Irene Goodman Literary.

Formats

  • Kindle Book
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Languages

  • English

Levels

  • ATOS Level:5.5
  • Interest Level:9-12(UG)
  • Text Difficulty:4

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