Author: Adrienne Young
Publisher: Wednesday Books
Publication Date: 3 September 2019
Pages: 215
Format: eBook- EPUB
Genre: YA/Fantasy
Source: ARC via NetGalley
For as long as she can remember, Tova has lived among the Svell, the people who found her washed ashore as a child and used 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 t ehr une 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 dangerous 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.
Not having read Sky in the Deep, I came to The Girl the Sea Gave Back with no expectations. However, the book really didn't work for me. I read all the way through, but I was bored from start to finish. The concept of the story sounded good in the blurb, but the world building was underwhelming, the timeline felt disjointed, and I didn't connect with any of the characters enough to care about what was happening to them. The romance element, too, felt lacklustre and devoid of depth. There was nothing wrong with the prose per se; the book simply failed to grab me in any meaningful way. I imagine this is going to be a tale that really divides readers, with people either loving it or hating it, with little middle ground. I wish I could have liked it more, as it contained many elements that appealed. They just didn't come together for me as a reader.
I received this book as a free eBook ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
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