Sky in the Deep

.span style = 'font-weight:bold'>Gr 9 Up—Eelyn was born an Aska warrior. She was raised to fight the Riki clan beyond any shadow of a doubt. Her brother was her fighting partner until that fateful day when he was lost. She will never forgive herself. This fighting season she refuses to lose another partner, but ends up losing something else entirely—her values. She finds herself a slave of her enemies, but are they so different from her clan as she has always been told? When another enemy clan, the Herja, threaten both the Aska and Riki clans they must come together and fight or both clans will be lost forever. Young has woven a Viking tale of blood, gore, and love that keeps the pages turning. The author has taken Norse mythology and made it accessible to young adults. The characters are all fully developed, and teens will be rooting for them to succeed. With a little bit of a love story, there is enough action, blood, and gore to engage reluctant readers. A refreshing tale where life is tested and people have to overcome their differences to fight a bigger foe to survive.