Sky in the Deep by Adrienne Young (review)

War is Eelyn’s life as an Aska: if she’s not on the battlefield fighting her clan’s enemy, the Riki, she’s training for it with blades, axes, and brute strength. In the middle of the clans’ latest clash, Eelyn sees her brother Iri—who she thought died five years ago—fighting for the enemy. Following him after the battle, she is horrified to see that he has been living with the Riki this entire time and has adopted their ways. She’s put into servitude after the Riki inevitably capture her, but when the otherworldly Herja attack and destroy both Riki and Aska villages, Eelyn and Iri realize they may be the only ones who can unite the clans against this deadly threat. The blood spills fast and furiously at the start the book, as the details of battle and animal sacrifices are described in all their gore, but the violence isn’t so much titillating as it is a realistic portrait of a brutal war fought with axes, swords, and daggers. Eelyn is a relentlessly fierce warrior, and even her romance with a Riki fighter doesn’t quite soften her; indeed, the two find that their lust for blood is almost as strong as their lust for each other. The conclusion that has both the Riki and Aska realizing the humanity of the other side is a bit pat, but the action on the battlefield and the rising political tensions between the clans will easily keep readers involved through the final page.