Ever since she washed up on the shore as a child, Tova has lived among the Svell people. Never truly viewed as an equal, she uses her gift as a Truthtongue, an interpreter of runes, to help the Svell. Now the leaders of the Svell are divided on the subject of war and turn to Tova to cast the stones to decide their fate. In doing so she sets off a chain of events that will change her world forever.

To be honest, I didn’t love this book. When I started it I was unaware that it was sort of a sequel to the Sky in the Deep, and I think that was part of the problem. I quickly became confused with the story. There was a lot of similar-sounding names and characters, and I had a hard time keeping track of who was who and what tribe they were apart of, etc.

I liked both Tova and Halvard as characters and enjoyed their unique perspectives. The story was interesting, but not compelling, and by the time I became interested in the storyline and the characters, the book was mostly over. 

I think this was really an example of judging the book by the cover. I instantly fell in love with the gorgeous cover art and intriguing title and thought the story would have more to do with the sea and mythology. Instead, it was focused on war, superstition, and belonging. It was a good story, just not for me.