Through the Ever Night by Veronica Rossi

I thought it was about time to release this review…

Summary:

Aria and Perry haven’t seen each other since Aria found her mother dead and Perry defeated Vale for Blood Lord. Although they have been reunited the Tides do not take well to Aria, a former Dweller, and with worsening Aether storms Perry’s hold on the Tides is weakening. Aria has to decide whether leaving Perry behind will allow her to complete the mission Consul Hess has bestowed upon her and allow Perry to continue to lead the Tides.

Perry and Aria will face some of their biggest challenges yet – new temptations, betrayals, and unexpected friendships – can their love survive?

Review:

I was extremely worried I’d be disappointed with this sequel but I wasn’t. Rossi answered many of the questions I had when I was finished with Under the Never Sky. The origin of Aether and the Pods was finally explained and the character development was everything I could ask for as a reader. The book, for fiction, featured some pretty realistic relationship problems and the characters had to make tough decisions. It was not all sunshine and daisies for Aria and Perry. Perry meets another Scire, a female, the first female Scire he’s met besides his sister Liv. Obviously this adds some temptation into his life, especially since Aria ran off to look for the Still Blue with Roar without him. I liked that Rossi allowed Perry to be tempted and not written him the same way most authors in this genre would have – as if no one else in the entire world is as important or interesting or awesome as Aria. Okay, Perry may or may not come to this conclusion eventually, but it’s nice to see he can also, like normal males, see the intrigue in other females. There wasn’t much I could really complain about while reading this book – it was fast paced from the very beginning and there were plenty of things that threw me for a loop. I definitely had a few “WHAT?????!!!!!!” moments. I would highly recommend reading this book, especially if, like me, after the first one you were still a little confused and apprehensive. Trust me, Aria becomes a much stronger character and Perry shows more of his human side which is awesome. I also, of course, enjoyed Roar’s comedic relief as well as his more darker emotions. And finally, A BONUS, Liv makes her grand appearance so we finally get to see if there’s anything left between her and Roar. (YAY)

Under the Never Sky (Under the Never Sky Book #1) by Veronica Rossi

This is a really hard book to write a summary on that makes sense without giving a lot away and being overly confusing,so I will do my best. 

Summary:

Aria and Perry are from two completely different worlds.

Aria is from Reverie, a safe and harmonious place, free from disease, war, and aging. After her mother goes missing, Aria knows she must do what it takes to get her back. When Aria and her friends break into a restricted area of Reverie leading to a fire, Aria is blamed for the incident and exiled from Reverie to the Outside, a place she knows will lead to imminent death. When Perry finds Aria on the Outside, he blames her for his nephew’s (Talon) kidnapping. If only Perry hadn’t broken into the Dweller Fortress and saved Aria from the fire, Talon would still be safe with the Tide’s. But Perry knows that Aria may be his only way to get answers that will lead to getting Talon back and Aria knows that Perry may be her only chance at survival and finding her mother. Can they get past their hate for one another and find the answers they’re looking for? 

 

Review:

As the release date for the second installment of this series drew nearer I decided to re-read the first book since it’s been a couple of months. My first reaction to this book was confusion. Strange names and dual POV through the third person tripped me up a little bit. However, after the first few chapters I was able to get past these issues and really enjoy the book. Although this is classified as a dystopian novel it’s more or less a post-apocalyptic setting. I enjoyed the world that Rossi created but felt that perhaps she should have done a little more explaining about the Aether storms and given a little bit more background on what lead to the creation of the Pods (such as Reverie). What is Aether and what caused these storms to begin? Why do they need the Pods? Perhaps the second book will delve more into these details but it took me two reads to sort through all the details. I can see why this book may be difficult for some to read because of this. Some readers may not have the patience to deal with the strange names and confusing details of Under the Never Sky‘s world. 

I am really, really happy I gave this book a chance and didn’t just stop reading it because it began with confusing details. Rossi’s world is beautiful and after the first few chapters it was hard to tear myself away from it. I loved the way Perry was developed as a character and felt a strong connection to him. The introduction of Roar gave the book some comedic relief and although Aria took about 3/4 of the book to grow on me, I could see her growing from an intolerable, self-pitying character to a character I could really begin to like and respect. 

Normally I devour books, and this book was no exception the first time I read it, but I felt re-reading it at a slower pace helped with my improved enjoyment and really prepared me for the second book.