Review for Into The Still Blue (Under The Never Sky #3) by Veronica Rossi

TITLE: Into The Still Blue
SERIES: Under The Never Sky #3
AUTHOR: Veronica Rossi
PUBLICATION DATE: January 28, 2014
PUBLISHER: HarperCollins
PAGES: 400 pages
FORMAT: E-ARC
SOURCE: Edelweiss
RATING: 4 bows

Perry and Aria have moved not only the Tides, Perry’s tribe, but also all the Dweller’s they rescued from the pod, into the caves down by the beach. The aether storms are getting worse and it’s predicted that within a month, they will no longer to be able to set foot outside the cave without death or serious injury from it. The Still Blue must be found because the cave’s supplies are dwindling. Aria & Perry set off to rescue Cinder from Sable & Hess. They believe he is the key to entering this safe space of land, though nothing is certain. On this journey, they find out more than they ever wanted to know, that Cinder really is the key to the Still Blue, but can he survive the crossing? And can Perry live with himself if he doesn’t?

We get one final glimpse at this whole gang and I’m left wanting so much more. Perry & Aria grow closer and stronger, nothing major changes with them here. Roar slowly climbs out of his grief over Liv, though I don’t see how he can manage it. Brooke is less bitch-y and nicer to everyone, even helping the dwellers some. Soren becomes a bigger player, helping the gang get to Sable & Hess’s camp and hacking in. And Cinder, poor Cinder, is strong and brave.

Overall, I believe I enjoyed this, but I didn’t love it and I definitely feel a bit unsatisfied. The story was great and interesting, bringing the characters back to life in this installment, but I hated the way the ending play out and the deaths. I’m pretty vocal on my hatred of character deaths, especially ones that I feel were avoidable. That’s one of the many reasons I will never read the Divergent trilogy because I know that’ll just piss me off to no end. The second half felt overly predictable.****SPOILER****Of course Soren and Brooke are going to develop a thing for each other. Of course Sable is going to betray everyone who dares to partner with him. And of fucking course Cinder has to die. That make me so angry. You just killed a goddamn kid. A KID! Who did nothing wrong. I get the whole sacrifice for the greater good, but just fucking don’t. There had to be another way.****END SPOILER****

Aria finally gets to learn about her father here and that was an interesting twist. I think it was the only one I didn’t see coming immediately. I wanted to hate him, and though he made it easy in the beginning, neither I nor Aria could really hate him. You also get to see even more of “good” Soren, which made me endlessly happy. I loved the turn of events, getting to see hims how the good side and have a legitimate reason for going psycho. I really would like to see more of his side of the story, how things worked inside the pod through the events of Through The Ever Night.

If you are just looking for a novel that wraps up the story and gives you more of Aria & Perry, than this is exactly what you are looking for. The story ties up relatively well, giving the majority of the characters the happily ever after they were seeking. It is a bit too predictable and has a few too many character deaths for me to truly love it, so I’m just a tad disappointed. If character deaths isn’t an issue, than you’ll adore this as much as it’s predecessors, otherwise, have a few tissues at the ready!

****Thank you to HarperCollins for providing me with an eARC via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review****

Review for Under The Never Sky (Under The Never Sky #1) by Veronica Rossi

TITLE: Under The Never Sky
SERIES: Under The Never Sky #1
AUTHOR: Veronica Rossi
PUBLICATION DATE: January 3, 2012
PUBLISHER: HarperTeen, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers
PAGES: 376 pages
FORMAT: Hardback
SOURCE: Purchased
RATING: 4 bows

Aria’s changed forever that night in Ag6. Her closest friend died and now she finds she’s been exiled from her home because she knows too much. With little hope of surviving, Aria decides to just pick a direction and walk. She’ll either be electrocuted by an Aether storm or eaten by cannibals or simply starve to death, but that’s no reason to just lie down and just wait for it. Along her walk, she meets Perry. He’s the outsider she glimpsed that night in Ag6, but closer up she can see how savage he really is. He is her only hope of survival. Perry has fought his entire life. He’s the brother of Tides’ Blood Lord and he desperately wants the title for his own. He’d never challenge his brother because of the damage that would do to his relationship with his beloved nephew, Talon. Then Talon is stolen from him and he needs Aria to help get him back. Something unexpected sparks between them that will change all their lives forever.

Aria was initially annoying. She was doing things she knew she shouldn’t and her friend gets killed because of her actions. Her actions once outside the pod greatly improved my opinion of her. She doesn’t whine and refuses to give up, especially when Perry expects her to. She shows just the right level of anxiety and fear, but still manages to push through and keep up with Perry’s antics. By the end, I genuinely liked her and that’s not something I can say often for female YA characters. Usually they start off bad and just get worse. By the end, I’m usually not-so-secretly wishing cruel deaths upon her because I think the story’s hero deserves someone better. Aria beats the odds though.

Then we have Peregrine. I felt sympathy for him almost immediately, with his desperate need to help Talon in anyway possible. That need motivates him to do things he’d never consider otherwise. Watching how protective he gets over Aria makes me see that swoon-worthy side that I kept hearing about on the blog-o-sphere. That’s when the magic really happens, watching both him and Aria overcome their prejudice about the other. Watching them both realize that the stereotypes in their head don’t really match up with the reality in front of them. Perry isn’t as savage as Aria first assumes and Aria is much more intelligent than Perry initially gives her credit for.

Then, there is the side character that sort of stole the show: Roar. He’s Perry’s best friend and he’s so funny and charming that you can’t help but love him instantly. He’s that character that always has a snarky comeback, but will walk through hell for his best friends. The fact that he is completely in love with Liv, Perry’s sister, even though he knows their romance is doomed to fail just makes me love him more. These two better get a happy ending. You hear me Perry? Make sure you find a way for them, consequences be damned.

……what else to say? I’m awfully glad that I didn’t start reading this until I after I was approved for the E-ARC of book 3! It’s not that it ends with a major cliffhanger, just a much more minor one with the main story wrapping up, but leaving the future open. It’s more that I want more and I desperately want to see the reunion between Perry & Aria. It’s funny, because I rushed through this so I could start Crash Into You by Katie McGarry because I just got approved for it and I am DYING to read Isaiah’s story, but, now that I’m finished, I’m torn on which to read next: Crash Into You or Through The Ever Night.

But Rossi manages to leave out the insta-love and love triangles, so I’m full of praise for this. Except that I’m pretty sure we’ll see a triangle develop in the next book, I’m going to pretend I don’t feel that coming.

This is a brilliantly written dysopian. It’s filled with perfectly flawed characters and a truly interesting story. It is just a little predictable, but somehow that doesn’t make me love it less. It’s a little slow to start, but completely worth the effort.