Book Review: Through the Ever Night

Through the Ever Night (Under the Never Sky #2)

By: Veronica Rossi

Published By: Harper

Publication Date: January 2013

Page Count: 352

Buy it at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or IndieBound

Source: Purchased by Reviewer

Audience: Young Adult - Science Fiction, Dystopian

Read my Review of Short Story #0.5: Roar and Liv

Read my Review of Book #1: Under the Never Sky

First, if you have not read this series, you're seriously missing out and need to start. Second, I'm not sure I can write a review that can truly convey how I feel about this book and the others in the series. I adore these characters; their joys and sorrows are my own. I love the world that Veronica Rossi has so lovingly created. Her writing is some of the most descriptive and beautiful prose that I have found in YA literature. Reading a Rossi novel is truly an experience you won't soon forget - this series is the perfect mixture of action, adventure, romance, and heartache.

Through the Ever Night begins a few months after Under the Never Sky ends. Perry has returned to The Tides and is their reigning Blood Lord. Meanwhile, Aria and Roar have been training at Delphi. When Hess gives Aria an impossible mission, she accepts without hesitation because if she succeeds, Hess will let Talon go free. Aria must do everything she can to save Perry's nephew, but finding the Still Blue is an elusive goal. The legends may not even be true and the land where the Aether doesn't reach may be a mere dream.

Through the Ever Night has just as much heart pounding moments as the first novel, but it does take awhile for the momentum to build. Aria and Perry are living in situations that are vastly different from their lives in book one. Perry has more responsibility and his loyalty is to his tribe. He finds that balancing his heart and his duty is a more difficult feat than he could ever imagine. Aria isn't accepted by the Tides and she finds herself trying to save Talon and protect Perry. As the environment ramps up its wrath, both characters are racing to save those they love from certain death.

The theme of choice is one that runs heavily through this narrative. Almost every character is faced with the dilemma of choosing love or duty. I immediately thought I would choose love, but as the tension in the novel grows I began to realize that the choice is not a simple one. The relationship between Roar and Liv illustrates this notion perfectly. Roar loves Liv with all of his heart and is willing to give up everything (even his life) to be with her. Liv, on the other hand, struggles with wanting to be with Roar and marrying Sable to save the Tides. Her shoes are not ones I would ever want to fill.

I did love this one, but it was difficult for me to warm up to the fact that Perry and Aria were separated for most of the story. They have two very different purposes in this story. It was a shift for me since in the first novel they are together almost constantly. The narration rotates between the two so the reader always knows what's happening for both characters. Their longing for one another and their fear over their circumstances creates a delicious sense of tension. I was so invested in them both - maybe more so than I was in the first novel. I tried to read this one slowly and to savor every sentence, but in the end I read like a fiend. My need to know the entire story trumped my need to make this one last.

This series is one of my favorites. Veronica Rossi needs to write faster! The wait for Into the Still Blue will be excruciating.

One Last Gripe: I want to punch Sable in the throat. That is all.

My Favorite Thing About This Book: The characters

First Sentence: Aria was here.

Favorite Character: It's a three way tie between Perry, Aria, and Roar. I adore them all.

Least Favorite Character: Kirra 

Summary:

It's been months since Aria last saw Perry. Months since Perry was named Blood Lord of the Tides, and Aria was charged with an impossible mission. Now, finally, they are about to be reunited. But their reunion is far from perfect. The Tides don't take kindly to Aria, a former Dweller. And with the worsening Aether storms threatening the tribe's precarious existence, Aria begins to fear that leaving Perry behind might be the only way to save them both. Threatened by false friends, hidden enemies, and powerful temptations, Aria and Perry wonder,Can their love survive through the ever night? In this second book in her spellbinding Under the Never Sky trilogy, Veronica Rossi combines fantasy and dystopian elements to create a captivating love story as perilous as it is unforgettable.