Review: Through the Ever Night by Veronica Rossi

Title: Through the Ever Night (Under the Never Sky #2)
Author: Veronica Rossi
Release Date: January 8th, 2013
Publisher: HarperTeen
Page Count: 352
Source: Borrowed from the New York Public Library
Rating: Delicious/Stunning/Heartwrenching/ASJKSNRYHJ (etc.)

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.

[Summary Source: Goodreads]

THE REVIEW

After a long winter apart, Aria (along with Roar) makes her way back to Perry,mostly to find out that the Tides ain't having it. Especially the ladies who are all like "YO. Perry's berries are mine." (I can't even believe I just wrote that, but whatever.) But, like, those are the least of EVERYONE'S worries. The Aether storms are getting worse, people are disgruntled with Perry's management skills (to say the least), there are raiders and, there's the question that plagued us all book 1: WHERE THE HELL IS LIV?

Let's Break This Down:

Okay. I just need to start with: GLORY HALLELUJAH THERE IS AN EXPLANATION FOR THE AETHER. I think there was like one long paragraph in the whole book that quickly explained everything enough for me to be like: OKAY I'M ON BOARD VERONICA ROSSI. I think I sighed of relief when I read it.

There's also something of a clearer picture of how the Aether works and what it looks like. It's still not something I can totally imagine, but that's fine, because I don't need that. Like, I'm not one of those people who can picture described faces and placed and whatever. I just get blurry images and feels and that's enough. And now I have BOTH of those for the Aether and the dystopian/sci-fi world Veronica Rossi's built for the readers.

Now that I've gotten my GLORY HALLELUJAH out, I'd like to drop to the floor and roll around in pure, giddy glee over the whole Aria/Perry relationship. It's the most perfect relationship I have ever read. Ever. They're both a little insecure in the whole thing in totally believable, amazing ways. But when these two are together? It's like the whole freaking world stands still. There were lines that made me squeal and squirm, lines that had me sighing in content/joy/amazement. I wish I had more words to push this ship across the relationship sea, but I just don't. I'm actually sitting here right now, sighing and smiling as I think about it.

And NOW I'm all relationship bliss-ed out.

What else did I love? Well, I LOVED Roar and Liv. Liv and Roar. Roar and Liv. My heart and my second, wannabe Gallifreyan heart are sobbing over this pair right here. They're so tragic and lovely and broken and UGH. If you've read my review of Under the Never Sky (which you SHOULD), you know I LOVE Roar. He's just so unbelievably amazing, even just in book 1 when Liv wasn't actually around. And then you throw in Liv and that whole thing with the angst and the stuff and the spoilers and I JUST CANNOT. There's also his relationship with Aria, which is similarly delightful and complex and amazing.

Yeah. That last paragraph really made no sense (as usual), but ugh. UGH. If you've read, you know and if you haven't read, I really have no idea what you're doing here because you should have this book in your hands, eyes speeding across the pages RIGHT NOW.

It's also worth noting that sometimes Book 2 in trilogies aren't so great/surprise the pants off you in a jarring way you either take in stride or walk away from. They'll either fall flat or confuse or take you somewhere completely unexpected. But Through the Ever Night goes everywhere I wanted it to and more. It confronted the issues and questions I had and made me feel amazing about this series in a way I don't think any other second book has managed. Not to mention, the writing - both the dialogue between characters AND the prose - is smooth and lovely (even BETTER than the first book, I think).

Oh. And Cinder? Talon? BESTIES. MY. BESTIES. I love the two of them and I only want GOOD THINGS for them. Always.

I totally want to keep talking and freaking out about this book but I really feel that if you don't already want to read this series based on what I've written so far, you're never going to want to read this book. In which case we can never speak again.

(Just kidding.)

(Not really.)

(But yes. Kidding.)

The long and short of it?

Plot: This books it the winner of The Plot Perfection Prize.
World Building: An amazing addition to an already pretty great series that really elevates the whole thing.
Character Development: ARIA. PERRY. ROAR. LIV. CINDER. TALON. WHAT? UGH. Keep with the development, my darlings. Keep.
Prose: Can I read words like these always? ALWAYS? I mean:
“"Do you ever miss anything?" Perry smiled. "You, all the time."” And I totally wasn't going to quote anything this review because I would end up quoting the whole book but that one COULD NOT go unmentioned.
Would I Recommend This Book?: I think the first book in this series is A LITTLE rough around the edges, which might put some people off, but I'd say push through on the first one because the second is JUST THAT GOOD. This is even one of the dystopians I'd recommend to NON-dystopian readers, it's so good. And maybe that's because there's a little sci-fi thrown in, or maybe just because the romance is astounding. But yeah. Read this series.

Love Perry? Love Roar? How about Aria and Liv? Tell me ALL about your preferences in the comments below - even if you've only read Under the Never Sky. But if you haven't read that one, GET TO IT, WOULD YOU?

BUT WAIT. THERE'S MORE:

JUST IN CASE YOU MISSED IT. EW HOSTED THE COVER REVEAL FOR INTO THE STILL BLUE THIS MORNING AND IT IS GLORIOUS. I'm not going to jack the image off the EW website because APPARENTLY you can read the first 3 chapters on the site, so clearly you're gonna wanna do that.

Are you still here? YOU SHOULDN'T BE. GO. GOGOGOGO.