Title: Into the Still Blue (Under the Never Sky #3)
Author: Veronica Rossi
Release Date: January 28th, 2014
Publisher: HarperCollins
Page Count: 400
Source: ARC borrowed from work
First Reaction: The perfect end for my perfect babies.
Their love and their leadership have been tested. Now it's time for Perry and Aria to unite the Dwellers and the Outsiders in one last desperate attempt to bring balance to their world.
The race to the Still Blue has reached a stalemate. Aria and Perry are determined to find this last safe-haven from the Aether storms before Sable and Hess do-and they are just as determined to stay together.
Meanwhile, time is running out to rescue Cinder, who was abducted by Hess and Sable for his unique abilities. And when Roar returns to camp, he is so furious with Perry that he won't even look at him, and Perry begins to feel like they have already lost.
Out of options, Perry and Aria assemble a team to mount an impossible rescue mission-because Cinder isn't just the key to unlocking the Still Blue and their only hope for survival, he's also their friend. And in a dying world, the bonds between people are what matter most.
In this final book in her stunning Under the Never Sky trilogy, Veronica Rossi raises the stakes to their absolute limit and brings her epic love story to an unforgettable close.
[Summary Source: Goodreads]
THE REVIEW
The end is nigh. The aether storms are getting worse. The Tides have to get themselves and their people to the Still Blue or face certain death. However, Hess and Sable have taken all the hovers and kidnapped Cinder, making it almost impossible for the Tides to make their way to safety. Obviously, Perry and Aria aren't about to take any of this lying down, and that's where this book picks up.
Goodbye, My Babies
So this book picks up pretty much where the last book left off. Like I mentioned, the Tides are basically screwed, so Perry gathers the troops (including an injured Aria, drunk Roar, Brooke and Soren) and goes to make some trouble for the baddies. Things start off well, but then everything quickly gets all kinds of messy when real life butts in.
Which I think is one of my favorite part of this book. There's no easy way out. Everything has to be fought for. There are even times when I'm like: Okay, they've been challenged enough, time for... no? More strife? Well, I suppose that's ok - WAIT WHAT JUST HAPPENED? And then your mind is blown away to a place you never thought it'd be taken because there's such thing as cruelty and even though it's realistic cruelty, Veronica Rossi is going to take it there. But that's not really news because this here is an author who's never held back. Just (re)read the first two books in this series if you're not sure.
And it's under the extreme situations found in this book that Perry and Aria shine. They're just so brilliant, sympathetic, and strong. Also, they make the perfect pair. I'm not just referring to the more heated moments throughout the books with the kissing and the swooning. They totally support each other but still manage to give each other to space to get what they need to get done. Because ultimately both Perry and Aria have to deal with their personal stuff and move past it so they can both make it to the Still Blue and stay together. They're also brilliant friends - to Cinder and Roar especially. It's so clear they'd die for those to in particular and those emphasized relationships fill my heart with joy.
Roar and Cinder are actually also two of my most favorite characters in this series. I would love for both of them to have spin-offs. Cinder's story would be a prequel, because, let's face it, I need a prequel all about this odd small child and all the things his abilities hint to re: the sci-fi angle of this story. Roar would be a sequel. I want to know what happens to the Tides through his eyes. And if I can't have that, I'd basically take anything. Like, it could be in the Under the Never Sky universe or something else entirely. I just want it.
As for the world building in this series, I think I get it? I kind of wish it'd been explained better. Especially the sci-fi aspect of it, which kind of pops up in this book. I really would love a Cinder novella prequel that talks about this, but, oh well.
All in all, this is a series finale I can get behind. While I'll miss my babies (because I whimpered "my baaaaaabies" on more than one occasion while reading this book), I think they were given the ending they deserve in the most realistic way I could imagine.
The long and short of it?
Plot: This book was the perfect conclusion to a brilliant trilogy.
World Building: Still a little weak, but that's okay.
Character Development: Brilliant. So perfect. My babies, I will miss you all.
Prose: So very readable and fantastic, like the rest of this book.
Would I Recommend This Book?: This is obviously the perfect book for anyone who's started this trilogy. I would also recommend this series as a whole to people who like character driven dystopia/post-apocalyptic books. Also, bonus points for a finished series, you guys! Binge away!
The end is nigh. The aether storms are getting worse. The Tides have to get themselves and their people to the Still Blue or face certain death. However, Hess and Sable have taken all the hovers and kidnapped Cinder, making it almost impossible for the Tides to make their way to safety. Obviously, Perry and Aria aren't about to take any of this lying down, and that's where this book picks up.
Goodbye, My Babies
So this book picks up pretty much where the last book left off. Like I mentioned, the Tides are basically screwed, so Perry gathers the troops (including an injured Aria, drunk Roar, Brooke and Soren) and goes to make some trouble for the baddies. Things start off well, but then everything quickly gets all kinds of messy when real life butts in.
Which I think is one of my favorite part of this book. There's no easy way out. Everything has to be fought for. There are even times when I'm like: Okay, they've been challenged enough, time for... no? More strife? Well, I suppose that's ok - WAIT WHAT JUST HAPPENED? And then your mind is blown away to a place you never thought it'd be taken because there's such thing as cruelty and even though it's realistic cruelty, Veronica Rossi is going to take it there. But that's not really news because this here is an author who's never held back. Just (re)read the first two books in this series if you're not sure.
And it's under the extreme situations found in this book that Perry and Aria shine. They're just so brilliant, sympathetic, and strong. Also, they make the perfect pair. I'm not just referring to the more heated moments throughout the books with the kissing and the swooning. They totally support each other but still manage to give each other to space to get what they need to get done. Because ultimately both Perry and Aria have to deal with their personal stuff and move past it so they can both make it to the Still Blue and stay together. They're also brilliant friends - to Cinder and Roar especially. It's so clear they'd die for those to in particular and those emphasized relationships fill my heart with joy.
Roar and Cinder are actually also two of my most favorite characters in this series. I would love for both of them to have spin-offs. Cinder's story would be a prequel, because, let's face it, I need a prequel all about this odd small child and all the things his abilities hint to re: the sci-fi angle of this story. Roar would be a sequel. I want to know what happens to the Tides through his eyes. And if I can't have that, I'd basically take anything. Like, it could be in the Under the Never Sky universe or something else entirely. I just want it.
As for the world building in this series, I think I get it? I kind of wish it'd been explained better. Especially the sci-fi aspect of it, which kind of pops up in this book. I really would love a Cinder novella prequel that talks about this, but, oh well.
All in all, this is a series finale I can get behind. While I'll miss my babies (because I whimpered "my baaaaaabies" on more than one occasion while reading this book), I think they were given the ending they deserve in the most realistic way I could imagine.
The long and short of it?
Plot: This book was the perfect conclusion to a brilliant trilogy.
World Building: Still a little weak, but that's okay.
Character Development: Brilliant. So perfect. My babies, I will miss you all.
Prose: So very readable and fantastic, like the rest of this book.
Would I Recommend This Book?: This is obviously the perfect book for anyone who's started this trilogy. I would also recommend this series as a whole to people who like character driven dystopia/post-apocalyptic books. Also, bonus points for a finished series, you guys! Binge away!
And so I bid my babies adieu. Will you, dear reader, miss these characters as much as I do? Did you find this finale as satisfying as I did? Let me know in the comments below!
