Book Review: Through the Ever Night (Under the Never Sky #2) by Veronica Rossi

The blurb as seen on Goodreads:
Release Date: January 8, 2012
Publisher: HarperCollins
352 Pages

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.

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Review:

I can't remember my first thoughts as I started Through the Ever Night, but they were probably something along the lines of: "Please don't suck" and "Fifty bucks says this angst is going to kill me." Well, I can tell you right now that the book definitely did not suck. In fact, it sucked so little that it was on the very end of the suck-o-meter, in the "holy balls, this book is awesome" section. But someone owes me fifty bucks… 'cause dang… That angst. There's quite a bit and Veronica Rossi really knows how to hit you where it hurts.

In book two of the Under the Never Sky trilogy, Aria and Perry have finally reunited after months of being apart. But though their love for each other is as strong as ever, some things have changed and not all of those things are for the better. Perry is now Blood Lord of the Tides and Aria is working with people she never thought she would. The people of the Tides loathe ex-dweller, Aria, and are not afraid to voice just how much. Perry and Aria now face not only the threat of the Aether, but the threats of new enemies, old enemies and some of those they believed to be their friends. Can their love survive? Can they?

The world-building was so much better this time around. That was probably the biggest issue I had with the first book - the fact that I could not for the life of me picture the setting that Aria and Perry were describing. In Through the Ever Night, the world feels much more vivid and the picture is a lot clearer. It almost felt like something you could reach out and touch. It also fit beautifully into the story. Some settings don't really make sense with the plot (I've read quite a few of these kinds of stories recently), luckily, Through the Ever Night was able to pull me out of the funk and surround me in a world that I almost felt a part of.

The readers will continue to adore these characters. Though, personally, there were parts where I wanted to smack them all silly, I grew even fonder of Aria and Perry in this one. This novel only instilled my love of reading from dual point-of-views. I loved reading about how much they cared for each other. And seeing both of their perspectives during certain events only made the book more addictive. Roar and Cinder also play big roles in this novel. It was great to get read more about their backgrounds, and see their characters expand in the story. There are so many characters introduced, and reintroduced in this novel, but Ms. Rossi handles their additions with grace. It is never difficult to remember who is who.

Veronica Rossi will really toy with your emotions in Through the Ever Night. She makes her readers so happy during some parts, that we might burst, but then… BAM! She drags us down into the dirt and tries to smother us. Perry and Aria have a ton of obstacles to overcome and the road to doing so is not emotionally draining and extremely dangerous. This book is not only a thrilling adventure that will constantly keep you on your toes, but a real roller coaster of emotion. The suspense will drive you wild and capture your attention immediately and give you hell when you try to put it down.

I have so many feelings after finishing this novel, and even while reading it, there are parts that you will not see coming, parts that will leave you breathless, parts that will destroy your heart. Through the Ever Night was even better than its prequel. I think Ms. Rossi's writing was much stronger in this book. I look forward to seeing if she can keep up the tradition and make the third and final novel, Into the Still Blue, the very best in the series! And like I'm sure all of the fans of this series are, I am just dying to read the finale. In fact, I would totally sell my soul for a copy of it now. WHY IS 2014 SO FAR AWAY?! (But really… I want that book immediately.)

If you have yet to read this series, I recommend you do so now. It has pretty much everything you could ever want in a young adult dystopian novel. Perfect book is perfect.

I received an e-copy of this novel from the publisher via Edelweiss.