Review: Through the Ever Night

Through the Ever Night
Veronica Rossi
Series: Under the Never Sky, #2
Release Date: January 8th, 2013
Publisher: HarperCollins
Number of Pages: 352
Source: Edelweiss
Rating: 4 stars

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.

This review contain spoilers for Under the Never Sky.

Recently - and far too often, if you ask me - in young adult trilogies, second installments have been widely known to be practically a resting point for both the author, and the characters and the plot. Instead of what should be an intense ride setting up for the final installment, the second installment in a trilogy is, more often than not, a complete and utter bore ending with a bang to lure readers who were less than impressed with the second installment to come back and read the third.

Clearly, Veronica Rossi did not receive the memo that apparently this is how second installments are treated nowadays, which is evident by the sheer awesomeness that is Through the Ever Night. Through the Ever Night takes place few months after the ending of Under the Never Sky; Perry is now the Blood Lord of the Tides, and is reunited with Aria after being departed for months. While Perry is dealing with his newfound duties and stresses that come with being the Blood Lord, Aria is still determined to find Perry's nephew, Talon, and bring him back to the Tides, all while having to worry about the monstrous Aether storms taunting her, Perry, and everyone else, above.

Through the Ever Night was everything that Under the Never Sky was times two - it was fast-paced, thrilling, full of action, full of character and relationship development, full of heartbreak, and full of Aether (lots and lots of Aether!). Every single thing that made Under the Never Sky amazing was in Through the Ever Sky, and somehow, Rossi managed to make those aspects even more amazing, adding more and more depth to them.


One of my favorite things about the Under the Never Sky trilogy so far is the relationships and character dynamics that Veronica Rossi so masterly develops throughout the course of the novels. Aria has grown so much as a character since Under the Never Sky - both emotionally and physically - and the same goes for Perry, Roar, and a few other familiar faces. As well as the huge amount of character growth in the series thus far, the relationships and romance are absolutely brilliant. The romance between Perry and Aria will most likely end up being one of my favorites in young adult by the end of the trilogy, and the thing I have to say I love most about the romance in this trilogy is that, while it is certainly an important factor, it never overshadows other factors such as the plot - which appears to be another case of Rossi not receiving a memo most authors, unfortunately, have. The relationship between Aria and Roar, too, is absolutely one to praise, and is definitely one of my favorite relationships of the year, bearing one of the most interesting and heartwarming dynamics I've ever had the pleasure to read, and that's not just because I love Roar with a passion. The friendship these two characters have with each other, and the fact that you can just feel how much they care about each other seeping through the pages is certainly something special, as is the fact that you know their relationship will not ever cross into romantic territory - proving once again that Rossi must have missed a memo most authors have received, proving that some friends can remain just that - friends - and amazing ones at that.

With all this glowing praise, I can say with complete and utter certainty that fans of Under the Never Sky will have just an amazing of a time with Through the Ever Night as I had, and I can even say that those who weren't fans of Under the Never Sky will most likely be impressed with Through the Ever Night. I thoroughly look forward to what Rossi has in store for us readers with Into the Still Blue, but at the same time I'm a bit scared, and not because I'm afraid it won't be good - actually I'm quite sure that it will be as amazing as this, if not more - but because it is clear through this installment that Rossi isn't afraid to put her characters through hell, and I don't even want to begin to fathom the amount tissue boxes I will inevitably go through while reading the conclusion to this stunning trilogy. Just don't hurt Roar and we'll be all good, okay?