Through the Ever Night - Veronica Rossi

Through the Ever Night (Under the Never Sky 

#2) - Veronica Rossi

Grade: YA

Rating: 5/5 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. (Description from Goodreads)

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‘Under the Never Sky’ was a book I was dying to read, put off for so long, and fell in love instantly; so when I was given the chance to read ‘Through the Ever Night’ I couldn’t contain my excitement. I was desperate to jump back into Perry and Aria’s world. After the way the first book ended, I needed to know if they’d get together. The action, excitement and emotional rollercoaster we’re sent on met all my expectations and more. I loved every single moment of this book.

‘Through the Ever Night’ begins almost exactly where the previous book ended with Aria and Perry meeting up for the first time since they parted ways - we actually get to hear the words Aria had been waiting for from Perry. But their reunion is short-lived because of Perry’s new duties as the Blood Lord of the Tides and Aria’s task to find the Still Blue in order to save Talon from Reverie. It definitely sets the scene for the book. While both Perry and Aria want nothing more than to be alone with each, they’re pushed away by the separate responsibilities tasked to them. To say these responsibilities left me frustrated at times is an understatement. I just wanted to see Aria and Perry happy together. But their tasks meant not always following what I wanted them to do, and focused more on seeing the Outsider world in completely new ways, especially when it came to running and trading with different tribes.

The biggest problem for Aria and Perry in this book is the strength of the Aether and the storms that are causing more harm than they ever had before. The Aether - a piece of the natural world, always present since a solar flare 300 years ago changed the way the world survived; and always dangerous. But the funnels - the electric fire power that attack the ground below without mercy – is a threat to everyone. There’s no escape from the destruction caused by an Aether storm. The Outsider tribes are losing food and shelter; not even the pods in Reverie can survive an attack from the Aether. The only hope is finding the Still Blue. The Aether has always interested me. I really enjoyed seeing this natural disaster problem; this powerful element destroying the world without hope of ever being fixed. I like that this is the push that makes the population want to fight for a new world. There’s no government pulling them down, no rules that need to be followed; just the natural world out to destroy. Yes, there are other people who are hoping to stand in their way of finding the Still Blue, but no-one owns them; the fight is always to stay alive first and hope for a better world second.

I was glad to be thrown into the familiar switching POVs – the same as how they were in ‘Under the Never Sky’ – changing between Aria and Perry, but different in that a lot of the novel happens when they’re apart from each other. Countless times I almost went mental, when one chapter would end with a shock, only to be thrown into the other character’s chapter that would also end with a surprising twist and I’d be torn in multiple directions emotionally; desperate to find out the consequences of Aria’s last ending, but not ready to let go of the twist from Perry’s. All the while dying for them to be together again. It was an incredibly emotional journey for me. A big part of why I love this series so much is the romance we get to see between Perry and Aria. It wasn’t quite as physical as ‘Under the Never Sky’ but the emotions were all still there. I love how strongly Aria and Perry feel for each other. Even though there were a few moments of uncertainty, I loved knowing what they felt for each other was so powerful and true. They’ve jumped up my list of favourite YA couples.

One of my favourite parts of this story was getting to see some of the side characters. While Aria and Perry are constantly thinking about each other, their separation gave us a chance to explore the people they relied on most to help them through. Aria forms a bond with Roar as they cross the country side in search of Liv and news of the Still Blue. I love Roar. He’s funny, charming and protective. You might think that if a female YA character is thrown into situation where she spends so much time alone with a guy she wasn’t originally in love with that there might be ‘love-triangle’ warnings flashing through your head. Never fear, Aria’s only got eyes for Perry and nothing could keep Roar from loving Liv. As for Perry, the group of warriors he stumbles upon in the end of ‘Under the Never Sky’ become his closest advisors; they keep him safe and in control, following him wherever he might lead – and as a struggling Blood Lord, he really needed the support. You don’t instantly think of these characters as the “main characters” but they are every bit as important to the story and I’m just as attached to them as I am Perry and Aria.

I was so sad when the book came to an end. It almost felt like I was missing more pages, even though I knew I had come to the perfect end for the book. Questions about what will happen next are still running through my mind and the wait for book #3 is probably going to kill me. I see a lot of re-reading in my future to get me through the wait.

5/5 stars

Kim
(Originally posted on Goodreads)