Overcoming Obstacles

"She gasped and dug her fingers into his shoulders, pulling him closer--

His shoulder.

She remembered, and her hands relaxed. 'Which shoulder was it, Perry?'

A grin spread over his lips. 'Right now I have no idea.'"

--Veronica Rossi, Through The Ever Night

Genre: Young Adult Dystopian

Publisher: HarperCollins, 352 pages

Release Date: January 8th, 2013

Find on Goodreads: Through The Ever Night by Veronica Rossi

Source: ARC won from Epic Reads (thank you!!!)

Goodreads Description:

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?

Oh goodness, where do I start? Maybe with my obvious love and obsession with Under the Never Sky? LOVE!!! I absolutely fell in love with the first book. Like I've said before, I am a dystopian snob, but after starting the first book I could not get enough. I couldn't put it down and the second chapter of our series was just the same. I binge read it in a day and it was suuuuuch a day well spent!! 

We immediately find ourselves back with Aria and Perry and after some convincing she goes back to the Tides with him. Things are definitely rocky, Aria is not accepted, drama ensues, and I refuse to tell you any more from there, GO READ IT! It is fantastic! Right away I fell down the rabbit hole into Perry and Aria's world. The development of the plot and characters is phenomenal. I have heard a lot of people talk about how the second book in a series is never that good, Veronica Rossi did NOT get that memo because this book was excellent! The plot progressed in a way that tied up some loose ends yet left a lot of things for the final book to develop and conclude. I loooved this! I feel like Rossi had the perfect balance of giving us enough answers to sate our questions from the first book but ultimately the main concern about the Still Blue is left for the final chapter...eep!! I want Into The Still Blue right now!

The pacing was perfect. It was fast, didn't stay in one place or location for too long and threw in a good amount of side plots to keep me wanting to keep turning the pages and not put it down. Rossi's writing is beautiful. She paints this landscape of rugged and harsh land with the backdrop of this deadly yet beautiful Aether. She describes the unique abilities of the Marked with such clarity that I felt like one of them while reading. I also feel the cover lays the perfect foundation for the feel of the visual essence of the novel. Dark and sparse yet filled with sparks of light and color.

My obvious fangirl gush of the novel is the relationship development between Aria and Perry. If these two are two peas in a freakin' adorable pod, I do not know who is. I know that love triangles are a big thing today with YA but there is something so special and pure about a relationship that is unyielding and strong that develops for 3 books. Granted, these characters are still young and they do have doubts like normal people but their overall emotions are unwavering and I LOVE this about the characters! Perry and Aria actually talk through their emotions and what is bothering them and they become closer because of it. They are also independent of each other. This is probably my favorite thing. They don't need to be next to each other all the time, they want to. They make their own decisions, selfless and thinking of other people, and they both have their own side stories and responsibilities. While their motives do feed into a common purpose, I really like how Aria wants Perry to succeed as Blood Lord and do his own thing. She is not whining for his constant attention, she knows there are other things in this world besides their relationship. SO refreshing! 

And Roar...oh Roar, you are my fav. His character is so charming and FUNNY and just good! His comic relief and one-liners had me laughing out loud at points. I adored the novella Roar and Liv and to see more of him in this book was just icing on the sundae. He rocks. Plain and simple...do you think he can hear what I'm typing about him?...Now I'm blushing...shoot. :)

The second installment in the Under the Never Sky series was amazing. No sophomore slump for Rossi and I absolutely cannot WAIT for Into The Still Blue to see how our story concludes for Perry and Aria and Roar. Love love love.