Review: Through the Ever Night by Veronica Rossi

Through the Ever Night
Under the Never Sky #2

Author: Veronica Rossi

Publication Date: January 8, 2012

Publisher: HarperCollins

Genre: Fantasy/Dystopian

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Synopsis:

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?

My Thoughts: Okay, I almost like this novel better than the first one - which is a hard feat because I loved Under the Never Sky!  It was sweet, surprising, overwhelming and had just the right amount of action for me.  I sped through this novel and didn't want to put it down for a moment.

At the beginning of the book, Perry and Aria are finally reunited after months apart after the previous book.  Aria has become a much more self-sufficient woman, clearly able to take care of herself for the most part now - a far cry from when she first left her home pod of Reverie and was a defenceless and sheltered Dweller.

Perry is trying to cope with the responsibility of being Blood Lord of the Tides.  He never wanted or expected to be their leader, but he is doing his best with what he has been given - which isn't a lot since the Aether storms and wandering tribes threaten their homes and their livelihood.

Everyone is still in search of the Still Blue, hoping beyond all hope that it does exist somewhere and they can make it there before their whole world succumbs to the scorching fire of the Aether.

The last book was a mission for Aria to find her mother and become self-reliant.  This book is about struggle.  Perry and Aria struggle to find a way to be together without everything and everyone trying to stop them.  The tribes are all struggling for food and maintaining their land.  Perry is struggling to be a leader and Aria is struggling to try and save everyone.

All in all, I loved this book.  It has some really sweet parts with Aria and Perry which I really, really loved.  Then, there are the parts that made me gasp and my heart wrench.  Through the Ever Night really drew me into the world and left me reeling when I was forced back into reality.  I love this whole series so far and can't wait until the next one.  If you haven't checked it out yet, pick it up!

Review: Mystic City by Theo Lawrence

Mystic City

Author: Theo Lawrence

Publication Date: October 9th, 2012

Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers

Thank you NetGalley for the review copy!

Genre: Dystopia

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Synopsis:

Aria Rose, youngest scion of one of Mystic City's two ruling rival families, finds herself betrothed to Thomas Foster, the son of her parents' sworn enemies. The union of the two will end the generations-long political feud—and unite all those living in the Aeries, the privileged upper reaches of the city, against the banished mystics who dwell below in the Depths. But Aria doesn't remember falling in love with Thomas; in fact, she wakes one day with huge gaps in her memory. And she can't conceive why her parents would have agreed to unite with the Fosters in the first place. Only when Aria meets Hunter, a gorgeous rebel mystic from the Depths, does she start to have glimmers of recollection—and to understand that he holds the key to unlocking her past. The choices she makes can save or doom the city—including herself.

My Thoughts: I love, love, love, love this book!  I am not sure, but I think it might be because it took all of my favourite genres and combined  them into an incredible book of epic-ness. Dystopia, paranormal and romance all meshed together to make Mystic City.

We start out with Aria waking up with selective amnesia pertaining to her star-crossed relationship with the son of her family's enemy.  Then it all goes down from there and it is a fun rollercoaster ride.  Once I picked up this book I simply couldn't put it down.  I had a lot of theories running through my head, some of which were completely off-base and some which were pretty accurate.  But this book really kept me immersed in the world.

Aria is a really smart girl who pretty much figures that something is up with her selective amnesia.  When evidence starts piling up that something is fishy is going on, she isn't hesitant to find out what.  At times, I found, she could be a little foolish.  But who wasn't at least a little foolish as a teenager?

Hunter is gorgeous, brave, mysterious and snark - everything I love in my novel-men.  He is committed to making the world better and firmly believes in equality for all people.  God, he is almost too perfect, but I love it.

Mystic City had me sitting on the edge of my seat for a good part of the novel and I never put it down.  It is one of my favourite dystopian novels so far and I would pretty much recommend it to anyone who was looking for something to read.

Review: Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi

Under the Never Sky
(Under the Never Sky #1)

Author: Veronica Rossi

Publication Date: January 3, 2012

Publisher: HarperCollins

Genre: Fantasy/Dystopia

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Synopsis:

Since she'd been on the outside, she'd survived an Aether storm, she'd had a knife held to her throat, and she'd seen men murdered. This was worse.
Exiled from her home, the enclosed city of Reverie, Aria knows her chances of surviving in the outer wasteland - known as The Death Shop - are slim. If the cannibals don't get her, the violent, electrified energy storms will. She's been taught that the very air she breathes can kill her. Then Aria meets an Outsider named Perry. He's wild - a savage - and her only hope of staying alive.
A hunter for his tribe in a merciless landscape, Perry views Aria as sheltered and fragile - everything he would expect from a Dweller. But he needs Aria's help too; she alone holds the key to his redemption. Opposites in nearly every way, Aria and Perry must accept each other to survive. Their unlikely alliance forges a bond that will determine the fate of all who live under the never sky.

My Thoughts: I'll be honest, I didn't think I was going to be able to finish this one. I found the beginning hard to get into and I really have no idea why. A mystery I am still pondering. I am happy I carried on though, because it was certainly worth it!

Under the Never Sky is a dystopian novel about Aria - a girl with a wonderful singing voice who has been raised in protective domes known as pods. Aether is a fiery substance that covers the outside world, setting things afire and causing mutations in the "outsiders". When Aria's world is turned upside down and she suddenly finds herself outside of the safety of her home in Reverie she has to rely on an outsider named Perry to help her.

I am just going to restate here that I have no clue why I disliked this book at the beginning, as I am totally in love with it now.

Peregrine (Perry) is the strong, silent type and it shows. At the beginning he spoke only when needed to and practiced some tough-love on Aria when she was being difficult. I enjoyed him immensely, especially when his best friend Roar shows up later in the novel. I had to give props to Aria as well. She had a lot of stuff thrown at her and she took it all in a believable stride.

My favourite part of this novel had to be the romance aspect though. In no way did it feel rushed or out of place. Perry and Aria were not instant friends, let alone love interests to each other. The way they slowly warmed up to each other instead of a love-at-first-sight phenomenon really made me admire their relationship.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book and even the ending. I look forward to the next one. If you haven't read it, pick it up. If you got stuck at the beginning like me please trudge on - it's worth it!