Review: Into the Still Blue (Under the Never Sky #3) by Veronica Rossi

Into the Still Blue by Veronica Rossi
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I don’t quite know what to feel about this book.

Happy, because Perry and Aria are together as well as the others?

Sad, because those was so much loss of life?

Bereft, because the ending, while happy wasn’t as fulfilling for me as I would have liked?

Maybe I’m just being picky because I was so caught up in this series. I mean it did incorporate a lot of what I loved about the others into itself: romance, vengeance, betrayal, adventure, action…did I miss anything? But
because
this is the last in a series, this is its end scene, its closing statement, I felt it needed MORE. It had to go beyond the extraordinary that others exhibited–yes, I know that asking a lot–and bring something spectacular. Go out with a bang, a whimper of relief or pain, but not just fade out.

Am I making sense?

In this finale of what has become one of my favorite series ever, we are taken on a rollercoaster ride the entire story. As Rossi is known for her character death and plot intrigue, it was hard to guess where the story would go and what the characters would do. Sometimes it was painfully obvious (but give a book where you’re absolutely clueless the entire time *raises eyebrow*).

Despite my wonder at her choice of ending, I have to applaud the rest of the book. She knows how to balance her romance and drama with the action and death. The Morbid and sad, battling the lighthearted moments and frailty of love.

Often in books there’s either too much action and harsher emotions, and while some of you might think “hell yeah!” That’s not always a good thing. Having too much despair, sadness, death, angst beat against the reader can wear them down and turn from the story. I know its personally happened to me while reading, and I’ve heard others talk of this. In opposition, if you’re writing a story that is adventurous but also has a romantic subplot–did you catch that SUBplot– it is not the main focus. While I am a die hard romantic, I do not open a book expecting an adventure to get nothing but mushy hearts and roses that wipe out any other context or plot there may be. It spoils the story.

What Veronica Rossi excels at is balancing these things. Having those actions, adventures, deaths, and morbidity while still incorporating a breathtaking romance that will have you swooning till your sick of yourself.

Not only her romance, but world building and character development. Oh, the characters! I don’t think there’s a single character I didn’t come to love…even the evil ones. And every death was like a part of me wilting away.

Even if I saw it coming there were moments of complete jaw dropping, jimmeny christmas, holy smokes,

I can’t believe that just happened, they’re not really gone, they’re just pretending..right?

*SPOILER HEAD*

While Liv’s death doesn’t affect me on its own, when its put in conjunction with ROAR and PERRY, I ache and get teary eyed. I hate Sable and wish I had known her better, even with having that novella bout her and Roar. But it is really Cinder’s death that gets me chocked up. That makes me want to throttle this book, Ms Rossi, anyone I can blame. Give it bad stars just to give justice for Cinder.

Scires and Seers and Auds…Oh MY!
Dwellers without Pods
A Realm that’s real,
Its fire burns and People turn.
A wall of Aether they must through
To get to the Still Blue.

Yeah well, He had to give his life to get through that wall. He was scared. He was Brave. He was everything in this story, and that makes his death all the worse. They lingered more on the impact of Liv’s death than Cinder’s. Of what she sacrificed by going to Sable (when she had been well taken care of) and not Cinder. Can you understand why I’m a little upset? To save others, he gave his life. This boy of barely 13 who was just finding a place in the world, in society, finding himself and coming into his own. Accepting what he was. Neither death was right. But Liv had experience on her side, she had a one true love. She knew family and comforts of home. Of having people to depend on. Cinder was only just discovering these things.

*END SPOILERS*

My outrage of death and lack of closure in the ending are overshadowed by the truly beautiful writing and engaging story that any time I think of, I can’t help but smile. Maybe it had to happen this way, that doesn mean I have to like it. Do you? Go to the Still Blue and let me know.

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See previous review for the series here: Under the Never Sky. Through the Ever Night.

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

Through the Ever Night by Veronica Rossi
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Book 2. That stepping stone in a trio where it could either be action-packed and suspense leading up to the finale and resolution or the plot plateau where everyone sits around twiddling their thumbs and filling the pages with fluffy stuff.

Can you guess which one this book falls into based on my rating?
Yup. The first. Rossi knows how to do it right.

I’m going to try not to fangirl too much and make this a gushing session about Perry and Aria

…bear with me.

*Ahem* Let me begin….

Oh. My. Holy Hallucinations Batman! God.

Yeah. It was good. Okay, maybe it was better than good. I swear I have lost more sleep to this woman than any other author in a long, long time. So quick rundown of what happens in the book before I gush about what I loved.

~Perry and Aria are reunited *cue music:reunited and it feels so good!*

~But Aria doesn’t want Perry’s job as Blood Lord to be any harder than necessary. And since she’s a Dweller, the Tides are going to be hating on her, she doesn’t want them hating more or on Perry because of their relationship so they hide it.

~Circumstances occur, and basically Perry chooses Aria over one of his people. They turn and half the tribe or so leaves him. Trying to help, Aria and Roar leave in the midst to go to Sable to find Liv and find out about the Still Blue to save Talon.

~Roar and Aria get to Sable. Roar is crushed to find Liv with him. Liv comes back to him. Sable finds out about Aria being a Dweller. Liv is compromised when they try to escape, and Roar and Aria go without her. They lose her in the chaos.

~The Tides are getting worse and worse and Marron lost Delphi. They join forces and start reconstructing a cave. Sables men had brought the other half of Liv’s “dowry”, but they had ulterior motives. They wind up stealing Cinder. As we learn they need him to get to the still blue across the sea and through a wall of Aether

~Perry and Aria save Talon and Clara and many other Pod people including Soren, who helped them escape.

One big, happy, weird family, yeah?

I absolutely loved the construct of this book. The male voice we get. The build up of tension. I feel like everything about this story is the Aether: relationships between characters (Perry and Aria) and different tangents of plot. The plot points will build and stretch. Heightening before slowing down and almost stalling then out of now where a storm will strike you down, hitting you hard and leaving you breathless. Your adrenaline is up and all you want to do is make it through. Is to avoid any more damage, but you know its not over yet. Then it clears, and though its no longer stormy. Its still swirling above your head, waiting for the next time.

Normally an author saves character death or tragedy for the finale, that epic ending of their series. No Veronica Rossi is no normal author. Her courage to go beyond the norm is what makes these books exemplary! I was crushed, emotional, attached, bereft, empty, yet compelled and driven forward. Forced through my own nostalgia to continue on and weather through the pain of not only the characters but myself (I got really attached to these characters, when they hurt, I hurt. When they die. I cry. When their happy, I’m sappy. It’s the circle of freaking life.)

Back to the book. Although I absolutely hated it, I also loved the separation of Perry and Aria. It was great to see those two grow as characters but also their bonds of love solidify and develop while miles apart.

I could honestly go on about this book for a while, but to shorten it, i’ll say this. They Perry scenes I actually lived more and favored over Aria’s. There was just something more to his perspective and actions. See for yourself. Read the book. as for me, I’m going to fawn more over these two cuties, the whole series and well, dive into the final book Into the Still Blue.

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See my review for “Under the Never Sky” here.

Or jump to the next in the series with my take on the finale, Into the Still Blue

Review: Under the Never Sky (Under the Never Sky #1) by Veronica Rossi

Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Oh, were you trying to talk to me? I’m still stuck in my book hangover. And I’ll probably roll it over into a week long or more thing as I start the second book of this series.

I feel like…

mixed with

<and a little

Perry and Aria, Aria and Perry. Roar, Talon, Vale…. Oh the richness of characters. The succulence of plot. The veracity of world-building! Too much?

I’ll try to contain myself.

So I had started from the VERY beginning with the novella, Liv and Roar. I thought I was doing myself a favor…. HA! It came later for a reason. after having read that, and learned so intimately the relationship between Roar and Liv and their circumstances, I was a little thrown–and disappointed–when Under the Never Sky opened with a completely new character and focused on Perry and this..Aria.

Where was my romance of the pseudo-star-crossed Liv and Roar?

But what I got was so much more. Aria is a ‘Dweller’ and lives in a pod, a safe place from the Aether and weather. From the savage outsiders. but when she experiences something she shouldn’t–in a quick meet with Perry, some fighting, and saving her life–she’s shunned to the outside world, and left to her death. Only Perry finds her, and saves her life. Again. and again. and again. Lets just say thats their thing. Perhaps why this book appeals to me so much is because it reminds me of Pride and Prejudice a great deal. they both have misguided notions of the other. Aria is a more outgoing personality, and in the outside world, with no Sense I guess you could call her low-class. Perry is more quiet and taciturn, he’s from a powerful family of Scires (people who can smell really well and sense moods/tempers). But as they spend more time together they learn from each other and grow to like each other and even more.

Yeah, I’d say I hit the nail on the head. It’s one of my favorite books, with a modern twist. Science-fiction and fantasy and a slight dystopian undercurrent. This book has it all. It’s like Princess Bride, fights with giants (well kinda giants), duels to the death, cannibals, romance, technology, and manly bonding. 🙂

It covers the bases for both sexes. Under the Never Sky has definitely wormed its way into my Favorites shelf!

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