Book Review: Through the Ever Night

Synopsis:

It's been months since Aria learned of her mother's death.

Months since Perry became Blood Lord of the Tides, and months since Aria last saw him.

Now Aria and Perry are about to be reunited. It's a moment they've been longing for with countless expectations. And it's a moment that lives up to all of them. At least, at first.

Then it slips away. The Tides don't take kindly to former Dwellers like Aria. And the tribe is swirling out of Perry's control. With the Aether storms worsening every day, the only remaining hope for peace and safety is the Still Blue. But does this haven truly exist?

Threatened by false friends and powerful temptations, Aria and Perry wonder, Can their love survive through the ever night?

Strangely, he felt calm now. It didn’t matter if Aria was hundreds of miles away, or whether she’d hurt him, or said good-bye, or anything else. Nothing would change the way he felt…The moment Aria had taken his hand on the roof at Marron’s, she’d changed everything. No matter what happened, she’d always be the one.

-pg. 280

This is one of my favorite Dystopia series. There’s action, romance, interesting sci-fi elements, great characters…all of that on top of an engaging plot and great writing style.

Perry and Aria are finally back together, but is there smooth sailing? Of course not. This is a dystopia/post-apocalyptic novel. Nothing is ever smooth sailing. Not only do they have the Aether storms to worry about, but the Tides are not very welcoming of Aria. Just her being there begins to undermine Perry’s control as Blood Lord, a fact which Aria is painfully aware of. In a desperate attempt to help the situation, she and Roar run off to try to find Perry’s sister Liv, leaving Perry to sort out the issues with the tribe.

I LOVED that we got to see a lot more of Roar in this one. He and Aria have a very fun relationship; they are quick to snarky banter, but they are also very supportive of each other. It was nice to see Aria interacting with Roar away from Perry; she has to make her own way in the outside world, and it really begins to happen in Through the Ever Night.

And of course, Aria and Perry are pretty much perfect. They are honestly one of my favorite YA couples; they weren’t too insta-lovey at the beginning, they aren’t too sappy in the present (although their romance is a huge part of the story), and they are willing to sacrifice their own current happiness for the greater good. A lot of dystopia/PA couples are like this, but they always seem to be more dysfunctional than Aria and Perry. They actually talk about their issues.

Veronica Rossi does a good job of describing a nightmarish world without actually giving you nightmares. She introduces interesting and believable settings and characters without being like “here’s the worst case scenario. Always.”

Even though tragedy strikes again and again, the characters keep trudging forward. There’s always hope for a solution, for a way out. A way to the Still Blue.

This is a really great series for someone generally new to the genre, as it’s a little tamer in the survival side/Sci-fi elements than some. And of course, anyone who already reads the genre will love it.

Content wise it’s also pretty tame; some disturbing images due to the genre (cannibals yikes) and sex is mentioned though not described. I don’t recall there being an abundance of language.

Similar books: Blood Red Road by Moira Young, Across the Universe by Beth Revis, Rot and Ruin by Jonathan Maberry