Veronica Rossi - Through the Ever Night

Now back again to a series that I have already started and I adore so I wanted to share my opinion with others.

Through the Ever Night is the second book in the Under the Never Sky series by Veronica Rossi; this series alternates between the perspectives (though in third person narrative) of Aria and Peregrine "Perry".  These two live in separate worlds; Aria is defined as a Dweller, she lives in Reverie, a pod where the chosen live to carry on the human race, living in a virtual reality through eyepieces, weeding out the illnesses and ailments that destroy us, while Perry is defined as an Outsider, he lives in the wilderness with his tribe where they fend for themselves, surviving on whatever they can hunt, scavenge or trade for.  Aria's world is turned upside down when she is thrown out of Reverie and stranded until Perry finds her and helps her survive while taking her to her mother who is in one of the other Pods in this world.  Along the way, she discovers she is in fact half-Outsider, from the father she's never known, and possesses the senses of an Audible (being able to hear sounds way beyond normal means).  Meanwhile, Perry is determined to have Aria find his nephew who has been sold by his own father and return to him to the tribe, the Tides, and while he seems primitive to Aria, she falls for him as he for her.

Rating: 10

Recommended To: Those that like The Hunger Games

Favourite Characters: Perry - he has a lot of weight on his shoulders for such a young man; Cinder - mysterious and intriguing

Favourite Part: He lay down, gathering her close.  Aria slumped against him, turning her ear to his chest.  She listened to his heartbeat - a good, solid sound - as the warmth of his body melted into her.  She'd been in a fog earlier.  Hallucinating and searching for what was real.  She found it in him.  He was real. - Page 121 

Good Points: Aria and Perry when they're together; the story; Roar and Liv

Bad Points: The end comes very quickly; the slightest hint of unnecessary love triangles

Through the Ever Night picks up just after Perry has taken over the title of Blood Lord of his tribe, the Tides, from his brother who he had to fight, and kill, to gain the title, while Aria has been recovering at Marron's.  The book opens with Perry sensing that Aria is in his territory so he is insistent on finding her himself as she goes to him.  Perry still wants to get his nephew, Talon, back from the Dwellers who kidnapped him and Aria is on a mission to find the Still Blue, under the agreement that she'll be able to get Talon back for Perry.

I know it's the point of a book to find the main characters appealing but I have to say that I loved Aria and Perry when they're together because it feels different than other couples in other young adult series as the pair of them aren't competing with someone else for the other's affection, for example, using the book I last read, America is competing with Kriss for Maxon's affection, resulting in a love triangle.  In the Under the Never Sky series, Aria and Perry are rendered to one another, which is established of being a greater bond than love; this implies a pretty much unbreakable relationship between the two of them which makes this book stand out against the others in this genre.

I love how the story in this series is different from the others that are in this genre, the prime focus for all of the characters, both the Dwellers and Outsiders, want to do is get to the Still Blue where they will be safe from the Aether that constantly threatens their lives, while in most dystopia/post-apocalyptic young adult fiction, the main characters are rebelling against the government that dictates their lives.  Primarily in this book, the story focuses on Aria's and Perry's determination to get Talon back and finding Liv, implying a theme of family loyalty, and alludes to how important it is to them both, especially considering how Aria has no family to speak of apart from Perry and through him, his family and tribe, even though the tribe reject her initially.

Despite their brief reunion, Roar and Liv's interactions convey how deeply they care for one another much like Aria and Perry, implying a strong connection which could be defined as love and possibly rendering.  As the interactions between Roar and Liv are described through Aria's chapters now, it is implied that Aria sees the connection between the two is just as strong as how they are described when spoken about during Perry's chapters as if they are in the past.  It's heartening to see in a young adult book that there are some stable and constant relationships that aren't going to be ripped apart by someone else unlike others.

Perry is not just struggling with the loss of his nephew and Aria throughout this book; he is struggling to comprehend the events that occurred during the first book between him and his brother when they fought over the title of Blood Lord of the Tides.  I think the fact that he is still tortured by his actions is the reason why he is my favourite character in this book ultimately if I had to choose because it shows he is more than his actions in the present, his emotions comes through the prose, allowing a connection to form between him and the reader (at least me anyway).  I have always found more tortured souls more interesting because I want to know what makes them tick, it's completely fascinating to me.  [Spoiler] I want to know why Aria replaces Vale in Perry's dream as they fight for the Blood Lord; is it because of Aria that he and Vale were fighting or is it because Perry thinks Aria's presence is going to make him choose between her and his tribe.  These are things I need to know.

As well as Perry, Cinder is an interesting character for me because he is shrouded in mystery; bits and pieces about his past come out during Through the Ever Night and his ability is shown again.  I want to know more about Cinder, it frustrates me that we don't know more about him and I really hope more comes out about him in the next book.

One of the only things that lowers this book in the rating system I've got on this blog is that the end comes extremely quickly; once Aria and Roar reunite with Perry, everything happens very fast with going to the Dwellers and such because this all happens in the last 40 pages or so.  In my opinion, it would have been better if this had happened over 100 pages because it felt rushed and sort of anti-climactic with this haste.

With the concept of rendering, an idea that the bond between two people is stronger than bold, the fact that there is a slightest suggestion of any love triangles undermines the meaning of rendering with one another.  I understand the love triangle that is implied between Aria, Perry, and Kirra because the latter is trying to manipulate Perry but it doesn't work, suggesting that Perry's rendering to Aria is extremely strong.  However, during this manipulation, Perry is convinced by Kirra to a point that Aria is cheating on him with Roar; he caves in and starts to panic about this while they are away and though it isn't true, the fact that he thinks this, in my opinion, undermines his relationship with Aria which is unnecessary because she has never done anything to prove that she doesn't love Perry and only left him again for the sake of his tribe.

He lay down, gathering her close.  Aria slumped against him, turning her ear to his chest.  She listened to his heartbeat - a good, solid sound - as the warmth of his body melted into her.  She'd been in a fog earlier.  Hallucinating and searching for what was real.  She found it in him.  He was real. - Page 121

I adore this part, it's just so sweet and illustrates in such a small part of the book how Aria and Perry actually feel about one another, particularly on Aria's behalf.  The affectionate language used to describe how their bodies meld together is heart-warming as they've been apart for a while now because she's been at Marron's then she and Perry were pretending that they weren't a couple.

And yet another review finishes with me pleading for 2014 to hurry up; why does it have to be so long away?!  I want to know how it ends with Cinder as well as Aria and Perry; I'm far too impatient for my own good sometimes.

Predictions

1. Cinder uses his ability to an even greater extent

2. There is an epic fight between Perry's tribe and Sable's with the help of Dwellers on either side and Roar goes in all guns blazing and get himself hurt majorly because of Liv

3. Aria's father appears