Through The Ever Night

by Veronica Rossi
Read: January 8-9, 2013
Published: January 8, 2013 by HarperCollins
Source: Hardback purchase 
Category: Fantasy, Dystopian, Sci-fi YA
Series: Under the Never Sky book 2

NOTE: As the second book in a series, my review contains SPOILERS for Under The Never Sky.

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?

In this second book in her spellbinding Under the Never Sky trilogy, Veronica Rossi combines fantasy and dystopian elements to create a captivating love story as perilous as it is unforgettable. (from Goodreads)

I tend to get nervous when approaching the middle book in a three book series, especially when the first one ends as well as Under the Never Sky did, with Perry and Aria coming back together. Authors have to keep the tension high between the first and the third books, and often that results in a headache for me. I am happy to report that after finishing Through The Ever Night, I am headache free. That doesn't mean the tension let up or that everything suddenly became easy for these characters. In fact I was even more emotionally impacted by the events of this installment, but that is also when true growth happens. 

The stakes are high from the start. 

Through The Ever Night picks up immediately where Under The Never Sky ended, at the moment of Perry and Aria's reunion, after a winter spent apart. Surrounded on all sides by people and pressure, they have a difficult road ahead of them and no time to relax. Perry is struggling to come to terms with his new role as Blood Lord of the Tides, including keeping his people fed and safe from Aether storms. Aria on the other hand has been charged to find the Still Blue by the Dweller leader Hess, who is threatening to harm Talon if she does not do it quickly.

Perry is Blood Lord.
Through The Ever Night is very much the story of Perry's growth and coming to terms with who he is as the a leader of the Tides. Especially, what it means to be a good leader, and stay true to himself at the same time. Being Blood Lord is tougher than Perry thought it would be. He has seen both his father and brother succeed and fail in the role, and it's not until he takes it on for himself that he understands the challenge of managing and feeding an entire tribe of people, while dodging Aether storms. One of the benefits and challenges of his scire sense, is that he knows how everyone is feeling about him. It is helpful, but it also creates an incredible amount of pressure. As much as I fell for Perry in Under The Never Sky, I have become completely awestruck by him now that I have watched his transformation from hunter to Blood Lord. 

An interlude to unabashedly gush about Peregrine.

Perry's voice is unlike any other I have read. I love seeing the world through his unique sense. He is quiet and uses few words, but he is also extremely perceptive. He both cares and feels deeply, and that can show itself in passionate and painful ways. I've always imagined him to be the type of person who is soft spoken and happier quietly watching from the sidelines, but also someone with an incredible presence. The kind of person that you know you should pay attention to when he decides to talk, because whatever he says is going to be important, and he's only going to say it once. In many ways these characteristics about Perry seem incongruous with his new role as leader of the Tides. But I loved watching him adapt to his position, while making the position adapt to fit him. Rossi has done an amazing job in creating Peregrine, and that is no more apparent than in this book. 

Aria wants to belong.

Aria is no longer the sheltered Dweller she was when Under the Never Sky began, and though she wants to be with Perry, she's not sure she fits in with the Outsiders. For Aria this book is about her finding her place in the world. She has become tougher and more sure of her instincts and abilities than when we first met her. Now she is looking for where she belongs.  

When a relationship is tested, you see its worth. 

Whether a couple's bond strengthens or crumbles in the face of difficulty is a true mark of its worth. Because of their different backgrounds and senses, Perry and Aria see the world differently. They are also facing mounting outside pressure that is trying to to draw them apart. Through The Ever Night tests Perry and Aria's bond to its limits, but it is only through their struggles that they are able to realize the incredible power of their relationship and how much they're willing to fight for it. 

This is Roar's book too. 

If you haven't read Roar and Liv's novella, I encourage you to do so before reading Through The Ever Night. It is written from Roar's point of view and tells about Liv and Roar's relationship before Liv went missing. Because of the novella, I felt personally invested in Roar's search for Liv. What has happened to her? Would he find her? Although Through The Ever Night is told from Perry and Aria's POVs, Roar's search to find Liv is a big part of the book. I lived Roar's emotions through Aria, with whom he has formed a deep friendship. Aria and Roar's connection is one of my favorite parts of this story. They are bonded by both their shared Aud sense and by their love of siblings (Liv and Perry).  Some of the most lovely and emotional scenes in this book take place between Aria and Roar.

The setting has an incredible sensory feel to it. 

Detail by detail, Rossi continues to fill in the landscape and the people that make up the world in which Perry, Aria and Roar live. We get a much more complete look at the Tides community and find out about the other tribes that surround them, including the Horns in the north. I also felt like I understood the Aether better after this book. What it is, why it is there and how the storms are affecting the environment. 

Seeing everything through Perry and Aria's senses gives this series a unique sensory feel. Through Perry we know how everyone around him is feeling, and he relates emotions to the natural world - its colors, smells and textures. Through Aria the smallest sound is important. Though it is not pleasant when she hears cruel gossip whispered across the room, her sense gives her the ability to calm frightened crowd with her singing voice.   

Basically, I love this sequel. 
Through The Ever Night is truly a fantastic second book in the Under The Never Sky series. It captured my emotions and made my heart pound in one moment and break in the next. The story tests and strengthens bonds between characters and solidifies who they are as individuals. I cannot wait to go Into The Still Blue with Perry and Aria and discover what's next. 

Love Triangle Factor: Mild

Cliffhanger Scale: Low - I love that each of the first two books in the series has left me feeling satisfied, but with questions and loose threads hanging that I can follow into the next book.