Promo and Giveaway: Seeker by Veronica Rossi

Welcome to the release week celebration for Seeker by Veronica Rossi! I am so excited to help promote this exciting conclusion novel. Don't miss this series!

Riders review | Seeker review

About the Book:

Seeker by Veronica Rossi

Book Two of the Riders series

Publisher: Tor Teen

Publication Date: May 16, 2017

Summary (from Goodreads):

New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Veronica Rossi's new fantasy adventure in the Riders series—Seeker .

When Daryn claimed she was seeing visions during her sophomore year of high school, no one believed the truth. She wasn't losing her mind, she was gaining the Sight the ability to see the future. If she just paid attention to the visions, they'd provide her with clues and show her how she could help people. Really help them. Daryn embraced her role as a Seeker. The work she did was important. She saved lives.

Until Sebastian.

Sebastian was her first and worst mistake.

Since the moment she inadvertently sealed him in a dark dimension with Samrael the last surviving demon in the Kindred guilt has plagued her. Daryn knows Sebastian is alive and waiting for help. It's up to her to rescue him. But now that she needs the Sight more than ever to guide her, the visions have stopped.

Daryn must rely on her instincts, her intelligence, and on blind faith to lead the riders who are counting on her in search of Sebastian. As they delve into a shadowy realm where nothing is as it seems and where Samrael is steadily amassing power, Daryn faces the ultimate test. Will she have to become evil to destroy evil? The very fate of humankind rests in the answer.

Goodreads | Amazon | B&N | The Book Depository | The Ivy Bookshop

Check out Riders:

(Click on the cover for more information.)

About the Author:

Veronica Rossi is a best selling author of fiction for young adults. Her debut novel, UNDER THE NEVER SKY, was the first in a post-apocalyptic trilogy. Released in January 2012, it was deemed one of the Best Books of Year by School Library Journal. The series appeared in the NY Times and USA Today best seller lists and was published in over 25 foreign markets.

Her second series for young adults will begin with RIDERS (published February 16, 2016), the story of four modern day teens who become incarnations of the four horsemen of the apocalypse, and the prophetic girl who brings them together.

Veronica completed her undergraduate studies at UCLA and then went on to study fine art at the California College of the Arts in San Francisco. She is a lifelong reader and artist. Born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, she has lived in Mexico, Venezuela, and all over the United States, to finally settle in Northern California with her husband and two sons.

When not writing, Veronica enjoys reading (it’s worth repeating), painting, and running. She does NOT like anything involving numbers, the addition of them, subtraction of them, you name it. They terrify her. Her obsessions generally lead to fictional works. Currently, she’s exploring New York City during the Revolutionary War.

Don’t tread on me. (If you know what that means, then you are my people!)

What else? This is getting more fun, isn’t it?

She–okay, I–am a huge fan of the SF Giants and the Golden State Warriors. I know, I know. Book types and sporty types shouldn’t be one in the same, but what can I say? I’m breaking the mold. Continuing. I have an irrational love of elephants. They make me cry, but it’s the best kind of cry. On other end of the spectrum, I abhor the shrill squeak styrofoam makes when it’s coming out of a box. Just typing that sentence made me want to scream. Needless to say, Christmas is great, but also really tough on me.

It’s probably time to wrap this up. If you’re here, it’s likely because you’ve read one of my books, or because you’re thinking about reading one of my books. Either way, thank you. Writing fulfills me like nothing else and I feel exceedingly fortunate to also call it my profession.

Website | Goodreads | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram


The Giveaway:

10 Winners will receive a Copy of Seeker and Swag (Glow in the Dark Bracelet and Stickers) by Veronica Rossi. Giveaway is open to International. | Must be 13+ to Enter

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Review and Giveaway: Seeker by Veronica Rossi

Seeker by Veronica Rossi

Book Two of the Riders series

Publisher: Tor Teen

Publication Date: May 16, 2017

Rating: 4 stars

Source: Review copy sent by the publisher

Summary (from Goodreads):

New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Veronica Rossi's new fantasy adventure in the Riders series—Seeker .

When Daryn claimed she was seeing visions during her sophomore year of high school, no one believed the truth. She wasn't losing her mind, she was gaining the Sight the ability to see the future. If she just paid attention to the visions, they'd provide her with clues and show her how she could help people. Really help them. Daryn embraced her role as a Seeker. The work she did was important. She saved lives.

Until Sebastian.

Sebastian was her first and worst mistake.

Since the moment she inadvertently sealed him in a dark dimension with Samrael the last surviving demon in the Kindred guilt has plagued her. Daryn knows Sebastian is alive and waiting for help. It's up to her to rescue him. But now that she needs the Sight more than ever to guide her, the visions have stopped.

Daryn must rely on her instincts, her intelligence, and on blind faith to lead the riders who are counting on her in search of Sebastian. As they delve into a shadowy realm where nothing is as it seems and where Samrael is steadily amassing power, Daryn faces the ultimate test. Will she have to become evil to destroy evil? The very fate of humankind rests in the answer.

What I Liked:

Last year, I read and absolutely loved Riders. It was a little slow, and it took me a bit to really get into the story, but I ended up loving it. Seeker has been a highly anticipated sequel/conclusion for me, and I'm so happy that I liked it even more than I liked Riders. This book did not disappoint!

Seeker picks up months after Riders finishes (I think? I can't remember exactly where Riders finishes). Eight months has passed since Bas was taken, Gideon's hand was cut off by Samreal, the epic showdown went down, and Daryn disappeared. But Gideon never stopped looking for Daryn, or Bas, and he and the Rangers find Daryn. With or without help, Gideon, Daryn, Marcus, and Jode are going into the Rift and finding Bas. But finding Bas and bringing him back are two very different tasks, and with Samrael looking for something from Daryn, nothing goes as planned. Bringing Bas home has never been easy, but Gideon and Daryn find out just how far they'll go to find Bas.

One of the best things about this book is that the pacing is faster than the pacing of Riders. I will be the first to say that Riders has a slow start, nearly to the middle of the book. But Seeker starts off quickly and really takes off. Gideon and the gang catch up with Daryn and everything starts rolling. I appreciated the change of pace, and the amount of action this plot had.

I didn't remember a lot of specific details about the ending of Riders, but I remembered Bas's disappearance, and Gideon's hand. I sort of forgot about Daryn, and so when I started reading this book and realized that she had run from Gideon and the others, I was surprised! But things started to make sense fairly quickly. That's another good thing about this book - Rossie brings you up to speed effectively, so even if you're like me and don't remember everything from the previous book's ending, you won't be lost!

Daryn has felt extremely guilty, about Bas's disappearance and Gideon's loss of hand. She blames herself and this is why she ran from them and has been in Wyoming for eight months. But when they catch up with her, she realizes that she has to stop running and she has to actually start trying to do something to save Bas. She and Gideon have a strained relationship, but that's mostly her fault. It was good to see her work out what she wanted with Gideon and how she began making conscious decisions to trust him with her past and her fears.

Gideon! Book boyfriend for life. Seriously, he is so great and definitely my type. He's one of the tall, strong, warrior types, but he is also confident and commanding, a born leader. According to Daryn, he has "bearing", which is very true. He is very clever and perceptive, and he is fiercely loyal and protective. Even when he is angry with Daryn, he is caring and attentive. I actually love his temper - temperamental boys seem to be my thing. Gideon is actually sort of an easygoing temperamental guy, which is an oxymoron, but roll with it.

I adored Jode in this book! I can't remember specifically how I felt about him in Riders, but I liked his humor and his tenacity in this book. Marcus is a quietly deadly guy that I adored as well. The camaraderie between Gideon, Jode, and Marcus is so endearing. I love how solid their friendship is. Even Daryn's relationship with the guys as a whole is so solid and fun to watch.

That's a big part of this book - friendship, and brotherhood. As important as I think friendships are, I think the brotherhood type of friendship is even more important.

The romance was sweet with just a little angst in the beginning. Daryn is ashamed and guilty (because she blames herself for the loss of Gideon's hand). Meanwhile, Gideon thinks that Daryn thinks his prosthetic hand is disgusting and shameful and that she regrets her feelings for him. The two of them skirt around each other, but then they hash things out and the romance is incredibly strong from that point (around one-fourth into the book). Lots of sparks fly between Gideon and Daryn! They're a combustible - and adorable - couple.

I loved the Four Horsemen aspects of the book - the horses, the boys in their armor and weapons, how obvious it is that they embody their title (War, Conquest, Famine, Death). This aspect isn't as big in this book as it was in Riders, but it is still the backbone of this story. 

I don't want to say too much about the journey - finding Bas, confronting Samrael, navigating the nightmarish Rift - but it's very intriguing and a little spooky sometimes. Rossi has you questioning everything that you read: was that real? Was it an illusion? And so on. The stakes get really high at the climax, and it seemed clear that something bad would have to give. 

The ending is a very good one! Almost a little too good, in terms of Samrael (I didn't really buy that aspect of the ending at all - too neat), but in general, it was a good ending. I will tell you that several characters got a nice (but open-ended!) HEA. Which is good! I liked the ending a lot.

What I Did Not Like:

Like I said above, I didn't totally love the aspect of the ending involving Samrael. It seemed too deus-ex-machina-like, and convenient. I wasn't really buying it, you know? Obviously you'd have to read the book to know what I mean. This one aspect was the only thing that really stuck out to me, in this book! That's always a good sign.

Would I Recommend It:

I recommend this sequel, especially since it's book two of a duology! It is an even better follow-up than its predecessor, and it will leave you content. I recommend the series in general! A fictional take on the Four Horsemen? Good stuff!

Rating:

4 stars. I loved this book! I think I loved Gideon the most (he is definitely on my book boyfriends list!), but this whole book was pretty great. I highly recommend any of Rossi's YA books - she is a very talented storyteller. I can't wait to see what she has in store for us next!

Website | Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes and Noble | The Ivy Bookshop

Was this review helpful? Please let me know in the comments section!

The Giveaway:

Want to win a hardcover copy of Seeker, and a Riders bracelet? This giveaway is open to USA/CAN residents, and it ends on May 25th, 11:59 PM EST. Good luck!

ENTER THE GIVEAWAY

Swoon Thursday (#224): Seeker by Veronica Rossi

- From the book you’re currently reading, or one you just finished, tell us what made you SWOON. What got your heart pounding, your skin tingling, and your stomach fluttering

- Try to make the swoon excerpt 140 characters (or less), if you are going to tweet about it. Use the hashtag #YABOUND when tweeting

This week, my swoon is from Seeker by Veronica Rossi!

I know exactly what I'm doing. I'm taking my foot off the brake. Just this once. Just to feel what I've imagined all these months. I lift onto my toes and bring my mouth to his.

I thought he'd hesitate or draw away, but he doesn't. He wraps his arms around me and we collide, connect, combine. His lips are surprisingly soft, his tongue softer, but the energy between us is hard, desperate. Every cell in my body charges with his strength, his energy, his clean alpine smell. His uneven breaths dance with mine, our hunger for each other raw and equal. 

- Page 97 (final copy)

Website | Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes and Noble | The Ivy Bookshop

The romance in this book is slow-burn and swoony, with a little bit of angst! I'm enjoying it so far. I can't wait to see how the series ends!

Waiting on Wednesday (#202): Seeker by Veronica Rossi

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

This week, I'm featuring:

Seeker by Veronica Rossi

Book Two of the Riders series

Publisher: Tor

Publication Date: May 16, 2017

Summary (from Goodreads):

To come.

Author Website | Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes and Noble

I loved Riders! And I love duologies. I'm sure Seeker will be awesome!

Blog Tour: Riders by Veronica Rossi

Hi, lovely people! Welcome to the blog tour for Riders by Veronica Rossi. This amazing novel published yesterday, and I highly encourage you all to get a copy. Today Veronica is introducing one of my favorite characters, Sebastian! Also known as Famine.

Meet Sebastian Luna, aka Famine, of RIDERS

One of the things that drew me to write RIDERS was the opportunity to work with the four horsemen – Conquest, War, Famine, Death – as metaphors.

I loved writing them all, but few characters have endeared themselves to me as much as Famine, aka Sebastian. He’s the heart of the group and the entertainer. Sebastian, or “Bas” as he goes by, is naturally optimistic and always ready with a great story. He’s also the talent in the bunch. Bas plays the guitar and sings, but his main focus is acting. Impersonations? He nails them. Perfect delivery on jokes? Always. With his dark good-looks, he also happens to be the team’s heart-throb.

One of the things I love best about Bas is the way he bungles idioms. A phrase like, “I don’t want to step on anyone’s toes” would become in Bastian-speak, “I don’t want to step on anyone’s fingers.” Kind of changes the whole thing, doesn’t it? 

I can’t wait for you to meet Sebastian in RIDERS!

About the Book:

Riders by Veronica Rossi

Book One of the Riders series

Publisher: Tor Teen

Publication Date: February 16, 2016

Summary (from Goodreads):

For eighteen-year-old Gideon Blake, nothing but death can keep him from achieving his goal of becoming a U.S. Army Ranger. As it turns out, it does.

Recovering from the accident that most definitely killed him, Gideon finds himself with strange new powers and a bizarre cuff he can't remove. His death has brought to life his real destiny. He has become War, one of the legendary four horsemen of the apocalypse.

Over the coming weeks, he and the other horsemen--Conquest, Famine, and Death--are brought together by a beautiful but frustratingly secretive girl to help save humanity from an ancient evil on the emergence.

They fail.

Now--bound, bloodied, and drugged--Gideon is interrogated by the authorities about his role in a battle that has become an international incident. If he stands any chance of saving his friends and the girl he's fallen for--not to mention all of humankind--he needs to convince the skeptical government officials the world is in imminent danger.

But will anyone believe him? 

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes and Noble | The Book Depository

About the Author:

VERONICA ROSSI is a New York Times bestselling author of fiction for young adults. She completed undergraduate studies at UCLA and then went on to study fine art at the California College of the Arts in San Francisco. She lives in Northern California with her husband and two sons. When not writing, she enjoys reading, painting, and counting down the minutes until she can get back to making up stories about imaginary people.

Website | Goodreads | Facebook | Twitter


Learn more about Sebastian! 

Check out posts from Katie's Book Blog and Good Choice Reading!


Giveaways:

Tor is hosting many giveaways all over the blogosphere! 

Stories & Sweeties - copy of Riders (US/CA only - ends 02/25)
Rainy Day Ramblings - copy of Riders (US only - ends 02/28)
YABC - copy of Riders (US/CA only - ends 03/04)
The Book Bratz - copy of Riders (US/CA - ends 03/08)

Review: Riders by Veronica Rossi

Riders by Veronica Rossi

Book One of the Riders series

Publisher: Tor Teen

Publication Date: February 16, 2016

Rating: 4 stars

Source: ARC sent by the publsher

Summary (from Goodreads):

For eighteen-year-old Gideon Blake, nothing but death can keep him from achieving his goal of becoming a U.S. Army Ranger. As it turns out, it does.

Recovering from the accident that most definitely killed him, Gideon finds himself with strange new powers and a bizarre cuff he can't remove. His death has brought to life his real destiny. He has become War, one of the legendary four horsemen of the apocalypse.

Over the coming weeks, he and the other horsemen--Conquest, Famine, and Death--are brought together by a beautiful but frustratingly secretive girl to help save humanity from an ancient evil on the emergence.

They fail.

Now--bound, bloodied, and drugged--Gideon is interrogated by the authorities about his role in a battle that has become an international incident. If he stands any chance of saving his friends and the girl he's fallen for--not to mention all of humankind--he needs to convince the skeptical government officials the world is in imminent danger.

But will anyone believe him? 

What I Liked:

I'm going to start my review by saying that this is one of those books that you really need to read for yourself, don't necessarily trust the reviews (positive or negative). Obviously my review it going to be positive, but I've seen many negative and DNF reviews for this book. I adored Rossi's Under the Never Sky trilogy, and I thought her New Adult contemporary romance series (under Noelle August) was just okay. I've had Riders for months, but I put off reading it until February, upon the publisher's request. I personally think it was well worth the wait! By now, I've seen a mix of reviews, but I managed to evade the specifics and form my own opinion. I encourage anyone interested in this book to do the same!

This book is written backwards - Gideon is telling a federal agent what happened, so the story is being told to us. We know that Gideon is drugged and held in a prison at an unknown location, and that he has been separated from three males and one female that he had been with, in Norway. We know that he is one of the four Horsemen, and that they was protecting something incredibly important, but everything went wrong. Gideon must tell his story in hopes of the agent believing him and letting him go - but it's not as simple as all that.

I don't usually like books that are written such that the story is being told back to us, in which a character is in the present and telling us the past. However, I think this type of storytelling worked, in this book. I think a lot of people struggled with this, especially in the beginning, but I think Rossi did a really good job of crafting the story with this uncommon way of sharing the story.

I adore Gideon. He's got a temper, he's a tough guy, he's a hard worker, he's got a serious case of OCPD, and he's a good person. He has so many layers - I love how thoroughly and deeply Rossi digs into his character. He has so much baggage from his past that is weighing him down, and part of his journey throughout this book is coming to terms with the baggage.

This book is told exclusively in Gideon's first-person POV, and I love this change of pace (compared to most YA novels). Just Gideon in first-person, no one else. Gideon has an interesting and hilarious voice. He's sarcastic and yet direct, commanding and sometimes harsh. He has a military mindset, with the precision and the commands and the physical and mental strength.

Gideon is War, hence the temper. Throughout the book, he and Daryn (a girl who shows up needing his help) search for the other three Horsemen. There is Sebastian, who is Famine. He is talkative and excitable, and the joker of the group. Marcus is Death, and he is hardened and almost unfeeling. He and Gideon do NOT get along (but they are so similar). And finally, there is Jode, who is Conquest. He's a "pretty boy", rich and cultured and polished. Together, the group must work together to help Daryn and protect the mysterious THING that the bad guys are looking for.

There is romance in this book, and there is NO love triangle/square/pyramid/pentagon/anything of the sort. It's a linear romance, and a slow-burn one, and not an easy one. I loved watching Gideon and Darryn fall for each other, but Darryn pulls away from Gideon constantly (for good reason, unfortunately), and I just wanted to smoosh their heads together! The romance is pretty minimized, though it is there. I think it might be a tiny bit more present in the next book, but I like that it isn't the main emphasis of the story. Not by far.

I won't say much more on the plot, but I will say that the story starts very slowly. I remember reaching the fifty-page mark and losing interest a little. But if you power past the 100-page mark, you'll be fine. The story took off around page 120 ish, and I couldn't stop reading. I loved seeing Gideon's character development, the small progressions in his relationship with Darryn, as well as how the four boys work together. The bad guys - demons - were a strange bunch, as was the world-building of this book. Still, I like what Rossi has going on here.

Overall, you can probably tell that I liked this book. Maybe not as much as I'd liked the Under the Never Sky series, but this new Rossi book didn't disappoint me at all! I can't wait to read the next book in the series.

What I Did Not Like:

Like I said above, the beginning of this book is SO slow. I actually wasn't getting into the book and wanted to push it back (for the forty billionth time), but I wasn't feeling it. It took me about 150 pages before I really started flying through the pages. So, be aware of that.

Would I Recommend It:

This book is set in the modern world, but obviously it's got tons of fantasy elements. If you're a fan, give it a try! This book isn't stuffed with religion (though there are Biblical references), and it also isn't consumed by romance. Gideon is a likable and noble hero, and I wouldn't mind reading more from his POV! Book two, here I come!

Rating:

4 stars. I'm so glad I kept reading, and that I didn't get deterred by negative reviews. I wasn't likely to get deterred, since I got this one from the publisher and I've had it for review for months, but it's disheartening to see people dislike a book that you've been dying to read for years. I'm glad it didn't disappoint me!

Author Website | Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes and Noble

Was this review helpful? Please let me know in the comments section!

Waiting on Wednesday (#144): Riders by Veronica Rossi

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

This week, I'm featuring:

Riders by Veronica Rossi

Book One of the Riders series

Publisher: Tor Teen

Publication Date: February 16, 2016

Summary (from Goodreads):

For eighteen-year-old Gideon Blake, nothing but death can keep him from achieving his goal of becoming a U.S. Army Ranger. As it turns out, it does.

Recovering from the accident that most definitely killed him, Gideon finds himself with strange new powers and a bizarre cuff he can’t remove. His death has brought to life his real destiny. He has become War, one of the legendary four horsemen of the apocalypse.

Over the coming weeks, he and the other horsemen—Conquest, Famine and Death—are brought together by a beautiful but frustratingly secretive girl to help save humanity from an ancient evil on the emergence.

They fail.

Now—bound, bloodied, and drugged—Gideon is interrogated by the authorities about his role in a battle that has become an international incident. If he stands any chance of saving his friends and the girl he’s fallen for—not to mention all of humankind—he needs to convince the skeptical government officials the world is in imminent danger.

But will anyone believe him? 

Author Website | Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes and Noble


I loved Rossi's Under the Never Sky series! I can't wait to read something new from her.

Review: Into the Still Blue by Veronica Rossi

Into the Still Blue by Veronica Rossi

Book Three of the Under the Never Sky series

Publisher: Harper Teen

Publication Date: January 28, 2014

Rating: 4 stars

Source: eARC from Edelweiss

Summary (from Goodreads):

The earth-shattering conclusion to Veronica Rossi's "masterpiece" Under the Never Sky trilogy and sequel to the New York Times bestselling Through the Ever Night (Examiner.com).

Their love and their leadership have been tested. Now it's time for Perry and Aria to unite the Dwellers and the Outsiders in one last desperate attempt to bring balance to their world.

The race to the Still Blue has reached a stalemate. Aria and Perry are determined to find this last safe-haven from the Aether storms before Sable and Hess do-and they are just as determined to stay together.

Meanwhile, time is running out to rescue Cinder, who was abducted by Hess and Sable for his unique abilities. And when Roar returns to camp, he is so furious with Perry that he won't even look at him, and Perry begins to feel like they have already lost.

Out of options, Perry and Aria assemble a team to mount an impossible rescue mission-because Cinder isn't just the key to unlocking the Still Blue and their only hope for survival, he's also their friend. And in a dying world, the bonds between people are what matter most.

In this final book in her stunning Under the Never Sky trilogy, Veronica Rossi raises the stakes to their absolute limit and brings her epic love story to an unforgettable close.

What I Liked:

First: this review will NOT contain any spoilers, at least for this book. I can't guarantee that I won't spoil things for books one or two. But book three (this book) is safely unspoiled in this review.

That being said, this review will probably seem to be extremely vague. I would hate to ruin any part of this conclusion novel for anyone, even by mentioning just the slightest specific thing. It would seriously break my heart. I wouldn't appreciate it if someone trusted with an ARC of a conclusion novel spoiled something for me in their review. 

This book picks up around the time that the second one ends - maybe a few weeks after it ends. The Tides is still having problems - food shortages, restlessness, difficulty shelter from the aether storms. Cinder is gone. Everything points to the Still Blue. Everything about this novel is about the Still Blue.

So, that's as far as I go with the plot. Rossi does an excellent job of keeping the plot moving, keeping it interesting, and keeping things unpredictable. Twist after turn, Rossi does not give Aria, Perry, Roar, and crew, a break. I love this aspect of the novel - I couldn't stop reading, once I started!

I LOVE that there is no love triangle in this entire series. To me, there never was a hint of one, or the possibility of one. It was always Aria and Perry. Rossi never fails to deliver on the chemistry in this book, but also on the romance. She allows readers to see how much Aria and Perry want each other, but also, how much they need each other and depend on each other.

Rossi allows does a really good job of torturing and testing her characters. EVERYONE suffers in this book, one way or another. I promise I'm not spoiling anything - because the suffering is physical, mental, psychological, and emotional. No one is left not scarred, and I really like this. It shows how well Rossi can develop a story, bruise her characters, and make things REAL.

Overall, I really could not have asked for a better ending to an awesome trilogy. I LOVED book one the most, mostly liked book two, and enjoyed book three. Series should end like this one - not heart-wrenching and painful and angst-filled. Of course, now I'm filled with all the sadness because I really enjoyed this series!

It's funny though - I don't actually finish a lot of series. I start them, usually because the first novel in a YA trilogy is an author's debut (usually). So, I'll read the debut, and then kind of not read the second or third book. Oops? Well, I finished this series! SCORE!

What I Did Not Like:

I'd say the only thing that I really didn't like was that the first, hmm, one-third of the book? Was a bit slow. I saw one person on Goodreads marked this book as "DNF", because she didn't finish. She probably stopped within the first one-third of the book. It was a tiny bit slow, and I kind of skim-read parts.

But honestly, it wasn't that bad. I personally was in no danger of NOT finishing this book.

One other thing that bothered me really doesn't have much to do with the content of the book - the summary. It seems to make the book (and series) focus on Perry and Aria's love/relationship, rather than what is basically the world ending under aether storms. Seriously?! The romance is important, but it wasn't the most important part of the series, like in the  Shatter Me series or The Selection series or something.

Would I Recommend It:

I would! I highly recommend reading this novel, especially if you've come this far! So to speak. If you've read books one and two, read book three. If you've read book one, read books two and three. If you haven't started this series, you should.

Rating:

4 stars. A beautiful end to a lovely trilogy! THIS is how a trilogy should end. *cough cough*

Author Website | Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes and Noble

Was this review helpful? Please let me know in the comments section!

Review: Through the Ever Night by Veronica Rossi

Through the Ever Night by Veronica Rossi

Book Two of the Under the Never Sky series

Publisher: Harper Teen

Publication Date: January 8. 2013

Rating: 3 stars

Source: hardcover copy given as a gift

Summary (from Goodreads):

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? 

In this second book in her spellbinding Under the Never Sky trilogy, Veronica Rossi combines fantasy and sci-fi elements to create a captivating adventure-and a love story as perilous as it is unforgettable.

What I Liked:

Let me tell you a story, about this story. I started reading this book on January 20th (2013, of course). I was sooo excited to be reading the sequel to one of my favorite books of 2012! I got about 180 pages into this book, and stopped. I couldn't take it, I couldn't handle this book (I'll explain why in the next section). So, I put the book down, and moved on.

Of course, I ended up getting an advanced reviewer's copy of Into the Still Blue in the fall, so I couldn't just NOT read book two, could I? So, I picked up book two, and here I am. What a journey Through the Ever Night has been for me. I knew I wasn't going to not finish this book, but it all depended on when I got a copy of Into the Still Blue. Which easily could have been sometime in 2014. 

Anyway, I didn't love this book, but I'm really glad I finished it. It picks up months after book one ends, but it starts with the reunion scene that is in the epilogue of book one (I think it was an epilogue, and not a chapter). Aria's presence in Perry's tribe makes the tribe uneasy and untrustworthy of her. And the aether storms grow worse, weakening the tribe. Aria still has to find Sable, and the Still Blue, in order to get Talon back. How will Aria and Perry's relationship survive?

One of the things I really enjoyed about this book (and was also present in book one) is the dual points-of-view, and the third-person narration. It's not easy to pull of third-person narration in YA, especially since most books are in first-person narration. It's even harder to do third-person narration in split points-of-view. I LOVE getting to see things from Perry's eyes AND Aria's eyes - and I love that both are told in third person. Props to Rossi for that!

The plot and story was kind of slow, which was one of my biggest problems with this book. BUT. It served its purpose - the final showdown that will occur in book three is pretty showy and big. I cannot wait to see how things shake down in book three!

The romance is rocky in this book. Perry is heavily tested in this book, more so than Aria. It's more like he is more tempted than she is, more easily swayed to see things that are not there. However, I didn't get too annoyed with him (or Aria), because nothing was serious to go pointing fingers and screaming, "LOVE TRIANGLE!". Both Perry and Aria were tested, and they survived, and I think that is a great way to have a relationship progress in YA literature. See? You don't need a love triangle...

In general, this was a pretty good sequel - it didn't suffer from sequel syndrome, and the author didn't do horrible things to the male and female protagonist. Yay.

What I Did Not Like:

I spent way to long "reading" this book. Granted, I really only spent two days reading it: January 20th, and December 28th. But seriously - it should NOT take me almost an entire year to read/finish a book. On January 20th, after 180, I had zero motivation to finish this book, and I very clearly remember why.

The first 180 pages were painfully boring. For me. Not much happens, and what happens doesn't happen in a way that captured my attention. Things don't really pick up until about fifty pages later, or when some characters find Sable. THEN things start to get interesting, and I really wanted to know what was going on.

But, Perry's life with the tribe? Did not interest me. I didn't really care. I understand why Rossi spent so much time and pages showing and telling the problems with the tribe, about shelter and food and trust and the aether storms - to show how difficult things were for Perry, to help develop Perry's character, and so on. But it was painful. And boring. And painful.

I had to skim-read the first 180 pages, to familiarize myself with what I read so long ago, and I could remember what I had been thinking at the time. I thought it was boring then, and I thought it was boring now (when I was revisiting the content). There's a problem there.

It was probably possible that I didn't need to read this book. It didn't feel necessary to the series - it felt like a filler novel. And it filled the spot of a sequel well. But I wasn't in love with this book. It didn't break my heart, or make me super happy, or make me rage. It just me bored and tired.

But I am very, VERY excited to read book three next. I have it, and I am going to read it next.

Would I Recommend It:

I would still highly recommend this book, if you liked/loved book one. And if you're contemplating reading this series at all, do it! This sequel isn't amazing, but it fills the spot of a sequel pretty well, and it continues the story appropriately. I'm quite sure book three will blow readers away, just like book one did. 

Rating:

3 stars. It was a great sequel, but I'm just really excited to read book three. I feel like I could have skipped this book completely, and could have just jumped right into book three. Oh well!

Author Website | Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes and Noble

Was this review helpful? Please let me know in the comments section!

Swoon Thursday (#7): Through the Ever Night by Veronica Rossi

Swoon Thursday is a hot meme hosted by the fabulous ladies at YA Bound!

- From the book you’re currently reading, or one you just finished, tell us what made you SWOON. What got your heart pounding, your skin tingling, and your stomach fluttering

- Try to make the swoon excerpt 140 characters (or less), if you are going to tweet about it. Use the hashtag #YABOUND when tweeting

This week, my swoon is from Through the Ever Night by Veronica Rossi!

"He smiled and leaned down, kissing her softly, tenderly. She knew she should step away. This was a risk, but she didn't care about anything except him just then. She woved her arms around his neck and parted his lips with hers, stealing a taste of him. Tenderness could wait for another time."

- Page 98

Author Blog | Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes and Noble

According to Goodreads, I've been "currently reading" this book since January 20th... UGH. That's a month ago, since I started! And I've read so many books in between then and now! I am determined to finish this book, but the problem is, I've reached page 180, and things are, well, not happy.

And I've been swamped with schoolwork. Between colleges, scholarships, projects, essays, and finishing class curriculums to start studying for my lovely eight AP exams, I have had barely any time for anything!

So, this isn't exactly a new swoon on my part, but currently, I'm not reading anything (unless you count this one, which I started ONCE, a month ago, and never picked up again).

So anyway! What made you swoon this week?