REVIEW: Brooke (Under the Never Sky #2.5) by Veronica Rossi

Brooke (Under the Never Sky #2.5)  by Veronica Rossi

Publication Date: November 26, 2013

Publisher: HarperCollins

Source: eBook Purchased by Reviewer

Buy it at: Amazon / Barnes and Noble

My rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Summary (from Goodreads):

The only fight she can’t win is the one for Perry’s heart. Following the stunning climax in Through the Ever Night, the Tides have been forced to see shelter from the Aether storms in a dismal, secluded cave. But Brooke’s memories of the cave go back much further, to when she and Perry used to come here together. That was before Perry fell in love with Aria and before Vale’s dealings with the Dwellers altered the course of the Tides forever.

Now, with her sister back from the haunting year in captivity and Aria lying unconscious in the sick bay, Brooke struggles to put the pieces of her life back together. Without Perry, who is she? And what is her role in this frightening new world? As these questions swirl about her, an old threat to the Tides resurfaces, and Brooke is forced to put the lives of her people before her own. But in taking this step outside herself, Brooke may finally discover what she truly wants.

When I first heard that Veronica Rossi was doing a novella in Brooke’s POV, I was less than happy. I never considered her more than a secondary character and definitely not to the point of needing her own story, but it was actually better than I thought it would be. Seeing her struggle with everything happening around her struck a chord with me. I will say, however, that I wasn’t in love with it.

Though, Brooke does seem to change a lot in this novella and I hope that Veronica Rossi shows a little bit more of this new side of Brooke in Into the Still Blue, I just feel like it was kind of forced. It all happened so quickly and slightly unnaturally. I hate to give spoilers, so the only other thing I will say that bothered me is that on her journey to move on from Perry, she takes a turn into scandalous waters. Not her best move, at all!

BUT…seeing her mature and grow up a bit was a nice change to her usually nasty demeanor, and it was pretty nasty in the novella. I enjoyed seeing her soften up a bit and learn to be a better person. I’m pretty sure that her sister, Clara, being back had a huge influence on that but I can also see that it was also her wanting to be a better person for her sister and her people. She’s a natural protector and I absolutely LOVE that about her because that’s how I am in my life. It’s my natural instinct to protect people and that’s something that me and Brooke share, which of course makes me relate to her more.

So overall, though there were some thing’s I disliked about this novella, I think it was a great read and great insight into Brooke.  Let’s see what Veronica does with this in Into the Still Blue!

REVIEW: Through the Ever Night by Veronica Rossi

Through the Ever Night (Under the Never Sky #2)  by Veronica Rossi
Publication Date: January 8, 2013
Publisher: HarperCollins
Source: Book Purchased by Reviewer
Buy it at: Amazon / Barnes and Noble

My rating: 5 out of 5 stars

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?

Well I have to admit that this book was sooooooooooooo much better than its predecessor, Under the Never Sky. It took me a while to actually get into the first one, while this book just flowed so much better and had me hooked the entire time. Not a dull moment was had!

I think the author did a great job with the characters growth as well. It was such a great feeling to see Aria go from a weak, scared Dweller to a strong, fearless Aud. I think that even though she resisted the outside world in the beginning, she fully embraced it when she learned the truth about what she was.

I think Rossi's best character development was with Perry, though. Seeing his journey to becoming Blood Lord of the Tides was so great to read. It's amazing how his compassion and determination were seen as childish and weak in the beginning, but one incident earns him the respect and trust of the tribe. Meanwhile, he was doing what he had always tried his best to do, which was protect the Tribe. Proving his journey to be genuine and realistically showing that loyalty and trust are earned!

Now Sable, on the other hand, is a total dog! He is just as horrible as I imagined him to be! He seems "not-to-bad" at first. He treats Liv well and seems like he cares about her, but that's all a rouse! He has nothing but malicious intent and we later learn when certain situations involving Liv (and Cinder!) arise.

One issue I had with this book, which I also had with Under the Never Sky, is the lack of world-building. We still have no idea how the world ended up the way that is was, filled with Aether storms and people separated into different status groups (ie: Dwellers and Outsiders)

Another issue I had, which isn't a huge deal, is the cover of this book. I don't normally comment on covers, but this one really bothers me. I know that the guy on the cover is supposed to be Perry, but that's not how I pictured Perry at all! He's way to boyish and clean-cut on the cover...shouldn't he be more rugged and savage looking? Maybe it's just my opinion, but yea...that's not my Perry!

Overall, I really enjoyed this book and I think Veronica Rossi did a great job with this story!

FEATURE: Teaser Tuesday (3)

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB at Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists of they like your teasers!

Hi Swooners! Here's my "teaser" for this week...

 “I know why Roar is here,” he said, “Why are you?”

His words were casual, but the look in his eyes was penetrating. Aria glanced at the door, gauging the distance, instinct telling her to leave now.

Sable’s hand shot out and clasped her wrist. With her free hand Aria snatched a knife from the table. She held it facing down, ready for the strike she’d make at his neck. A killing strike. There would only be one shot against someone like him but that wouldn’t help her. She needed him to talk.

Sable smiled and gave a slight shake of his head. His eyes were pale as glass at the center, and ringed with dark blue.

“You don’t need that. I won’t hurt you unless you give me reason to.”

Pg. 217, Through the Ever Night by Veronica Rossi

FEATURE: Waiting On Wednesday (#6)

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

Hi Swooners :-)

This week my "can't-wait-to-read" pre-publication selection is:

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

Expected release date: January 28, 2014

Links: Amazon / Barnes and Noble

Summary from Goodreads:

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 hope for survival, he’s also their friend. And in a dying world, the bonds between people are what matter most. 

Haven't even finished Through the Ever Night, but I already know this is one of my favorite series EVER!!! Cant wait for this finale to a great story!

REVIEW: Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi

Under the Never Sky (Under the Never Sky #1)  by Veronica Rossi
Publication Date: January 3, 2012
Publisher: Harper Collins
Source: Book Purchased by Reviewer
Buy it at: Amazon, Barnes and Noble, IndieBound

My rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Summary (from Goodreads):

Aria has lived her whole life in the protected dome of Reverie. Her entire world confined to its spaces, she’s never thought to dream of what lies beyond its doors. So when her mother goes missing, Aria knows her chances of surviving in the outer wasteland long enough to find her are slim.

Then Aria meets an outsider named Perry. He’s searching for someone too. He’s also wild - a savage - but might be her best hope at staying alive.

If they can survive, they are each other’s best hope for finding answers.

For some reason nothing about this book really drew me in initially. The cover seemed blah, the synopsis was just ok and the author didn't "sell" it to me when I met her at a signing…but after all of that I still felt compelled to read it when my good friend Jenn at Books and Swoons recommended it to me several times.

So read it I did and of course LOVED it because I love every book that she recommends to me, and now I’m left wondering why it took me soooooo long!?!?!??!?!!?

This book is categorized as a dystopian, but I think it’s got a bit of fantasy in there too so not entirely sure how I would label it just yet. We start off learning about the two the types of people in the world, one being the “Dwellers” that live in pods to protect themselves from the outside world of death and destruction and the other is the “outsiders” where there are tribes that have learned to live among the storms and destruction that occur. This world seems more of the dystopian type. I think the fantasy comes in when we discover that the Aether storms created certain mutations that gave some people “powers.” These powers are pretty much just extremely strong senses, Audiles can hear really well, Scires can smell tempers, and Seers can see extremely far and/or in the dark.

The MC’s were truly a great team in this book. We have Aria, the “Dweller” that lives in the main pod called Reverie. Then we have Peregrine aka Perry who is an “outsider” that was “twice gifted” as being a scire and a seer. Then the supporting characters come along starting with Talon, Perrys’ favorite and only nephew, who was taken by the Dwellers for reasons not fully known until the end of the book (no spoilery waters here folks :o)) and Vale, Perry’s brother and Blood Lord of the Tides. WISH there was more I could say about HIM but I could never form the words without giving everything away so for now I leave you with this: He is so shady!!!!!

Then of course we have Roar, who is Perrys’ best friend and in love with his sister Liv and my favorite, Cinder, the kid with the deadliest power of all. He can control the Aether through his blood. Pretty deadly when you realize that he doesn't even remember doing it!

Now to my favorite part, the swoons!!!

Perry, though a really tough guy, is also such a sweetheart! He saved Aria’s life MORE than once and even did it while he disliked her for “causing the Dwellers to take Talon by saving her.” I love that he fell in love with Aria and I love even more that it wasn't over night! Many books have love stories that happen way too fast, like why did you JUST meet and are already in LOVE!??!?! So yea, big plus to Ms. Rossi for her perfect timing in the love aspect of the story.

Now I would be remiss to not mention that this book is NOT A ROMANCE novel!!! Many people see it for the harsh world that it is. I, however, can pretty much find a love story in anything because that’s what I generally look for. So while this book is not really a love story, there IS a little something going on there.

The only thing I DIDN'T like about the book was the ending. And there was nothing bad about it, honestly. I just wish there was one last quote to finish it. It felt like there should have been a quote, but I’m sure whatever it lacked in this book will be overflowing in the next!

FEATURE: Swoon Thursday (#1) Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi

A weekly meme from 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.

Shout it out on twitter with the hashtag #YABound, post it here in the comments, or grab the adorable button above and share it on your blog. The awesome girls over at YA Bound want to know!

This week my swoon worthy book is:

Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi

"I guess you're fine with touching." His tone was light but his arms shuddered around her. He shifted them, his hands rubbing her back, sending ripples of heat through her.

"That was my first kiss," she said. "My first real one." He brought his head close, resting his forehead on hers. Blond waves fell around her face, soft against her cheeks, His chest rose and fell as he drew in a breath. "Felt like the first real one for me, too."