Through the Ever Night

Under the Never Sky, Book 2

By: Veronica Rossi

Narrated by: Michael Goldstrom

Length: 8 hrs and 55 mins

Publisher's summary

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.

©2013 Veronica Rossi (P)2013 HarperCollins Publishers

Looking forward to Book 3!

What did you love best about Through the Ever Night?

I loved that you really get to see how the tribes work in this. That wasn't as big a feature in the first one. But here you get to see Perry as blood lord and the workings of the Tides. I liked that a lot. I also liked finally getting to meet Liv. Also the actual story is pretty good. And the ending made me want to jump in to the third book which isn't out yet. That's what a second book in a series is supposed to do.

Who was your favorite character and why?

I'm not sure I can pick a fave cause I really like them all - good guys and bad guys alike.

Would you listen to another book narrated by Michael Goldstrom?

Not a fiction book. He has a good voice - clear and strong. But for this book, he didn't really fit the bill. First of all, he sounded a little too old - like 30 something. Which would be fine if he really got into the characters and emotion of the story the way Caroline McCormack did in The Hunger Games. But I don't feel like he really nailed any of those aspects of this book. When a book is told in third person, you definitely want to hear the narrator use different parts of his or her voice for each character. This narrator didn't really do that very much, and when he did it was inconsistent. Also, the emotion of the whole story didn't really flow, it felt forced and insincere. Maybe he didn't really like it all that much - this series is not exactly aiming at the 30 something male demographic. All that being said, I think this guy would be a fantastic non-fiction narrator. But if he's going to do YA fiction, he needs work.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

No idea

Any additional comments?

Overall, the first book and audiobook were stronger, but this was a good sequel and a good story. I'm really looking forward to the third book.

Romance isn't always easy

The second story of this (planned) trilogy is just as good as the first. Aria and Perry find that love doesn't smooth over all the bumps in the road, and there are plenty of bumps for them. Their love story helps to bring together the Dwellers and the Outsiders, though mostly they are kicking and screaming all the way! I'm looking forward to the next story. I just hope that the original narrator returns. Michael did an adequate job, but I got irritated at some of the mispronunciations.

Narrator killed it for me.

Would you listen to Through the Ever Night again? Why?

Yes. It is a good story, though not as compelling as the first one.

What did you like best about this story?

The characters.

What aspect of Michael Goldstrom’s performance would you have changed?

He seemed to read most of the story with less expression than the narrator of the first book. I wish she had been able to read it this time, too. He had sort of a monotone compared to her. Perhaps that is why I did not like this story as much as the first book.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Rescuing the nephew and the other people. It was touching and suspenseful.

Any additional comments?

Please get the first narrator again for sequels.

Not as good as book 1

I didn't like this as much as the first book in the series. I almost quit listening, but I stuck it out and ended up liking the 2nd half more. This narrator was not as good either. I'm not sure I'll continue on to the 3rd book.

Love it.

I'm so ready to start the third book. As with the first one, it is predictable. I am still loving them. I love the characters and the story. Great series in my opinion.

Better then the first!

PJV Quickie: Second in series are scary. Will it be as good as the first? Will it keep pace with the first? Will I love it as much? Through the Ever Night was one of the best second in series that I’ve read in a long time. The pacing, the intrigue and the action were all present, just like the first book. I’m still in love with the Under the Never Sky series, in fact I think I’m enjoying it even more.

Review: A lot has happened since Aria and Perry first met in Under the Never Sky. Since then, Perry has taken the title of Blood Lord of the Tides and Aria has taken on the responsibility of rescuing Perry’s nephew and searching for clues to the Still Blue. After months of diverging paths, Perry and Aria are reunited but only to a bittersweet and almost painful realization that their happily-ever-after isn’t exactly in the cards. Perry’s tribe will never trust a dweller and if he doesn’t want to be challenged over and over again as Blood Lord, bringing Aria into the tribe as his love-interest isn’t an option. They decide to keep their relationship a secret from the tribe, but having a dweller within the tribe still is still a challenge and Aria is met with distrust and disgust. When problems erupt left and right for Perry, Aria decides it is best to leave with Roar and go in search of what everyone wants…the Still Blue.

New characters are introduced, new problems arise and new enemies stand in the shadows. Through the Ever Night is an emotional roller-coaster, wrapped up in a dystopian icing, full of angsty goodness and action-packed awesome. I have to say it again and again, you don’t get any better then this. Rossi is a superstar when it comes to penning a young adult trilogy. This second installment delivered even better then the first. Her character development is superb. I fell in love with the characters again, felt emotionally tied to them in that special way that only great authors can achieve and not only that, I’m totally in-love with the secondary characters too! Roar, oh Roar is just wonderful. The relationship between Roar and Aria is superb and Rossi didn’t muddy it up with any hinted love-triangle bull-dinky, or comedic interplay, it was a substantial secondary friendship with true meaningful purpose. Roar was not created to propagate a plot point or entertain, he is there as his own person. The secondary story of Roar and Liv’s romance was also top-notch, if not heart-achingly disastrous to my emotions. It was wonderfully played out and Rossi again, did not pull any punches, she has no problem writing in problem after problem and having her characters make mistakes, without a foreseeable conclusion of said problem, which you don’t find a lot in young adult. There is nothing easy about these books. It kind of scares me to think what is in store for us in the next book.

Are you convinced yet?

Read the series. You won’t be disappointed. There were moments in this audiobook where I wanted to scream at the characters, especially Perry. There was also a particular character that I wanted to murder. You can’t get better emotional reactions from a read than this. I think because she switched back and forth between the characters perspectives it actually enhanced the tension, instead of muddying it. Rossi is a truly talented writer, both books in this series are full of action, angst, emotion and ridiculously paced that you are kept on the edge of your seat at all times.

Narration: Michael Goldstrom is the narrator for Through the Ever Night, and I do think he did a better job then the first narrator of Under the Never Sky, but I wasn’t as impressed as I have been with other narrators. Some of his accents were a bit forced and I didn’t feel a seamless transition into dialogue that I do in some of the great narrators. Goldstrom did a good job, just with a great book, I would hope for a great narrator.

Recommendations: This is not a stand-alone, it is recommended that you read the first in the series before tackling book two. Fans of the genre, Young Adult Dystopian should be rightly pleased, the book epitomizes the awesome of that genre. The book’s themes are mature and it is recommended for 14+ readership.

Review originally posted on Parajunkee's View.

If you liked this Young Adult Dystopian, you might also like these:

The Immortal Rules (Blood of Eden, #1) by Julie Kagawa
Article 5 (Article 5, #1) by Kristen Simmons

Great Teen Drama

What did you love best about Through the Ever Night?

The setting of the book. Out in the wild, with sky that is beautiful shades of blue and purple.

enjoyed it

1st book was great - got me hooked - 2nd book even better. about to start the 3rd book. I love the characters - most of them. Hess & Sable are typical bureaucratical asses wanting everything for themselves - thinking they know what is best for "the people"
Which tells me the author has written the characters well.

Now to the 3rd book.

Way beyond my expectations! Amazing sequel

Let me start by saying I absolutely loved this one! I'm always nervous that the 2nd book in a trilogy will just be filler with no real substance. Well this book is no filler!
There is just as much action, heartbreak, romance, character development, pulse-pounding excitement and adventure as Under the Never Sky. I couldn't put this one down!
At first it took me awhile to adjust to the new male narrator. To me it just gave this book a different vibe then the first. Of course it doesn't help much that I didn't care for his narration (too flat in my opinion). However, the book is so good that it didn't really matter once the story got going.
If you loved Under the Never Sky then you will absolutely love this one too. Just be warned that it will leave you anxious for book 3.

interesting story, slow motion narration

What did you like best about Through the Ever Night? What did you like least?

The storyline is very interesting.I like the different "worlds" that come with completely opposite ways of living. Also it is fascinating how the character of Aria is dealing / changing with being outside "her world".
I'm not finished with the audiobook yet due to the narrator... Although I very much would like to know what happens next in the story, I just HAVE TO take a break after about 20 minutes listening to that narrator - either because I'm about to fall asleep while waiting for him to finish one tiny sentence or because I'm getting too annoyed (almost aggressive) with the SLOW PACE and EMOTIONLESS narration! It's sad really, that a different performer wasn't picked to tell the story.

Would you be willing to try another one of Michael Goldstrom’s performances?

His performance is tempting me to NOT finish this audiobook - that should say it all...

Could you see Through the Ever Night being made into a movie or a TV series? Who should the stars be?

Yes, definitely I can see a movie coming. And I leave it up to HOLLYWOOD to decide on the stars:)