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

Title: Into the Still Blue by Veronica Rossi

Release date: January 28^th, 2013 by Harper Collins

Source: ARC from Harper Collins and Edelweiss

Format: eBook

Genre: Dystopian | Paranormal | Romance

Age group: Young adult

Challenge(s): Finish the Series 2013, Dystopia Challenge

Grade rate: A+

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.

My Review

Amazing?  Wonderful? Marvelous?  I wish I could find the right words to describe, not only how good this book is, but how good the series is.  Into the Still Blue is the perfect ending for what has been a worthy addition to the YA dystopian genre. 

Into the Still Blue starts right were Through the Ever Night ended and finds Perry planning a rescue mission for Cinder.   The Dwellers and the Outsiders are having a really difficult time getting along and getting past their views and prejudices about each other.  An unlikely group is pulled together and off they go.  Everything that could go wrong probably does, and the Tides and the Outsiders that escape band together in an attempt to survive the worsening ether storms.

Aria and Perry are a perfect example of a couple that not only complements each other, but they make each other better.  There is no love triangle, there’s no unreasonable jealously; just love, understanding and absolute trust in each other.  I can really appreciate this.  They keep growing as individual and leaders as well and don’t strangle each other.

The road to the Still Blue doesn’t come without sacrifices and many give their lives (some unwillingly and some not) for the good of the tribe.  What happens next is a combination of war, scare tactics, strategy and stealth.  Sable is one of the best villains that I ever encountered in literature.  Like a typical dictator, he forces his will unto others, all the while pretending that it’s for their own good. 

Roar remains one of my favorite characters; he still mourning, but by the end I saw a semblance of his old self and I’m happy for it.  Brooke, Cinder, Hess, Sorren, characters old and new join our beloved couple.  I have to say that the characterization is phenomenal.  I felt so close to these characters. Aria and Sorren go through one of the best character growth that I’ve read about lately.

The plot can make you dizzy because it’s so full of twist and turns!  Really, the unexpected seemed to always be happening and I just enjoyed the ride and went with the flow.  The writing is fluid, easy to read and understand, even if we are reading about a dystopian world.

Veronica Rossi has become one of the best author in my list and I will read anything she writes for sure!  Into the Still Blue is the perfect end to one of my favorite series.  I hope you give it a try.

About the cover: Perfect. Just like everything else about this book :)

Review: The Crown of Embers by Rae Carson (Girl of Fire and Thorns #2)

Title: The Crown of Embers by Rae Carson

Published: September 18^th, 2012 by Greenwillow Books

Source: Purchased

Format: Hardcover

Challenge(s):  Finish the Series, Books in a Series

Grade rate: A+

Elisa is the hero of her country. She led her people to victory against a terrifying enemy, and now she is their queen. But she is only seventeen years old. Her rivals may have simply retreated, choosing stealth over battle. And no one within her court trusts her-except Hector, the commander of the royal guard, and her companions. As the country begins to crumble beneath her and her enemies emerge from the shadows, Elisa will take another journey. With a one-eyed warrior, a loyal friend, an enemy defector, and the man she is falling in love with, Elisa crosses the ocean in search of the perilous, uncharted, and mythical source of the Godstone's power. That is not all she finds. A breathtaking, romantic, and dangerous second volume in the Fire and Thorns trilogy.

My Review

Wow!  I love The Girl of Fire and Thorns (see my review here), and as soon as I finished it, I had to purchase The Crown of Embers and I have to say that it was even better, which I would think it was almost impossible.

The book starts about five months after the end of Girl of Fire, on Elisa’s birthday (as did the first book).  She has now the heavy weight of huge kingdom to reign over and is being sabotaged.  Elisa still doubts her ability as a queen and as a woman, she is trying to find a balance between what is right and wrong, and figure out who she can trust to help her rebuilt.  I am so glad that she found her inner strength and found her power and sense of self-worth from within, without the crutch that the zafira.

Elisa comes to rely in her nurse/guardian Ximena, her lady-in-waiting Mara and in her Captain of the Guard Hector. Hector is amazing.  He believes in Elisa as few do, is full of good advice for her and loves her so much, that it hurts to see.  I’m still upset about the ending and I hope all ends well (*pretty please*)

The character development is astounding.  These characters are so special, and fully fleshed out. We see some old friend from the previous books and it seems like the next one will bring even more. There are also a few new characters; more notable are Tristán and Storm (which despite all I still liked).   I don’t want to give anything away, but well done Elisa!  It was time to take her rightful place and be the queen she was groomed to be!

The plot is excellent, it’s full of twists and turns and action packed.  The setting is so vivid and well crafted.  The idea of the Godstone is so original and although the story is full of religious references, it is not preachy at all.  The writing is nothing short of amazing.  You can tell by my raving on and on that I simply adore this series.  I cannot wait for the sequel, The Bitter Kingdom, to be published in September.

Here are some quotes:

“For love is more beautiful than rubies, sweeter than honey, finer than the king’s wine. And not one has greater love than he who gives his own life for a friend. My love is like perfume poured out…” – Elisa’s prayer

“If you were like this, with this kind of confidence, this clarity of thought, no one would dare challenge your rule” – Hector to Elisa

“His eyes are steady and frank when he says, “I don’t regret telling you what I did”

“That’s good, because you did say it, and I can’t unknow it”

“And I can’t unfeel it, he says”  - Hector to Elisa

“But I’m not powerless” I continue. “I’ve always had my Godstone and its minor magic… And I have me. I will be enough” – Elisa

About the cover:  The only thing I don’t like is the cover, it just doesn’t do anything for me.

 Have you read this series?  Do you love it?

2012 Challenges Re-cap and New 2013 Challenges

Hi there gorgeous people!  I have to confess to being awful on keeping track of these, but if my tags are to be trusted I will attempt to summarize the progress I made on the challenges I participated last year. Stick around and I will tell you what challenges called my attention for the brand now year that we started (scroll down a bit!)

For the 2012 eBook Challenge, hosted by Woraday Reads,  I accomplished a total of 30 ebooks.

For the 2012 Support Your Local Library Challenge (host blog no longer available), I read a total of 15 books.

NOTE: Do you know if another blog is hosting something similar to this?  I support by local library anyway, so I would like to make it count!

For the 2012 TBR Pile Reading Challenge, hosted by Eview @ Bookish  I only read 3 books (*oh, the shame*).   

For the 2012 ABC Reading Challenge (host blog no longer available), I read 16 books. 

Finally, for my 2012 Goodreads Reading Challenge, which was 100 books, I only managed to read 87 books. 

Now for the 2013 fun!

I signed up for the 2013 eBook Challenge, hosted by Workaday Reads.  I think I can safely read the DVD category, which is 25 eBooks. 

The 2013 TBR Pile Reading Challenge is hosted by six blogs, but you can see the post over at Evie's blog Bookish.  Since I did so badly last year, I plan to step up my reading (the next self-challenge will help too!), and read at least 10 books. 

Finish the Series is my self-challenge for this year, you can read all about it here, and of course you are welcome to join :)

NOTE:  I received an email to let me know that Book Stacks On Deck has a similar challenge, although mine is for series that I've already started and the idea didn't came from that blog.

The 2013 Dystopia Reading Challenge is a new one for me, but I do love dystopian books, so why not make it count!  This challenge is hosted by Blog of Erised, and my goal is to read at least 6 books (Recruit level).

Last, but not least in my 2013 Goodreads Reading Challenge, I'm determined to read at least 100 books this year.   

That was a lot!  I hope I can accomplished these lofty goals and I am planning on tracking my progress better too. 

What are the challenges that you are doing this year?  Are you better than me at this?  What other challenges would you recommend?