Riders by Veronica Rossi

Title: Riders
Author: Veronica Rossi
Publisher: Tor Teen
Release Date: February 16th 2016
Source: Review copy from publisher (Thank you Tor Teen!)

Summary from Goodreads:

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

While 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?

Review

Veronica Rossi is one of my favorite authors so I was quite excited when I got my copy of Riders. Riders was not what I was expecting at all, it is a dark, action heavy book primarily narrator as a recollected story.   Riders drops the reader right into the story.  It took my a little bit to get used to the story telling and immerse myself into the story.

Since it is a different world where the characters are unsure of what is going on at first it took longer for me to get into the plot and understand the happenings at first.  It made the beginning part of the book a bit slow for me though it did pick up.  The action and fight scenes were dark and powerful.  I really enjoyed the introduction into the supernatural elements.

The powerful yet dangerous horsemen of the apocalypse are mysterious characters whose stories unfold throughout the course of the book. Although it was a tad slow at the beginning, I really enjoyed the good (ish) versus evil story line.  I look forward to learning more about each horsemen and continuing this high stakes series.

Stacking The Shelves (158) - Jan 9th

Stacking the Shelves - hosted by Tynga at Tynga's Reviews - features books that you bought, borrowed, rented from the library, received for review, etc.

Upcoming Reads

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Rebel Bully Geek Pariah by Erin Jade Lange
Happiness for Beginners by Katherine Center
The Mistake (Off-Campus #2) by Elle Kennedy
Riders (Riders #1) by Veronica Rossi

 

What books are stacking your shelves??

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

Title: Into the Still Blue
Series: Under the Never Sky #3
Author: Veronica Rossi
Publisher: HarperCollins
Release Date: January 28th 2014
Pages: Hardcover, 400 pages
Source: Bought

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

• I was immediately drawn right back into the dangerous world of Aether storms, fighting tribes, and epic love stories.  Into to the Still blue does not disappoint.  
• Rossi's ability to write shines through the alternating point of views.  I could feel the love and tough decisions that Perry had to make while also seeing the struggles and new relationships/friendships that Aria had to overcome.  
• Even in the last book, there were surprises and unexpected turns and events that just kept me on the edge of my seat.  The new introductions just fit so perfectly into the story and really rounded out and tied up Aria's part of the story.  
• While I was reading I was hoping for one change in the ending but it did not happen... which after a lot of thought I am actually okay with and can appreciate the choices Rossi made when finishing the series.  Into the Still Blue did not take the predictable way out, there were some risks that kept my emotions and stress on high the entire time!  In a good way :)
• The characters continue to be one of my favorite aspects of this series.  There are romantic relationships, family relationships, and friendships.  Each written with such detail and preciseness that you can truly feel the brotherly love between Roar and Perry, the friendship between Roar and Aria, the love between Aria and Perry, and the family bonds between Cinder, Talon, and Perry.  The good relationships aside, the evil and power hungry nature that Sable radiates just highlights the danger and stress of the situation Perry and his tribe face.  

What I Didn't

• I know I just gave Rossi credit for taking risks, I can appreciate them and understand the choices she made.... that being said there is a sappy happy part of me that wishes just one thing were a bit different :)

Bottom Line

Into the Still Blue was a fantastic ending to one of my favorite series.  The book was full of action, emotions, and high stress situations that blended love, revenge, power, and community into an epic final conclusion.  I highly recommend the series!

Stacking the Shelves (58) - Feb 8th

Stacking the Shelves - hosted by Tynga at Tynga's Reviews features books that you bought, borrowed, rented from the library, received for review, etc.

This is what's on my shelf for upcoming reads:

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Into the Still Blue (Under the Never Sky #3) by Veronica Rossi
Side Effects May Vary by Julie Murphy
The Little Android (Lunar Chronicles #2.5) by Marissa Meyer
Cress (Lunar Chronicles #3) by Marissa Meyer

 What books are stacking your shelves??

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

Title: Brooke
Series: Under the Never Sky #2.5
Author: Veronica Rossi
Publisher: Harper Collins
Release Date: November 26th 2013
Pages: Kindle 82 Pages
Source: Bought

Summary from Goodreads:
Set just before the events of Into the Still Blue, the conclusion to Veronica Rossi's Under the Never Sky trilogy, this breathtaking novella is a satisfying stand-alone for new readers as well as an exciting glimpse at favorite characters from the trilogy. Pulsing with romance and danger, Brooke will leave readers desperate for the conclusion to this epic and unforgettable saga.

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 seek 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 a 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 of herself, Brooke may finally discover what she truly wants.

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• The new perspective.  I really enjoyed hearing the story through Brooke's point of view
• I liked how Brooke evolved and changed through the story.  She had such honest and harsh feelings made me hate her and like her at the same time.  
• The story was well developed for a novella.  Of course I wanted more but I did actually feel like the novella added to the series. 

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• Nothing :)  It was a great short story
• I do wish I had read a recap though.  There is no summary, the story jumps right in. 

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I cannot wait for Into the Still Blue!  If you want to read a story from Brooke's perspective and jump back into the Aria and Perry's world then I highly recommend!

Stacking the Shelves (50)- December 14th

Stacking the Shelves - hosted by Tynga at Tynga's Reviews features books that you bought, borrowed, rented from the library, received for review, etc.

This is what's on my shelf for upcoming reads:

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Brooke (Under the Never Sky #2.5) by Veronica Rossi
Teardrop (Teardrop #1) by Lauren Kate

 What books are stacking your shelves??

Through the Ever Night (Under the Never Sky #2) by Veronica Rossi

Title: Through the Ever Night (Under the Never Sky #2)
Author: Veronica Rossi
Publisher: Harper Teen
Release Date: January 8th, 2013
Pages: 352 pages, Hardcover
Rating:  4.5 Stars

Summary from Goodreads:
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.

**This review will have some spoilers, so if you haven’t read Under the Never Sky be weary continuing! My review for Under the Never Sky**

Through the Ever Night starts off right where Under the Never Sky ended, Aria and Perry are reunited again! Aria has made a deal with Hess; in exchange for Talon she must find the Still Blue. The Reverie is getting worse every day, with more people getting ‘sick’ and the Aether storms destroying their energy sources and shelter; Hess knows that he must have an escape plan. Now that Perry is Blood Lord of the Tides, Aria does not think it’s a good idea to inform the tribe that he is dating a ‘Dweller’ or even a half-Dweller. The two must keep their relationship a secret.

The tension and unrest in the tribe force Aria to leave to find the Still Blue earlier than expected and without Perry. Roar and Aria leave to find Sable, another Blood Lord, for it is rumored that he knows where the Still Blue is. When they arrived at Sable’s, Roar was surprised to find Liv, Perry’s sister and his lost love, ready to marry Sable. Meanwhile, Perry is trying to do what’s best for the Tribe which includes: protecting them through the Aether storms, dealing with Cinder, moving them to the cave, and accepting the help from Sable’s men (as part of the Liv’s dowry). Unlikely partnerships form, some disastrously evil and others beneficial.

OH MY, Veronica Rossi continues to build an unstable world, where the need to survive is paramount. As the story continues, this dystopian world becomes more vivid and dangerous.  Rossi continues to do an amazing job with her characters. Aria has become such a kick a** character, she was great in the first book but continues to be a fighting, tough girl in the second book. She really earns the respect of the people in The Tides even though she had a rough start. Rossi also throws in a couple more “bad guys.” Hess and Sable are awful, vicious people but even though I hate them, they are incredibly well written characters. We are also introduced to Kirra…every time she spoke I just wanted to say

UGHH, she is just one of those characters you hate and get see their true motives. Cinder is evolving into a crucial character and his relationship with Perry is growing. I look forward to see his powerful role in the third book.

The plot is a bit slower than the first book, still full of action but a bit slower in the progression. I wish there was a little more suspense, it felt as though some of the storyline was predictable. That doesn't mean I didn't absolutely love every bit of it though.  Soren's new role was a nice twist, especially at the end of the book, it was quite a pleasant surprise that left me smiling.  I applaud Rossi for the ending, yet again; it is the perfect mix of intrigue and resolve. I want to keep reading but am not totally left hanging.

Through the Ever Night was a solid 4.5 stars, it paints a beautifully dangerous dystopian world with love, unlikely friendships, destruction, and the need for survival. I look forward to the third and final book!! GO READ IT :)

Under the Never Sky (Under the Never Sky #1) by Veronica Rossi

Title: Under the Never Sky
Author: Veronica Rossi
Publisher: Atom
Release Date: February 7th, 2012
Pages: 374, Hardcover
Stars: 5 Stars

Summary from Goodreads:
Since she'd been on the outside, she'd survived an Aether storm, she'd had a knife held to her throat, and she'd seen men murdered. This was worse.

Exiled from her home, the enclosed city of Reverie, Aria knows her chances of surviving in the outer wasteland - known as The Death Shop - are slim. If the cannibals don't get her, the violent, electrified energy storms will. She's been taught that the very air she breathes can kill her. Then Aria meets an Outsider named Perry. He's wild - a savage - and her only hope of staying alive.

A hunter for his tribe in a merciless landscape, Perry views Aria as sheltered and fragile - everything he would expect from a Dweller. But he needs Aria's help too; she alone holds the key to his redemption. Opposites in nearly every way, Aria and Perry must accept each other to survive. Their unlikely alliance forges a bond that will determine the fate of all who live under the never sky.

I had heard great things about this series and lately even more with the second book coming out. I was really hoping it was going to live up to the hype and not disappoint… and OH MY, I LOVED IT. From the first chapter, Rossi immediately pulled me into the story and the characters. There is no slow introduction; I was quickly thrown into both Perry and Aria’s life. Aria is from the Reverie, a protected world, filled with Realms, perfection, and manipulation. Perry lives in the Real, in a world of struggle, dangerous storms, and survival.

After being unjustly exiled for a crime, Aria is left to die in the Real either by the elements or by the ‘Savages.’ Meanwhile, Perry is facing his own problems, he wants to challenge his brother for Blood Lord and to make matters even worse his only nephew gets kidnapped by the ‘Dwellers.’ Perry blames himself and sets of to rescue Talon. Aria and Perry cross paths again and make a pact; he will help her get to her mother and she will help rescue Talon. While facing the dangers of being on the run, pursued by people who want them dead, and the deadly Aether storms, Aria and Perry form a special bond.

"They reached for each other then like some force had pulled their hands together. Ari looked at their fingers as they laced together, bringing her the sensation of his touch....She absorbed the terror and beauty of him and his world. Of every moment over the past days. All of it, filling her up like the first breath she'd ever taken. And never had she loved life more"

That pretty much sums up how I felt reading the second half of the book and seeing their relationship unfold. Aria is able to listen to one last message her mother gave her, learning the secrets of her family and her mother’s job. Perry learns terrible truths about his brother. With this new knowledge, the two know what needs to be done; Aria must go back into the Reverie.

Under the Never Sky was an amazing story, full of adventure, passion, and survival. I don’t even know where to start to explain the greatness of this book. Rossi paints such a vivid world,
“On the third morning, she stepped out of the elevator to a new sky, shot through with swirls or blue light. The eddies ran calm above her, but turned brighter and faster on the horizon. It was Van Gogh's Starry Night, right before her eyes."
You can envision the powerful storms and the never sky so clearly. Not only is the world well described, but the way of life is believable, everything is perfectly thought out.

I loved the alternating POVs between Aria and Perry. Although their relationship grew rather quickly, it was not forced in the least. And a bonus, no love triangle! The development was well paced and story just flew by. Even when parts seem a bit cliché, Rossi throws in humor to offset it. For example, when Aria and Perry have to stay in a cave Aria thinks, "She'd have laughed if she could. Of course it would be a cave."

Under the Never Sky has a well imaged/described world, passion, secrets, surprises, and adventures all rolled up into one great book. This was easily a 5 star read, I already started Through the Ever Night. This is how I felt finishing the book.  Oh, and the ending.. was PERFECT :)