Into the Still Blue by Veronica Rossi
Title: Into the Still Blue (Under the Never Sky #3)
Author: Veronica Rossi
Genre: Dystopian, Young Adult
Publisher: Atom (6th February 2014)
Blurb:
WORLDS KEPT THEM APART.
DESTINY BROUGHT
THEM TOGETHER.Outside the dome of Reverie, Aria and Perry are struggling to keep their people from tearing each other apart. Their situation is desperate and, with the Aether storms worsening, time is running out for them to rescue Cinder from Hess and Sable.
Cinder is both the key to unlock the Still Blue and their only hope for survival, so Aria and Perry assemble an unlikely team to attempt a daring rescue mission. They know that in a dying world, the bond of friendship is what matters most.
In this final book in the Under the Never Sky trilogy, the stakes are raised to the absolute limit and Aria’s love story is brought to an unforgettable close.
Rating: **** (4 stars)
Review:
INTO THE STILL BLUE brings Veronica Rossi’s UNDER THE NEVER SKY trilogy to its conclusion. The story of Aria and Perry continues in this stunning conclusion. Things are not looking good for Aria, Perry, and their friends. To make matters worse Cinder is being held by Hess and Sable, so Aria and Perry hatch a plan to rescue him.
As INTO THE STILL BLUE is the final book in the trilogy, I must confess that I was a little nervous about reading it. Final books in series are, in my experience, difficult for both readers and the authors who write them. As a reader going into the final book you hope that the author manages to keep the magic of the previous books and bring things to a believable conclusion. In my opinion Rossi manages this brilliantly in INTO THE STILL BLUE. She brings the events and revelations of the previous two books in the trilogy to a head and offers a mostly satisfying conclusion. My only slight gripe is how she handles a particular character towards the end of the book, but that is a personal reaction.
Rossi continues the basic plot of the series and draws it to its ultimate conclusion, and whilst there were predictable moments I really enjoyed reading events as they played out on the page. I don’t think there were any particularly surprising twists or revelations to the main plot, but that did not make it any less of an enjoyable read. If you’re looking for something new or revolutionary then this book – and in all probability this series – aren’t for you. But not everyone looks for that; and as a fairly typical dystopian novel I think the story works, and works well.
I really enjoyed being reunited with Aria and Perry for the final time. I quite like them both as characters – and here is where I admit I haven’t read any of the novellas – and I especially like the fact that we get to see events from both their point of views. I definitely have a soft spot for Aira, and I liked the personal strength she showed throughout this book – and indeed throughout the series. Perry… well, Perry was a little aloof but that was pretty much in character I think, as Rossi writes him as somewhat stoic.
If you have enjoyed this trilogy so far then I think you will enjoy the conclusion, I certainly did. INTO THE NEVER SKY is an excellent read and a brilliant end to a trilogy. If you haven’t checked this series out yet and you like dystopian novels then you should seriously consider doing so.
