12 February 2014

Book Review: Into the Still Blue by Veronica Rossi

Book: Into the Still Blue (#3 Under the Never Sky)
Author: Veronica Rossi
File Type: Hardcover
Release Date:
Publisher:
My rating: 3 out of 5 stars.

synopsis:The earth-shattering conclusion to Veronica Rossi's "masterpiece" Under the Never Sky trilogy and sequel to the New York Timesbestselling 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.



And the end is here.

Every time I bid farewell to a book series that I indefinitely and obsessively love, I find myself drowning in emotions. 
This is one of those times. 

Under the Never Sky was a delicious surprise. Even with some flaws here and there, I found myself gravitating towards the story and its characters and savouring ever moment. When that was over, I couldn’t wait to get to the next installment because the cliffhanger had me panting with desperation to know as to what in the world happened next. 
Then came, Through the Ever Night which pretty much attacked me like a wreaking ball.
And here I am, with Into the Still Blue. The finale. The End.

Judging from the three stars above, it takes no rocket science to see that I didn’t like this one as much as I liked its predecessors. 
Even though the execution and punches were so much more polished than the ones we came across in the previous two books, there was this sort of disconnect I felt that I had with the story and its characters. It’s weird because I remember losing my mind while reading Through the Ever Night and bawling like a baby when certain events took place and put my favourite characters in a fix. I remember how I felt so empathetic towards Perry and his evergreen dilemmas. I felt for Aria. I felt for Roar. I FELT.
Here? I don’t think that these characters and I are in sync anymore. 

The swoon was dead and so was the passion. What happened?

I’ve noticed how in almost all the three books, the initial pages don’t really pull you into the story almost immediately. You have to read more and more to finally get to that point where you are totally engrossed.
Weirdly, this again, wasn’t the case with ITSB. The initial pages were okay and as I started reading more and more, I kept looking for that point of intersection where I would finally stop thinking and get it on with the book and the characters, but unfortunately, I never really did reach that point. Those moments did come in flashes here and there in times of conflict, but that’s all that happened. It didn’t build into more and that was disappointing. 

And then the end came, and like every epilogue, this one gave me an insight into what happens next to our dear characters. A case of silver lining here is that ,even after all the hullabaloo of disconnect, I was pretty satisfied. 
Into the Still Blue certainly wasn’t the best in the series but if you look at it on an individual platform, it was pretty okay. 

Veronica Rossi’s writing was impressive as always. Perry’s and Aria’s world is one where I wouldn’t like to live. Those funnels of Aether, charred landscape and unforgiving conditions were enough to give me the chills and the fact that Rossi’s imagination and creation can achieve what every book with a post-apocalyptic theme aims for speaks volumes regarding its success.
Secondary characters seem to be the trump card of every book. 
It was Roar in Through the Ever Night and now, Soren inInto the Still Blue
Soren really surprised me and this was even after, I knew that I was going to like him. I had already read some reviews before reading ITSB and almost all of them had something to say about Soren. If Roar propelled TTEN for you then Soren will saveITSB for you. 
There were other characters like Brooke, Reef and Hess who wowed me with their presence and I’m glad that Ms. Rossi gave each one of them a place for themselves. 

Now as I conclude, remember how I mentioned that it was one of those times?
After this there would be no more of Aria and Perry. No more of Roar. No more of Soren. No more of those funnels of Aether. No more of the Still Blue. (OR Ms. Rossi could always WRITE MORE about them.)
But as a reader, I’ve lived a thousand lives and loved thousand time more, and just like all great things finally come to an end, so has this and I eagerly wait for more.





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