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Review: Seeker by Veronica Rossi

I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Review: Seeker by Veronica RossiSeeker by Veronica Rossi
Series: Riders #2
Published by Tor Teen on May 16, 2017
Pages: 352
Format: Hardcover
Source: the publisher
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four-stars

When Daryn claimed she was seeing visions during her sophomore year of high school, no one believed the truth.

She wasn’t losing her mind; she was gaining the Sight—the ability to see the future. Daryn embraced her role as a Seeker. The work she did was important. She saved lives.

Until Sebastian.

Sebastian was her first—and worst—mistake.

Since the moment she inadvertently sealed him in a dark dimension with Samrael, the last surviving demon of the Kindred, guilt has plagued her. Daryn knows Sebastian is alive and waiting for help. It’s up to her to rescue him. But now that she needs the Sight more than ever to guide her, the visions have stopped.

Daryn must rely on instincts, intelligence, and blind faith to lead the riders who are counting on her in search of Sebastian. As they delve into a shadowy realm where nothing is as it seems and where Samrael is steadily amassing power, Daryn faces the ultimate test. Will she have to become evil to destroy evil?

The very fate of humankind may rest in the answer.

I really, really enjoyed Seeker. Honestly, I think I liked it better than Riders, which is weird to say because Riders was AMAZING! But Seeker really pulled me in and refused to let go until the very last page. The plot was incredible, as was the world – especially The Rift, which was such a weird, freaky place. I have no idea why, but it kinda made me think of Jumanji (the rain forest part of it)… Anyone else feel that way??

I loved having the multiple POV with Gideon and Daryn. Like I said in my Riders review, Gideon was an epic narrator. I loved his dry, sarcastic sense of humor and his hilarious one-liners! Daryn’s POV really balanced well with Gideon’s narration – she was more serious and logical, thinking things through rationally whenever she was able.

I totally shipped Gideon and Daryn, but even more so in Seeker than in Riders. They worked well together, and I loved the way they seemed to be two halves of a whole, almost completely in sync – yet able to disagree and still respect each other. They were perfection, basically.

I loved the friendship – the brotherhood – that formed between Gideon and Marcus, especially with how hostile they were towards each other in the beginning. Really, all four guys were amazing and their relationship was amazing. Their unbreakable bond/brotherhood was something I’d love to see more of in YA. I loved the way this book showed that guys and girls CAN just be friends (re: Daryn with Bas, Jode and Marcus) and that guys don’t HAVE to get all weird and territorial when one member of their group “snags the girl” (I hate that phrase, but it fits what I’m trying to say).

I really liked Cordero. Since it wasn’t her in book one, we didn’t TRULY get to know her. But in Seeker, we really got to know her character well. The criminal forensic psychology thing was intriguing (and something I’d love to do) and the whole “studying occult and paranormal phenomena” is was really epic! She reminds me of Topolsky (Julie Benz) in Roswell. On a similar note, I loved the government involvement – it was like all those conspiracy theories being proven right, haha! I also really liked Maia – she’s a badass sniper and I love it!

I don’t know why, but Samrael reminded me of Rhys – if Rhys were 100% pure evil and not a good guy. I was incredibly intrigued by his story and a bit sad by the way it ended, though not surprised in the least. It really made me want a third book told from his POV, to be honest.

Which leads me to… That ending! I couldn’t have asked for a better ending! It was perfect and made me tear up! I’m sad this isn’t going to be a trilogy, but I think it was perfect and I really loved the way Rossi wrapped things up. I don’t think it could have ended any other way.

Overall, I REALLY enjoyed this book. I highly recommend it to those who are Rossi fans, and to anyone who loves stories about the apocalypse, etc. As someone who wasn’t a huge Rossi fan before this, I’m now eager to see what she does next!

~*~*~*~

Favorite Quotes:

“War has a sensitive tummy” — This was one of Gideon’s famous one-liners that I mentioned (above), but all jokes aside, it’s nice seeing a YA book address digestive issues – in this case, celiac disease. No one likes talking about this stuff because it’s “gross” and “taboo” but it’s also REAL and many people suffer from digestive issues. It needs to be shown in books more often, especially YA books, so teens don’t feel alone or weird for having these issues.

four-stars

Review: Riders by Veronica Rossi

Review: Riders by Veronica RossiRiders by Veronica Rossi
Series: Riders #1
Published by Tor Teen on February 16, 2016
Pages: 384
Format: Hardcover
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four-stars

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?

I was a little hesitant to pick this book up because I wasn’t a huge fan of Rossi’s Under the Never Sky trilogy. But I was lured in by the premise, which sounded epic and badass – and Riders definitely did NOT disappoint! Rossi’s writing was SO much better in this than in her other series, and these characters were WAY more engaging.

Gideon was an epic narrator. I loved his dry, sarcastic sense of humor and his hilarious one-liners! I really, really liked Bas, but I’m worried what his fate will be in the next book. I was most intrigued by Marcus, though he also kind of terrified me. I hope we learn more about him in Seeker. I don’t have much to say about Jode, though I was intrigued with the way his story ended, and I’m curious to see where they take things in book two.

And, finally, I really liked Daryn. I’m very curious about her character and her gift, and can’t wait to learn more about her. I’m so glad she partially narrates Seeker because it means will get to know her better.

I really liked the role reversal in this. Usually it’s the male “leader” who knows everything and has to fill the female in, but this is a group of men who answer to a woman. It was really refreshing! It kind of reminded me of Freya.

Another thing I really liked? The horses! Like, the Four Horseman were cool and all, but the horses were truly badass and I loved every scene with them! Their descriptions and the way they materialized was breath-taking!

The ending was INSANE and EPIC and WTF?!?!?!? I’m so glad I can binge-read both books back-to-back because if I had to wait to find out what happens next, I think I’d cry! I NEED to know what happens to certain characters and I NEED to see how this incredible story ends!

Overall, I truly enjoyed this book. I’ve been in a reading slump, so it took me a long time to finish it, but that was me, not the book. The book was excellent! I highly recommend it to those who are Rossi fans, and to anyone who loves stories about the apocalypse, etc. I’m VERY excited to start Seeker now!!

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Favorite Quotes:

“He extended his arm to the side like Looky here, asshole. I’ll see your sword and raise you a scythe.”

“Death usually is the end.”

four-stars

Review: Into the Still Blue by Veronica Rossi

I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Review: Into the Still Blue by Veronica RossiInto the Still Blue by Veronica Rossi
Series: Under the Never Sky #3
Published by HarperTeen on January 28, 2014
Pages: 400
Source: the publisher
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three-stars

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.

Though I had heard great things about Into the Still Blue – that it was amazing and an epic conclusion to the Under the Never Sky trilogy – I was the black sheep of the group and did not enjoy it. The book was slow and boring, the characters were flat and the ending felt drawn-out.

The plot itself was interesting. I’ve been saying it since book one: I love the science, the technology, the genetics. I love the idea of the Pods and the Dwellers vs. the Outsiders. It’s a great concept! And Veronica Rossi is a beautiful writer. Those things really drove the book and kept me reading, more than anything.

But honestly, I found myself feeling very distanced from the majority of the characters in this book – and this series in general. I didn’t really care about them and I had a hard time worrying about their fates.

Throughout this trilogy, I’ve been on the fence when it comes to Aria. I liked her in the first two books and at the beginning of Into the Still Blue, I even liked her more than ever before. But as the book went on, she began to irritate me. I’m not sure why – just like I wasn’t sure why I liked her. She was just a meh character, in my opinion. She wasn’t a bad character, not at all. But there was nothing spectacular about her, nothing that stood out for me.

I know so many people who absolutely adored Perry. But I just never liked him. I found him annoying and I never swooned over him, like some of my fellow bloggers did. Don’t get me wrong, I loved Perry and Aria as a couple. I think they’re adorable and perfect for each other. I love Aria and Roar as just friends and YA could definitely use more male/female friendships like that. I DEFINITELY loved that there wasn’t a love triangle in this – very refreshing! But I just didn’t like Perry as a person or as a character. There was nothing special about him, nothing that made me root for him.

Cinder was a mild nuisance – his fate was very obvious from early on and I never expected much of his character, even through to the end. I could take or leave Soren – I never trusted him, anyway, so it made it hard to like him. We don’t see a lot of Talon and that felt like a let-down, considering the major role he played in Under the Never Sky. And the characters who met with a less-than-stellar fate.. Well, I didn’t really care. I tried to – I know I was supposed to – but I just didn’t.

The only characters I loved were Roar, Brooke and Liv. And, unfortunately, we don’t get to see much of Brooke or Liv. I wish they had had bigger roles in these books. Roar just needs his own book because I completely adore him.

It saddens me that I didn’t enjoy this series more. I had heard so many amazing things from friends, bloggers and other authors. I WANTED to love it, I really did. But I’m very character-driven when it comes to the books I read and the characters really didn’t stand out or catch my attention. I didn’t care enough about them.

I would still definitely recommend this book and this series. Like I said, I seem to be a black sheep where this series is concerned. Most people loved it and felt Into the Still Blue was the perfect ending.

three-stars

Review: Through The Ever Night by Veronica Rossi

Review: Through The Ever Night by Veronica RossiThrough the Ever Night by Veronica Rossi
Series: Under the Never Sky #2
Published by HarperTeen on January 8, 2013
Pages: 341
Format: Hardcover
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three-half-stars

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.

While Through the Ever Night was much more enjoyable than Under the Never Sky, it still fell flat for me. Rossi’s writing is still gorgeous and her plot is still intriguing. I still love the science and genetics, as well as the technology. But the characters – for the most part – were flat and there were huge chunks of the book that were just boring.

I still really liked Aria… But I still don’t know why. She’s definitely not a damsel in distress; she pulls her weight and she even took initiative in Through the Ever Night, which is more than she did in Under the Never Sky. But she also seemed to make some silly decisions and took action without thinking at times.

I tried so hard to like Perry. I know so many people who swoon over him. But it just wasn’t there for me. All he does is complain that he’s a bad leader and and how he wishes he wasn’t. And every decision he made seemed selfish – like he was doing it JUST to gain favor with his tribe… Yet, the tribe hated most of his decisions. So.. shouldn’t a good leader have done what was best for the tribe? If the tribe disagreed, shouldn’t he have done SOMETHING to compromise or.. I don’t know. I feel like I’m going to babble here because I just can’t describe it. I just didn’t like him. And his sections of the book were SO boring, I wanted to cry.

I still think, despite my dislike of him, that Perry and Aria make an adorable couple and I definitely ship them. But they spend most of the book apart! I just can’t… I don’t know how I feel about that. It was kind of disappointing and – maybe – one of the biggest reasons why I found Perry boring. He did nothing! Aria was off chasing leads and trying to solve Perry’s problems. Aria tried to save Talon. Aria tried to find the Still Blue. What did Perry do, besides make mistake after mistake?

We are introduced to a huge slew of characters – so many, my head felt like it was spinning. It was so hard to keep track of everyone. Brooke is a bitch – and I had heard great things about her character from people. Heck, she was given an eNovella! So I was disappointed with her in this book. I wanted more from Liv’s story and we didn’t get it – and it was disappointing! Kirra was awful. I got sick of everyone giving Perry a hard time – although I agreed with some of what they said/did to him.

Roar was still my favorite character. He was amazing and lovable and I felt sooo bad for him at times, I just wanted to cuddle him and make him feel better. I definitely would have liked more Roar in this story – though we did get a decent amount of him, more than we did in the first book.

Despite all that complaining, Through the Ever Night was still way better than Under the Never Sky. It had some really intriguing revelations, some interesting character developments and some shocking twists and turns. My biggest complaint, besides not connecting with the characters, is that there was just so much wandering around. All Aria and Perry do in Under the Never Sky is wander around and walk and try to get places (Like from Reverie to the Tides, with stops in between). Well.. there was a lot of that in Through the Ever Night, too, except it was worse because Aria and Perry were apart so often. So that was frustrating.

Overall, despite the fact that I rated both books 3.5 Stars, I still say I liked Through the Ever Night more than the first book in this trilogy. The first two books just seem like a lot of filler and background, in an attempt to move us into the third book without needing filler and background in the third book. So I still can’t wait to read Into the Still Blue because I have a feeling it’s going to have action – something the first two books lacked. I have a feeling Into the Still Blue will answer MANY questions.

Would I recommend Through the Ever Night? Yeah. I seem to be a black sheep where these books are concerned, because most people LOVE them. So just because I found them to be just okay, doesn’t mean someone else won’t love them.

three-half-stars

Review: Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi

Review: Under the Never Sky by Veronica RossiUnder the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi
Series: Under the Never Sky #1
Published by HarperTeen on January 3, 2012
Pages: 374
Format: Hardcover
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three-half-stars

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 went into this book (and series) with very high expectations. So many people had given it rave reviews and so many of my blogger friends had told me I NEEDED to read it – that it was a must-read and I wouldn’t be disappointed.

Well, I was a little disappointed.

I’m not saying it was bad.. It was still a really interesting book. The plot felt unique and it really held my attention – The science/genetics and technology were really fascinating. The Realms sound very cool! The Aether storms are creepy and feel as though they could happen in a not-so-distant future. The writing was gorgeous, too. Rossi can definitely write! And for me, really great writing can make or break a story. I could despise the story, but if it’s well written and captivating, I’m sold. That’s not to say I’ll jump all over it and recommend it to people left and right – But it makes a slow plot or iffy characters more tolerable.

Things went down-hill, for me, with the characters, mostly. I’m very character driven – if you’ve read a lot of my reviews, you can tell that I focus a lot of my review on discussing the characters. And the characters in Under the Never Sky were.. okay.

Aria was a complicated character for me.. I really liked her but I have no idea why. There was nothing really remarkable about her that made her stand-out. If you asked me, “Why do you like Aria?” I’d shrug and say, “No idea! I just do.” Now.. I really did like her. But.. If I liked her that much, shouldn’t I have AT LEAST one solid reason why? Shouldn’t I be able to say something about her? I mean.. She held her own, but she also didn’t really do anything to help or assist. She was kind of just .. there. But I didn’t dislike her. And she never really had a moment where I was like, “Ugh, she’s getting annoying!” – Nope, that didn’t really happen. Or if it did, it was so insignificant that it didn’t faze me. So.. Yeah. I’m torn on how I feel about her.

Perry.. Guys, don’t hate me, please. While I didn’t dislike Perry, I certainly didn’t like him. The sections of the book that were told in his POV were kind of boring and I just couldn’t connect with him. I did love him with Aria and I can absolutely see them as a couple. I just wasn’t his biggest fan. I’m definitely not swooning over him. Sorry, Team Perry! But maybe he’ll be better in Through the Ever Night?? *Hopeful smile*

One of my absolute favorite characters was Roar. I loved him so much, from the minute we were introduced to him. I love his playful personality, his slightly cocky attitude (which, he’s mostly cocky in a cute and funny way). I’m SO RELIEVED he’s not a part of a love triangle with Aria and Perry, but I love the friendship he has with Aria. Also, as a side-note? I’m relieved that Aria and Perry weren’t all insta-love-ish. There relationship definitely had a slow build-up.

Overall, the story was very slow-moving – and, at times, borderline boring. It came in waves – a huge chunk of the book was slow and boring, then a huge chunk was interesting, etc. Most of the story was just build-up and back-story meant to get us from book one into book two. Which was weird, because usually it’s the second book in the series that does all that, in an attempt to build up to an “epic” conclusion in book three (if it’s a trilogy). It’s called Second Book Syndrome. Yet.. book one had that this time. So.. Kinda weird. I would still recommend this book and I’m definitely pushing ahead with book two (which I’m currently reading) because I’ve heard it’s amazing and way better than book one. And supposedly Into the Still Blue (book 3) really IS an epic conclusion.

three-half-stars