Into the Still Blue (Under the Never Sky Trilogy, 3)

Into the Still Blue by Veronica Rossi is the thrilling conclusion to the Under the Never Sky trilogy. I have to admit that I had very high expectations, and Into the Still Blue didn’t quite meet them, but I still enjoyed this ending. Through the Ever Night (the second book) was by far my favorite of the trilogy, which is kind of an amusing opposite of second book syndrome. In any case, Into the Still Blue tells the story that you can expect: Aria and Perry need to get everyone to the Still Blue, and that’s what they set out to do. In part, the predictability is what disappointed me, though I’m not sure what else I expected given the title >.>
Note: I received Into the Still Blue from the publisher through Edelweiss. Some things may be different in the final version.

Into the Still Blue by Veronica Rossi (Under the Never Sky #3)
Published by HarperCollins on January 28th, 2014
Genres: Post Apocalyptic, Sci-fi, YA
Length: 400 pages
How I got my copy: Edelweiss

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.

Strengths:
Perry and Aria, how I love you! How I love the complete lack of a love triangle, the proof that boys and girls can be friends without falling in love (

After the downfall of Reverie, Aria awakens in the Tides's new home to find that much has happened while she was asleep. Hess and Sable have joined forces and are keeping Cinder hostage, with the knowledge that his control of the Aether will be the only thing that allows them to get to the legendary Still Blue. Aria's old Dweller friends are still keeping to themselves and many are suffering illness from having entered the outside. Aria knows they'll have to work together if they are to survive especially with the Aether storms growing more powerful and dangerous everyday. But first, she and Perry will have to try to save Cinder.

I'm on the fence about this wrap up to the trilogy. I didn't love it but I did enjoy it. Part of it just seemed rather anti climactic after the build of the first two. I found the character development to be on the lean side in particular. One could argue that we already got plenty of Aria, Perry, and Roar in previous installments but this third book does introduce some new developments with regards to characters we've not really learned much about in previous titles. Sadly, there's little to no further development on anyone in the story here in this final release.

Much of the focus of the book is spent on rescuing Cinder. This is fine but - without giving anything away - it just felt as though a bit more time and energy could have been spent on fleshing out other aspects of the story as well, especially with regards to some of the BIG events and revelations that occur in this third installment. I also wanted to see more interaction between the Dwellers and the Tides. Instead, this is pretty much relegated to a few lines and Jupiter's help in flying one of the hovers (which I did appreciate).

I don't mean to knock the book too much. Overall Into the Still Blue was a fine installment and it did offer up closure to the series, but I wanted fabulous instead of fine.

Perry is hands down one of my most favorite YA book characters ever, and the struggles he's gone through as this series has progressed has really gotten to me. Everything culminating in this book sealed it more for me, from the personal demons he continues to face to being torn between his love for Aria and his love for his people, and even the weight of having so many people relying on him to save them. There are some insanely sweet moments in this book, as well as some darker and painful ones.

And for all the ways I love Perry, Aria is right there with him. Her overall arc from book 1 to this ending is stunning, with so many layers to her. And even with that, knowing she was a much different person at the start of this installment from when the series began, she still continues to grow, to strengthen, to be able to stand by Perry's side even in the face of people against her.

While the basic plot of this installment is relatively simple, namely, make it to the Still Blue, there are so many roadblocks in the way, trials to endure, and action along the way. The stakes are high in this book in ways both obvious and layered underneath. With Rossi's masterful talent at building a rich story, I wasn't sure if they would make it to the Still Blue or not, or whether it even existed. And while that was the end goal, it wasn't always at the forefront, with numerous other elements being pulled in. This was an intense ride, both as a full trilogy and this installment, and I am both satisfied with how everything turned out, for better or for worse, and sad to say goodbye to a world and characters who have stolen my heart.

The worldbuilding that was so solidly built from book one continues to be built on and elaborated, yet as with the previous books, is seamlessly woven in to enrich everything without being obvious about it. Then there's the side characters, several of whom have wormed their way into my heart as well, who have some pretty big roles in the events of this book and certainly have a lasting effect on me. Things are not easy in this book, but this a group of characters who truly fight, and I believed every moment of it.

Utterly stunning, brilliant, and with the most perfect blend of romance and action, I'm sad to say goodbye to these characters but elated to know how everything ends.

Ten Likes/Dislikes:

1. (+) Aria, a protagonist - Aria's character arc over the entire series is probably my favorite element. I started off Under the Never Sky not really liking her but eventually grew to like her as she adapted to her circumstances. And now, in Into the Still Blue, she's become my favorite character. She's fierce and fights for the people she loves and the future she wants. She struggles under the weight of leadership and the unhappy consequence from Through the Ever Night, but with the support of her friends, she pushes past her difficulties to emerge stronger, more assertive, more open-minded, and more capable than before. She's the kind of main character who's not so extremely smart or strategic or x and x that it's hard to believe that she exists; no, she's the opposite. It's easy to relate to her and it's easy to find some bit of yourself in her or to identify with her and how she responds. In some senses, she's like a more active, less recklessly selfless version of Bella Swan - very personable, very ordinary and extraordinary.

2. (+) Perry, a protagonist - Oh, Peregrine. How I'll miss him. We're exposed to more of his past as certain events (from previous novels and in this novel) bring them to light and add extra shades to his character. He also gets his own arc as he learns to cope with what happened in Through the Ever Night to both his relationship with Aria and Roar, and with the pressures of leadership in a dying world. TtEN laid out the necessity for a plan besides the temporary he concocted, and he follows through with that challenge in this book and more. His friendship with Cinder is as adorable as before, his relationship with Aria as supportive despite the difficulties with Roar, and Perry... I wish there were more romantic interests / main characters like him.

3. (+) World-building - This book does what Mockingjay did: introduces us to another setting, one that we've been imagining for ourselves over the past two books... and familiarizes us with details in the settings of the first books. You get a bit of the cave life, life outside the Dome but inside hovers, life at the Still Blue. You get an explanation for the Aether and some back story on the Unity Wars and the Still Blue. It's a good mix of explanation/back story and smaller, more local details about the settings. (Plus this series was always more about the characters, I think, than the world). I commend Rossi for rounding out the world that she'd established in the previous two novels.

4. (+) Side Characters - The side cast helps make this series stand out from the rest in young adult. It's rare to find an author who will pay attention to the side characters and give them their own character arcs without sacrificing other plot/character/mood/etc. details. The most famous example has to do with Neville from Harry Potter, and I am reminded of that here - Rossi does a great job of giving her side cast character arcs equally in line with the plot. Roar's arc works well with Perry's as they cope with what happened. Brooke, Soren, Cinder, the Six, Hess -- especially Cinder and Soren -- they too get their time in the spotlight. There are some characters who I didn't remember, but Rossi takes the time to shade their personalities as well. Even the dynamic between the villains gets some development, though Sable, to me, still felt foreign (which worked for the story at any rate).

5. (+) The Romance - Ah, the romance. This review is all about me saying what I appreciate in this series, and I definitely appreciate the dynamic Rossi has created between Aria and Perry. For one, though both characters are slightly insecure and jealous at times, it doesn't push them away from each other; instead they're confident in the other person, and that makes all the difference, makes their relationship that much smoother and more enjoyable to read. The trials they face also feel organic since they arise as a result from actions they took in the previous novels - nothing is contrived to push them apart. This is a beautiful romance with both characters supporting the other, and I would be glad to read more like it in YA.

6. (+) The Plot - Rossi takes quite a few risks and kills off some characters without pause. As the summary implies, this is a dying world... and she amps up the stakes to match that fact. What I particularly liked about the plot was that I knew where the story was going to go but that Rossi's way of getting there would surprise me. By the end of a series, it's more about building the anticipation and following through with the various arcs that have been outlined. Rossi's good at that, at adding in unexpected details and inserting sly plot twists. Another thing I appreciated was that Rossi respects you as a reader. She laid out the foreshadowing and quickly got to some reveals rather than drawing them out.

7. (--) Anticlimactic - The book was anticlimactic in two parts: the ending and the actual Still Blue crossing. The book builds and builds to both of these major plot events, which in turn don't seem to take that many pages or maybe just didn't have as guttural of an impact as I had expected. Is that a bad thing? Not really. The ending bothered me more than the crossing because it seemed rushed and slightly unrealistic, but in all truthfulness by that point I no longer cared because the entire story was beautiful and satisfying. (For more discussion of this element, see this thread.)

8. (+) Writing - The thing I like most about Veronica Rossi's writing is that it's got a good balance of everything. She's good at building tension -- she uses a lot of questions and quick sentences for that effect but still uses enough narrative for Aria and Perry to have more unique perspectives, also different from one another. There are just enough sensory details to let you visualize the world she's created too.

9. (+) Pacing - My judgement of the pacing is probably skewed since I didn't reread TtEN and felt like everything was new... but at any rate, it seemed like there was always something happening or something about to happen that kept me hooked with the characters and advancing plot.

10. (+/-) The Cover - I don't really like the US covers for this series, but I do like the consistency, the colors, the title font, and how they've emphasized whose character arcs get the most attention in each book.

Into the Still Blue is both satisfying and enjoyable for Rossi fans. If you like genre benders within YA that develop characters and romance without expense to the main plot, try out the Under the Never Sky trilogy. Highly recommended. (In some ways this series reminds me of the Legend trilogy; both are executed well in their own right, and both make my recommendation lists for hesitant and avid YA readers alike. Though I haven't gotten the *feels* that others have from this series, I would still recommend it.)

(Side note: I did not reread the sequel before reading this. I was somewhat confused for the first 20%, since I could not remember what exactly had happened, but then I got hooked and absorbed in the story. If you need everything to be clear from the start, you might want to do a cursory skim of the last fourth in Through the Ever Night... OR look through these summaries from the wonderful Recaptains blog.)

***Review posted on The Eater of Books! blog***

Into the Still Blue by Veronica Rossi
Book Three of the Under the Never Sky series
Publisher: Harper Teen
Publication Date: January 28, 2014
Rating: 4 stars
Source: Ecopy from Edelweiss

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:

First: this review will NOT contain any spoilers, at least for this book. I can't guarantee that I won't spoil things for books one or two. But book three (this book) is safely unspoiled in this review.

That being said, this review will probably seem to be extremely vague. I would hate to ruin any part of this conclusion novel for anyone, even by mentioning just the slightest specific thing. It would seriously break my heart. I wouldn't appreciate it if someone trusted with an ARC of a conclusion novel spoiled something for me in their review.

This book picks up around the time that the second one ends - maybe a few weeks after it ends. The Tides is still having problems - food shortages, restlessness, difficulty shelter from the aether storms. Cinder is gone. Everything points to the Still Blue. Everything about this novel is about the Still Blue.

So, that's as far as I go with the plot. Rossi does an excellent job of keeping the plot moving, keeping it interesting, and keeping things unpredictable. Twist after turn, Rossi does not give Aria, Perry, Roar, and crew, a break. I love this aspect of the novel - I couldn't stop reading, once I started!

I LOVE that there is no love triangle in this entire series. To me, there never was a hint of one, or the possibility of one. It was always Aria and Perry. Rossi never fails to deliver on the chemistry in this book, but also on the romance. She allows readers to see how much Aria and Perry want each other, but also, how much they need each other and depend on each other.

Rossi allows does a really good job of torturing and testing her characters. EVERYONE suffers in this book, one way or another. I promise I'm not spoiling anything - because the suffering is physical, mental, psychological, and emotional. No one is left not scarred, and I really like this. It shows how well Rossi can develop a story, bruise her characters, and make things REAL.

Overall, I really could not have asked for a better ending to an awesome trilogy. I LOVED book one the most, mostly liked book two, and enjoyed book three. Series should end like this one - not heart-wrenching and painful and angst-filled. Of course, now I'm filled with all the sadness because I really enjoyed this series!

It's funny though - I don't actually finish a lot of series. I start them, usually because the first novel in a YA trilogy is an author's debut (usually). So, I'll read the debut, and then kind of not read the second or third book. Oops? Well, I finished this series! SCORE!

What I Did Not Like:

I'd say the only thing that I really didn't like was that the first, hmm, one-third of the book? Was a bit slow. I saw one person on Goodreads marked this book as "DNF", because she didn't finish. She probably stopped within the first one-third of the book. It was a tiny bit slow, and I kind of skim-read parts.

But honestly, it wasn't that bad. I personally was in no danger of NOT finishing this book.

One other thing that bothered me really doesn't have much to do with the content of the book - the summary. It seems to make the book (and series) focus on Perry and Aria's love/relationship, rather than what is basically the world ending under aether storms. Seriously?! The romance is important, but it wasn't the most important part of the series, like in the Shatter Me series or The Selection series or something.

Would I Recommend It:

I would! I highly recommend reading this novel, especially if you've come this far! So to speak. If you've read books one and two, read book three. If you've read book one, read books two and three. If you haven't started this series, you should.

Rating:

4 stars. A beautiful end to a lovely trilogy! THIS is how a trilogy should end. *cough cough*

It's a good feeling, to end, not just a book but a series with a smile on your face. I think the smile on my face remained there for quite some time. This is going to go down as a fantastic series, in my book. While the first book was good, it only got better from there. The ending, while heartbreaking at moments, was everything I thought it would be and more. It's a satisfying feeling when a series ends and while you'll miss the characters, you feel like everything you needed and wanted from it, you got.

Anyone whose followed my reviews on this series will know how big of a fan I am of Roar. Yes, Roar. While I do love Perry and think he's perfect for Aria, we'll talk about them soon enough, I love Roar, as a whole (if he were real, I'd be hunting him down for myself, just saying). He's a loyal best friend; scratch that - he's a loyal brother to Perry. He has been by his side for most of his life and he wouldn't have it any other way. When he loves, he loves with whole existence - there is nothing he wouldn't have done for Liv, there still isn't. He's hell bent on revenge and honestly, I'm right behind him. No one wants Roar to be happy more than me but that's not possible since he lost the one woman whose had his heart before he even knew she did. More importantly, for the story, he's been a great friend to Aria. She's been able to lean on him as much as he's needed to lean on her and they're bond is so important, I think.

Another relationship I've grown fond of is the relationship between Cinder and Willow. It's so pure and so innocent yet so powerful. They're kids but she's completely changed since he was taken from them in the previous book. All she wants is for him to be back and safe and it breaks my heart seeing her so miserable without him. It's precious seeing a relationship in a book like this that's so different from any other relationship. None have the innocence these two have.

Soren plays a huge part in this book and at first, I was really miserable about it. I didn't want to see more of him, in fact, I would've been happy to have seen Perry hit him in the face again. However dreadful my feelings were in the beginning, they slowly started warming up to him though I was always questioned where allegiance stood. With Perry and Aria or Hess and Sable. Hess is, after all, his father. Sometimes, as much you want to hate them, you can't turn your back on family and that thought was always there, in the back of my mind.

Many unwanted encounters with Sable and Hess and each one of them I wished them both dead. Sable more than Hess but regardless, they were both scum and both deserved to die a slow, painful death. I know, I'm such a cruel person but don't tell me you don't feel the same. You'd be lying to not just me, but yourself.

I can't stop smiling, just thinking about this book. How perfect it was. How it was filled with romance, with heartbreak (so much heartbreak), action, discovery (ooooh, wait until you meet a certain someone!) and happiness. If you've read this far, I'm hoping you've read the other books and if you have, you'll have already had this on your wishlist. It's one you'll want to read right away just to get a big ole grin on your face, like I have!

Reviewed by Jessica @ Step Into Fiction

This review is for the conclusion of a trilogy. Spoilers for any previous novels may be present.

At a time when series endings occasionally leave a bitter taste in the reader's mouth, here arrives INTO THE STILL BLUE by Veronica Rossi like a ray on sunshine on the horizon. INTO THE STILL BLUE is a superb ending to a trilogy that has entranced this reader from the very beginning. In fact, it is - without a doubt - the most satisfying series conclusion I have read this year.

I am praising the ending to this series, not because it fulfilled my own needs/wants as a reader, but because it brings the story to a realistic and well-plotted conclusion. Suffice to say, there is plenty of sadness (and not to mention, tears) to be had in this installment. Not to spoil the previous two books to those reading this review right now (To those who have not yet read the first two books I say this: "What are you doing?! Stop reading this review and go get those two books, Under the Never Sky and Through the Ever Night, NOW!") - I think it goes without saying that the ultimate goal of reaching the "land beyond the aether", what the people call the "Still Blue", is not without its risks. If you expect everyone to make it to the other side alive - or for anyone to make it at all - well, you need to adjust your thinking before you dive INTO THE STILL BLUE.

What I loved most about the characters in this book is the way that their relationships and personalities have evolved due to the events that have occurred previously, as well as because of the events that have yet to happen in INTO THE STILL BLUE. Aria, most of all, has progressed beautifully beyond the spoiled, ignorant girl she was Under the Never Sky, and has learned from her insecurities and the knowledge she gained in her journeys Through the Ever Night. The relationship between Perry and Aria has also undergone the same evolution. While Aria still outwardly displays a bit more confidence than Perry, gone are their melodramatic and petty issues from the previous books. Their relationship is stronger than ever - and I enjoyed reading about how they deal with their ongoing worldly problems together on a more "grown up" level.

Still, their romance is put on the back-burner for much of the novel, allowing for more action in this aptly described "heart-pounding" installment. INTO THE STILL BLUE is, without a doubt, the most exciting of the three books. The author provides plenty of twists and turns, driving her story along its most natural course, leading up her character's inevitable plight into the Still Blue. Veronica covers all bases in ensuring that it won't be easy to get there. History shows that exploration and the discovery of "new land" has often led to war in the past - and the quest for the Still Blue will be no exception. While reading, I often found myself wondering: "Why can't they all just get along and go together?!" - Until I remembered that there is a very, very good reason as to why these guys don't get along... Argh!! So much tension, guys. So. Much. Tension...

My heart pounded harder with every page is turned in INTO THE STILL BLUE. I cannot say this about either of the previous two novels.

There were some discoveries and surprises along the way that I honestly did not see coming. A character that I hadn't even thought of in the past (and probably should have thought of) makes an unexpected appearance. This character also adds some secondary drama and further difficulty in Aria's life as well as for the decisions she is forced to make. Rest assured, this is 100% non-romantic related drama. It is something I'm sure that Veronica had planned all along, but she finally addresses it in this book because 1) it was the right moment and 2) in order to dot her "i's" and cross her "t's" before typing "THE END". And that is all I will say about that.

Oh, and suffice to say, even Roar and the aftermath of his tragedy that occurred in Through the Ever Night is dealt with in an appropriate manner. Veronica really knew where to take her story - for all of her characters.

If you're already a fan of this series, you will be pleased to know that it comes to a thrilling and satisfying end with INTO THE STILL BLUE. If you haven't yet started the story of Aria and Perry - perhaps you should get on that, and rest assured that jumping into this series won't lead to a conclusion that leaves you with a sour taste in your mouth.

Without a doubt, I am likely to read anything that Veronica Rossi writes from here on out - even if she decides to write obituary notices for the local newspaper.

This review and more can be found on my blog, The Library Canary: [...]

***I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This has in no way changed my opinion of the book. The review below is my open and honest opinion.***

I know that I never reviewed Under the Never Sky or Through the Ever Night on here. I read them before I started blogging and I don’t really want to review them unless I reread them first. I don’t really have time to reread them right now so I’m just going to say this: This series is amazing. If you haven’t started yet, go get the books and start. You will not want to put them down. The first book drew me into the world, had me swooning over the romance, the second book pulled me in even further, truly helped me get to know all the characters and grow to love them. And this one, the third and final book in the trilogy kept me on the edge of my seat the whole time, leaving me breathless.

Ending a series is hard. There’s so many tiny little details that an author can’t forget to tie up. The main plot, obviously, but what about all those little side plots? And it has to be exciting, riveting, amazing. It has to be a strong finish. No one wants to be disappointed with the last book in a series. If that happens, it leaves a sour taste in your mouth and then you start to dislike the series as a whole.

All that being said, Veronica Rossi ended this series like a boss. She nailed it, not missing a single detail. Tying everything up perfectly. I stayed up way too late reading this book, but I did not regret it for one second. This book starts off right where Through the Ever Night left off. Cinder has been taken by Sable who has teamed up with Hess in an attempt to find the Still Blue, a place free of the horrible aether (which I imagine to be a lot like lightning only worse) storms that are continuously getting worse.

Veronica Rossi does not make her characters’ lives easy. They face obstacle after obstacle in this book trying to get Cinder back, protecting the Tides and the Dwellers that have come to live with them, and finding out how to reach the Still Blue before it’s too late. Every time that I thought the characters were safe something else would happen. The tension was thick and I was gripping my Kindle so hard that my knuckles were turning white.

Swoon swoon swoon. Perry and Aria are perfect. For those of you worried about a Perry-Aria-Roar love triangle, don’t be. It doesn’t happen and I want to thank Veronica Rossi for that. Perry and Aria’s relationship grows immensely in this book. They work through their issues and become a stronger couple. There were some seriously swoony scenes in this one so prepare to enjoy Perry who is sexy as hell.

“What I was trying to say is that I see you I everything. There isn’t a word for you that means enough, because you’re everything to me.” –Perry

The friendship between Roar and Perry and Roar and Aria is probably my favorite thing about this series. I loved that Veronica Rossi showed a working female-male friendship that didn’t turn into something more. It can be done! And Perry and Roar’s friendship is something truly special. They are more like brothers than friends and I absolutely loved it.

I’m not going to say much more so I don’t spoil anything, but guys, read this series, read this book. The pacing was perfect. The world-building is great. The relationships are stellar. The romance is swoony. The bad guys are people that you will burn with hatred for. The characters are people that you will grow to love. I am so sad that this series is over. I don’t want to leave these characters behind. I will definitely be rereading this one in the future. I am completely satisfied with the way this series ended. Veronica Rossi is amazing and is most definitely an auto-buy author for me. Happy reading all!

Into The Still Blue is the third and the final book in the Under The Never Sky trilogy by Veronica Rossi.

What a truly epic conclusion to this amazing series.

Giving us a finale that should please everybody, entertaining, suspenseful and adventurous, filled with the characters we've grown to love centre stage.

What this series has been striving towards from the very first page of Under The Never Sky comes to a head as Perry and Aria attempt to make it to the Still Blue, away from the Aether filled skies that are destroying The Tides land and edging ever closer to the cave where they've all had to relocate.

With Cinder missing and Roar away dealing with his grief and the group of former dwellers now inhabiting a part of the cave unwilling to associate with the 'savages', it's time for them to come together to defeat the evil Blood-Lord Sable and defeat him once and for all.

I love Perry and Aria's relationship, they are stronger as a couple than apart, and there's nothing that they wouldn't do for one another.

One of the many things I adore about this series is the platonic relationship between Roar and Aria, it's a highlight of these books, I would love perhaps either a novella or book just to give Roar his well deserved happily-ever-after, easily one of if not my favorite character of the series, I loved any scene that he appeared in, and I want more!

As sad as I am to see the end of this series, I couldn't have asked for a more perfect ending, although that's not without the loss of some much loved characters, one in particular that tears at the heart and left me with tears in the eyes.

I look forward to whatever Veronica releases next, she is a definite auto-buy author for me and I await with baited breath her next book.

I can't praise this book/series highly enough, this is one of my all time favorite dystopias.

Definitely check this series out.

Where do I even start? How does one even begin to describe the amazing conclusion to an all-time favorite series? I don’t even know. Feels! Flails! Tears! Cheers! (oops, rhyming, sorry) But I can’t let this series go by without trying to put some words to the perfection of its final book, so bear with me. *deep breath* Okay, here goes.

If there’s one thing I can point to and say, This is why you need to read this series, it’s the characters. In Under the Never Sky, I was blown away by Aria, and especially her character growth; and who didn’t swoon over Perry? In Through the Ever Night we got to see even more growth from Aria, even greater depth to Perry, and the further development of my favorite character in the series, Roar. Into the Still Blue just expounds on that, tenfold. I can’t even.

But what’s so wonderful about every single character in this series (literally, every. single. character. the minor ones included) is that there’s no point at which Rossi says, “Ding! Stick a fork in him/her, this character is done!” People change. Constantly. And so do Rossi’s characters, beautifully and heart-wrenchingly and truthfully. Every single event, every decision these characters have made or are being forced to make, right up until the very last page, influences who they are, how they live, what they do, and why. They learn and they grow and they become different people over the course of the series. Everything they experience shapes who they are, and I just. I can’t. The character arcs and development and relationship growth is all just… To me, it’s perfect. PER. FECT. The end.

Another thing I love about this latest installment, which is related to the characters but also quite separate, is the action. Into the Still Blue, probably more than either of its predecessors, is jam-packed with first-class action scenes and tension LIKE WOAH. In many books, this gets in the way of character development, because action! twists! look, plotty things!! But never once do those things get in the way of the character development in Into the Still Blue. In fact, the action scenes help to flesh out the characters, to show you how they’ve grown, to face them with hard choices and have them stand strong in the face of adversity. Just. I can’t.

I also can’t even begin to talk about the relationships. Aria and Roar’s friendship is one of my favorite relationships in the history of ever. I’m a hardcore Aria/Perry shipper and love them to absolute, itty bitty pieces. But Roar’s and Aria’s relationship is seriously one of the best relationships I’ve ever read (platonic or romantic), and Into the Still Blue just cemented that in my mind. You want to see a platonic girl/guy relationship in your YA? One that never turns into a love triangle with the actual end-game love interest? Here it is. And it is glorious.

But Aria and Perry are definitely a highlight of this book, which is no surprise. They are so wonderful together, and I just can’t gush enough about their relationship. Totally swoon-worthy, and rooted in their deep mutual respect for one another. I also love that their world doesn’t revolve solely around each other. They know they are part of a bigger picture, and you can see that in the way they fight for things bigger than themselves.

Perry’s and Roar’s relationship also takes center-stage in this book. They both suffered a loss in Through the Ever Night, and that loss drives a wedge between them which is really difficult to read. You know they care deeply for each other, so seeing them at odds is just so heartbreaking, the way the deal with their pain, and each others’ reactions to it. But through it all, they are loyal to a fault, and when it counts, they’re there for each other. Ugh. I just love them.

Finally, I want to talk about one final thing about Into the Still Blue that makes it so meaningful, to me, and that is — the high stakes. One of the reasons I read a lot of YA is that, usually, you’re guaranteed some kind of light at the end of the tunnel, and an ending that is ultimately uplifting. Sometimes, though, that can lead to quote-end-quote “high stakes” that aren’t actually very risky at all. “There’s no way something Seriously Serious is going to happen, because what about our Happily Ever After??” For me, Into the Still Blue did a fantastic job of presenting us with high stakes — and it actually followed through on the consequences. While there were moments that were really hard to read, and I admit I got choked up quite a bit, I applaud Rossi for taking this route, because it added a level of realism and weight to the final scenes that wouldn’t have been there otherwise. …Oh, what happens? I guess you’ll just have to read and find out…!

In conclusion...

I am spent. I’ve used up all my feels. Seriously, guys. I can’t even. Go on without me.

I do want to say this, though — the blurb for this book? that last line? “In a dying world, the bonds between people are what matter most”? That is why I love this series. The characters, their relationships, their stories, their struggles, the weight that their choices are given… Add to that, the pretty much flawless dystopian/post-apocalyptic world that Rossi has created, with the Dwellers and the Outsiders and the different tribes all struggling to be the ones who make it to the hypothetical “Still Blue”… It’s amazing. By far one of my absolute favorite series in the history of ever. I’m really sad to see it end — but then again, I’m not. Because this ending was amazing, and it just makes me want to experience it all over again.

If you haven’t read this series yet, do it. Immediately. You won’t regret it.

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Disclaimer: I received this book for free from the publisher. This in no way affected my opinion of the book, or the content of my review. This review originally appeared on my blog, There Were Books Involved.