Through the Ever Night, Round 2

Through the Ever Night by Veronica Rossi
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Post re-read 1/15, I have to say that I enjoyed this even more the second time through. The story is great - it's just the writing that bothers me slightly. It's things like this:

"He returned to the clearing and organised the handling of the slain raiders. First they stripped the valuables from the dead. The tribe would reuse weapons, belts and shoes. Then they loaded the bodies on horse carts, making one trip after another over the sandy trail. At the beach, wood was stacked to form a pyre. When it was ready, he dropped the torch that lit the wood, speaking the words that would release the souls of the dead to the Aether. He did this with some amazement at himself. Here, in the aftermath of battle just as during, neither his voice nor is hands wavered."

In this paragraph, we get a description of what is happening, and we get the barest hint of what Peri feels as he's doing it. But it's so short and clipped, giving the feeling that you're reading an account of what happened and you aren't really living the event as it happens. That would be fine if we hadn't just "lived" the event that happened previous. There's no presence to this description, just words.

Here's another example:

"Then it was time for him to do his own work. He started from the western edge of his territory and made his way east. He found the Tides, every one, in the stables, in the fields, at the harbor, and looked into their eyes and told them he was proud of what they'd done today."

A lot happens in that paragraph. And what is happening is personal, intense. Again, this reads and feels like just an account of the event. It carries none of the presence or atmosphere of what Peri is doing or the way it is affecting and changing him. It's one of those things that for me, as a reader, seems better left out if it couldn't be better written.

There were a couple more examples of this that I marked as I was reading - but they are essentially the same as what I've described above: a basic description of an event that needs to either be given more presence, more weight, more feeling - or just eliminated.

Beyond that, this is a great story. I'm sticking with my original rating of 3.5 stars rounded up to 4 - but I'm as anxious as ever to get going on the third book. As grateful as I am to Rossi for not ending this second book on a cliffhanger, she certainly left me desperate for the conclusion. And that's really, really good writing.


ORIGINAL REVIEW:

I'm calling this one a solid 3.75 stars, rounding up to 4. It's definitely a "middle" book. But it's a good middle book, in that it both continues the story well and sets up the next book. No cliffhanger ending (THANK YOU Veronica Rossi). I will definitely be reading the third book in this series.

The characters remain consistently solid, but show growth. Aria, in particular, has really matured in this story. She is older, more focused and has gone light years beyond the scared little girl she was in the first book. She's developed both her abilities and her fighting/survival skills. She's not a stupid girl doing stupid things. She has a quiet strength that I really, really like. If I had to endure the Aria of the first book to get to this Aria, it was worth it.

Perry has also grown. This book is more of a cerebral journey of him rising up and becoming the leader of his people. He still seems a bit shaky to me, with all the loss he's endured. He seems grounded, but there is definitely a lot of turmoil he'll have to work through in the next book.

The secondary characters were good as well. I especially like Reef; he seems to serve as a solid father figure to Perri. Talon and Cinder serve their purposes, and I'm glad they don't take up any more of the action than they do. For them to just give purpose to the plot is enough.

And as for the plot, it's done pretty well. I think Rossi was going for a true emotionally draining experience here - and while I felt involved, I didn't feel drained. I wasn't tired after going through the adventure with all these characters. This is the reason I would define it so clearly as a "middle" book. It's good action, the plot is well-developed, things move along quickly and in a way that makes sense. And these are things that need to happen. But in the end, it's all a very good setup for the conclusion.

A very enjoyable setup, I have to say. And again, a huge thank you to Veronica Rossi for 1-no love triangle, and 2-bringing Perri and Aria back together positively at the end. She has proven to be an author who cares about her readers and their emotional investment in her characters. Thank you for not leaving us hanging.

I definitely recommend this as a read you'll enjoy, especially if you've read the first book. The third should be spectacular.

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