REVIEW: Into the Still Blue by Veronica Rossi

Into the Still Blue by Veronica Rossi (Under the Never Sky #3)
Publisher: HarperCollins
Publication Date: January 28, 2014
Source: Edelweiss via publisher
Rating: 5/5 stars
Get it: Amazon | B&N

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.

My Review

In Under the Never Sky, Rossi impressed me with the world she created. In Through the Ever Night, she floored me with an upstanding, surpassing sequel that made me love Aria, Perry and Roar one million times more. And now in Into the Still Blue, Rossi completely took my breath away and left me whole and satisfied at such an end for a trilogy I’ve been holding so close to my heart. 



What I truly love about this last and final book is the balance of everything. It had developed closeness between characters, descriptive world building that never seemed to amaze me despite how familiar I was with it and adventure through the journey to getting to the Still Blue. The stakes were higher, deaths were inevitable, the love whether friendship or romance between one another was stronger and Outsider and Dweller came together. Best of all, the questions that have been roaming through my mind got answered.

There was no doubt in my mind that Aria and Perry’s relationship was rock solid and it continued to be throughout the whole book, probably more so with everything they went through. Like in the previous book, they had their own battles to contend with and I thought through each situation, they persevered. Even in the first book, I knew their relationship was authentic and natural. I appreciated that Rossi continued on with that here. While Perry and Roar’s relationship was rocky in this one, Aria with Roar was even stronger than ever, which gave me hope for all three of them. I really loved this trio so much. They were such a great team.

I thought the characters in this book went through so much more and not just the main three. There were definitely lots of struggle and pain but not without glory and triumph. Many characters who I hated were able to sway me and bring themselves some sort of redemption. And of course, this book was not without loss and sacrifice that left me with a heavy heart. I liked that a lot of acceptance and tolerance of one another seeped slowly, but surely into everyone. It was hard to see the hate, but even better to see the love.

Sable, the villain in all of this, although I hated him, was truly despicable. He was narcissistic, egotistical and oh so manipulative. I truly got to see what kind of leader and monster he was and how far he was willing to go to get what he wanted. He didn’t hesitate and was just so ruthless in nearly every way. He also had that creepy factor when it came to some situations in the novel; he definitely made my skin crawl. 

Into the Still Blue showed the life in the cave and the life in the Komodo. This was nice to see because it showed the different worlds of the Dwellers and the Outsiders, but it also showed just how much they needed to band together in order to survive and make it to the Still Blue. I thought Rossi did a great job of showing how some decisions were not going to be easy and not everyone was going to have a happy ending. Rossi didn’t hold back on this aspect and I thought she stayed true to the story. There were a few surprising revelations and twists, not so much to give too much shock value. However, the suspense of what was to happen next gave way for more than one heart stopping moment. In general, there was plenty of action, brutal beating and killing, and on the edge scenes that made this book that much more enjoyable and thrilling.

All in all, I thought Into the Still Blue was a mesmerizing finale. It was rich, beautiful, heartbreaking and certainly hopeful. I will surely miss the Aria, Perry and Roar as they have become friends I have gotten to know these past few years. 

*Thanks to HarperCollins for sending a copy for review

I was not compensated for my opinion

Read my review for book two: Through the Ever Night

Read my review for book one: Under the Never Sky

Favorite Quotes

*quotes taken from an eARC, all are subject to change from final finished copy.

The rough-edged hunter with the fierce glare she'd met half a year ago was almost gone. He was confident now, steadier. Still fearsome, but controlled. He was everything she'd expected him to become.

"Yes. Of course... I'll always... like you, Aria."
"I'll always like you too."

You know how hard it is to find trustworthy people. How impossible it is. People will turn on each other for the smallest reasons. For a meal, they will toss a friend aside. For a warm coat, they will stab each other in the back...

"So he got Brooke and her," Soren continued, indignant. "How does that even happen? He barely talks!"

"You know I'll go anywhere with you, Perry."

"Keep her safe."
"Of course. With my life."

"We all have the potential to do terrible things, Soren. But we also have the potential to overcome our mistakes."

"Your pants falling down is natural?"
He grinned. "Yeah. If they fall any further, it's going to be very natural."

"We can bring them together. Can't you see it? Can't you picture what we could be?"
"I can picture all the ways I want to end your life."

"Fine. Then I love you, my little Night Crawler."