Audiobook Review: Of Poseidon by Anna Banks

Title: Of Poseidon
Author(s): Anna Banks
Genre(s): Fantasy, Myth, Romance, Young Adult
Publisher/Date: Feiwel & Friends / May 22, 2012
Series: The Syrena Legacy (Book #1)

"Morning tide makes a great companion when you don’t want to be around people. It soothes and comforts and doesn't ask for anything. But the sun does. The higher it gets, the more I am reminded that nothing stops time. There is no escaping it.” -Emma McIntosh

Case Study 

Galen is the prince of the Syrena, sent to land to find a girl he's heard can communicate with fish. Emma is on vacation at the beach. When she runs into Galen—literally, ouch!—both teens sense a connection. But it will take several encounters, including a deadly one with a shark, for Galen to be convinced of Emma's gifts. Now, if he can only convince Emma that she holds the key to his kingdom... (synopsis from Goodreads)

The Game's Afoot

Remember all the reasons I was afraid to read a book about mermaids? Well, remember the time I read a mermaid book and loved it? Yeah. This was not one of those times. I really wanted to enjoy Of Poseidon but the book had too many glaring issues for me to ignore. 

Overt Sexism

While I can appreciate what Banks was trying to accomplish by distinguishing Syrena society from human society, I didn't jive with how the female characters were portrayed. They are just these pretty little things who have no say in what they do or how they get to feel. Rayna, arguably one of the most fierce women in the book, spends all her time fighting "the man" and taking a stand. She's forced to marry Toraf against her will, without consent or even her presence. And what's worse is that in the end, she accepts it all because of a petty manipulation that incites her jealousy. And Emma, who initially backs Rayna, THINKS OF THE PLAN that wins Rayna over! Really?!

Yay, Diversity?

I would love to applaud Banks' use of diversity in this book, but unfortunately, her portrayal of a POC character leaves something to be desired. She had a great opportunity to make Chloe's character count, but instead, we're given a stereotypical shell who meets every cliché there is. SPOILER ALERT: Chloe not only dies in the first several chapters, but she dies in a less than dignified way. Her death is used solely as a device to move the plot forward. It becomes all about Emma and is totally meaningless. Not cool, Banks. Not cool.

An Unsexy Romance

The "swoonworthy" siren, Galen, is supposed to be the walking epitome of sex but I thought he was a complete douchebag. He reminded me a lot of Edward in Twilight with those "serial killer eyes" (yes, that's actually how they're described in the book), his incessant manipulation of Emma, his need for total control and the constant stalking. Seriously? Stalking is NOT sexy! There is not ONE redeemable factor about this guy, except for the fact that he's hot, and I'm sorry, but looks do not make up for a lack in personality. Galen and Emma basically have your run-of-the-mill angsty, teenage romance and I'm not in high school anymore, so I can do without the drama.

Under the Sea --- or Lack Thereof

When I read a mermaid book, I damn well expect to see a lot of the world beneath the sea. Is that really too much to ask? Of Poseidon only gives us small glimpses of the Syrena world and it wasn't enough. It's probably the only redeeming quality about the book and there's very little attention paid to it. Details and world building --- they're pretty important from what I hear. Immerse me under the sea! Also, with regard to the mythology, you do know that Triton was the SON of Posiedon, not his brother, right? Good. Now that we've cleared that up, let's move on...

Watch Your Language!

I really tend to enjoy novels that share a dual POV, which Of Poseidon does, however, there was definitely something off about it here. Banks chose to tell the tale from Emma's first person POV and Galen's third person POV and the change in tense gives the book a choppy, unpolished feel. Grammar. Tense. Structure. All components of a basic English class. Suffice it to say, I know Banks can do better.

Summary Prognosis

This book is everything I feared a mermaid book would be. Of Poseidon was a lackluster story, lacking in any real action or conflict or substance. The characters were unremarkable and in some cases, downright loathesome. Top it off with an unsexy romance and unpolished writing, and let's just say, I'm ready to release this trend back into the sea.

Rating: ★½ 

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Audiobook Review: Pandemonium by Lauren Oliver

Title: Pandemonium
Author(s): Lauren Oliver
Genre(s): Dystopia, Romance, Science Fiction, Young Adult
Publisher/Release Date: HarperCollins / February 28, 2013
Series: Delirium (Book #2)

“Grief is like sinking, like being buried. I am in water the tawny color of kicked-up dirt. Every breath is full of choking. There is nothing to hold on to, no sides, no way to claw myself up. There is nothing to do but let go. Let go. Feel the weight all around you, feel the squeezing of your lungs, the slow, low pressure. Let yourself go deeper. There is nothing but bottom. There is nothing but the taste of metal, and the echoes of old things, and days that look like darkness.” -Magdalena Haloway-Tiddle

Warning: This review may contain spoilers concerning Delirium

 Case Study

I’m pushing aside the memory of my nightmare, pushing aside thoughts of Alex, pushing aside thoughts of Hana and my old school, push, push, push, like Raven taught me to do. The old life is dead. But the old Lena is dead too. I buried her. I left her beyond a fence, behind a wall of smoke and flame. (synopsis from Goodreads)

The Game's Afoot

You guys, I am totally hooked on Lauren Oliver's Delirium series. So intense. So many emotions!

Pandemonium begins immediately after the events of Delirium with Lena's daring escape in to the Wilds... without Alex. While Delirium had the whimsy factor, Pandemonium was all about the action... and drama. Pandemonium reminded me of Catching Fire in a way --- the plot lines are similar but the stakes are higher, the revelations, bigger and bolder. Delirium introduces us to Lena but Pandemonium opens us up to so much more of her world and the politics behind it. Basically, they're headed for all out war.
  
The book is told in two sections, Now and Then and the contrast between past and present is effective in building the tension in the story. It's never confusing or boring and it really highlights the growth of these characters while providing a constant sense of intrigue. And if that's not enough to keep you reading, Oliver's beautiful prose will. True to form, every word has its place, every sentence, its purpose. No word or chapter is wasted. Every page leaves its mark. And this is why I am and will be a forever fan.

One of the most remarkable things about this book is Lena's personal journey and growth. She experiences the aftermath of losing her one and only love and is forced to deal with survivor's guilt. She has to start anew and rebuild her life in the Wilds. And that's another thing I loved, seeing the infamous Wilds. Things are hard for Lena, life there is hard in general. It's not the fantasy world that Lena originally imagined. People suffer and people die. But after spending some time in the Wilds, Lena learns to become a fighter. Her transformation is earnest, believable and not without its share of hardships. She's not handed anything and her friend and savior, Raven, sees to that. Lena earns her place with Raven and the gang and that's really rewarding to see.

I wasn't a huge fan of the romance in Pandemonium, as admittedly, I am a Lena-Alex shipper. Lena and Julian progress slowly, in a very natural sort of way, from overt wariness to gradual friendship then to something more. It's a slow, simmering sort of burn. Don't get me wrong, I understood the development of her feelings for Julian, but that doesn't mean I have to like them. It's interesting that Lena and Julian's relationship mimics the path that Lena and Alex took when they first met, only the roles are very much reversed. Lena is to Julian in Pandemonium what Alex was to Lena in Delirium. Eventually, Julian experiences the same progression that Lena did with concern to delira amor nervosa and he turns out to be a great character. He's one of those people who was initially shaped by his environment but as soon as you take him away from that, he really flourishes. Then there's Lena, who went from this scrappy, lost girl to this bad-ass, hard-edged, self-sufficient woman. She's a fighter. She fights for who she loves, what she believes in and for, well, love itself. 

  
And you've got to admire a girl like that.

Summary Prognosis

Pandemonium is everything you could want and love in a series sequel. With serious character growth, amped up stakes and lots of dramatic tension, it had me hooked from the first page. And trust me, you're gonna want to stick around for that ending --- holy cliffhanger, Batman! I think, deep down, I knew it was coming but no amount of preparation could lessen the shock of it. It's a beautiful story and has solidified itself as one of my top book series EVER. 

Rating: ★★★★½

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Audiobook Review: Delirium by Lauren Oliver

Title: Delirium
Author(s): Lauren Oliver
Genre(s): Dystopia, Romance, Science Fiction, Young Adult
Publisher/Date: HarperCollins / February 7, 2012
Series: Delirium (Book #1)

“Love: a single word, a wispy thing, a word no bigger or longer than an edge. That's what it is: an edge; a razor. It draws up through the center of your life, cutting everything in two. Before and after. The rest of the world falls away on either side.” -Magdalena Haloway-Tiddle

Case Study

Ninety-five days, and then I'll be safe. I wonder whether the procedure will hurt. I want to get it over with. It's hard to be patient. It's hard not to be afraid while I'm still uncured, though so far the deliria hasn't touched me yet. Still, I worry. They say that in the old days, love drove people to madness. The deadliest of all deadly things: It kills you both when you have it and when you don't. (synopsis from Goodreads)

The Game's Afoot

Guys. Guess what!? I'm in love and I don't care who knows it!

I have it bad. A serious case of derliria amor nervosa. I am completely, hopelessly and totally in love with Delirium. I know I'm a little late to the game when it comes to Lauren Oliver's books and I don't know why I've avoided this series for so long, but better late than never, right? 

In Delirium, Oliver has created a unique dystopian society, one where love and passion and feeling is a sickness, something to be avoided and feared and cured. It's really quite brilliant and so, so scary. Just imagine a world without love, and not just love, but a world without pain or hate or fiery passion. The cure for amor deliria nervosa renders people into shells of their former selves. Their vibrancy is gone. They are zombie-like. They don't feel. They don't care and people who don't care are capable of doing terrible things because they lack compassion, the ability to relate. There's no remourse or responsibility for their actions. It's all about duty and safety and security in this highly regulated society. Just think about it. What kind of life is that? A life like that, even one without pain, is not a life worth living and that's what our MC, Lena, eventually learns. 

I loved watching Lena's transformation from a silly, obedient, little girl into a strong, vibrant, self-aware woman. At first, she was kind of hard to relate to. She was so young and naive, not questioning anything or anyone around her. It was frustrating. But it was also authentic given the narrowness and control required to live in her world. The more you start to understand her world, the more she starts to grow on you. She's more than just a shell and as you get to know her, you unearth this dazzling fighter. She fights for what she believes in and for the people she loves. She's inspiring. And while we're speaking of love, I LOVED her friendship with Hana. I LOVED her relationship with Alex. There is depth to each of these relationships, they're layered and they aren't perfect which lends to their believability.

I really enjoyed the intros to each new chapter. Oliver begins with a relevant philosophy of the time or commandment from The Book of Shh, which added to the authenticity of the dystopian environment. And she's done a great job of crafting such a scary world with her vivid imagery and incredible world-building. This truly has to be one of the most beautifully written stories I've ever read. Oliver has a way with words, a way of making a sentence seem like it's the most lyrical and poetic thing in the world. I also have to give Sarah Drew some serious cred for her narration of the audiobook. She is definitely one of my favourite narrators. Everything about her performance was perfect, she added so much dimension to the words, so much soul. 

My experience with Delirium was a little like Lena's journey --- I started out wary, scared. But the more I read, the more I learned, the more I was wooed by Oliver's gorgeous prose and engaging characters, the more I began to fall. It was like fireworks exploded within me. It touched me and it's hard to put into words just how much it blew me away. This book is a profound whirlwind of depth and beauty and emotion. This book makes you feel things, amazing things, so much so that you want to cry and laugh and live. It's been a long time since a book has really made me feel this way and it's so freaking incredible. THIS is the power of words. THIS is why I am and always will be a reader. Because of books and authors and moments and feelings like this.

Summary Prognosis

Delirium is a thought-provoking, gorgeous story about passion and love and fighting for what one believes in. This book will make you think and feel things and want so much more. Oliver's prose is poetic and her characters, layered and relatable. And the narration by Sarah Drew is incredible --- she's one of the best narrators I've ever heard. It's been a long time since a book has made me feel so much and I'm so glad I gave this book a chance. Oliver has found herself another unabashed fangirl and I can't wait to finish the rest of this series.

Rating: ★★★★★

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Book Review: Cruel Beauty by Rosamund Hodge

Title: Cruel Beauty
Author(s): Rosamund Hodge
Genre(s): Fairy Tales, Fantasy, Romance, Young Adult
Publisher/Date: Balzer + Bray / January 28, 2014
Series: Stand Alone

“You were sent here to die. You were the one that was not needed, was not wanted, and they sent you here because they knew you would never come back.” -Ignifex

Case Study

Since birth, Nyx has been betrothed to the evil ruler of her kingdom-all because of a foolish bargain struck by her father. And since birth, she has been in training to kill him.

With no choice but to fulfill her duty, Nyx resents her family for never trying to save her and hates herself for wanting to escape her fate. Still, on her seventeenth birthday, Nyx abandons everything she's ever known to marry the all-powerful, immortal Ignifex. Her plan? Seduce him, destroy his enchanted castle, and break the nine-hundred-year-old curse he put on her people.

But Ignifex is not at all what Nyx expected. The strangely charming lord beguiles her, and his castle-a shifting maze of magical rooms-enthralls her.

As Nyx searches for a way to free her homeland by uncovering Ignifex's secrets, she finds herself unwillingly drawn to him. Even if she could bring herself to love her sworn enemy, how can she refuse her duty to kill him? With time running out, Nyx must decide what is more important: the future of her kingdom, or the man she was never supposed to love. (synopsis from Goodreads)

The Game's Afoot

Beauty & the Beast is one of the world's most recognized fairy tales. But have you ever wondered what this whimsical tale might look like if you fused it with the brutality of ancient Greco-Roman mythology? You'd get a story that's resoundingly familiar yet undeniably unconventional. You'd get Cruel Beauty.

Cruel Beauty garnered quite a bit of buzz in the YA community in that people either loved it or they hated it. Books like this are always a gamble but I'm a big fan of fairy tales and mythology so I decided to give it take the chance. I'm really glad I did.Though Cruel Beauty is marketed primarily as a retelling of Beauty & the Beast, I found it to be more Greek myth than fairy tale. And if you're familiar with Greco-Roman mythos, you'll see notes of it everywhere. It's in the bones, from the setting to the history and definitely in the romance.  Cruel Beauty is one of those books that's inspired by rather than retold, and for that, I admire it.

Based on some of the other reviews, I was expecting grandiose info dumps and an overly convoluted plot. Fortunately, I didn't see much of that anywhere. I thought the world-building was concise, enough for me to get a good sense of what the kingdom looked like and how it functioned. There's a lot going on and it's easy to get lost so I saw the descriptiveness as a necessary thing. Like I loved the imaginative descriptions of the Gentle Lord's house. I loved how it changed and flowed and had a life of its own. The house feels like a living, breathing, sentient being. Through Hodge's rich descriptions, the house becomes a character in its own right and THAT is the mark of a talented author.

But probably my favourite thing about this book is its characters. Nyx is quite the unlikeable character. In fact, she's downright mean. But she's also incredibly complex and given her situation, being raised as a sacrifice, you totally understand why she is the way that she is. She's bitter and angry and vengeful and I totally felt for her. It makes her hard and hostile and bad-ass. I mean, she punches her demon husband in the face. PUNCHES. HIM. IN. THE. FACE. And I totally want to be her BFF because of it. And then there's Ignifex, the Gentle Lord. The bad guy of all bad guys. But he's not really so bad. Well, he is but he's got his reasons for being so devilish. He's a tortured guy. Like Nyx, he's suffered and that suffering has turned him into an unforgiving, iron-fisted ruler. And it's that suffering that makes him and Nyx the ideal couple.

Oh yeah. Speaking of Ignifex and Nyx, let me just talk about their romance for a second. I don't typically like stories solely for the romance, but man, I TOTALLY did here. I ship Nyx and Ignifex SO hard. I loved everything about them --- their cruel banter to the gradual softening towards one another --- it was incredibly entertaining. They go from hate to tolerate to mutual understanding to love in a beautiful way. Now there is a love triangle in the book, however, it's not your average love triangle. It doesn't permeate the whole of the story and, thankfully, is resolved quickly and in a unique sort of way. As for Shade, I wasn't really a big fan. Like the other characters, there is more to him than meets the eye but I was never really sure what to think of him.

Aside from the incredible character development, I also have to give Hodge mad props for the uniqueness of this story. She blends fairy tale elements and classic mythology in a way that's fresh, exciting and new. There's a lot going on in this book but she fuses it together in a way that makes sense. You get lost in it entirely. And this is why I think a lot of us love fairy tales. Because they entrance you and encapsulate you in a fantasy, in a thing of beauty. And this is what makes Cruel Beauty so successful. It's whimsical and terrifying and beautiful and cruel all at the same time. So yes, while Cruel Beauty does have its issues, generally speaking, they didn't hinder my enjoyment of the overall story. This is one of those books where its strength lies more in its characters than in the plot. There's magic in it, everywhere, and it completely captivated me, like any good fairy tale will do.

Summary Prognosis

Cruel Beauty is an interesting blend of fairy tale and mythology. Though the foundations of the story are somewhat familiar, the character and scenery are unforgettable. There are parts to the book (i.e. - the ending) that are a tad confusing, but overall, Hodge has given us something fresh and beautiful. My fondness for the book lies more in its character and breathtaking world building than its convoluted plot. This book has the SHIP of all SHIPS, so if you're looking for something to sail then this book is definitely for you!

Rating: ★★★★½
 

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Audiobook Review: The Ocean At The End Of The Lane by Neil Gaiman

Title: The Ocean At The End Of The Lane
Author(s): Neil Gaiman
Genre(s): Fantasy, Horror, Young Adult
Publisher/Date: William Morrow Books / June 18, 2013
Series: Stand Alone

“I do not miss childhood, but I miss the way I took pleasure in small things, even as greater things crumbled. I could not control the world I was in, could not walk away from things or people or moments that hurt, but I took joy in the things that made me happy.” -Unnamed Narrator

Case Study

Sussex, England. A middle-aged man returns to his childhood home to attend a funeral. Although the house he lived in is long gone, he is drawn to the farm at the end of the road, where, when he was seven, he encountered a most remarkable girl, Lettie Hempstock, and her mother and grandmother. He hasn't thought of Lettie in decades, and yet as he sits by the pond (a pond that she'd claimed was an ocean) behind the ramshackle old farmhouse, the unremembered past comes flooding back. And it is a past too strange, too frightening, too dangerous to have happened to anyone, let alone a small boy.

Forty years earlier, a man committed suicide in a stolen car at this farm at the end of the road. Like a fuse on a firework, his death lit a touchpaper and resonated in unimaginable ways. The darkness was unleashed, something scary and thoroughly incomprehensible to a little boy. And Lettie—magical, comforting, wise beyond her years—promised to protect him, no matter what. (synopsis from Goodreads) 

The Game's Afoot 

Neil Gaiman is a legend in the literary world. His books are all smart, beautifully written and full of wonder. The Ocean At The End Of The Lane is no exception. Admittedly, I've only read one other book by Gaiman, American Gods, and it's a very different sort of story than this one. I wasn't really sure what to expect from his YA, but it definitely wasn't this. Ocean might be a story written for kids, but it's undoubtedly one that's meant more for adults. There's a sadness and isolation to the book that goes hand in hand with the narrator's loss of innocence, with the pain of growing up.

Like in most of Gaiman's other works, magic touches everything in Ocean. And like the background mythology, the magic here is old. There's a quietness, a subtlety to it which lends to the story's very dream-like quality. It also helps that Gaiman narrated the audiobook, so the story is read as it was meant to be read. The narration was like poetry, smooth and rhythmic, lulling the listening deeper and deeper into the story. Gaiman is a wordsmith like no other. His words are so simple yet effective, stimulating to every one of the senses. And the story easily flows from one event to the next, the moments ebbing and flowing like the soft breeze over a gentle sea. 

One of the coolest things about this book was the presence of such strong female figures, taken in the form of the Hempstock women. I really loved the mother/maiden/crone dynamic between them. Honestly, they were the ones that drew me in and they were the ones that kept me riveted to the page. I guess the only thing that really threw me was the ending. I read this book over a week ago and now that I've had time to digest it, I still don't know what to think. It raised more questions than answers and lacked and overall feeling of completeness. These are just a few of the questions I still have: Did the boy take away anything at all from his experience? If not, what was the point? Was he worth Lettie's existence? Lettie thought so, but I'm not so sure.

Despite my reservations about the ending, I was really impressed by Ocean. It's a story unlike any other---dark, terrifying and wonderful---one that's beautifully written and superbly spoken by the man, the master, Neil Gaiman.

Summary Prognosis

The Ocean At The End Of The Lane is an exquisite story written by the master of wordsmiths, Neil Gaiman. This book is about the power of childhood and adulthood and loss all rolled into one frighteningly magical journey through one man's memory. It will stimulate both your senses and your mind and leave you wanting more. In a word, it's simply beautiful.
 

Rating: ★★★★

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Book Review: Into The Still Blue by Veronica Rossi

Title: Into The Still Blue
Author(s): Veronica Rossi
Genre(s): Dystopia, Science Fiction, Young Adult
Publisher/Date: HarperCollins / January 28, 2014
Series: Under The Never Sky (Book #3)

“We have to tell each other the little things, the bad things. Maybe they’ll hurt for a while, but at least they won’t become big things. If we don’t, we’re just going to keep hurting each other. And I don’t want to do that anymore.” -Aria

Warning: This review may contain spoilers concerning Under The Never Sky & Through The Ever Night.

Case Study

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. (synopsis from Goodreads)

The Game's Afoot

Series enders are tricky business. I'm always hesitant going in, hopeful that the resolution will be everything I wanted and also so afraid that it won't be. Into The Still Blue does what any good series ender should --- it ups the stakes and gives you the FEELS. It answers all our burning questions and does so in a way that feels natural and makes sense. In short, it was exactly the ender I've been hoping for.

Stylistically, Into The Still Blue is a little different from UtNS and TtEN in that it's more action driven than character driven. But I don't think this is a bad thing because action is the bridge to the resolution. The book also focuses more on the group as a whole as opposed to any given individual (or couple). Everyone gets equal screen time, per say, and I think that plays into why the book worked for me. Plus, we get answers, answers about the Still Blue, about Aria's father, about Hess and Sable's grand plan! All of these things are wrapped up in a very organic and cohesive way.

And then there are THE FEELS. Oh my god, there are SO MANY FEELS!

Rossi doesn't hold back in this book. Sacrifices are made, friendships tested, allegiances broken. The stakes are super high and it's do or die time. And people DO die. Between certain deaths and Roar's grief and Cinder... MY HEART! Then we have Soren who is a total wildcard and Sable who is in a villainy class all of his own. The characters undoubtedly make this series one worth reading! They are all complex and dynamic and layered, each with a strong voice and distinctive personality. There are NO stock characters here. And the relationships they share with one another, both romantic and platonic, are to die for! I ship the friendships most of all!

The one thing that really caught me off guard about ItSB was how abrupt the ending was. I wasn't expecting it to come in the form or swiftness that it did but I think my reluctance to admit that the series was ending probably played a big part in that surprise. Though I wasn't quite ready to say goodbye to the gang, I do think Rossi brought their story to a natural and satisfactory conclusion. There's a nice balance of adversity and triumph. The group doesn't walk away unscathed, all of the characters suffer in some way, though ultimately, they do get a happy sort of ending. It feels very real, organic because everything isn't tied up in a pretty little bow. People die but people also get to live. And for Perry, Aria and the rest --- what more could you ask for?

Summary Prognosis

Into The Still Blue is an action-packed, high stakes series ender. It definitely tugged at my heartstrings --- people die, people we've come to know and love BUT, overall, all the majour issues were resolved in a natural sort of way and the characters get a somewhat happier ending. Though this wasn't my favourite book of the three, it was still a satisfying ending to a brilliant series. I will be pushing this series on to everyone I know!

Rating: ★★★★½

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Mini Reviews: Roar and Liv & Brooke by Veronica Rossi

Warning: These reviews may contain spoilers concerning Under The Never Sky & Through The Ever Night.

Title: Roar and Liv
Author(s): Veronica Rossi
Genre(s): Dystopia, Science Fiction, Young Adult
Publisher/Date: HarperCollins/ October 30, 2012
Series: Under The Never Sky (Companion Novel)

After a childhood spent wandering the borderlands, Roar finally feels like he has a home with the Tides. His best friend Perry is like a brother to him, and Perry's sister, Liv, is the love of his life. But Perry and Liv's unpredictable older brother, Vale, is the Blood Lord of the Tides, and he has never looked kindly on Roar and Liv's union. Normally, Roar couldn't care less about Vale's opinion. But with food running low and conditions worsening every day, Vale's leadership is more vital—and more brutal—than ever. Desperate to protect his tribe, Vale makes a decision that will shatter the life Roar knew and change the fate of the Tides forever. (synopsis from Goodreads)

Summary Prognosis

I love reading novellas. They're the perfect opportunity to delve deeper into backstory, provide a better look at secondary characters and elaborate on the world-building. While they're not necessary additions to a series, I feel like they can certainly add to and enhance the overall reading experience and Rossi's novellas do exactly that. They give us a new perspective into the minds and relationships of some of our favourite characters and add depth to events that have already taken place within the series.

Roar and Liv takes place prior to the events in Under The Never Sky, focusing not only the romantic relationships that Perry and Roar have, but also their dynamic as friends and as family. We learn how Vale came to sell his sister and exactly why Roar left the Tides. We get to see how things came to be so tense between Perry and Vale and experience just how callous Vale could be. This story unequivocally broke my heart. It broke my heart because I read it with the tragic knowledge of what would befall Roar and Liv in Through The Ever Night. Roar quickly became one of my favourite characters in this series with his easy-going nature, humourous attitude, loyalty and strength. In a way, after seeing what transpired between Roar and Vale, you can really understand why Roar could be a bit of an ass sometimes. You feel the love between him and Liv, the way they thought they'd really be together for forever. Roar and Liv adds so many feels to this series and I highly recommend reading it after UtNS and TtEN.

Rating: ★★★★★

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Title: Brooke
Author(s): Veronica Rossi
Genre(s): Dystopia, Science Fiction, Young Adult
Publisher/Date: HarperCollins/ November 26, 2013
Series: Under The Never Sky (Companion Novel)

The only fight she can't win is the one for Perry's heart. Following the stunning climax in Through the Ever Night, the Tides have been forced to seek shelter from the Aether storms in a dismal, secluded cave. But Brooke's memories of the cave go back much further, to when she and Perry used to come here together. That was before Perry fell in love with Aria and before Vale's dealings with the Dwellers altered the course of the Tides forever.

Now, with her sister back from a haunting year in captivity and Aria lying unconscious in the sick bay, Brooke struggles to put the pieces of her life back together. Without Perry, who is she? And what is her role in this frightening new world? As these questions swirl about her, an old threat to the Tides resurfaces, and Brooke is forced to put the lives of her people before her own. But in taking this step outside of herself, Brooke may finally discover what she truly wants. (synopsis from Goodreads)

Summary Prognosis

Much like Roar and Liv, I feel like Brooke was a novella that added a little something extra special the the UtNS series. We don't really get a lot of insight into her character and what little we do know, isn't very pleasant. Brooke comes off as the a-typical jealous ex-girlfriend. To be frank, she's nothing short of nasty to Aria throughout the series and despite her mad skills as an archer, there's very little to her besides a hostile personality. Between both novellas, we actually get inside Brooke's head and are able to see just how much of a mark Perry left on her heart. These stories make her relatable, make her likeable.

Brooke is bitter and hurt about the loss of Perry to the dweller, Aria, for the loss of her best friend, Liv and for the arrival of the people who previously stole her sister. But as the novella progresses, Brooke undergoes an amazing transformation as she reflects upon her heartbreak, comes to terms with her losses and rekindles the relationship with her little sister. Her abrasive exterior slowly softens to reveal a fiercely loyal, strong and independent woman. She begins the journey of forgiveness and of understanding exactly what she wants in a man. By the end of the story, I had so much more respect for the girl and I really enjoyed the brief glimpse inside her head. I read this before reading Into The Still Blue and I'm glad that I did because I feel like it enhanced several moments in the series finale.

Rating: ★★★★★

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