Roar and Liv by Veronica Rossi - Ashley's Review

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Title: Roar and Liv
Author: Veronica Rossi
Year Published: 2012

Synopsis: Before Perry and Aria, there was Roar and Liv.

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.

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When I read Under the Never Sky, I was really fascinated by Roar and his experiences with the girl he loves, Liv. While we see quite a bit of Roar though, we never really see Liv, and we just hear about her from Perry and Roar. This story really helps to get a good understand of Liv, which was really nice. Plus, we get to learn more about the world and how hard it is to survive in a place where Aether can destroy everything you know and love in a single heart beat. Rossi's world building in Under the Never Sky was absolutely fantastic, and it just keeps getting better.

I really love when authors write the short stories about minor characters, because you really get to see how they feel about the main characters and the situations and everything, and Rossi did an excellent job with introducing and developing Perry's friends and family. For example, although Vale is still a minor character in this story, I feel like I know him better and kind of understand why he did what he did. I still don't like him, but that's besides the point.

As I was awaiting Through the Ever Night, I saw in several places that reading Roar and Liv before Through the Ever Night was recommended. So I figured that I might as well give it a shot. And man, were all those people right. This story really gave depth to Roar and Liv, and it explains so much about why they are how they are in Through the Ever Night. I hope we get to see more short stories set in this world! 5/5, and I would definitely recommend this to anyone who enjoys this series!


--Ashley