So much to love

Look what I caught in the wild,
then tamed on my shelf!

There is much about THROUGH THE EVER NIGHT that I love. The pacing is amazing. The scenes are beautiful and cinematic. The action is hair-rising. We get to know the characters and world in new and personal ways. But, as I talked about on Tuesday’s post, one thing that I really appreciate is the surprising character growth.

Many times in books with lots of swooning, forces of nature or authority figures keep our characters apart. However, in THROUGH THE EVER NIGHT Aria and Perry control their own destinies to a large degree – especially in terms of their relationship. They could just run away and be happy together…but that would mean hurting many, many other people (some of whom they don’t even like). They foresee the consequences of acting on their desires and they…wait for it…make the responsible decision. In many stories this sort of situation would kill the conflict, but for Perry and Aria, it elevates it while demonstrating a maturity I rarely see in novels (for all ages).

So not only does THROUGH THE EVER NIGHT have a great plot and spectacular writing, it demonstrates to the reader an admirable quality that most of us should strive for without losing an ounce of entertainment value. And that, in my opinion, is a sign of a truly great story.