Review: Under The Never Sky by Veronica Rossi

Title: Under the Never Sky

Author: Veronica Rossi

Pages:376

Publisher: HarperCollins

Series: Under the Never Sky #1

Released: January 3, 2012

First Line: They called the world beyond the walls of the Pod "the Death Shop."

From Goodreads: "Since she'd been on the outside, she'd survived an Aether storm, she'd had a knife held to her throat, and she'd seen men murdered. This was worse.

Exiled from her home, the enclosed city of Reverie, Aria knows her chances of surviving in the outer wasteland - known as The Death Shop - are slim. If the cannibals don't get her, the violent, electrified energy storms will. She's been taught that the very air she breathes can kill her. Then Aria meets an Outsider named Perry. He's wild - a savage - and her only hope of staying alive.

A hunter for his tribe in a merciless landscape, Perry views Aria as sheltered and fragile - everything he would expect from a Dweller. But he needs Aria's help too; she alone holds the key to his redemption. Opposites in nearly every way, Aria and Perry must accept each other to survive. Their unlikely alliance forges a bond that will determine the fate of all who live under the never sky."

My Thoughts:

“She absorbed the terror and beauty of him and his world. Of every moment over the past days. All of it, filling her up like the first breath she'd ever taken. And never had she loved life more.” 

Wow. This is easily one of the best books I have read this year. I had heard lots of great things about this book, but I hadn't expected it to be this good! I have fallen completely in love with Under the Never Sky, and it is definitely one of my favorites now.

 Veronica Rossi has created an interesting and different dystopian world. Aria lives in an underground Pod called Reverie and wears a device called a Smarteye that allows her access to virtual realms where she spends most of her time. The slogan for these realms is that they are "better than real." Perry is an Outsider who lives in a tribe out in the "Death Shop", under constant danger from the violent Aether storms. The Aether clouds are always in the sky, so it is never blue. And then these two who come from complete opposite worlds--virtual and real--are thrown together.

This book is told in alternating points of view (in third person) between Aria and Perry. I'm usually not too crazy about this style of story-telling, but Veronica Rossi pulls it off perfectly. I think that this was the perfect way to tell this story, because we get to see both sides. We are drawn into both Aria's world and Perry's. And then when Aria is thrown into Perry's world we get to see it from both of their perspectives.

Another thing I loved about this tactic was that we get to see how Aria and Perry view each other, and how their views change throughout the story. This is a story about how two people from two different worlds are thrust together and must overcome their prejudice, dislike, and mistrust of each other. And despite how different they may be, they are both working toward the same goal: finding someone they love. For Aria it's her mother, for Perry his nephew Talon.

I loved the characters in this book, especially Perry. Veronica Rossi did a marvelous job with developing these characters and making them feel real. You can see how they slowly change and grow throughout the story, and by the end they are different people than when the story started.

The romance in this book was one of the best I've seen in a while! I'm not a fan of insta-love, which is how a lot of YA romances are. Veronica Rossi develops both of these characters and their relationship and we get to see how they gradually fall in love with each other. To me this made the romance feel so much more real!

Recommendations:

Honestly, I can't think of a single negative thing to say about this book. I stayed up until 1AM finishing it, and was so captured by its spell that I didn't even realize it was that late. That is the mark of an awesome book!

I would recommend Under the Never Sky to everyone! Especially fans of dystopians. Seriously, if you haven't read this one yet you need to move it to the top of your list, you won't be disappointed! My only regret is that I borrowed this from the library instead of buying it.

My Rating:

Writing: 5/5
Characters: 5/5
Plot: 5/5
Creativity/Originality: 5/5
Kept me interested: 5/5