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.
Oh wow, I can't believe I forgot about this book! I read and reviewed this back in March, I think, and completely forgot to post my review! *face palm* Erm, but anyway... Here's what I thought:
And here's another win for Team Dystopia! Under the Never Sky was an enthralling dystopian read.
The Bad
Confusing lingo. So I'm in the first few pages, and I'm bombarded with words I have no idea of- pods, realms, eyepiece, Aether- they kinda threw me off. The book was complicated, and it was a bit hard to understand it. However, as I read on, my confusion disappeared, as everything is explained in due time.
The Good
The characters. Veronica Rossi is great at character building. She makes them human, not one of those too-perfect-to-be real MCs. They're flawed, they feel emotion- everything is described in detail.
Perry was actually my favorite character. Rossi did a great job with him. He was so real, so selfless- yet so brave and protective. Aria was also a good main character. Though Rossi could have developed her character a bit more, since I couldn't really connect with her. But still, she was likeable and strong, and that's a plus.
The Awesome
The world. Thinking up of a whole new world, an alternate universe, is not easy, yet Rossi managed to pull it off. Their worlds- the Death Shop, Reverie, Still Blue- were well thought out. Rossi's imagination in unbelievably creative! She wrote of many cool and unbelievaly high tech inventions, and I couldn't help but want to live in the world she created!
The plot. The plot was the best thing in this book. There were so many compelling factors- survival, betrayal, love, hope- that putting it down was difficult. The journeys Aria and Perry went through were anything but boring, with surprises popping out from every corner. And the mystery of it all kept me flipping through the pages.
But what I really liked about this book was the conflict. Because for one, there wasn't a main bad guy. Usually, books have a man vs man conflict, but in this one, they were against something greater: nature. Or in their case, the Aether. I mean, yeah, General Hess was the bad guy, but he wasn't the ultimate evil force of the book. The Aether is so much more- for once, the role of being evil isn't clear cut.
The Rating
Five stars for this amazing debut. I've had high expectations for this book, and it did not disappoint. I'm looking forward to sequel, and I want to be back in the world of Under the Never Sky. Definitely recommended for fans of dystopian, YA, and even science fiction!
Jen
