Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi
Book #1, Under the Never SkyPublished by HarperCollins on January 3rd 2012
Purchased copy from Fully Booked
376 pages
Purchase on Amazon・Fully Booked
Synopsis
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 energy storms will. 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 come together to survive. Their unlikely alliance forges a bond that will determine the fate of all who live under the never sky.
There has been quite a lot of hype around this series and this author for a while now and I knew eventually that I would be reading it sometime. That said, I wasn’t exactly dying to read Under The Never Sky already- I mean, it has taken me this long to start it. As soon as I closed the book though, I instantly felt glad that I finally joined the bandwagon.
I had a hard time getting into Under The Never Sky. The book throws a bunch of terms regarding Aria’s world from the very first chapter without explaining them or giving any background so you get kinda lost. It takes a while to grasp the concept of Reverie, of the Realms. Still, I think the world-building in itself was fantastic and creatively imagined despite being a little too complex. Rossi creates a wondrous setting that has dystopian, sci-fi and fantasy elements and it’s really incredible once it comes together.
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.
The story thrives on narrating Aria and Perry’s ventures- her to find her mother and him to get his nephew back. Aria is a Dweller and Perry is an Outsider and since we get both point of views, we see the stark contrast in their way of life. I wasn’t able to connect to both characters as much as I wanted to but I did love reading about them. I found much growth in Aria’s character as she got used to life in the wild and became tougher and more resilient. Perry was the serious, intense kind of male protagonist but he’s a good guy. He’s the passive type of protective and kind. Definitely a likable, maybe lovable, character. I also enjoyed reading about Perry’s best friend, Roar, who just lightens the story with his presence.
He let her go. She took a step back, taking in his face one last time. His green eyes. The bend in his nose and the scars on his cheek. All the tiny imperfections that made him beautiful.
I know I’ll sound really trivial and cheesy but the romance was the best part of the book! Aria and Perry’s relationship didn’t start out smoothly. They disliked each other immensely because of the other’s nature- Aria was terrified of Perry more than half the time because he was a ‘Savage’. The romance was sparse but it was there nonetheless in the little things- the way she was thankful he kept saving her and the way he admired her braveness. It’s believable and unhurried. When they get to that point of falling for each other, it’s just absolutely romantic. The way the author puts it into words is almost poetic and I LOVED IT.
Saying Under The Never Sky was uninteresting would be a lie. The plot was packed, the story was good and the romance was real sweet. Under The Never Sky was an awesome read and I recommend it to readers who enjoy post-apocalyptic novels!
Rating:
29 Responses
I really enjoyed this novel as well! Although I read it a few years back and can’t remember much about it, I do remember loving the romance between Perry and Aria. Lovely review. :D
Glad to hear that! The romance really stands out, doesn’t it? Thank you for dropping by, dear! :)
I was really confused at the start about all the world cause we were just throw into it but after a few chapters it all just came together, it is by far one of my favourite Dystopian novels I have read.
The romance gosh my heart.
Same here! I was constantly struggling with the complexity of Aria and Perry’s world but I enjoyed reading about it nonetheless! And of course it didn’t hurt that the love story was so good! ;)
I also just joined the bandwagon – finishing it only yesterday! Glad to hear you liked it. I agree, the romance was paced perfectly! Though I didn’t have a problem understanding Aria’s and Perry’s world, I think the way Veronica wrote the book was very clever. (:
Good review, Hazel!
*high five* It’s hard to find YA books that have really good pacing for the romance aspect because it’s all instalove these days so that really makes this one special! Great for you, that you didn’t have a problem with the world-building. I agree- Rossi is very clever! :)
I’m so happy that you loved it, Hazel! Although I did find the complex world amazing, I just felt like this book was ‘meh’. I was a bit disappointed because like you said, the world was a bit confusing, but I like the concept of it. Also, I didn’t really relate with the characters except for Perry, Roar, and Perry’s nephew (ugh forgot his name). I’m still going to read the rest of the books in the trilogy though.
Oh no, I’m sorry to hear that! I almost thought the same during the first chapter but the story grew on me. Perry’s nephew is Talon. I hope you’ll enjoy the second book cos I really did!
I really want to read this novel but like you I’m not dying too. Although I do feel like the only blogger who hasn’t read it though. I hate it when they throw all these terms at you that you don’t understand but you do get used to it. I’m glad that the world building is good because its crucial in a dystopia. I’m glad the romance is also good so now I definitely want to read this book.
Don’t worry about that! You’ll get to read it during the right time. ;) So true! I think world-building is really such an important factor when it comes to these kind of books! The romance is totally worth reading! :)
Whoa! Nice to know this book. I am interested in dystopian YA novels and I feel like I’m going to love this. Glad that you introduced it to me! Haha!
My pleasure! I always love introducing good books to new people! Hope you enjoy it as much as I did! :D
I’ve been looking into this book for a while now and I still can’t quite decide, however, I’m really considering it now. You’re review was really insightful and helpful, thanks :)
I’m starting a new feature this year on Book Badger; Five Friday Favourites, it’d be great if you could check it out! :)
So happy you loved this! It’s one of my fave series. This first book IS hard to get into, but I promise you won’t have that problem in the next two books ;D
This is one of my favorite series! I’m glad you enjoyed it :) It was hard for me to get into the book at first, too. It was hard to get into it with all those terms being said when you have no idea what they are, but once I got through that, I really enjoyed it. The romance was my favorite too! I like how their relationship developed!
I have put off reading this series myself. It does sound interesting and I’m sure it’s being hyped up for a good reason, but right now I feel like I’m in such a dystopian slump and don’t think I’d be able to properly appreciate it. I’ll have to keep it in mind for when I do want to read more dystopians again.
I’m glad that finally reading it turned out to be a positive experience for you!
I’ve never read this book, but after reading your review, I will definitely read it sometime soon! I think it will be a very interesting read. Looking forward to reading more of your posts. :)
Oh good! I’m glad you enjoyed this one. I actually had some similar feelings. I liked it when I first read it but I was a bit on the fence about some things… The romance totally made the book and it was super important! Once I finished, I ended up really loving it! Hope you continue to enjoy the series! I personally think it just gets better and better!!
Great review. I really liked this book too and Roar is totally my favorite character. <3
I also put this book off for awhile. When I finally got around to it I had some of the initial problems that you experienced. There is just a lot to take in in the beginning. And there is so much action from nearly the start that you don’t really have time to catch up with all the terminology. But once I started to get everything down I was completely hooked.
This book is far more than a romance, and yet the romance was my favorite aspect as well. Perry and Aria’s relationship is one of my favorites. I loved the way they overcame their rocky start and ended up meaning so much to each other.
I love the challenge this book brings to the readers. A bit complicated but manageable! I
I’m sooo excited to read this… Not just because Veronica is coming to town, but also since I love the covers and the idea of it… It has taken me quite a while to have it all sink in..HAHAHA!
well i am glad you find this enjoyable after all. i am just starting on this series. i really hope i will end up loving it as much as you did :) i am going to attend her book signing event later this month so its good timing too.
Hello♥! How wonderfull is know the author and the others :). This is the book that I ever want since him existence. That was a pretty review. I can’t wait the time to have this book ♥ (sorry for my english)
Great review! I have yet to finish Miss Peregrine and then I’m off to read this trilogy. Thanks for this awesome review! :)
Loved the review! For me this book too was completely amazing, it filled me up with lots of emotions as I read, not mentioning the need to grasp the second book right after I finished. The descriptive writing of Veronica Rossi clearly paved the way to a great story. I love how each scene was described thoroughly for us, the readers to even experience such happenings. In all, I loved this book too and your review was great! Cheers!
I read this book when I was going through a dystopia obsession phase sometime back.When I read it,I was totally in love with this book!I really loved the characters-Aria,Perry and my favourite,Roar.
But more than that I really loved the world building.It took me some time to get used to it,but when I adapted to the world,it was truly mind blowing to read.
Great review,Hazel!
I love this series especially the characters Aria and Perry!! :D
I read this book a while back (maybe one year ago, I’m not sure) but I didn’t really love it nor hate it. It was just a plain book with a gorgeous cover for me. However, I remember a part of a little boy with lightning powers? That little kid interests me more than the main characters!