Under The Never Sky by Veronica Rossi

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Title: Under the Never Sky (Under the Never Sky #1)
Author: Veronica Rossi
Release Date: January 3, 2012 (hardcover)
Publisher: HarperCollins
Pages: 384
Source: ARC provided by publisher

Overall: 4.5 Stars

Summary:
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.

In her enthralling debut, Veronica Rossi sends readers on an unforgettable adventure set in a world brimming with harshness and beauty. 

My Thoughts:
Veronica Rossi's Under the Never Sky really took me by surprise! I've been growing rather weary of the dystopian genre lately... so I might have let the book sit on my shelf for longer than I had originally planned. I wish I had read the book sooner though because Under the Never Sky turned out to be a much better read than I had expected!

The first few chapters are the hardest to get through, but once the novel shifts to The Death Shop, the land outside the Pods, events begin to get so much more suspenseful and clearer. Calling Under the Never Sky strictly a dystopian novel wouldn't be an apt description because there were tons of fantasy and science fiction elements as well. The Dwellers who live in the enclosed cities spend their lives in the Realms, a virtual reality with advanced technology where almost anything is possible. Meanwhile, the Outsiders live a more primitive life, a harsher one where food is scarce and people who are Marked have special abilities. But no one is safe from the Aether storms which continue to rage and threaten everyone...

It really helped that the novel was told in dual perspectives because it was so much easier to understand the character's actions and see the contrast between life as a Dweller and an Outsider. Aria grows from being a naive girl to a strong young woman who can protect herself against the dangerous world she's been exiled into. Perry is headstrong and just as stubborn as Aria can be... but he's hesitant to let others get too close to him. As they journey into the wilderness on their own missions, Aria and Perry become closer than they ever could have imagined given their completely different backgrounds. 

Thrilling and heart-pounding, Veronica Rossi's debut novel Under the Never Sky is an adventurous tale which had me completely enthralled by its final pages. I'm already eagerly anticipating Through the Ever Night, the second novel in the trilogy, to see what exciting events will happen next to Aria and Perry!

Thanks so much to HarperCollins Canada for providing this review copy! To learn more about Under the Never Sky, you can find more information about the book on HarperCollins Canada's website, "like" their Facebook page, and visit The Savvy Reader!

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4 comments

  1. I totally agree with you about the book getting really good when she gets to the Death Shop. Veronica Rossi does an amazing job at world building!
    Great review :)

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  2. Fun review!!! I haven't read this book, yet, but I have it... and I'm excited to dive in! :-) Thx for sharing!!!

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  3. Great review! I just finished this one a couple days ago and really enjoyed it as well. I loved the way the relationship between Aria and Perry built over time and the writing was really beautiful as well :)

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  4. I'm SO excited to read this one! It sounds like a fantastic read (after the initial confusion) and I can't wait to meet all these wonderful characters I keep hearing about ;) Great review, Liz!

    Sonia

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