YA Bliss

January 30, 2012

Under the Never Sky - Veronica Rossi

9:57 PM | Posted by Sab H. | | Edit Post

Young Adult

Pages: 384
Publisher: HarperCollins
Release Date: January 3, 2012

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.

Aria lives in a Pod, a very futuristic technology-filled compound. Perry lives Outside, facing cruel tribe-wars and fighting to survive on a day-to-day basis. And they both face their worst nightmares under a dangerous aether sky.

I often have a problem with third person when it comes to dystopia. First person is definitely the best way to read realistic and third is definitely the best way for high fantasy, but dystopia is right there in the middle. I cringed when I saw it was third. And I shamefully admit, I shouldn't have. Because after a rocky and rather slow beginning, it was magic. A full connection to these amazing characters. It's hard to pull away once you fall in love with the characters.

I loved trying to imagine unimaginable things, like the realms, and actually being able to picture them. The world-building was rich and unusual and fulfilling. And the plot was just very well done. The story was simply amazing and engaging and page-turning. That ending! Aahhh.

The title is very ambitious. I loved it when I first heard it, but I doubted it could fit the book. Again, I was wrong. It fits perfectly. I loved how much Rossi played with the weather and how this common civilized-vs-savage conflict was so neatly tackled in a dystopian book. And my biggest weakness (male character) was very, very swoon-worthy.

Definitely an excellent story that ALL YA, specially Divergent fans, should read!

Goodreads / Amazon