Under the Never Sky (Under the Never Sky #1) – Veronica Rossi

Title: Under the Never Sky (Under the Never Sky #1) by Veronica Rossi
Publishing Info: January 3, 2012 by HarperCollins
Source: Library
Genres: Dystopian, Science Fiction, Young Adult
Find it on the web: Buy from Amazon // GoodreadsDate Completed: July 10, 2012
Related Posts: Through the Ever Night (Under the Never Sky #2), Roar and Liv (Under the Never Sky #0.5), Brooke (Under the Never Sky #2.5), Into the Still Blue (Under the Never Sky #3)

     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.

Breaking It Down Further: Aria has spent all of her life in Reverie. Her home has surpassed the generations before from refining genetics to fractioning in Realms — Extremely realistic virtual worlds where Aria has every scenario at her fingertips. In the Realms, their slogan is that it’s “Better than real” because everything is free from risk, injury and pain. But after a startling incident, Aria is blamed for the deaths of a few of her friends and is exiled from her home, out into the wilderness – Where the Outsiders and the Savages dwell and the Aether storms rage. When Perry gets mixed up with Aria, he suddenly can’t seem to tear himself away. Used to his family, his natural heightened scenes, and knack for survival, Aria is everything he is not. Soon, they find themselves both relying on each other for survival.

Yes! Wow. Okay. So my reaction first: In the beginning I was like, la la la la, this is a nice story, I’m interested. I was very interested in this new high-tech and extremely advanced yet sheltered world that Rossi had created. Right away I noticed that she had a really unique and very colorful way of describing things, but delicately enough that I didn’t get overwhelmed with “over descriptions” as I often do when learning about a new world. Everything seemed very effortless and natural.

I really enjoyed Aria and Perry as our main characters (the book alternates between each person’s point-of-view although the whole book is told in the third person). It was more noticeable to see the growth in Aria’s character. As intended, by the end of the book, she’s blossomed into a completely different character, full of strength and talents that she never knew she possessed. Perry also showed a lot of growth, but his was more of an emotional growth than a personal improvement like Aria’s. We see Perry figure out how to love through his experiences with Aria, we see his patience grow and he opens up a lot.

I really loved watching the relationship between Aria and Perry grow! It was definitely not insta-love. It took time and each of them slowly tested the waters before they both felt comfortable enough to dive into the relationship and really express how they felt towards each other. By the end, I was totally wrapped up in it and I felt the heartbreak when they felt the heartbreak. Rossi did an excellent job of creating this romance!

I think one thing that may be understated here is the supporting characters. I absolutely loved Roar. I would love to see more of him in future books! He says the things that Perry cannot say around Aria. He’s more outgoing and brings a nice tone of humor while Perry’s character is more serious. I also really liked Cinder. He plays a really key role in the book even though he seems like a small character. Deep down you see how he really just wants to do good and ultimately finds a way to do so in the end.

As I progressed through the book, I just got more and more into it. I’d say once the romance really started blossoming, I started really falling for the book. Before then I was enjoying it a lot, but that was what sealed the deal for me. Then finally in the end where we get a lot of action, some major twists, and even more relationship development, I was sold. I loved it!

5/5 STARS
I started at a 4, climbed to a 4.5, then at the end I was like, “How could I not give this a 5!?”

BOOKS LIKE UNDER THE NEVER SKY