Under the Never Sky by Veronica RossiPublication Date: January 3rd, 2012
Publisher: HarperCollins
Page Count: 400 pages
Format: Hardcover
Source: Bought
My Rating:
Aria is a teenager in the enclosed city of Reverie. Like all Dwellers, she spends her time with friends in virtual environments, called Realms, accessed through an eyepiece called a Smarteye. Aria enjoys the Realms and the easy life in Reverie. When she is forced out of the pod for a crime she did not commit, she believes her death is imminent. The outside world is known as The Death Shop, with danger in every direction.I've been looking forward to this book for FOREVER, and I am so glad that I finally got to read it! Under the Never Sky was my first read for 2012 and what a way to start the new year! I'm pretty sure my eyes were watering for most of this book and my heart constantly ached for Aria. Rossi is an amazingly talented writer and this is some debut novel!
As an Outsider, Perry has always known hunger, vicious predators, and violent energy storms from the swirling electrified atmosphere called the Aether. A bit of an outcast even among his hunting tribe, Perry withstands these daily tests with his exceptional abilities, as he is gifted with powerful senses that enable him to scent danger, food and even human emotions.
They come together reluctantly, for Aria must depend on Perry, whom she considers a barbarian, to help her get back to Reverie, while Perry needs Aria to help unravel the mystery of his beloved nephew’s abduction by the Dwellers. Together they embark on a journey challenged as much by their prejudices as by encounters with cannibals and wolves. But to their surprise, Aria and Perry forge an unlikely love - one that will forever change the fate of all who live UNDER THE NEVER SKY.
The book is written in alternating perspectives between Aria and Perry, both are fantastic characters and I really loved learning about both of them. They're incredibly different, Perry being an Outsider (someone who lives outside civilization in the wild) and Aria being a Dweller (someone who lives within the civilized Pods), but they seem to compliment each other perfectly. I loved Aria's fierce nature and her constant will to survive and prove Perry wrong about her. I also loved how caring Perry really was, he's constantly trying to protect everyone, even Aria who represents everything he hates. Their relationship was so heart-wrenching and had me bawling my eyes out on more than one occasion, they were almost like a modern day Romeo and Juliet!
Like I said before, Veronica Rossi is an amazing story teller and writer. The story was fast paced enough to keep me interested, but not too fast to confuse me. Although some things were sort of confusing, like different aspects of how the Dwellers live, they were eventually explained and helped me understand everything. The writing is beautiful and poetic, the way Rossi describes scenery is fantastic, almost like I was living in Aria's shoes.
This is definitely a dystopian novel, which I LOVE, but it was more than that. It's romantic, adventurous, action-packed, somewhat sci-fi, Under the Never Sky has it all! For being the first read of 2012, everything I read from now is going to have a LOT to live up to! This book had me reading into the late hours of the night, using up handfuls of tissues, and calling my boyfriend to tell him I love him. Seriously, Under the Never Sky left me as an emotional wreck, and I loved every minute of it! If you haven't added this one to your TBR list you definitely need to! It's a must read for 2012!!
