Review: Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi

Summary/Cover Image from Publisher's Website:

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.

Review:

Veronica Rossi’s Under the Never Sky is one of the most highly anticipated as well as most buzzed about books of the new year, and because of that and its interesting premise, I had very, very high hopes for it. Thankfully, my hopes were well meet, as Under the Never Sky is one true gem in the sea of YA books.

Under the Never Sky introduces two main characters, Aria and Perry, in alternating third-person POVs. Aria and Perry are two very different people due to their upbringings. Aria is timid, whiny, and a bit unsure of what lies in front of her while Perry is someone who is unruly, brave, and not afraid to go after what he wants, even when it means risking his own life in the process. So to say they are two virtually opposite people would be a serious understatement. However, it made for a nearly perfect book character wise, as not only was it interesting to see both sides to this new world (the “Savages” vs. the “Dwellers”) but also it was always fun watching Perry and Aria learn to work together and even begin to become different but better people due to their somewhat shaky friendship.

Under the Never Sky also managed to introduce a set of well-developed and loveable set of secondary characters, such as Roar, Perry’s fierce yet loyal friend, Talon, Perry’s sweet and charming nephew, and Marron, the funny ruler of a fellow tribe. All of them managed to make the book even better and even bring in a funny scene or two.

Under the Never Sky is one of those books that take a while to build, but once it gets there, it’s easy to see it was well worth the wait. For example, in the beginning, I was kind of bored. I liked what I was seeing character and world development wise but plot and action wise the book was seriously lacking. However, from the middle all the way to the very last page, everything just came perfectly together. The action began, life and death consequences came into play, and a somewhat “forbidden” yet swoon worthy romance came slowly out of the woodwork. I was hooked and I couldn’t get enough. I loved finding out more about the “dweller” and “savage” worlds as well as the troubles that plagued and haunted each, and I loved seeing how far these characters would go for one another to save the day. Moreover, this book has its fair amount of twists and turns, especially towards the end where my mouth was literally hanging open in shock 99% of the time.

Lastly, I have to say Veronica Rossi shows lots of talent with this book. She did a fabulous job building up the plot and characters, and I have to give her props especially for making Perry and Aria jump of the page and come to life even with the third person POVs.

Startling as well as spectacular, Under the Never Sky took by breath away in more ways than one. So my suggestion for you? Give this book a chance. It takes a while to build up, but by the end, you’ll see it was well worth the wait! As for me, I'll be eagerly awaiting the sequel, because it's sure to be one book not to miss.

Grade: A-

Under the Never Sky (Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Goodreads) will be released January 3, 2012!

Source: Publisher via Netgalley