A Review for Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi

Posted by Donna
Expected Published Date: February 5th, 2012
Finished Date: January 26th, 2012
Publishers: Atom, Little Brown
Source: Finished Copy for Review
Format: Paperback
Pages: 384
<
The Blurb from Goodreads:WORLDS KEPT THEM APART. DESTINY BROUGHT THEM TOGETHER. Aria has lived her whole life in the protected dome of Reverie. Her entire world confined to its spaces, she's never thought to dream of what lies beyond its doors. So when her mother goes missing, Aria knows her chances of surviving in the outer wasteland long enough to find her are slim. Then Aria meets an outsider named Perry. He's searching for someone too. He's also wild - a savage - but might be her best hope at staying alive. If they can survive, they are each other's best hope for finding answers

The Review: “She absorbed the terror and beauty of him and his world. Of every moment over the past days. All of it, filling her up likes the first breath she'd ever taken. And never had she loved life more.”

Dystopian novels have honestly been a bit of a hit and miss for me - I either love them or I hate them, so I was a bit nervous before I started this book because I wanted to love it. And I’m so, so thrilled that Under the Never Sky completely surpassed my expectations and honestly blew me away!

This story is told by a third person narrative where we see Aria; a young girl who is called a Dweller because she has lived her whole life in the Reverie; a protected dome. Her life is confined and controlled and all she knows about the outside world is that it’s dangerous and full of savages aka Outsiders.  When Aria gets in trouble one night inside the Reverie, lucky for her Perry; an outsiders who is breaking into the Reverie at the same time, comes to Aria’s rescue and saves her life. After Perry flea’s, Aria is accused of letting the Outsider in and as a result, she is exiled to the outside world. While struggling to survive Aria wonders the new world she’s in but soon enough Perry comes across her and together they join forces to try and rescue the ones they love. Their journey is definitely not an easy one because for one, it’s full of danger and surprises.

I’ll admit the first 60 pages of this book were a little confusing and it did take me a while to get into this new and exciting world, but as you can see by my rating below, this book is obviously a win for me! Veronica Rossi has created an imaginable, thrilling and truly captivating world and one that has left me begging for more and more.

I completely fell in love with the characters. Aria and Perry both have very similar qualities – their both fierce, strong and determined and both eager to get their loved ones back. I was expecting Aria to be a weak character but was pleasantly surprised when I realised this wasn’t the case as she firmly stands up for what she believes in. Now Perry does come across as a mean character to start with, especially because when he and Aria first meet, they dislike each other because of what they are – a Dweller and an Outsider. But as the story progresses they slowly form a bond that neither of them expect and it was interesting to watch their relationship develop without them even realising what was happening for them. Their romance was at a steady pace and it was very sweet and even though they know they can’t have a future together, they still enjoy the time they have together while they have it.  

What I loved and also shocked me the most what the fact that Veronica Rossi took avenues that most YA authors may hesitate in taking in a YA novel….and yes I mean sex. It very rarely happens in the first book, so I really loved the fact that Veronica had the guts to take this avenue and it definitely fit very well with the story. It was beautifully written and really left a mark in my heart.

Overall, Under the Never Sky is a compelling and engrossing story, one full of betrayal, scarifies and a love like no other and I’d definitely recommend it to anyone who wants something completely fresh and unique. A must read for 2012 and I can not wait to continue the journey with Through the Ever Night in 2013.


A huge thank you to the publishers for giving me the opportunity to review this book.