Under the Never Sky in Book BFFs

Jul 05, 2011 Kris-10 rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: books-i-own, dystopian, signed

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Before I begin my actual review, I have to tell you a funny little story concerning this book. I downloaded it from Netgalley the night before New Years and told myself that I wouldn't finish it until 2012. Because 1) I had just finished writing a meme post in which I wrote about the first book I read in 2011 and the last book I read in 2011, so I couldn't read anymore books for 2011 and 2) so that it would count toward my Debut Author Challenge by Th ...more

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Feb 25, 2011 Kai rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: teens, arc, for-review, 2012-tbr-pile

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So you want to be a part of a bit adventure. How about in the near future? And you want to be with two drastically different people trying to survive in the harsh world with a Sky that mostly kills than saves. You don't need to look far, because Under the Never Sky is the book you need.

It might just be me, but I took great delight in seeing Aria forge a strong character when she was out in the wastelands. She's a girl who, all her life, has lived in her own bu Review posted at

So you want to be a part of a bit adventure. How about in the near future? And you want to be with two drastically different people trying to survive in the harsh world with a Sky that mostly kills than saves. You don't need to look far, because Under the Never Sky is the book you need.

It might just be me, but I took great delight in seeing Aria forge a strong character when she was out in the wastelands. She's a girl who, all her life, has lived in her own bubble inside Reverie where she can control everything, never knowing the outside world, and Aria learned just how it was like to truly live when she was thrown to the Death Shop for death to cover up a sinister deed. With an outsider. With Perry. There was a particular scene in the book, when Perry had to tell Aria that she had her 'first blood', that made me realize how constricted Aria's life really was. Even with all the technology, the freedom she enjoys in the Reverie, there were things she didn't even know. But the harshness of the terrain, every blister, every twinge of hunger, every single time she braved a storm when the Never Sky goes haywire, all of it contributed in creating a new Aria. A better Aria, one who knew the secrets behind her birth and what really happens inside Reverie.

Ah, Perry. How do I begin to describe this wonderful character? I was greatly fascinated with him. Perry's story is much more complicated than Aria's and I like a great mystery, something I want to figure out. He was raised in a world completely different from Aria's, but filled with the same familiar complexities. He has to kill his brother to become the Blood Lord, the leader of his tribe, but he couldn't do it because of his beloved nephew, Talon, is dying. He's strong, a bit headstrong for his own good. He has plans vastly different from his brother, most of the time clashing opinions with him. Perry is Marked, a Scire. Rare, with two gifts instead of just one. He can smell emotions and see better than anyone else in the dark. It must be hard to possess both a gift and a curse. Perry will worm his way through the reader's hearts with his unusual charisma. Rough, hardened by life but smart and strong. Someone who's capable of loving so much and be harsh if needed. Experienced. Vulnerable. Wouldn't you like a person like that as well?

Veronica Rossi took the time to develop Aria and Perry's relationship. I am not a fan of insta-love myself so I am deeply impressed with the way Veronica made the shift of emotions between Perry and Aria from hate and disdain coupled with curiosity, to trust and ultimately, love. It takes time to build all of that, and surely enough the trials Perry and Aria went through were enough to show them the good side of each other. They grew on me. I was swept away by the story and I didn't even realize it until I was holding my breath during scenes where they faced great dangers and had to fight for their lives countless of times. The wastelands were an unforgiving place, either you fight to live or you die, it's as simple as that.

I think what made me fascinated with this book, aside from the great romance and dynamic characters, were how the settings were written. Veronica's world building is just amazing. Scary, but amazing. You can see the glaring difference between the Reverie and what was beyond the Wastelands. One was progressive, the other one simple, maybe even considered primitive. I don't think you can even call it a wasteland because people exist in those places. Granted it was with a life much more crude and harder than in Reverie but when you look closely, they also have startling similarities no matter how advanced or how 'outdated' both places are. After all, people live in there, they're ruled by basic instincts, with desires and wants, though it might not be exactly the same. The Reverie needs to find a way to correct the mistakes they made in their ruthless pursuits of technology to live better, and The Blood Lords will do anything to make their tribe survive.

What's more amazing is that there's an abundance of supporting characters that readers will also love. Roar is one particular interesting fellow. I knew from the moment I've read of him that I will like him. Roar has superior hearing, his gift. I'd like to read more of his story with Liv, Perry's sister. He's a great friend to Perry and to Aria. And probably the first person who will get your attention aside from the three is Cinder. A great mystery surrounds this boy who harnesses a deadly power, one which can potentially change the whole story.

There's a lot to look forward to in the sequel, which I am excited to have, but for now I will say this: Under the Never Sky is a phenomenal debut for Veronica Rossi. Like the Ether filled sky, this book will entrance you from start to finish. To simply say I love this book is an understatement. I devoured it, I absorbed every single word, page by page. Brilliant and simply wonderful!
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Jan 04, 2012 Candace rated it really liked it · review of another edition

3.5 stars really...

First of all, big props to the author for the clever names. From the title, which fits perfectly, to the names of the characters. Aria is named for her voice, Peregrine for the hunter he is (like the falcon), Roar for every sound he hears, Cinder for his unique ability... All brilliantly thought up names.

The story itself is quite unique as well. I never once felt like it was a copy of anything else, it was completely it's own and it was impossible to determine where things ma 3.5 stars really...

First of all, big props to the author for the clever names. From the title, which fits perfectly, to the names of the characters. Aria is named for her voice, Peregrine for the hunter he is (like the falcon), Roar for every sound he hears, Cinder for his unique ability... All brilliantly thought up names.

The story itself is quite unique as well. I never once felt like it was a copy of anything else, it was completely it's own and it was impossible to determine where things may go. There were twists and turns I never saw coming and characters that became something different then I expected. And while I thought it was all a great idea for a story and was full of unique elements I did feel myself grow a bit bored at places in the middle. Long journey's can become tiresome and I think that's what my issue was in the slower parts. However, even when it was slow the interaction between Aria and Perry was always entertaining.

I loved how it took Perry and Aria time to warm up to each other. There wasn't an instant attraction and they had to discover each others personalities before anything became more. They had to push past ingrained prejudices and so much more. So once they began to warm to each other it was pretty awesome. I really liked how the stuff between them played out.

I love the side characters in this book. Roar is larger then life in his personality and he's completely love-able. Cinder is this broken person who you just want to help. You want to take him under your wing and heal him from all the hurt he's seen and been through. The side characters in this book just really stood out to me and I really hope we see much more of them in future books.

The abilities that some people have are definitely very cool. They seem like they could really happen and it felt more like magical realism then straight up fantasy. I thought the world building was unique and well-done, but I do have an issue. Now this is just a personal thing and nothing against the author or writing, but I think I kind of have a hard time with books that I don't feel like I really know when and where I am. I know in a fantasy I'm in a made up land. I know in a dystopian I'm in our world in the future. But when you mix them, you make it futuristic, but you add in fantasy elements and never make it clear if it's this world it just kind of messes with my head. I like to know where I am. It seems like this issue was a little hard for me to overcome. I just wanted to know where I was. So, definitely a personal preference, but I'm hoping maybe I could get an answer on that...

And the end of the book was a little weird. I felt like it was rushed. In a span of a very short time there was lots of jumping around and it's suddenly months in the future and I feel like I missed something. I actually read through it a few times and still felt a little confused. I don't mind the book progressing quickly to get to the point where the next one starts but the way it was done just felt kind of weird. I almost wish she had left off just a bit of it and then explained in the next book more. I did read an ARC, so the finished copy may be different.

Overall this was a pretty good read. I'm really impressed with much of it and I'm very eager to read the next one. It's also mostly clean and only has some insinuating things. Like you know some sexual stuff happens but there's no description.

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Sep 21, 2011 Julie rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: bookclub-reads

2.5 stars

I鈥檓 sad to say I was pretty underwhelmed with Under The Never Sky. I read so many glowing reviews, so my expectations were sky high on this one (pun intended). I guess you could say this novel fell into the pitfalls of hype category for me. It was very much a journey book, and my returning readers know how I feel about those. But on top of that, I just didn鈥檛 buy what the novel was selling.
The world building was pretty good, and I enjoyed learning about the differences between the Dwell 2.5 stars

I鈥檓 sad to say I was pretty underwhelmed with Under The Never Sky. I read so many glowing reviews, so my expectations were sky high on this one (pun intended). I guess you could say this novel fell into the pitfalls of hype category for me. It was very much a journey book, and my returning readers know how I feel about those. But on top of that, I just didn鈥檛 buy what the novel was selling.
The world building was pretty good, and I enjoyed learning about the differences between the Dweller world and their technology and virtual reality world in the Realms. I also found the Outsiders world interesting with the Aether storms and all the dangers with the Cannibals. I thought it really cool how the Outsiders have these gifts of special abilities (like being able to scent someone鈥檚 emotions) that them apart from their tribe mates. There were some other cool sci-fi elements that were not explained, like the kid Cinder and what his dealio is. I鈥檇 really like to know more about why he is like he is.
What I struggled with was the overall plot and the characters. I just didn鈥檛 believe in the characters. I didn鈥檛 really care much for Aria or Perry. Sorry, they were just not interesting enough. They have interesting abilities and issues, sure, but their personalities were not really presented and they felt a little flat. I also did not buy their romance one bit. It was very much tell not show, and so I didn鈥檛 feel what they supposedly felt and their getting together just felt out of place to me. There wasn鈥檛 enough dialogue between them and there were so few emotions that no feels were felt by this reader. Sorry. I didn鈥檛 mind the alternating POV in this novel, because both characters have individual stories to tell, but everything was in 3rd person and maybe if it were 1st person there might have been more feeling and thoughts about everything going on.
As for the plot, like I said, journey. The novel opens with a really exciting visit to a broken Dweller pod, but bad things happen and people die. Aria is one of the only witnesses, so for her honest testimony she earns getting kicked out 鈥� OUT. She鈥檚 expected to die, but somehow lives (and the explanation for that comes much later, and I did find that interesting, actually). Perry鈥檚 nephew gets kidnapped by Dwellers (they鈥檙e Outsiders) and so Aria teams up with Perry because they each can help in their quests. Aria is in search of her mother, and Perry is trying to find a way to rescue his nephew. Well, they walk and walk and encounter survival issues and cannibals on their way to get Aria鈥檚 eyepiece repaired so they can try to contact Aria鈥檚 mother and figure out where the nephew is being kept. Then they walk and walk and walk some more back to the Dweller pods. Lots of walking. Some banter along the way after they stop hating on each other. The ending of the book sets up some interesting plot points for the following books, but I can鈥檛 say much happened in this one. So that is why I was underwhelmed. I am interested maybe eventually in continuing reading because there are some intriguing threads that I want to see tied up.
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Oct 06, 2011 Brittani (Game, Read, Teach) rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: wishlist, reviewed

You can find more reviews, along with this one on my blog

This book is amazing! So I've been in a reading slump all week and this book was the only book that I was able to really get into. It pulled me in right from the first chapter and just got better and better as the book went on! I really liked some of the unique aspects of this book, like the Aether storms. I loved it! I guess the closest thing we could compare Aether storms to are lightning storms. But no lightning I've You can find more reviews, along with this one on my blog

This book is amazing! So I've been in a reading slump all week and this book was the only book that I was able to really get into. It pulled me in right from the first chapter and just got better and better as the book went on! I really liked some of the unique aspects of this book, like the Aether storms. I loved it! I guess the closest thing we could compare Aether storms to are lightning storms. But no lightning I've ever seen came close to the intensity of these Aether storms. Those storms were so intense so I definitely see how they could easily kill someone. On the flip side I found the Pods really interesting as well. Not nearly as interesting as Outside but still interesting. So they had these screen things that go over their eye, which then lets them go in any realm and pretty much do whatever they want. But if it wasn't for those realms, then everybody would be bored all the time. It sounds kinda boring, having to experience something through a "Realm" instead of actually like doing it in real life (you know, without the eye piece). I disliked though, the fact that the consuls could pretty much throw you out into the The Death Shop and not even care. Not cool!

Perry & Aria. Perry, he just wanted to sneak into a Pod and get some supplies. Instead he ends up saving a girl (Aria) from an attack, in the process also picking up her eye piece. When he gets back outside he ends up being tracked by the people in the PODs to get the eyepiece but instead they take his nephew. Meanwhile. Aria, has lost her eyepiece and now has no proof that she was attacked and going into the closed off section of AG 6 wasn't her idea. The consul made her seem like he believed her and then she was gonna get to see her mom after the ordeal when in reality, he just said that to get her on a ship to dump her out in The Death Shop. I loved seeing how Perry and Aria grew throughout the book. They went from being angry with each other over their separate issues to being really close. I really loved how dedicated Perry was to trying to get his nephew Talon back from the people who kidnapped him. He did more than Talons own father would. That says a lot. And Aria, she was determined to get to Bliss just to see if her mother was ok, no matter what it took. And most of all, Perry and Aria learned to trust each other which helped each other with their separate goals but also formed a relationship between the two of them. They came from different worlds technically but accepted each other anyways. I'm definitely a fan of Perry and Aria, and I'm really looking forward to more of them!

Aria's mom, Lumina. Man. Ok, first of all, I feel so bad about what happened to her when Aria finally found her in the end! Second, I can't believe the mind blowing secret she was hiding from Aria! She's not completely who she thought she was. I was starting to suspect it but I was still a bit shocked to find out it was true none the less. After we found out about it so many things suddenly made sense. Like how Aria was able to survive outside the PODs when most people wouldn't. And how she seemed to have a special ability like Roar and Perry do. I figured it out even before Perry figured it out about her. I'm really happy she has this ability though, because it is definitely helping her survive even better than she learned to so far. Now, to the consul again. I seriously don't like this guy. I mean first he throws Aria out into the The Death Shop just because he can and then after he finds out about the secret Aria's mom hid from everyone he then thinks he can use Aria for what he wants. And then uses Perry's nephew of which Aria has grow to care about even though shes never met him as leverage for her to do it. That's just freaking cruel. Seriously. Can someone take the consul (Soren's father, to be more specific) down?!?!? And then Vale, Perry's brother & Talons father,... what he had happen to Talon just to get food... Definitely not a fan of Vale either!

I seriously can't wait to read Through The Ever Night! ...more

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Nov 19, 2011 Jessica (BookRockGoddess) Bolton rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

My Thoughts:

This one is dystopian but it has a lot of science fiction in it. Which if you don't know sci-fi is one of my favorite genres. I love how science fiction takes the things that we imagine and makes it possible like in this book. I think this world is very believable and it is something I could picture in my head. I was getting tired of dystopian as a whole but with this book I have found a new passion for it.

My Review:

Under the Never Sky is told in alternating perspectives between Ari ...more

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Jan 03, 2012 Jessi rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: romance, paranormal, young-adult, dystopian

This is one of those reviews where I don鈥檛 even know where to begin. Which makes perfect sense for this book considering how frackin鈥� expansive it is. From the starting shot you are thrown into the world of Reverie, at the exact moment where everything changes. The word building or lack thereof mad it a tad tough to get into the story. There was little introduction to Reverie not to mention how the world got to be where it was or even if it is our world. As the

This is one of those reviews where I don鈥檛 even know where to begin. Which makes perfect sense for this book considering how frackin鈥� expansive it is. From the starting shot you are thrown into the world of Reverie, at the exact moment where everything changes. The word building or lack thereof mad it a tad tough to get into the story. There was little introduction to Reverie not to mention how the world got to be where it was or even if it is our world. As the story continued it seemed more and more alien to me, and for a while I wondered.

Aether (ether) storms, pods, savages with their own set of interesting powers, virtual worlds, unexplained illnesses, rogue savages, the list continues. I felt there was too much 鈥渟tuff鈥� within the book, to allow any sort of grounding or thorough explanation. The surface was barely scratched as to the world under the never sky and I鈥檓 not quite sure if the sum of its parts was intriguing enough for me to continue.

Peregrin was the most interesting character, the powers of his people and the politics of the tribes was engrossing. Unfortunately there wasn鈥檛 enough of it. Had the story been told from his more simplistic point of view, this could have been an extraordinary read.

Aria, as a character didn鈥檛 do anything to hold me. The world was interesting but her character suffered the same lack of depth as the building. The typical tropes of YA dystopians were easy to spot and while I could appreciate the relationship with her mother, it (again) was two-dimensional.

Alas! There is a reason this is a three star book and not a two. The ending was very good. Things started to come together and the paths of the characters at the end as they continue on their respective journeys was brilliant. There was tension and enough of an explanation to maybe, MAYBE, get me to read the next one. We鈥檒l see.

The Audiobook: The narrator here did a decent job, though all the boys sounded alike. She didn鈥檛 take away from the story at all, nothing distracting or annoying, but she didn鈥檛 particularly add anything to it through the listening. ...more

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Apr 15, 2012 David Edmonds rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: signed, read-2012, dystopia, own

Veronica Rossi's Under the Never Sky is one of the latest "trendy" dystopian books to be hitting the YA market these days, but don't let that dissuade you from trying it out. It has all the familiar flavors: beautiful girl (Aria) discovers that even though her world is literally falling apart around her, there may be more to what she believes as the norm; she finds herself in a situation that pits her against the reigning governmental body; enter the hot guy (Perry) that will help her, relucta

Veronica Rossi's Under the Never Sky is one of the latest "trendy" dystopian books to be hitting the YA market these days, but don't let that dissuade you from trying it out. It has all the familiar flavors: beautiful girl (Aria) discovers that even though her world is literally falling apart around her, there may be more to what she believes as the norm; she finds herself in a situation that pits her against the reigning governmental body; enter the hot guy (Perry) that will help her, reluctantly in this case, overcome all her obstacles; she may or may not fall hard for said hot guy, in the middle of trying to save the world/her family/herself; vague, cliffhanger-ish ending. What Rossi does do is whip all these familiar ingredients into something that, to me at least, felt fresh and new.

Aria's world is split into two distinct locales. There are the enclosed domes where Aria lives, where everything is controlled and there are no diseases and everyone is plugged into the Realms, virtual reality worlds that are supposedly more real than reality. Then there is the outside, where nature runs its course, and people live off the land and where some people have even developed more heightened senses to help them survive.

When Aria finds herself in the wrong place at the wrong time, she is exiled into the outside, or Death Shop, where she expects to die instantly from any number of diseases that she has been protected from by living in the dome. When she doesn't die from exposure, she is sure that she will die from the unpredictable, wild electrical storms that ravage the land, but is rescued by Perry. After they are thrust into a situation where they reluctantly need each others help, they begin to learn more about each other and begin to realize that they may have more in common than they ever expected.

I really liked the back and forth point of view shifts from Aria and Perry. Each chapter was told from one of their perspectives, and that made it nice to see the world as each of them saw it, and also how they looked at and thought about each other. I think this is one of the things that helps this book; so many of these books are told from just the female protagonists point of view lately, it was actually a fresh take to see it come from his point of view as well.

Rossi's worldbuilding, I felt, was strong enough to not require a lot of unnecessary explanation. The only thing that is more or less left for the reader to just accept as is are the electrical storms and aether. There isn't much in the way of any explanation as to what either these storms are or what they are composed of; however, I think this will probably be something that will be explained in one of the later books, as this is the first part of another trilogy. This is actually the only drawback for me on this book. Enough of the trilogies already! I'm on series overload. I'd really like one of these recent YA stories to be nothing more than a nice, little self-contained story, thankyouverymuch. That aside, Rossi is a strong storyteller and of course I'll be there, picking up the next book in the series when it is released next year. ...more

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