Under the Never Sky by Veronica RossiSeries: Under the Never Sky #1
Published by: HarperTeen on January 3, 2012
Genre: Dystopian, Post Apocalyptic, Romance, Science Fiction
Pages: 389
Source: Purchased
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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.
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 abarbarian, 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 first book in a captivating trilogy, Veronica Rossi's enthralling debut sweeps you into an unforgettable adventure.
Man, this is a tough one for me to review. This is one of those books that EVERYONE LOVES THE PANTS OFF OF… except for me. I didn’t hate Under the Never Sky, but I didn’t love it; for me it was just okay.
The beginning of this book was kind of tough. We’re really thrown into the midst of things. We have Realms, Smarteyes, Outsiders, the Aether, Dwellers, Scire, and more. Wait.. what? Exactly. The lack of explanations was tough at first, but as the book progresses I slowly started to pick up on the meanings of each of those things. I think the knowledge being held back was half frustrating and half an interesting way to read. I’m the kind of person who loves details and explanations, so having to piece bits together along the way was a new challenge.
Overall, Under the Never Sky had a very interesting story. There are so many cool sides to it: virtual realities, environmental problems, mutations, science, and corrupt governments. I really liked how all the different elements came together. It kind of felt like an interesting combination. On the one side we have crazy technology, programming, and virtual realities. But on the other side we have very primal tribes. It was done in a great way and didn’t feel like a cliché scientists vs. natives plot; it was different.
I think my main reason for giving this book only three stars is that I was missing any kind of big attachment to the book. I was never super excited, the book was not un-put-down-able, I wasn’t ripping through the pages, and ultimately I just didn’t care that much. The story was cool and interesting, but I wasn’t hooked, I wasn’t addicted, and I wasn’t dying to find out what would happen next. I kind of feel like Under the Never Sky suffered from too much telling; I never saw or felt the emotions—I was just told they were there. As a result, I didn’t get that invested in the characters or the story.
But despite those problems, there was one thing I did really LOVE about the book: the romance. The romance in this book is awesome! Honestly, it doesn’t play that big of a role in the book. The romance is only existent for maybe 10-15% of the story. It was kind of quick and fleeting. The build up was there (and it was good—no insta-love!), but we didn’t have that much time to actually enjoy the romance once it set in. But that short percentage of the story was by far my favourite. The romance is incredibly sweet, conflicting, and for the first time during the book, I actually smiled. That fleeting bit of romance was the only time I actually physically showed emotion while reading the book.
“Perry brushed a kiss on her cheek while she was chewing, and she learned that it was the loveliest thing to be kissed for no reason, even while chewing food. It brightened the woods, and the never sky, and everything.”
Under the Never Sky, Page 326
As you can see from my graph, I wasn’t crazy about the ending. The romance reached its high point, then it kind of dropped off. I can’t really say too much to avoid spoilers, but the whole thing felt oddly rushed, and I didn’t like how Aria and Perry ended up in different places.
Given all the hype surrounding Under the Never Sky, I am disappointed that I didn’t enjoy it more. I will definitely be continuing the series since it intrigued me enough, but it still wasn’t as good as I was hoping! I wanted something that would really suck me in and have me reading through the night, but Under the Never Sky didn’t do that for me.
The Verdict
Well, phooey. I’m sorry you weren’t such a huge fan of this one. I guess I can understand where you were lost – there is so much different about Rossi’s world that requires explanation and it all sort of hits you too fast.
I really loved the romance, too. There were a couple of moments where I swooned pretty hardcore and that was awesome.
Anyway, great review – and great graphic! ; )
Thanks Jessie Marie! I have my fingers crossed that I’ll enjoy the second book a bit more. 🙂 Hopefully we’ll see more of that amazing romance!
I haven’t read any of her stuff, but sorry that you were all over the place with this one… a little afraid to try it…
Happy reading,
Brandi from Blkosiner’s Book Blog
I definitely do seem to be in the minority though. Most people love this book!
You know how I love your graphs!
I agree that this was one of those books that slowly doles out information very slowly. But I enjoyed it. A lot of people are raving about book two, so I’m excited to try that out.
Thank you Jen!! 🙂 I’ve heard great things about the second book too! It sounds like we get a lot more information and answers. That’s always a good thing. ^_^
Oh Ashley, I am so sorry it didn’t completely convince you! I loved this book so very much and was one of my highlight reads last year. I loved the romance and I loved the mix of genres. So maybe it just wasn’t yours!
I know, I’m really bummed!! 🙁 Everyone else seems to love it and I was hoping I would be among them!
So I totally understand where you’re comin from with this one. I think the whole thing that kept me so attached was Aria and Perry, too. When, at the end, they were just really suddenly separated, my heart dropped and all, and then at that point I was flying through the pages just to see if they’d reunite before the end… Bummer when they didn’t! And due to that, I didn’t mind how rushed it all was. (Though I did notice it too.)
(And, I don’t know where you got the idea that Perry assumed Aria was dead. Maybe you did read that wrong? Because I totally didn’t get that anywhere.)
I think the biggest difference between my 3 stars and yours was the emotional attachment–I was in love with the whole thing by the time I got to the halfway point and there was nothing that could separate us. I think you should prolly give THROUGH THE EVER NIGHT a shot, still. I hear better things about it than UNDER THE NEVER SKY. Less love/hate things. Less “ehhhh meh” things haha.
Keep hope alive, Ashley! lol
As for why I thought Perry assumed Aria was dead… I was honestly just so confused lol. Because Aria went into the compound thing right.. then after a while the Perry narration was like, “Then he realized that she’s never coming out.” And he started raging and getting drunk. I honestly didn’t know what he thought. Did he think she was dead? Or that she just abandoned him? Or that she was just going to live there now? Or that she got captured? But if the latter, then why didn’t he try to go in and find her? I don’t know.. the whole thing just confused me a bit.
I really wish I could have loved the story as much as you did! I envy you! I definitely will give the second book a chance though. A lot of people have said it’s even better than the first, so maybe (hopefully) it will snag at least a 4 star rating from me! 😉
Holy moly, you’re like the first person I know who thought this book was just an okay book! Don’t be ashamed though, I see your reasoning. I actually haven’t read this book myself, but I definitely get really confused when an author doesn’t explain a new concept to me, which brings down my enjoyment level for a book. I’m a little hesitant now! I’m really happy to hear that you loved Aria & Perry’s relationship! Fantastic review, thanks for being honest. 🙂
Thank you Jen! 🙂 I’d be really curious to see what you think of this book. I do hope you enjoy it a bit more than I did though. I kind of wish I could be one of those people who rave about it!
I so need to read this book. Too bad it isn’t as good as you thought though. I love that the romance is good but yeah, I am scared that I wont feel a connection to it like you didn’t. But I still need to try it out.
I’m honestly dying to know what you’d think of this book!! Go read it now! Shoo! Don’t come back until you do!! (kidding! *HUGS*!)
A great review Ashley & I love your graph 😉
I enjoyed this one a tad more than you but I agree with you on the explanations, some of the terminology was quite confusing.
The romance was really sweet, I hope we get more in the sequel!
Thank you Sharon! So far I have heard great things about the second book. Most people seem to like it more than the first! I can’t wait to find out. 🙂