Book Review: Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi

Title: Under the Never Sky
Author: Veronica Rossi (web | twitter)
Series: Under the Never Sky #1
Genre: Science Fiction/Dystopia YA
Amazon | Goodreads
Publisher: Harper Collins
Release date: January 3, 2012
Challenge: Reading Recommendations
Source: Own it
Summary: 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.

Yes, yes I know. I am horribly behind the times with UNDER THE NEVER SKY by Veronica Rossi. I have no explanations, really. I’ve owned a copy of it on my kindle for just about ages, always meaning to read it, especially given all of the fangirling and super-praise it gets from the rest of the internets. I don’t know, guys, I guess I was just dystopian-ed out and needed a break. That was a pretty bad life choice, as many of you know, because Veronica Rossi‘s debut is engrossing, fast-paced, and the two main characters have such CHEMISTRY it’s ridiculous. I’m very glad that I used my own little reading recommendations challenge to finally take the advice of basically everyone–but especially my girl, Hannah–to get UNDER THE NEVER SKY off my TBR. Once I started it, I couldn’t put it down.

So, UNDER THE NEVER SKY is about a girl named Aria who lives in a dome in some future world. At some point in the past of this world, something epic happened that created this stuff called the Aether. As I understand it, it’s like this shimmering, vaguely gaseous element in the atmosphere of this world and it is volatile. A great number of people created the domes to protect themselves from the Aether, and they never leave. Their entire world is basically virtual reality, they alter themselves genetically, no one gets sick or ages, and perhaps most importantly, none of them have to come in contact with the dreaded Savages–those tainted, dangerous people who live outside the domes. OBVIOUSLY, through a series of events, Aria finds herself outside Reverie, her home dome, and in the rather unpleasant (at first) company of Perry. All manner of dramatic things ensue as we get to know Perry, and he and Aria become closer as they search for Aria’s missing scientist mom.

It’s no secret that the focal point of Veronica Rossi‘s book is the relationship between Aria and Perry. Friends, THESE TWO. They gave me such palpitations, I can’t even tell you. They did not start off as fans of one another, but HOLY BALLS. Every time they were in the vicinity of each other, they gave me butterflies. A-MAZING. They spent a good portion of UNDER THE NEVER SKY at odds, and that resolved itself a *teensy* bit quickly for my usual taste, but not so quickly as other couples, and I was so buzzy from their chemistry that I can’t even really fault Veronica Rossi for getting these two together as quickly as possible. I mean, I was rooting for it from, like, page 1.

I’ve also heard lots of people DIE over Roar, Perry’s best friend from the Tides, a tribe of beach-dwelling outsiders, and I can see why. He’s pretty awesome. I liked very much that there was never any thought about Roar competing for Aria’s affections–he’s just a friend to Aria and Perry. I can’t say that I’m not still worried about a triangle to come in future books (there’s several mentions of a friend of Aria’s from Reverie–Carter, I think? I can’t remember), but I am definitely thankful that Aria and Perry are basically just for each other. Although I can’t wait to spend more time with Roar. He’s the bees knees.

The world in UNDER THE NEVER SKY is intriguing. There is some clearly important drama regarding the work Aria’s mother was doing before she went missing that I’m interested in. There’s the complicated politics of the tribes that I’m REALLY curious about as well–we get to know Perry’s tribe fairly well, but there are others. How many, I have no idea. But I’m pretty excited at the prospect of getting to know more about them. I found myself enjoying the outside world quite a bit more than learning about Aria’s life in the pods and the Realms (the virtual spaces dome-dwellers largely exist in).

If I had one gripey thing to say about UNDER THE NEVER SKY, though, it would be related to the world-building. Some of the questions I have flew a little under my radar while I was reading only because Veronica Rossi did such a stellar job with Aria and Perry that I was beguiled. But I am still very curious about Delphi–what’s the deal with that settlement? Where did they get all that electronics? How many tribes are there? What’s the deal with Perry and Roar’s almost superhero-ish gifts to be able to see, hear, and/or smell beyond normal human sense-ability? That part especially makes me curious.

Friends, if you have ever hassled me to read UNDER THE NEVER SKY by Veronica Rossi, I applaud you for harassing me. I was completely invested and engrossed. The pacing was INSANE–there are no wasted moments or slow passages here. But I thank you the most for introducing me to Perry and Aria, whom I now ship for all time. Thankfully, I can pick up THROUGH THE EVER NIGHT any time now to dive back into their relationship and their world. I’m so glad I finally read this one!

Check out a few other reviews of Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi!

Asheley @ Into the Hall of Books: “If you haven’t read this book yet, I have to be bold and tell you that I really think you’re missing out on something great.”

April @ Good Books and Good Wine: “ERMAGHERD! How have I not read Under The Never Sky by Veronica Rossi until now? You guys this BOOK IS TOO LEGIT TO QUIT.”

Heidi @ Bunbury in the Stacks: “The world that Rossi builds for us is masterfully crafted and believable, and her characters are developed in a slow burning way that gives them immense depth and likability.”

Hannah @ So Obsessed With: “I had such a hard time getting into it at a first, but then, things started to change.”