Title: Under the Never Sky (Under the Never Sky #1)
Author: Veronica Rossi
Genre: Dystopian, Young Adult
Publisher: ATOM (8th January 2013)
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 the only person who can keep her alive.
And if they can survive, they are each other’s best hope for finding answers.
Rating: **** (4 stars)
UNDER THE NEVER SKY by Veronica Rossi is the first book in the dystopian trilogy of the same name. It tells the story of seventeen year old Aria who has grown up protected in the dome world of Reverie, and who has no concept of life outside of it. One day her mother, who lives in another dome, goes missing and it is this event which causes the chain reaction of events that propel this novel.
If you’ve been reading my reviews for a while you’ll know that books in the dystopian genre are pretty much hit or miss for me, with most of them unfortunately ending up in the miss category. So when I started reading UNDER THE NEVER SKY it was with trepidation – was this going to be another novel that was loved by bloggers, but that I just didn’t get? Thankfully, that wasn’t the case this time.
Rossi does a brilliant job creating a believable dystopian world. Although in this book we don’t find out what caused things, we do get to witness some mysterious events that seem to have a huge impact on the world as it is and there are definite hints that more will be shown/explained in the other books in the trilogy. I also liked the way that Rossi split the society; with one portion relying heavily on technology, whilst the other went back to a more hunter/gather society. The disparity and fear between the two groups seemed very real and believable.
Rossi also does a good job with the characterization. Aria and Perry feel like very real characters, and their reactions to the situations they find themselves in are really believable. I have to say that I think Aria is one of the bravest characters I have come across this year so far. The changing dynamic between Aria and Perry is brilliantly written, as they struggle to come to terms with the changes in their lives and the fact that they need each other.
The plot of UNDER THE NEVER SKY grows steadily more complicated as the book draws to a close, which I really liked as it makes me want to read THROUGH THE EVER NIGHT ASAP! But also because it felt like there was a solid plot link between book one and book two. The growing complication of the plot also worked for me from the dystopian aspect, as it really highlighted the corruption under the surface in the world.
So, if you enjoy dystopian books and you haven’t tried UNDER THE NEVER SKY yet then I highly recommend that you do so, even if dystopians aren’t always your thing. It may surprise you.