Customer Reviews

Under the Never Sky

5 star:		(93)
4 star:		(40)
3 star:		(13)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

There are some books that click with you, and some that don't. Under the Never Sky, for me, was one that did. I really can't explain why I liked it so much as I did. But I'll make an attempt.

The characters in here were very real and goal minded. They weren't suddenly pulled along into some ambling romance plot that turns them into pale imitations of their former selves. No, they all had specific things they were aiming for and weren't easily drawn off track as they had desire or time to be fooling off on side adventures that weren't worth their time. All these characters were resilient, strong of mind, and exemplary morals that they wouldn't allow themselves to be sullied.

I think one of my favorite parts of this book is the contrasts between Aria and Perry. Aria is the girl who's safe, sheltered, and kept from harm. Life is easy for her, she never has to struggle or want for things, until her mother goes missing and doesn't contact her for an extended period of time. Perry is the Outsider who's brought up outside of the protection of the Domes and has to fight for everything he wants and needs; including the basic necessities for survival. This has left him with more primal instincts and it makes him seem quite feral.

When they clash it's so fun. For people who are raised in two drastically different environments it's not logical for them to suddenly get along without misunderstandings, arguments, or for them to understand beliefs the other person may hold wholeheartedly. Aria and Perry have to actually work through their own prejudices, preconceived notions they have of the other, and their own narrow-minded and often ignorant thinking. I love how they went through the process of getting to know each other on a personal level which is gradual, realistic, and much better for the story development.

The world building? I think it's interesting how, like the characters, there's a split between the technologically advanced world of the Domes and the devastated and desolate environment of the Outside world that Perry lives in. This is one story where everything is not thrown at you at once but built upon layer by layer. I think this is an effective method, one that can be successful if pulled off correctly because you risk the chance of having your readers being way too confused and disinterested by the time the explanations roll around. Her background was unrolled slowly at crucial times that were beneficial. Plus there are cannibals in here! How can you go wrong with that? They're creepy and scary!

The only thing I can really say negatively about her world is Aether. What exactly is it anyway? I was never able to conceptualize it in my head. Is it like parts of the sky that literally rains down fire or something akin to lightning strikes in thunderstorms? Or is it some volatile form of magic that unleashes in devastating amounts of power when it interacts with another magic user or there's just too much of it built up in the air? I don't know, I was really lost about that.

Her writing? It's swift, smooth, and excellent at ramping up the pace for action scenes. It's easy to read but there were times when it was absolutely beautiful. These are only two parts that stuck out in my mind but I'm quite sure there were a lot more in the book.

"A world of nevers under a never sky."

This next one is a long one but I really like it. Aria is telling Perry what the lyrics of a song she sings means, and then what happens after.

"How the stars shone. How sweet the earth smelled. The orchard gate creaked, and a footstep pressed on the sand. And she entered, fragrant as a flower, and fell into my arms. Oh, sweet kisses, lingering caresses. Slowly, trembling, I gazed upon her beauty. Now my dreams of true love is lost forever. My last hour has flown, and I die, hopeless, and never have I loved life more."

They reached for each other then like some force had pulled their hands together. Aria looked at their fingers as they laced together, bringing her the sensation of his touch. Of warmth and calluses. Soft and hard together. She absorbed the terror and beauty of him and his world. Of every moment over the past days. All of it, filling her up like the first breath she'd ever taken. And never had she loved life more.

Obviously this is referring to a part of the book that builds upon their romance. I wish it hadn't been so strong because while I loved how they spent the time to actually know each other first, I wasn't in the mood for the romance part of it. I guess I was hoping for more adventure. Don't worry; this doesn't devolve into some overblown relationship smorgasbord of angst, drama, and ridiculous character antics. Aria and Perry cherish the time together because it's all they have right now but they both have different goals and they're not going to put a relationship over them. They do what they have to.

I have to say, if you liked or loved Blood Red Road, I'm quite sure you'll like this book. The tone and adventure aspect of both books are very similar. Under the Never Sky might not be the new greatest dystopian novel on the market but it is good and well worth the read.

Aria lives in a Pod, a very futuristic technology-filled compound. Perry lives Outside, facing cruel tribe-wars and fighting to survive on a day-to-day basis. And they both face their worst nightmares under a dangerous aether sky.

I often have a problem with third person when it comes to dystopia. First person is definitely the best way to read realistic and third is definitely the best way for high fantasy, but dystopia is right there in the middle. I cringed when I saw it was third. And I shamefully admit, I shouldn't have. Because after a rocky and rather slow beginning, it was magic. A full connection to these amazing characters. It's hard to pull away once you fall in love with the characters.

I loved trying to imagine unimaginable things, like the realms, and actually being able to picture them. The world-building was rich and unusual and fulfilling. And the plot was just very well done. The story was simply amazing and engaging and page-turning. That ending! Aahhh.

The title is very ambitious. I loved it when I first heard it, but I doubted it could fit the book. Again, I was wrong. It fits perfectly. I loved how much Rossi played with the weather and how this common civilized-vs-savage conflict was so neatly tackled in a dystopian book. And my biggest weakness (male character) was very, very swoon-worthy.

Definitely an excellent story that ALL YA, specially Divergent fans, should read!

When I first heard about this one I was hesitant. I figured it could go either way but decided to go for it and hope for the best. Veronica Rossi certainly delivered, I am so glad I decided to read it!

Switching viewpoints between can go either way for me, depending on how it's written so I was a little concerned when I saw that we'd see Aria and Perry's point of view. Luckily the author pulled it off fabulously and I can't imagine how the story would have suffered if we only had one point of view to go off of. And I love how she came up with the title! "A world of nevers under a never sky" was beautiful to read and the title reminds me of that lovely line each time I see it.

I wasn't sure about Aria at first, she coaxed her friend into doing something dangerous she didn't want to do. She was using a guy to get information, even though he did turn out to be a jerk. She had the sense of entitlement that I suppose would be natural given her life so far. She could easily be a character we liked to dislike more than a character we could love. Perry seemed too unfeeling and wild, he killed too easily instead of simply incapacitating and wasn't too concerned with what would happen to Aria after he left her. He even seemed unwilling to help her when he found her in the middle of an Aether storm.

But looking beyond the surface gave me a better idea of the type of characters they really are. Seeing the world Perry lived in made it easy to understand why he'd kill instead of leaving them alive to potentially hurt him later. And his love and devotion to his nephew went a long way towards making him a character I could care about. Aria did well considering her situation when she was in the outside world and we were able to see that she had her own strengths and wasn't going to cower in fear. She had a spine on her and she was willing to do anything to make sure her mother was safe. Their love for their families went a long way in my book.

As they started to work together and get to know each other better it became easier to love them. And when you love your characters you want to read their story without interruption. I love that this world Veronica Rossi has written had so many new things but she didn't treat each one to a huge explanation like it was unusual. She fit it into the story like we should expect it but she still made it easy to understand what was going on. And I especially loved the way the romance in this one played out. Too many stories rush the romance, even enemy turned lover stories tend to change within a short time frame. This one had a slow build that felt more natural and was easier to hope they'd find a way to make it last.

I loved the side characters and their stories in this one. Roar was a fantastic character that I can't wait to read more about. He was funny and charming and there is obviously more to him than we've found out yet. He wasn't written like we have two stories going on at once, but I know I'll be disappointed not to find his story interwoven with theirs in the next one. We also have a boy who has aether in him, a friendly man with connections and a fortune at his disposal, the bad guy who wants to use Aria, enemies who become friends, and enemies who want to eat them. Somehow the author makes all of this work together and makes me want the next book immediately.

I loved this book and I can't wait to read the next one in the series. I won't give away Aria's secret, but I can't wait to see how it plays into the rest of this series and how it affects her relationships with the other characters. I also can't wait to see what happens with Perry and his tribe or with his nephew. I was left with so many questions at the end of this story, and they're all the good kind that make me want this series in my hands and on my bookshelves.

This is a difficult book to review. I want to start off by saying this is not a bad book. I think this book will appeal to a lot of people, but at the same time will turn others off. I was, for the most part, turned off. I really don't think it is my kind of book, which is strange considering dystopian is my favorite sub-genre. And if I'm really being honest here, I feel a little conned by this being marketed as dystopian. Sci-Fi, yes. Dystopian, no. Maybe post-apocalyptic, but even that is pushing it.

Aria lives in a world where her people live in pods and fear the outside world dubbed The Death Shop due to the cannibals and Aether storms that wreck havoc on the land. Her people spend almost all of their time in virtual reality Realms rarely attempting to live in the Real. One day Aria is exiled from her pod city, Reverie, and embarks on a journey with an outsider named Perry to find her way back into her society.

The premise of Under the Never Sky vaguely reminds me of The Reality Bug because it has the same general idea of people in the future too busy in their virtual reality worlds to come outside and play. So, I was excited to read Under the Never Sky because the possibilities with it are endless and I applaud Rossi for going outside the YA "box" and doing something different. Unfortunately, I don't think that potential was really tapped into in this book. But I'm getting ahead of myself. What I really want to talk about is what I did like first.

I did like the characters. In fact, I liked them all except for Aria. I think Perry was well developed and I felt I could easily sympathize with his situation throughout the novel. Roar, a good friend of Perry's that we meet halfway through the book, was awesome. I loved his humor and I always felt like I enjoyed the scenes best that involved him. Aria fell short for me. I understand she was going through a lot in the story, but I never really felt connected to her. Though, admittingly, this could have to do with the fact that I'm not a fan of third person PoV narratives. Still, I found Aria rather annoying in the beginning. For example, there is one scene in the novel where she and Perry are stopping to rest in a cave and Perry tells her to stay in the cave so he can hunt. Now, Aria has zero survival skills because she has never needed them ever, but what does she do? She wanders on her own in search of berries. Did she stop to think they could be poisonous? NO. How about a wild animal mauling her to death? NO. Or maybe even getting lost? NO. As a result of her little adventure, she ends up getting her and Perry in a serious bind. So, along with survival skills, people living in pods also do not possess common sense either. *sigh* Thankfully, there *is* character growth for her and she did grow on me by the end of the book. I wouldn't call us BFFs, but I no longer had the urge to fling my Kindle across the room.

I also enjoyed how Rossi played with the Outsiders having heightened senses. Perry, in particular, has a heightened sense of smell enabling him to smell emotions. That was pretty cool, but there were a few awkward parts with regards to this special skill. Like, say, knowing when your female companion is on her period. Yikes! Talk about uncomfortable. Other than that, there were times when it felt like he was one *sniff* away from becoming man's best friend. *sniff* Just throw him the darn ball, Aria!

That is pretty much where the "likes" end for me friends.

So, let's cut to the chase and get down to it. Two words: World Building. If you are reading a dystopian novel there are a few things that are kinda, sorta important. We need to know what stuff is, how it works, why the world has come to be where it is, information about how the society is run, ect. You know, basic dystopian elements. That is where this book lacks the most. The reader is flung into the story, head first, without any background information. We don't know what caused Aria's society to live in pods. We know nothing about her society except that they have these realms. We know nothing about the Aether or the Unity. This is the most background information we are given:

"The Aether didn't look like something that could put an end to the world, yet that had nearly happened during the Unity."

And speaking of the Aether, that angered me the most. It is talked about ALL THE TIME, but it is NEVER EXPLAINED. What is an Aether storm? I don't know and neither will you. Unless, of course, you are a mind reader. If you are, please share the secrets of this universe with me! There were so many holes in the story that I just could.not.compute. Throwing around capitalized words does not impress me.

The writing style was another issue for me. I had a lot of trouble getting into the beginning. In fact, I almost wanted to give up, but I was told to stick with it because "the beginning is rough, but it's worth it in the end." Hmm...Ok, yeah. I didn't see it that way. I'd say a little more than the first half is very rough. I found it difficult to keep up with what was going one because not a lot of time is used to describe what was happening. One minute the characters are having a conversation and the next sentence they are walking in the forest. This book could have used better transitioning. It didn't feel "smooth" to me. However, my fellow readers are right. The book is noticeably better during the last half. If only the first half could get it's act together!

All in all, again, this isn't a bad book, but clearly holds the markings of newbie mistakes. I will most likely check out the sequel because I like where Rossi is going with things and who knows? Maybe she will surprise me.

More reviews at Cuddlebuggery Book Blog.

This book blew me away. It was so much better than I hoped it would be, and I ended up finishing it WAY fast. Totally a perfect read for anyone who likes adventure, scifi, romance, or paranormal elements. Very, VERY good!

"Under the Never Sky" captivated me on many levels. This dystopian novel is rich in character development, world building, plot, emotion, and drawing the reader in on a sentient level by appealing to our senses. This is not just another dystopian YA novel, nor should Ms. Rossi's work be compared to the others in that regard. I am a dystopian fan, and truly appreciated how Ms. Rossi brings us in at first by giving us just enough information about the "Never Sky" world so as not to confuse us. Like any visitor, we accustom ourselves to our new surroundings and just as Rossi's heroine Aria uses her `Smarteye' to visit the other realms, we use our reader's eye to become immersed. I must say, that I didn't feel pushed into Rossi's world because she had very intelligently laid out a landscape full of art, opera and metaphors which spoke to me on a more sophisticated level, unlike the one dimensionality some YA books implement. I wasn't just interested in turning the pages to see what happens between Aria and the savage Perry, instead I reveled in the prolific ride. And though I can hardly wait for the next book in this trilogy to come out, "Under the Never Sky" left me satiated, like anything else of fine quality and of course, I could always read it again.

What first captured my attention with this book was the title. I wanted to know what the Never Sky was. What did the author mean by it? Then as I started to read this book and grasp what the title meant, I fell in love with the world and characters that author Veronica Rossi created within the covers of Under The Never Sky.

When Aria is forced into the outside world called The Death Shop, she is certain she is going to die. She is use to her perfect life in the Pod being a Dweller among her friends and family. Within the Pod, Aria can explore life through the Realms which is basically like a Virtual World system. She is a part of what the Realms are showing, but she never really realizes the difference that the real world has. She has grown up basically sheltered and forced to believe that this is how life should be for the better.

When she realizes she has been betrayed by her Pod and forced into the outside world, she thinks with each breath she takes she is going to die a slow and agonizing death. When she decides to journey back to the Pod and try and find her missing Mother, she encounters a Savage -- or outsider -- and realizes he was there when things went bad for her in the Pod. At first she is scared of him and wary to be around him, but she can't forget how he saved her life in the Pod and how he is helping her now. Granted, Perry the Savage has ulterior motives for helping her back to the Pod, but you can see the gentle side of Perry as well.

Perry is trying to rescue his sick nephew from the Dwellers. The Dwellers came and captured his nephew while he was out hunting with Perry. Perry feels guilty for not being able to stop them and wants to find him not only to bring him back to his family and tribe, but because of the bond the two have formed. He truly loves the boy and wants what is best for him unlike his real Father who happens to be the leader of their tribe. Perry has always wanted to challenge his brother for the rank of Blood Lord. With secrets that are revealed in the journey with Aria, Perry has to decide on some pretty serious things along the way.

I fell in love with Perry. While he was fierce, deadly, and loyal, he was also sweet, tender, and showed his determination with each small thing he did. Unlike other books, the romance was slow building starting from dislike of each other, to friendship and eventually love. This is one of those books that keeps you interested with so many different things that it is very hard to put down to get daily chores done in real life. It has suspense, love, family and friendship along with action falling between all of those. The ending to this book left me feeling sad because I didn't want it to end. It is left in a small sort of open ending, but it also leaves you excited for the next book! A wonderful story of sacrifice and survival.

Things I Liked: No spoiler
I really enjoyed the slower relationship build up. I could actually see the development and it didnt just happen all of a sudden. I always enjoy a good dystopean story especially if the author lets us see in our minds eye what the world is like, and this author did a fabulous job and was creative with her ideas of what the world is like. It was well written and had a nice flow and wasnt rushed. I didnt like the lead male Perry at the beginning but I kind of feel like that was the point, so I kind of liked it. It let me grow to like him, and so I feel like I had reason to like him more. It is going to be a TRILOGY, I hate when authors have too many books in a series, they tend to have a lot of fluff. I also feel like the author is writing just to make money.
Things I didnt like:
I have to wait a year for book 2. I dont know how it is for others, but when I have to wait in between books, by excitement diminishes and it takes a while to get back into a book. Thats why I normally read completed series and no open ones. I thought this was a stand alone book at first.

I'm in love. Under The Never Sky is the perfect blend of high fantasy and dystopian. It's a gorgeous read, with a compelling plot, and one that I'll definitely reread in the future.

On the back of my ARC (I don't know if it's like this on the finished copy), it says "For readers who loved GRACELING and THE HUNGER GAMES comes a startling new world and a breathtaking, unforgettable love." WELL THEN. I really shouldn't have liked Under The Never Sky because I hated Graceling. But... see... I love high fantasy. I think the biggest reason why I didn't like Graceling is because Katsa and Po drove me insane while reading.

This summer, I fell in love with a series. It was high fantasy. It reminded me that yes, I do love high fantasy and I shouldn't let Graceling ruin that for me.

That was the Seven Realms series (The Demon King is book one.) And I think Under The Never Sky appeals to Seven Realms lovers, too. (And honestly, I think HarperTeen only put "The Hunger Games" in the comparison because Under The Never Sky has dystopic elements. UTNS is more about the high fantasy than the dystopian.)

Aria and Perry are some of the best narrators to date. I really liked Perry's chapters a lot more, because I think I was more curious about the outside world instead of Aria's pod world. I mean, Aria's world is interesting: I like the whole Realms thing, but Perry's was more dangerous and thrilling and that appealed to me more. I mean, hello, there are CANNIBALS out in Perry's world. Of course I'm going to like his more.

Aria and Perry's journey is unforgettable, and I hope they come back together in the second book. THEY BETTER. If not, I'll be a very, very upset person. :sniffsniff:

And their relationship isn't BOOM, insta-love. No, it takes time. Like, seriously, ­a lot of time. At first Perry doesn't even tell Aria his name and refuses to be nice to her... kinda. He has more of a "I'm only helping you because you are helping me" attitude before he finally comes around. AND THEN IT TAKES THEM PAGES TO KISS.

When they finally did kiss, I stopped reading, turned to my mom and blurted out the page number. "THAT'S HOW LONG IT TOOK THEM TO KISS! OUT OF A 384 PAGE NOVEL! ARGH!"

She understood my frustration. And I'm not telling you what page they kiss on, so HA. :p I think everybody needs to endure this pain of waiting.

When you finish all 384 pages, you'll be breathless and wanting more. And if you don't, you can always send your copy to me. *G*

Under The Never Sky is the BEST opener to the coming New Year!! It renders you speechless in how great it is! I LOVE LOVE LOVE IT!
Right from the very first pages you will know that you would have to cancel your daily chores and activities and cuddle up to this book. Because it will grab your attention from start to finish! Expect sleepless nights!
Aria is a character that you can easily find yourself wanting to be friends with. At first you'd think she's nothing more than a sheltered brat wanting her mother, but as she goes through her journey to seek the truth and in finding her mom she tremendously matures right before your eyes.
I enjoyed that in the beginning Perry was repulsed by Aria; not only in her actions but by her smell. That was hilarious when I first read it. It's great when the leading male doesn't fall for the leading gal right away. I also loved how blunt Perry was with his words even though he doesn't say much. He never held back in fear of hurting her feelings, and Aria would just take it without sulking.
The story is told in the point of views of Aria and Perry. They go hand in hand in telling their part in their journey. Never missing a step from each other and not having you skip a beat on what's going on. Veronica Rossi has done a fine job in getting you in the mindset of 'Under The Never Sky'. I cried when it came to it, and I screamed at characters I wanted beaten. The descriptions of the 'PODS', Aether, surroundings, and just everything wasn't lacking or overly done. There was balance, and I guess that's what made me enjoy the story a lot.
The ending is such a TEASE!! When I got to the last page my heart sunk. I can't believe it is just coming into release! I don't know how I can hold over till Book #2 =)
Under The Never Sky by Veronica Rossi is a MUST READ DEBUT!! A definite 2012 favorite!!