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Thursday, January 26, 2012

[Review] Under The Never Sky by Veronica Rossi

Title: Under The Never Sky
Author: Veronica Rossi
Published: January 3rd 2012 by HarperCollins
Series: Trilogy (Under The Never Sky #1)
Rating: ★★★★★
Goodreads summary:
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 a barbarian, 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.
Emma's thoughts:

Words cannot explain how happy I feel right now. I closed this book (metaphorically speaking) with the biggest smile on my face.

The world Rossi has created sounds absolutely beautiful. I loved the aspects of it. The Smarteye and Realms; having everything you could ever want with just a thought. This to me, is a realistic look for the future. We'll try to find a way to live in our minds so to rely less and less on the physical earth. It's a simple solution to stop global warming no? Of course, there is no easy solution to anything. Civilizations fail, ages fade, and ours will too. I think, out of all the dystopian novels I've read, Aria's world would be the one I'd love see our world evolve into. Even Aether, the deadly substance that dances throughout the sky, taunting it's helpless victims, sounds beautiful.

Aria, as the MC, wasn't a 'takes no shit' kind of girl, but she was not weak. She didn't have a smart mouth and didn't feel the need to contradict what everyone said just for the sake of it. What I absolutely loved about this book, was the gradual development between Aria and Perry. Absolutely swoon-worthy! It felt real. With each progressing chapter, I could actually see the romance growing and their feelings turning from outright disgust to a kind, caring fondness. There was no overly sweet and dramatic declaration of undying love, no 'I can't imagine my life without you' debacle. Not only was the romance realistic, but Aria and Perry were realistic about their relationship! Really, it was a breath of fresh air, and I want to hug them both for being so real!

I have to say, I loved all the characters in this book. I loved their names too; Talon, Lumina, Marron. Even Vale, vicious Vale... He was an excellent bad guy, left me aghast and gaping near the end! And oh, Roar, Roar... I would absolutely love to meet Roar. Friendly, protective, funny, and knife wielder. His advice to Perry? 'Fall off your own roof'. Wise words.

Last of all: Cinder. Even that troublesome and rude child found a way to sneak a spot in my heart. If he ever gets his own story, I want it! His power truly intrigued me. In fact, all the powers mentioned had their own quirky attributes. They weren't completely outrageous, just more like enhanced senses. And the whole Aether confusion? I'm sure Rossi's got everything neatly planned out and ready to hand over to us in snippets. Surprisingly, I didn't find myself asking a billion and two questions whilst reading this. I had a strange sense that everything would be explained later on (and mostly they were). As for any loopholes that may've been there, I didn't notice! The world Rossi has created, to me, is as flawless as a post apocalyptic world can get.

This trilogy holds a lot of promise for an action-packed journey, and a mission that could fail a million ways, with just one (and a half) men to keep Aria fighting.


I recommend this to: Dystopian lovers, futuristic readers & anyone who enjoys a thrilling adventure!

Rating: 5 stars~ Unputdownable! Already eagerly anticipating the sequel!
First:
They called the world beyond the walls of the Pod "the Death Shop." 
Favourite:
"Seers are good at looking and good-looking, but before you start wondering, no, I'm not a Seer. Just lucky." [Oh Roar! :')]
Teaser:
He thought of all the times over the past week he'd wanted a break. Just an hour without breathing in Aria's ache, or Roar's. Yet here he was, practically sniffing under Aria's door. 

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