Early Review: Under The Never Sky

Under The Never Sky by Veronica Rossi | Pub: January 3, 2012 | ATOM

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 oh man, when I stepped into Under the Never Sky, by Veronica Rossi, I had no idea what I was getting myself into. A world that is nothing, absolutely nothing, like the world I live in. From the first page I knew I was going on an adventure to a far off place. I recommend readers buckle up and enjoy the ride. Everyone will return to reality once the last page is read; or maybe a while after that. It takes some time to get the lives of all these fun characters out of a person’s system. As a matter of fact, I think I might still be inside the world of Aria and Perry. Just a little bit!

In a world where you’re either a Dweller or an Outsider, Under the Never Sky amazingly blends in different aspects of modern and past. The Dweller’s are very futuristic living in their enclosed virtual environments (called Realms) and having their lives played out in eyepieces called Smarteye. On the other side, the Outsiders live in tribes and hunt and gather for their means of survival. Two completely different worlds. At first, I was wary of the differences. I didn’t understand how one side was so into the future, yet the other side was so behind the times. In the end, I think it worked out rather brilliantly. In order to understand the extent to which the Dwellers went to ensure of their safety and long lives, the readers needed to see a drastic difference. How could readers compare the lives of the Dwellers without having seen how the Outsiders live? Also, I found myself sympathizing with both sides because each had major flaws.

Main character, and Dweller, Aria leaves the pod with her best friend, Paisley, and some others. On their adventure outside, they turn off their Smarteye’s and wander around dangerous territory. Right away I knew, and so did Aria, that something terrible was about to happen. In a shocking turn of events, Aria finds herself excommunicated from her home and dropped off in the middle of an Aether attack. Outside, the world is a cruel and dangerous place. The sky is dominated and controlled by violent energy storms called the Aether. Prepared to die, Aria is soon rescued by Perry. An Outsider and ‘savage’ by nature. I loved Perry from the first time I met him… Aria did not.

Told in third person narrative, Under the Never Sky switches between Aria and Perry very nicely. It gave me an idea of what was happening on Aria’s side, and then Perry’s. From Dweller to Outsider, I was given a full picture of what it’s like to be part of communities that are marred with horrible flaws.

As Under the Never Sky progresses, both Aria and Perry have to come together to save their loved ones. Along the way they learn to put aside their mutual hate of the other to fight for survival. Action packed, funny, witty, and slightly frightening, Rossi wrote a book that has it all. Best of all, Rossi wrote a little loving to top off this already delicious book.