Under the Never Sky (Under the Never Sky, #1) in What's the Name of That Book???

Aug 04, 2012 Nadine in NY Jones rated it it was ok

Shelves: young-adult, dystopian-and-post-apocalyptic, stayed-up-way-too-late, lily

from NPR poll of best Young Adult fiction.

This book has everything I love - why have I not heard of it before now? Dystopian? check! Series? check! The cover? I'll admit, I DO judge a book by its cover, and I LOVE this cover! The blurb? - ooooh destiny. And the plot - a protecting dome? Yeah, I'm all over that. Some of my favorite sci-fi books I read as a kid involved protective domed cities - they imprinted on me. (In a similar vein, I WILL get around to reading City of Ember someday, too ... ) from NPR poll of best Young Adult fiction.

This book has everything I love - why have I not heard of it before now? Dystopian? check! Series? check! The cover? I'll admit, I DO judge a book by its cover, and I LOVE this cover! The blurb? - ooooh destiny. And the plot - a protecting dome? Yeah, I'm all over that. Some of my favorite sci-fi books I read as a kid involved protective domed cities - they imprinted on me. (In a similar vein, I WILL get around to reading City of Ember someday, too ... )

*

My library cover does not have the excellent cover art shown in the Goodreads thumbnail. The book is a real page turner, can't wait to find out what happens next, but the characters aren't particularly likeable, and the writing is ... not that great. I'm turning the pages, but I'm not really loving it.

*

It continued to be a page-turner, and turned into a "stayed up til 3am to finished it" book. The writing ceased to feel so plodding, and the characters became a little more compelling, but ... they also became little fantasies of perfection. Aria is soooo beautiful, and she's smart, and she's tough, and she's a trooper, and oh did we forget to mention her (view spoiler) Perry is soooo big and sexy, he can kill a man without even blinking an eye, he can smell so well that he can tell if you're lying, and he's just AWESOME with the bow and arrow, and oh he is just perfect. EVERYONE IS TOO PERFECT.

And what is with the names? Everyone has a noun-name (Aria, Peregrine, Lumina (named after a Chevy, no doubt), Talon, Vale, etc etc) ... except the bad guy. The bad guy is Soren. It's like she started out mixing "new" with "classic" and then forgot to keep mixing in "classic."

And with the hero's name being "Perry" there was one very jarring moment - he disappears, and Aria turns and says "hey, where's Perry?" HAHAHAAHA Guess the author and editor don't watch Phineas & Ferb.

The various plot lines were tied up nicely at the end (except for the mystery of WHAT THE FUCK THE AETHER IS - don't even bother trying to figure that one out, and a new story for a sequel was set up. Not sure if I'll read the sequel. ...more

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Apr 20, 2013 Kate rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: age-ya, dystopia, 2013

Aria lives in the Pods, a contained world meant to protect people from the Aether storms outside. She's used to a life where people visit Realms, or virtual worlds that help them not get claustrophobic about life in the pods, but since her mother's been missing, she agrees to break outside of the Pods one night with some friends. After one of them goes crazy and tries to burn it down and attacks her, Aria is rescued by an Outsider - often called Savages by the pod dwellers.

When Aria is unjustly ...more

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Oct 18, 2011 Emma rated it liked it

Aria has lived most of her life in the Realms, a virtual environment designed to offer every comfort and luxury with just a thought. No pain, no fear. Just fun. Why waste time in the real world when the Realms are so much better than real?

All of that changes when her mother goes missing. Soon after, Aria's world changes forever. Exiled from her comfortable home, Aria is thrown into the wilderness with little hope of survival--the outside world is called the Death Shop for a reason.

When Peregrine Aria has lived most of her life in the Realms, a virtual environment designed to offer every comfort and luxury with just a thought. No pain, no fear. Just fun. Why waste time in the real world when the Realms are so much better than real?

All of that changes when her mother goes missing. Soon after, Aria's world changes forever. Exiled from her comfortable home, Aria is thrown into the wilderness with little hope of survival--the outside world is called the Death Shop for a reason.

When Peregrine, an Outsider, finds Aria wandering in the desert he knows she will be nothing but trouble and he certainly already has his share. But somehow Aria is also his only hope of atoning for the horrible mistakes he's made.

Aria is less than thrilled to be working with a Savage. Perry has little use for a pampered Mole. But if either of them ever want to get home this unlikely pair will have to work together--an alliance that will change everything in Under the Never Sky (2012) by Veronica Rossi.

Under the Never Sky is Rossi's first novel. It is also the first in a trilogy.

This book is an unexpected blend of science fiction and fantasy complete with a Dystopian setting.* These elements do not always blend well, particularly in the beginning when the main characters are separated. Told in chapters alternating between Aria and Perry's points of view, the story picks up when the characters meet and the disparate elements (and storylines) have a chance to gel.

Perry and Aria similarly come into their own as the novel progresses as they move from less-interesting, naive characters to more fully developed protagonists. The romantic aspect of the story also moves along a natural progression and is quite fun to follow.

Rossi creates an interesting world with some unique elements but little explanation in the way of world building or history.** A lot of ideas or events are referenced but little to no explanation is given. Similarly characters are mentioned, repeatedly, over the course of the story only to have literally no role in the story.*** That said, what is presented in Under the Never Sky is an original premise that will appeal to readers or pure fantasy and straight science fiction alike.

*I say unexpected because the jacket copy makes no mention of the "Realms" aspect of the world making the story read more like straight fantasy when really there are a lot of science fiction elements as well.

**Being a trilogy perhaps this information will eventually come together in bits and pieces throughout the series.

***Will they turn up in book two or three? Time will tell.

Possible Pairings: Brightly Woven by Alexandra Bracken, Graceling by Kristin Cashore, Incarceron by Catherine Fisher, Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi, Unison Spark by Andy Marino, Divergent by Veronica Roth, Extras by Scott Westerfeld ...more

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Feb 21, 2013 Abigail rated it it was amazing

The downsides- the perpetual smelling of violets; with what our main characters went through, I just can't buy into the heroine intoxicating her beau with her ever present floral scent. Also, I really hate when the female lead beats herself up for not listening to some dictatorial commands to stay where they are. In this case, I don't see how she would have been better off staying where she was- at least by wandering off, she bought herself some time, which probably saved her life in the end.
Now ...more

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Jan 23, 2013 Morgan rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2013

I sat down and read this book in one day, so I must have liked it. Some of the plot points were fairly predictable, but overall it was well-written and compelling. Really looking forward to reading the rest of the series!

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Oct 31, 2011 Debbie Barr rated it liked it

3.5 stars.

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Jan 25, 2013 Pam rated it really liked it

Shelves: because-bethany-told-me-to

This is probably more like 3.75 stars, but I'll go with the 4. I had a hard time connecting with the relationship between Aria and Perry. But I like then both individually. I felt like the book was too short and that things were under developed. A good and quick read however. ...more

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Feb 28, 2012 Bethany rated it really liked it

Oh swoon.

Re-read Jan. 2013. I just freaking love this book and the love story. It's not forced, it's not that "forces they don't understand pulling them together" crap YA novels often fall into. ...more

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