Under the Never Sky (Under the Never Sky, #1) in YA and Beyond

Nov 21, 2011 Nancy rated it really liked it · review of another edition

This is one of the best dystopias I've read in a very long time. The characters are well fleshed out and the subtle coming of minds is not forced but logical. The love story aspect is sweet and realistic. Rossi does an excellent job of describing a world that is no longer safe for human habitation. The "smart" ones entered pods generations ago that were self-contained. Small, yes, but the holographics more than make up for the lack of space. There is always food to eat, air to breathe, and enter This is one of the best dystopias I've read in a very long time. The characters are well fleshed out and the subtle coming of minds is not forced but logical. The love story aspect is sweet and realistic. Rossi does an excellent job of describing a world that is no longer safe for human habitation. The "smart" ones entered pods generations ago that were self-contained. Small, yes, but the holographics more than make up for the lack of space. There is always food to eat, air to breathe, and entertainment to be had. And it's safe. Nobody really gets hurt.

On the outside world, there are savages that live in tribes. The pod dwellers have genetically mutated DNA that does not tolerate the fire storms that rain down. I'm guessing this is due to the huge holes in the ozone. I might also add that it has been a couple of weeks since I read this book so I am not using the correct nouns and adjectives but providing my own interpretations. Also, the DNA has naturally mutated in the savages to make them more adapted to the world outside.

So there is a catalyst that is violent and alarming (although not inappropriate for teenagers) where death follows and Aria finds herself outside the pods against her will. She's been dropped off in the desert. She expects death but is willful enough to not take it lying down. Meanwhile, back at the ranch, Perry, is having troubles of his own. Gifted in mental and kinesthetic ways, he and his brother, the equivalent of a chief butt heads and Perry finds himself outside the tribe for the time being. Aria and Perry join forces and the adventures begin.

The journey they embark upon has meaning (although they are chasing different objectives). The people (?) and creatures they meet are intriguing and dangerous. Both protagonists discover things about themselves and each other. Rather than being two completely different people coming together, they are two different people who find and make commonality between them, taking on the dangers in the world and growing as individuals. There are a lot of surprising twists and turns and the fight scenes are well described.

It's not yet Hunger Games love, but it definitely could be depending on the next two books. ...more

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Dec 07, 2011 Ashley rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

So, let me start this review with the basics: the world. (Wow, I never knew the whole freaking world was basic, right? Well it is now.) In Under the Never Sky, the world is not how we know it now, nor has it been for a very long time. There are deadly electrical energy storms that plague the earth, called aether storms.

Imagine that, but apparently blue/purple.
Humanity, doing what it does best, found a way to beat mother nature and holed itself up in little pods, then created a virtual reality ca So, let me start this review with the basics: the world. (Wow, I never knew the whole freaking world was basic, right? Well it is now.) In Under the Never Sky, the world is not how we know it now, nor has it been for a very long time. There are deadly electrical energy storms that plague the earth, called aether storms.

Imagine that, but apparently blue/purple.
Humanity, doing what it does best, found a way to beat mother nature and holed itself up in little pods, then created a virtual reality called the Realms so everyone wouldn't die of boredom. It's like playing Wii, but on steroids. All you have to do is imagine that you're somewhere, and you're there. You can feel it, smell it, see it, and do whatever you like. I loved the world that Rossi created, because it's something that I believe isn't so far off. We already have, as I mentioned earlier, the Wii, and our iPads and Xbox, and however many other virtual games out there. Who's to say that it won't ever go a step further and become real, in the sense that instead of just incorporating the sense of sight as it does now, these virtual realities will affect all five senses. At first the descriptions of the technology confused me, but once I understood it, I thought it was really cool.

Second up, our main character, Aria! Now, for me, when I first started the book, I wasn't too keen on Aria. I didn't dislike her at all, I just wasn't connected to her. However, once she's dumped on her butt out in the open and dangerous air, I started to like her. She's a fighter, this one, and she's smart too. I have a thing for heroines who are badass, and I tip my hat to Aria. She may not be the baddest of asses, but she can hold her own. I loved the play on words with Aria's name, because she's an opera singer, and an aria in opera is a solo. There's importance to the fact that she's such an amazing singer, but I won't spoil why. On another note, to tie it back into the 'world' aspect of the book, in the pods, the female reproductive system is basically turned off. Children are not born, they are engineered, and when people do the deed, they're doing it in virtual reality, so there's no risk of pregnancy. (You'll see the quote below, actually.) So, once Aria is thrown out into the real world... her body starts adapting... and awkwardness ensues. It was so funny, because I actually called it a few chapters earlier when she said she had cramps in the lower part of her stomach and I was like "OH, SHE'S GOING TO GET HER PERIOD." And, well... I'll just let you enjoy the awkwardness, so I won't spoil it, but it was fun-ney.

Now, we come to my favorite part of the review. PEREGRINE. Or, Perry for short. He's the kind of guy that can just...

Yep. Exactly. He's that kind of guy. What I liked was that this wasn't an instant love by any means. When Aria and Perry first meet--actually meet, as in she's conscious, and you'll understand why I'm clarifying that when you read the book--she's afraid of him, and they both mutually dislike each other. There's quite a bit of hostility between the two. Both Perry and Aria lost everything because of each other, and now they're stuck together as they search for the way out of their predicament. What I love is that Perry is quiet and brooding, but he can bring on the snark if the need arises. Plus, he's a Scire, which means he has extra sensitive smell. He can even smell people's emotions! Which can be both a blessing and a curse. But it was really amazing to read from his perspective, because it was so different from Aria's! The way Perry thinks was just... wow. Since he's so in tune with what people are feeling, it's like a constant flood of emotions. And Perry is actually extremely sensitive, he just doesn't show it on the outside. So, he would adjust his reaction according to what he was smelling. Oh, I just loved Perry. I want to marry him and have his children.

This book was riddled with awesome characters, the most awesome of which--besides Perry and Aria--was Roar. Ohmygod I love Roar. It's a true, all consuming love of the best kind. He is the type of guy that will be a wonderful gentleman one moment, and then would just as soon peek in on you while you changed. (Not that I would have a problem with that, mind you.) He added spark to the story, and plenty of comic relief.

Under the Never Sky wasn't really action packed, save for the very beginning, and the very end. There's a sort of lag in between those two where there is a lot of walking and talking (literally, I'm not just trying to be quirky). But, with the walking and talking comes vivid characterization, so it wasn't really noticeable, or at least it was easily overlooked that nothing really happened. That shows just how amazing this book is, that the vibrancy of the characters certainly outweighed the plot. ...more

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Jan 12, 2012 Sarah Reid rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: young-adult

I. Overview:

Aria and her friends become involved in a teenage prank gone terribly wrong, in AG-6 a service pod in Reverie, the enclosed city where they lived. Aria had only been along to get information about her missing mother, but then she finds herself cast out into the Outside (also known as 'the Deathtrap').

Perry is a hunter in the tribe called The Tides, marked for his keen sense of smell and eyesight. Through a tragic accident, he becomes cast out by the tribe and sets out on a quest to c ...more

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Feb 18, 2012 Jenny rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

I started reading this book a long time ago. I only read the first couple of chapters, then I think I forgot all about it! I found it the other day on my shelf, so I decided it would be a great start to the new year by finishing it. I'm glad I finally read it!

I love the dystopian genre, but its getting kind of hard to find new ideas. Veronica delivered in a big way! In her world, our landscape is ravaged by horrible storms, and it appears our atmosphere has been compromised. So most of civilizat ...more

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Apr 25, 2012 Berenice rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: audiobooks

Aria’s world was simple, easy, the biggest of her worries was the regret of how she behaved the day her mother left the pod to continue her investigation out of Reverie. Now after a horrible incident is rumored to have happened on the pod her mother was doing her research in Aria will do everything in her power to get to her, and to do so she must first survive the outside world filled with savages, cannibals, world and worst of all Aether storms that have the power to burn and destroy everythin Aria’s world was simple, easy, the biggest of her worries was the regret of how she behaved the day her mother left the pod to continue her investigation out of Reverie. Now after a horrible incident is rumored to have happened on the pod her mother was doing her research in Aria will do everything in her power to get to her, and to do so she must first survive the outside world filled with savages, cannibals, world and worst of all Aether storms that have the power to burn and destroy everything in their path.

It has been a while since I finished a book and felt the unstoppable desire to write a review, and I guess I’ll be waiting a little longer as this is an audio book.
Because of the good combinations between Veronica Rossi’s story and Bernadette Dunne Flanger’s narration I find myself craving to read the physical book, to see how the taste of the story changes from Miss Bernadette’s words bringing this world to live to my imagination standing alone in Aria’s and Perry’s world.
Bernadetter Dunne Flanger made this audio book totally enjoyable, it was amazing to me how she made the story feel like it was just alive and how you could hear her voice transformed into a subtle laughter, sadness or whatever feeling needed to conveyed as she embodied Aria, Perry and Roar.
I really don't remember feeling like she cut the flow of the story or that she messed up at expressing what the story or its characters needed to show us. All I can say is that as the story grew to its climax I was unable to leave, even if I had had something important to do I was trapped in this story that wouldn't let me go and I wouldn't have gotten away from it either.
I am sad to see that Bernadette is not the narrator for the second book, I hope Michael Goldstrom does a fair job keeping the story alive the way that she did. When I ask myself what could I change about this audio book, its is just a piece of the story, part of the edition where the audio engineer didn't clear the "th", essing and strong sounds at the end of Dunne's words.
If you were thinking about trying an audio book or where looking for one to listen to, let me tell you this is a great pick, the swoon moments, the tension, the stress, surprise, relief and romance is well worked and played by both Veronica Rossy and Bernadetter Dunne Flanger. ...more

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