Book Review: Under The Never Sky

Title: Under The Never Sky

Author: Veronica Rossi
Release Date: January 3, 2012

WORLDS KEPT THEM APART.  

DESTINY BROUGHT THEM TOGETHER.  

Aria has lived her whole life in the protected dome of Reverie. Her entire world confined to its spaces, she's never thought to dream of what lies beyond its doors. So when her mother goes missing, Aria knows her chances of surviving in the outer wasteland long enough to find her are slim.  

Then Aria meets an outsider named Perry. He's searching for someone too. He's also wild - a savage - but might be her best hope at staying alive. 
If they can survive, they are each other's best hope for finding answers.

My Thoughts
I’ll be honest. When I first started this book I wasn’t thrilled. I’d heard really good things about, so I was really expecting it to wow me right off the bat. The first few pages were great. Lots of action – some mystery thrown in. But then it skidded to a halt! And for a good 50 (if not more) pages I was wondering if I was missing something! It just seemed to go nowhere! Aria and Perry seemed to just wander around. Yes, yes he knew where they were going, but to the reader (me!) I felt it was going nowhere. I even went on Twitter and asked people if it got better. They assured me it would, so I stuck with it. And I’m glad I did.

I can’t tell you exactly where it got better again. I just realized that my interest had been grabbed again. Maybe when Aria began to change and step up more and stop whining less. Maybe it was when they finally reached a place of more safety. At this point I felt more a sense of purpose within the story, and this purpose was surrounded by tension. This tension came from the world they lived in – strange storms that could easily kill them, dangerous people pursuing them across dangerous terrain and mixed in Aria’s struggle with being in a place she was raised to fear. Now she was getting stronger and more confident, but she still lacked the kind of street smart she needed to be safe. The tension also came from the growing attraction between Aria and Perry. Neither wanted to admit it and neither wanted to accept it, but they were beginning to care about each other in a way they never thought an Outsider and a Dweller could. Although I get tired of romance always sneaking it’s way in – I found theirs real and enduring especially from Perry because he’s suppose to be such a tough guy and to see him be so caring was completely amazing. It rounded him so well as a characters and gave him a depth I appreciated. And then what was so hard and heart breaking was the fact they couldn’t be together!

So anyways – somewhere within all that I fell in love with the characters and the story again! I’m glad I stuck it out during those slow pages because in the end I found two characters I really enjoyed and grew to care about. I’m really looking forward to hear more about their story.

Final thought: Love the depth that appeared in the characters. Really brought them to life.
Best stick-with-you image: The description of the storms. Wow!
Best for readers who: can keep reading if a story slows down
Best for ages: 12+

For the Guys? I think so! Aria and Perry tell the story in alternating chapters, so it’s not just from girl’s perspective.