Roar and LIV (Under the Never Sky, #0.5)

by Veronica Rossi

Before Perry and Aria, there was Roar and Liv.

After a childhood spent wandering the borderlands, Roar finally feels like he has a home with the Tides. His best friend Perry is like a brother to him, and Perry's sister, Liv, is the love of his life. But Perry and Liv's unpredictable older brother, Vale, is the Blood Lord of the Tides, and he has never looked kindly on Roar and Liv's union. Normally, Roar couldn't care less about Vale's opinion. But with food running low and conditions worsening every day, Vale's leadership is more vital - and more brutal - than ever. Desperate to protect his tribe, Vale makes a decision that will shatter the life Roar knew and change the fate of the Tides forever.

• ISBN10: 0062239554
• ISBN13: 9780062239556
• Publish Date: 30 October 2012
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
• Imprint: Collins
• Format: eBook
• Pages: 80
• Language: English

Reviews

[annieb123]

Very angsty YA. Twuuuu wuv... star crossed lovers, mean society tearing the lovers apart. I couldn't force myself to care a lot about the main characters, sadly.

The writing was very competent and I can definitely see lovers/fans of the Hunger Games gobbling this series up.

Not for me, but definitely something for the target audience. :)

PS Teenage/underage drinking doesn't make you brooding and complex, it makes you a substance abusing @sshat. Not a great role model.

[Vicki]

3.5 stars

[Amanda]

Though this is a prequel, it's one that I read after Through the Ever Night. This is a heart wrenching story, one that you learn a bit of by reading Under the Never Sky and one that unravels even more in Through the Ever Night. AND IT WAS EVERYTHING IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN.

Like Through the Ever Night, Roar and Liv induced much flailing. Roar is such a fun character in Under the Never Sky--but he becomes even more integral to the story in Through the Ever Night, which only makes HIS story that much more fascinating.

I like Roar. A lot. And despite this being Roar and Liv, this is all Roar. Liv is still a bit unreachable to us--we experience Roar's emotions toward her and we like her because Roar does, not necessarily because we've had time to become attached. But that doesn't really matter because, you guys, IT'S ROAR.

If you've read any of the books in this series, you'll want to read Roar and Liv. It had me wanting to pick up Through the Ever Night AND READ IT ALL OVER AGAIN. Roar and Liv was heart breaking, yes. But it was good. So, so good. And it covers some of the events that are referred to in the series. What are you waiting for? Go read it!

[Jo]

Originally posted on Once Upon a Bookcase.

I've read at least one review of Through the Ever Night, heard how awesome it was, and have been convinced I need to read it soon. But before I do that, I knew I had to catch up by reading Roar and Liv, a prequel short story to Under the Never Sky, and I loved it.

In Under the Never Sky, we meet Roar while he's searching for Liv, and discover he's looking for her because she ran away when her older brother Vale, Blood Lord of the Tides, was giving her in an arranged marriage to the Blood Lord of another tribe in return for food for the Tides. Roar and Liv covers this story; of Vale announcing his intentions for Liv, and the journey that's made to take her to Sable, Blood Lord of the Horns. I remember at the time not being wowed by Under the Never Sky, but looking back on the story, I feel nothing but love for it. And had the same reaction to Roar and Liv (Can I just say, I can't get enough of Roar's name?)

Roar and Liv, narrated by Roar, is not a surprising story, as we already know what happens through reading Under the Never Sky. What it does is show us what leads to those events, and how they panned out. We get to meet a very strong, determined young woman in Liv. It was just fantastic getting to see her, and how Roar reacts to her. He is so enthralled and so in love. And then Vale has to go and put a big ol' spanner in the works, by arranging a marriage between Liv and Sable. Both Liv and Roar are distraught and angry, and want to fight. Roar is losing the one he loves, the same for Liv, but she's also losing any choice in how her life pans out. There is a lot of anger, fear and sadness in this story.

We also get to see just what a git Vale can be. It seems to me that he doesn't only have the the Tides best interests at heart, but also likes reminding people he's the one in charge, the one in power. He enjoys hurting people he disapproves of or fears (read: Roar and Perry), and putting them in their place. He's sneaky, and strategises ways to show he's in charge and to do what is expected of him as Blood Lord, but also cause as much pain as possible to those he wants to hurt. I disliked him in Under the Never Sky, I hate him in this.

A fantastic story that shows more of the characters we love, the ones we don't, introduces us to Liv, and pulls at the heartstrings. If you enjoyed Under the Never Sky, you should definitely read this.

[bookishzelda]

loved this. absolutely one of my favorite series it makes me want to read Under the Never Sky again and impatient for Through the Ever Night