Under the Never Sky (Under the Never Sky, #1)

by Veronica Rossi

[Jo]

Originally reviewed on my YA blog Once Upon a Bookcase.

After hearing all the hype over Under the Never Sky, I decided it was about time I gave it a go. Surely something that is being raved about left, right and center has got to be amazing! As it turns out, I really enjoyed it!

Yes, I really enjoyed it, but I wasn't blown away by it. There was something missing for me to make it a wow-some book. What this missing thing is, I don't know, it just wasn't there. But as I said, I did really enjoy it!

What I loved about this book is, once Aria is no longer in Reverie, it feels very much like a high fantasy! If you take out the futuristic techy side of life in the Pods, and the items that can crop up from way back that we will recognise, it feels completely made up, and I loved it! Especially as, as he story goes on, a few other people are picked up along the way to join the quest - see, doesn't "quest" make it sound all high fantasy-esque (though that word is never used in the book). I loooved it! It was almost like coming home, as high fantasy is the genre that made me a reader.

But it is a dystopia. Life is not how it used to be, and I can't exactly tell you why, because I'm not sure myself. I don't know if I missed something vital along the way or if it's simply not explained. All I know is something called Unity happened, there is now something similar to the Northern Light in the sky that's called Aether, except Aether can rain down and set things on fire, and certain people are now physically incapable of living outside the domes. But why this all is, I don't know. And as with most dystopias, we do find out a few things that turn out people are being lied to; the way they live that seems so safe and right is actually not right at all.

I loved all the characters in this book. Aria and Perry's reaction to each other when they first meet seems very right and believable. They hate each other, even fear each other. There is no insta-love here. The romance is a very slow burner, but one that works because it's so believable. They were jut so cute! I loved it! Perry is super awesome, but I think I prefer Roar, Perry's best friend. Yes, his name is Roar. And he is smooth, and flirty, and just damn cool! He is so funny, I cracked many a smile when he was around. Then there's Cinder, a 12-year-old boy who is just so intriguing! I want to adopt him. Yes, I do. Despite him bein a little bit of a pain at time. I think the boy is in need of love and cuddles.

Overall, a really great story! I am so looking forward to the sequel and seeing where Aria and Perry's story takes them next!