Exiled from her home, the enclosed city of Reverie, Aria knows her chances of surviving in the outer wasteland - known as The Death Shop - are slim. If the cannibals don't get her, the violent, electrified energy storms will. She's been taught that the very air she breathes can kill her. Then Aria meets an Outsider named Perry. He's wild - a savage - and her only hope of staying alive.
A hunter for his tribe in a merciless landscape, Perry views Aria as sheltered and fragile - everything he would expect from a Dweller. But he needs Aria's help too; she alone holds the key to his redemption. Opposites in nearly every way, Aria and Perry must accept each other to survive. Their unlikely alliance forges a bond that will determine the fate of all who live under the never sky.
**Earc received from NetGalley**
I don't really know how to start this review or where to go with it. When I first received Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi from NetGalley I was SO excited to read it. It was all the rage. Readers were loving this book. Saying it was the best book they had read and how amazing it was. I went into the reading of the novel expecting BIG things. I hate to say I was a little disappointed. I didn't hate this book, but I didn't love it like everyone else. There were a few things that I had issues with.
The story started off really slow. Which for me was not a good sign. If things don't start happening right away in a book, or the world building take to long I get bored and have no desire in finishing it, which is what happened in Under the Never Sky. It was to slow. However, when I figured this out I was already bored and not that excited about the plot. When the story picked up, my desire to read the book was gone and I only kept reading it because I had to.
The concept behind Under the Never Sky was interesting. Regardless of it's poor literary execution. The idea of people living in a virtual reality was fascinating. I also liked that there were two separate societies. Those who lives in pods and those who live outside of the pods. I enjoyed how they were pitted against one another. What I really loved about this novel were the "powers" the outsiders had and how they were used. This was a lot of fun. I enjoyed reading about how they are used and why they are important.
The characters were okay. Some were better than others. Aria was annoying in the beginning, but she grew on me. She was still annoying at the end, but not as much. Perry was whiny and I wanted to scream at him to man up. But, by the end I really liked him. He grew the most as a character. His relationship with Aria was interesting. I think it moved forward a little to quickly for me. They didn't like one another one second, and loved each other the next. It was sweet but a little to quick for me.
Overall, Under the Never Sky presents a good story, however, the way it was presented wasn't something I was horribly excited about. I wonder if future books in this series will be better- I think so. I have every intention of continuing the series. There were many interesting things that happened in Under the Never Sky that I want to try and figure it out.
~Happy Reading Everyone!
