Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi [REVIEW]

      

Under the Never Sky
(Under the Never Sky #1)
by Veronica Rossi

Summary from Goodreads:

"Aria is a teenager in the enclosed city of Reverie. Like all Dwellers, she spends her time with friends in virtual environments, called Realms, accessed through an eyepiece called a Smarteye. Aria enjoys the Realms and the easy life in Reverie. When she is forced out of the pod for a crime she did not commit, she believes her death is imminent. The outside world is known as The Death Shop, with danger in every direction.

As an Outsider, Perry has always known hunger, vicious predators, and violent energy storms from the swirling electrified atmosphere called the Aether. A bit of an outcast even among his hunting tribe, Perry withstands these daily tests with his exceptional abilities, as he is gifted with powerful senses that enable him to scent danger, food and even human emotions.

They come together reluctantly, for Aria must depend on Perry, whom she considers abarbarian, to help her get back to Reverie, while Perry needs Aria to help unravel the mystery of his beloved nephew’s abduction by the Dwellers. Together they embark on a journey challenged as much by their prejudices as by encounters with cannibals and wolves. But to their surprise, Aria and Perry forge an unlikely love - one that will forever change the fate of all who live UNDER THE NEVER SKY.

The first book in a captivating trilogy, Veronica Rossi’s enthralling debut sweeps you into an unforgettable adventure."

Rating:

Under the Never Sky introduces readers to Aria, a Dweller living comfortably and safely in the Reverie, an enclosed city where every citizen gets to enjoy the virtual environments called the Realms. Like everyone else, she has a Smarteye that she uses to access the Realms. We are also introduced to Peregrine, or Perry for short, an Outsider with exceptional abilities. But for some reason he seems to be an outcast even in his own tribe. Fate bands them together to embark on a journey that challenges them in a way they have yet encountered. But that’s not the only thing that fate seems to have in mind...

I loved the way Aria’s character developed in this book. She wasn’t really an attention grabber at first but as she travelled through their world with Perry, I saw a lot of changes in her. I even found myself rooting and cheering her on during her dire moments. Now moving to Perry... I must say that I have developed a little crush on Peregrine. He’s not the typical kind of hero I used to see, and I find some of his actions a bit annoying sometimes, but the roguish side of him just grew on me. It was adorable.

I was completely surprised to find myself reading a love story that actually underwent a slow-building kind of relationship. A good kind of surprise, that is. I got so used to the instant attraction between characters, is all. So when I see a romance that does go through an actual development [in books], I had a little standing ovation commencing on my head. LOL.

Under the Never Sky is the kind of book that “grows” on the reader; to me at least, that’s how it felt. I wasn’t that thrilled over the first few chapters, mostly they were just confusing. What is the Aether and why is it there? There wasn’t any scientific explanation about it. Why was Perry so determined to be Blood Lord? Is there some kind of pull to it or something that tethers a worthy person of the title to want him to claim it so badly? How does the Smarteye actually look like? I don’t see Aria wearing it on the cover.

However, even though my mind is booming with questions, and even though some aren’t answered in the book, I found myself not being bothered by it that much. Once you get the hang of the idea that the world is as it is (Awesome world building by the way, even with the lack of explanation), and as the story picks up its pace, you get to savour each moment. A very good book!