Flashback Friday: Under The Never Sky by Veronica Rossi {Review}

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Genre: Dystopian /Science Fiction 

Age Group: Young Adult

Publication Date: February 7th 2012

Series: Under The Never Sky #1

Publisher: Harper Collins

Pages: 374

Format: Kindle

Source: Purchased from Amazon

Since she'd been on the outside, she'd survived an Aether storm, she'd had a knife held to her throat, and she'd seen men murdered.

This was worse.

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.

Review:

I first read this book a few years ago right after it released and quickly fell in love with the story. I love a good post apocalyptic read and after I devoured The Hunger Games I wanted more of these kinds of stories. Perry and Aria have one of the most beautiful stories and remain one of my favorite book couples to this day.

After being thrown out of the only home she's known Aria is left in the "Death Shop" with nothing but the medical suit she was wearing before she left. If it wasn't for Perry finding her when he did Aria wouldn't have survived at all. They make a pact to help each other, Aria to help Perry find his nephew Talon who was taken by pod dwellers like her and Aria needs to find Bliss and discover what happened to her mother. On their journey they fight off cannibals, wolves and the ever present Aether storms that produce funnels of fire that destroy anything in their path.

Aria may have lived her entire life in an enclosed space with no survival instinct but she grows into a fierce little woman. Not once did she lay down and give up even after the devastating news of finding out her father was an outsider. everything she thought she knew was a lie and despite having every reason to just stop, she thrived instead. She doesn't care too much for Perry at first due to her preconceived prejudice for anyone who lives on the outside but I loved watching her opinion of him slowly change the longer she spent with him. Perry is one of my favorite book guys. In fact I think he may be at the top of my list. He's saved Aria's life several times despite his hatred for "Dwellers" after his nephew Talon was kidnapped by them. Perry isn't a showy guy. He's more the strong silent type, a real rugged woodsy kind of guy and I think that's why I loved him so much. His backstory was really sad and just added another layer to him that made me love him that much more.

The relationship between Perry and Aria was almost like a Tarzan meets Jane sort of union. Opposites usually attract and you can't get more opposite than these two. It's a gradual attraction between them that sizzles throughout as you experience the live changing moments that bring them together. The characters that they come across throughout the story are great additions that added different aspects to the story. Perry's best friend Roar brought humor and another friendship as he bonded with Aria I loved. Marron who has his own compound that Perry and Aria stay in to recover from the elements and the little Aether boy Cinder was my favorite secondary character. He's not a likable person at first being a starving and angry little boy but he warms up to everyone after a while and stole my heart.

Rossi brings to life a magically damaged world with amazing characters that really painted a beautiful picture with her writing style. Everything was vivid and described in a way that came alive inside my head and I love that. One of the most beautiful things about the story beside the growing romance between Aria and Perry was the Aether itself. It almost became another character with it's ever presence. The concept of how the earth was destroyed by a solar flare and left the world floundering with this super gassy sky but still able to sustain life was awe inspiring. It makes me glad that I don't use hairspray anymore with all those CFC's warnings about a depleted Ozone. I'm so glad I gave this another read because I fell in love all over again and refreshed my memory for what's to come in the next books. It may be a Young Adult story but it's highly enjoyable for readers of all ages. 

Quotes:

The rancy Dweller musk was almost gone. Her skin breathed a new scent into the air, faint but unmistakable. For the first time since he’d known her, her flesh smelled like something he recognized, feminine and sweet. He smelled violets. Kindle Loc. 1875

She’d seen a glimpse of Perry’s smile earlier when he’d heard Roar, but now she saw it in full, directed completely at her. It was lopsided and punctuated by canines that couldn't be ignored, but it was this fierce quality that made it so disarming. Like seeing a lion smile. Kindle Loc. 2139

“You have a voice as sweet as your scent,” he said, his words deep and quiet. “Sweet as violets.” Kindle Loc. 3053

Perry brushed a kiss on her cheek while she was chewing , and she learned that it was the loveliest thing to be kissed for no reason, even while chewing food. It brightened the woods, and the never sky, and everything. Kindle Loc. 3902

About The Author:

VERONICA ROSSI graduated from UCLA and studied fine art at California College of the Arts in San Francisco. She began writing fiction for teens and received first-place awards in the Pacific Northwest Writers Association and SouthWest Writers annual contests before completing UNDER THE NEVER SKY. It’s since captivated publishers in more than twenty countries worldwide and been optioned for film by Warner Bros. Veronica lives in northern California with her husband and two sons.

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