Review + {GIVEAWAY}: Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi

Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi 

Pages: 374
Publisher: Harper Teen
Genre: YA Dystopian
#1 in Trilogy

GOODREADS

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 storm...

Quick Thoughts

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Guys, I loved Under the Never Sky. There is so much awesome in this book that it's lethal. Seriously.

Review

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So, let me start this review with the basics: the world. (Wow, I never knew the whole freaking world was basic, right? Well it is now.) In Under the Never Sky, the world is not how we know it now, nor has it been for a very long time. There are deadly electrical energy storms that plague the earth, called aether storms.

Imagine that, but apparently blue/purple.

Humanity, doing what it does best, found a way to beat mother nature and holed itself up in little pods, then created a virtual reality called the Realms so everyone wouldn't die of boredom. It's like playing Wii, but on steroids. All you have to do is imagine that you're somewhere, and you're there. You can feel it, smell it, see it, and do whatever you like. I loved the world that Rossi created, because it's something that I believe isn't so far off. We already have, as I mentioned earlier, the Wii, and our iPads and Xbox, and however many other virtual games out there. Who's to say that it won't ever go a step further and become real, in the sense that instead of just incorporating the sense of sight as it does now, these virtual realities will affect all five senses. At first the descriptions of the technology confused me, but once I understood it, I thought it was really cool.

Second up, our main character, Aria! Now, for me, when I first started the book, I wasn't too keen on Aria. I didn't dislike her at all, I just wasn't connected to her. However, once she's dumped on her butt out in the open and dangerous air, I started to like her. She's a fighter, this one, and she's smart too. I have a thing for heroines who are badass, and I tip my hat to Aria. She may not be the baddest of asses, but she can hold her own. I loved the play on words with Aria's name, because she's an opera singer, and an aria in opera is a solo. There's importance to the fact that she's such an amazing singer, but I won't spoil why. On another note, to tie it back into the 'world' aspect of the book, in the pods, the female reproductive system is basically turned off. Children are not born, they are engineered, and when people do the deed, they're doing it in virtual reality, so there's no risk of pregnancy. (You'll see the quote below, actually.) So, once Aria is thrown out into the real world... her body starts adapting... and awkwardness ensues. It was so funny, because I actually called it a few chapters earlier when she said she had cramps in the lower part of her stomach and I was like "OH, SHE'S GOING TO GET HER PERIOD." And, well... I'll just let you enjoy the awkwardness, so I won't spoil it, but it was fun-ney.

Now, we come to my favorite part of the review. PEREGRINE. Or, Perry for short. He's the kind of guy that can just...

Yep. Exactly. He's that kind of guy. What I liked was that this wasn't an instant love by any means. When Aria and Perry first meet--actually meet, as in she's conscious, and you'll understand why I'm clarifying that when you read the book--she's afraid of him, and they both mutually dislike each other. There's quite a bit of hostility between the two. Both Perry and Aria lost everything because of each other, and now they're stuck together as they search for the way out of their predicament. What I love is that Perry is quiet and brooding, but he can bring on the snark if the need arises. Plus, he's a Scire, which means he has extra sensitive smell. He can even smell people's emotions! Which can be both a blessing and a curse. But it was really amazing to read from his perspective, because it was so different from Aria's! The way Perry thinks was just... wow. Since he's so in tune with what people are feeling, it's like a constant flood of emotions. And Perry is actually extremely sensitive, he just doesn't show it on the outside. So, he would adjust his reaction according to what he was smelling. Oh, I just loved Perry. I want to marry him and have his children.

This book was riddled with awesome characters, the most awesome of which--besides Perry and Aria--was Roar. Ohmygod I love Roar. It's a true, all consuming love of the best kind. He is the type of guy that will be a wonderful gentleman one moment, and then would just as soon peek in on you while you changed. (Not that I would have a problem with that, mind you.) He added spark to the story, and plenty of comic relief.

Under the Never Sky wasn't really action packed, save for the very beginning, and the very end. There's a sort of lag in between those two where there is a lot of walking and talking (literally, I'm not just trying to be quirky). But, with the walking and talking comes vivid characterization, so it wasn't really noticeable, or at least it was easily overlooked that nothing really happened. That shows just how amazing this book is, that the vibrancy of the characters certainly outweighed the plot.

Who Should Read This Book?

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EVERYONE. If you are a living, breathing human being, read this book. If you're a fan of fantasy, paranormal, dystopian, contemporary, historical--guess what? I DON'T CARE. READ THIS BOOK. There is honestly something in it for everyone, no matter what genre is your favorite.

Tyra agrees; YOU read this book. Now.

Memorable Quotes

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She looked up. “A world of nevers under a never sky.”
She fit in well then, he thought. A girl who never shut up.

* * *

Roar leaned across the table and smiled at her seductively, his dark hair falling into his eyes. "When you say everything happens in the Realms, do you mean everything?"

Aria laughed nervously."Yes. Especially that.There are no risks in the Realms."

Roar's smile widened. "You simply think it and it happens? And it actually feels real?"

"Why are we talking about this?"

"I need a Smarteye," he said.

* * *

In the afternoon, they stopped to eat on a rocky outcrop. 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.

Read it for yourself!

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Buy the Book

Amazon

Kindle: $10.99

Paperback: $8.04

Hardover: $11.98

Barnes and Noble

Nook: $9.99

Hardcover: $11.98

The Book Depository (Free shipping worldwide!)

Paperback: $9.76

Hardcover: $13.80

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About the Author

Website • Twitter • Facebook

Veronica Rossi's debut novel, UNDER THE NEVER SKY, will be published in over twenty international markets, starting on January 3rd 2012 in the United States. Film rights to the trilogy have been optioned by Warner Bros.

When not writing, she chases after her boys, who make her laugh every day, and who teach her about love that's "a million gazillion times bigger than the ocean."

What Other People Say

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Book Fanatics
A Lush Budget Production Tales of a Ravenous Reader
Taking It One Page at a Time
Redhead Heroines

GIVEAWAY

Want to win this snazzy signed bookmark that I got at an author signing when Veronica Rossi came here to Miami?

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Out Today: The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michele Hodkin

Coming out is THE UNBECOMING OF MARA DYER! I love love loved it and YOU NEED TO GO BUY IT RIGHT NOW AND READ IT AND OMG.

Author: Michelle Hodkin
Pages: 450
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing
Genre: YA Paranormal Thriller/Romance

Mara Dyer doesn't think life can get any stranger than waking up in a hospital with no memory of how she got there.
It can.

She believes there must be more to the accident she can't remember that killed her friends and left her mysteriously unharmed.

There is.

She doesn't believe that after everything she's been through, she can fall in love.

She's wrong.

Review: Possession by Elana Johnson

Author: Elana Johnson

Pages: 416

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Genre: YA Dystopian

Reading Level: 14 years old+

Buy The Book

Vi knows the Rule: Girls don't walk with boys, and they never even think about kissing them. But no one makes Vi want to break the Rules more than Zenn...and since the Thinkers have chosen him as Vi's future match, how much trouble can one kiss cause? The Thinkers may have brainwashed the rest of the population, but Vi is determined to think for herself.

But the Thinkers are unusually persuasive, and they're set on convincing Vi to become one of them...starting by brainwashing Zenn. Vi can't leave Zenn in the Thinkers' hands, but she's wary of joining the rebellion, especially since that means teaming up with Jag. Jag is egotistical, charismatic, and dangerous--everything Zenn's not. Vi can't quite trust Jag and can't quite resist him, but she also can't give up on Zenn.

This is a game of control or be controlled. And Vi has no choice but to play.

I’m trying to get myself more into the dystopian genre, so when I received Possession, I saw the perfect opportunity to become more acquainted with the genre and hopefully fall as deeply in love with it as others. The verdict? I loved Possession, and I love dystopian.

What I loved was that from the beginning, Vi was a total badass. She didn’t have a high regard for the strict rules of her society, and was often in trouble with the law for things that would seem petty to us in our time. But one day, Vi is caught outside with her best friend, and future match, Zenn, and she’s taken to a sort of prison facility… and thrown into a cell with a very hot, and very Bad, Jag Barque. And on top of that, Vi is hearing a persuasive voice in her head that certainly doesn’t belong to her. Together, Jag and Vi break free and head for his home, but they’re being pursued, because both Jag and Vi have special abilities that the Thinkers would like to use very much.

It was great to get inside of Vi’s head (haha, pun intended) and read the story through her eyes. She was a perfect, totally strong and kick ass female protagonist. She had to face many hardships and tough decisions, such as whether the man she thought was her father really had her best interest in mind, or whether he just wanted to use her. And coming to terms with the fact that  yes, she did love Jag and wanted to be with him, but Zenn needed her just as much, and she couldn’t just leave him behind after the years they had spent together.

Elana Johnson had a fresh and detailed writing style that clearly built up her dystopian society. There were a few brief instances when I got disoriented in the narration, but they weren’t important and didn’t affect my reading experience. Overall, the whole novel flowed well and was very well thought out. I loved the concept of the Thinkers, and how they had the power to push thoughts into people's heads, basically enabling them to make anyone do whatever they wanted. Scary.

I became very emotionally invested with these characters, especially with Vi and Jag’s relationship, and I’m fervently hoping that there will be a sequel. I enjoyed Possession, and recommend it to anyone looking for a thrilling read. I give this novel 4.5 out of 5 stars.