Under The Never Sky (Under The Never Sky #1) By: Veronica Rossi

Title: Under The Never Sky (Under The Never Sky #1)

Author: Veronica Rossi

Published: January 3rd, 2012

My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars!

Goodreads Summary:

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.

My Thoughts:

I was so hesitant to read this one, only because so many people have loved it and were  desperately awaiting its sequel so I finally decided to get on with it and read it and I absolutely loved this one and I am happy to say that it had became one of my favorite reads this year. 

Aria lives in the world of Reverie, an enclosed dome where their lives are spent in virtual realms living their lives safe away from the Aether that was killing humans and the domes were their only solution to protect themselves from the Aether storms coming from the sky. When Aria is abandoned to the outside after a cover up of a situation involving a government officials son, she thinks that it's the end, people like her can't survive outside the domes, fearing for her life and in an unfamiliar world Aria has a chance encounter with an Outsider, or Savage as the people from her home call them and although Perry hates people like Aria "Dwellers" or "Moles" as his people call them, he can't seem to let her go, to wander the landscape alone. As Perry and Aria, find an unusual alliance with one another they both have something to gain by staying together begrudgingly in the beginning. Little does either know that they both need each other more then they even realize. 

I loved Aria as a main character, for me I really enjoy seeing a character who doesn't know the strength they have inside themselves from the very beginning. Aria is convinced she is going to die, that she isn't going to be able to survive outside of Reverie. But, with the help of Perry she does. She really evolves throughout the book and becomes a tough and strong woman who realizes that she can and be more than she ever imagined living under the dome.

Perry was one of those characters that had to grow on me a bit before I really liked him. It felt a little bit formulaic between hi m and Aria, they both hate each other because of where they come from and he was a bit too broody sometimes. But, as the story unfolded and you learn more about his life and who he is, you begin to understand him and why he acted the way he did which definitely painted him in a new light for me. 

My absolute favorite character was not one of the two above but, a secondary character Roar. Roar is part of Perry's tribe and also the love of his sister Liv's life. As Perry and Aria are on the journey for answers, they run into Roar who is searching for Perry's sister Liv, who never made it to the man she was to marry in a neighboring tribe, once Roar entered the book he breathed new life into the book, he seemed so happy and go lucky, funny, and just plain fun, I wanted to read more about him and I found myself missing him when the pages weren't filled with his growing friendship with Aria and his banter with Perry.

Overall, Under The Never Sky was such a solid read, I enjoyed it and although it was a dystopian it focused more on the characters then the world around it which I enjoyed, it was a great balance between the two which made the book even better. If you enjoy dystopians and I also saw a few similar aspects in this one as Black City By: Elizabeth Richards, then you will definitely enjoy this one!