Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi

Publisher's 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.

In her enthralling debut, Veronica Rossi sends readers on an unforgettable adventure set in a world brimming with harshness and beauty.

My take: My mind is scattered in all kinds of little pieces as I’m sitting here trying to think of everything I want to rave about this book, and I’m having a really hard time sorting them all out in my brain. First of all, I’m kicking myself for taking so long to read this book because I gave myself all sorts of excuses for holding off on reading this one, but this book should not have been left collecting dust on my bookshelf waiting for me! It’s a disgrace I tell ya! There were way too many books that I should not have put in priority over this one, and I’m truly angry with myself that I did just that; especially, after personally meeting Veronica Rossi at more than a few book signings! And now I’ve become a super-fan!

“What the…?” Yep! That’s exactly what I said to myself near the end of this book. Who would have thought that I would have been pitched that stunning twist near the end? There really isn’t much that I can say about this book that was really very predictable but, even then, I did not at all expect the twist that jumped out at me, and it took me a few moments to truly wrap my mind around it. It completely caught me off guard, and I was just as shocked as Perry…maybe even more so! But he seemed to take it better than I did! Then I found it pure craziness with the way Perry handled this shocking news, and I was completely baffled that this was the only resolution to the problem. And, yes, I’m trying to say all this without giving you any details (to avoid spoilers), so I hope you get what I’m trying to say here.

I love how Aria calls the people that live outside the Pods “Savages.” It defines them perfectly! And I actually find it quite funny that she has to explain herself to Perry. There are Outsiders that are way more savage than others like Perry and Roar, but I cannot deny that the way Perry lives and what he does to survive is anything but brutal.

The world that Veronica Rossi built, Under the Never Sky, and the way the story flowed, were just perfect! It seemed like each chapter made the next chapter better, and I grew extremely attached to the story and characters by the last few chapters. Not only was the story amazing, the characters were extremely well developed. I admired Aria for her strength and determination, and for how much she grew from the beginning of the story until the end. Aria ended up becoming one, kick-butt chick! But I can’t say she wasn’t ALREADY one tough chick because, from the very first moment she was thrown out of Reverie, the things she went through were just truly horrifying. And Peregrine (Perry) was the perfect male protagonist for the story, being truly savage but at the same time (deep down) he wants to do what is right. But I will have to admit that I was concerned throughout the story whether Perry’s intentions were actually selfish or whether he really was making the right choices. There is also this kid who ends up being kind of a tag-along character, and I could not help but like him, and Talon (Perry’s nephew) is also a super sweet kid. I cannot forget Roar! What is there to not like? I can't think of anything. And then there are a few more characters that come along a little more than midway into the book that I grew a soft spot for.

Then there are the completely savage beasts that come into the story! They’re absolutely freaky and utterly crazy, and I’m shuddering just thinking about them.

What I love most about this book is that we get a post-apocalyptic book, with science fiction/ paranormal elements to it. The story has a great, complicated romance in it that plays a fun part in the book, but the best part is it's not just the romance that makes this story amazing…it’s the whole freakin’ story.