Reading Hammock’s Rating:
|
3.5 out of 5
|
Category:
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Fiction
|
Fiction Genre:
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Dystopian
|
Title:
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Under the Never Sky
|
Author:
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Veronica Rossi (@V_Rossibooks) |
ISBN-10:
|
006207203X`
|
ISBN-13:
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978-0062072030
|
Publication Date:
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January 2012
|
Publisher:
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HarperCollins
|
Format:
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Hardback| Paperback | Digital |
Audio
|
Synopsis:
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 Review:
While I
thought that “Under the Never Sky” was a refreshing take on the popular
dystopian genre, the plot needed to be enhanced by more intricate descriptions of
the world.
For example,
the “Aether storms,” that play a significant part in the novel, were never
clearly described. This lack of
description made it hard for me to imagine the dystopian world. The crafting of a unique world is one of the
most distinguishing aspects of the dystopian genre and I felt like I was
missing out on this while reading “Under the Never Sky”.
Although Rossi
does not describe the world in enough detail, the characters are strongly
anchored by dimensional qualities. Rossi
eases the reader into becoming familiar with the characters by showing their
human emotions. This humanity is what
makes the characters relatable. As a
result of these human features, the reader is able to hold onto something
familiar in the characters, which live in a foreign and unknown world to those
reading the novel.
I believe
that a sequel to “Under the Never Sky” has the potential of being a great read. This is because Rossi has the opportunity to
expand her world, while maintaining a fast paced plot. Rossi would have the ability to enhance the
sequel because the readers are already familiar with the main characters. If Rossi decides to write a sequel to “Under
the Never Sky” she can give the readers information in piecemeal, eliminating
the potential of confusing her readers. In
a sequel to “Under the Never Sky” Rossi would be able to craft a well-rounded
series that continues the first story fluidly because she kept the reader
wanting more in the first novel.
I would
recommend that you test out “Under the Never Sky” tentatively to see if you
like it. I am in a neutral position on
this novel and would only advise against trying out “Under the Never Sky” if
you do not typically enjoy dystopian novels.
