Book Recap: Under The Never Sky by Veronica Rossi (ARC)

Cover Inspection:
I like this cover better than the blue one.
reminds me of Aria and Perry's tree house love-making
under the stars.

SUMMARY (book description based on GoodReads):
Aria is a teenager in the enclosed city of Reverie. Like all Dwellers, she spends her time with friends in virtual environments, called Realms, accessed through an eyepiece called a Smarteye. Aria enjoys the Realms and the easy life in Reverie. When she is forced out of the pod for a crime she did not commit, she believes her death is imminent. The outside world is known as The Death Shop, with danger in every direction.
As an Outsider, Perry has always known hunger, vicious predators, and violent energy storms from the swirling electrified atmosphere called the Aether. A bit of an outcast even among his hunting tribe, Perry withstands these daily tests with his exceptional abilities, as he is gifted with powerful senses that enable him to scent danger, food and even human emotions.
They come together reluctantly, for Aria must depend on Perry, whom she considers abarbarian, to help her get back to Reverie, while Perry needs Aria to help unravel the mystery of his beloved nephew’s abduction by the Dwellers. Together they embark on a journey challenged as much by their prejudices as by encounters with cannibals and wolves. But to their surprise, Aria and Perry forge an unlikely love - one that will forever change the fate of all who live UNDER THE NEVER SKY
The first book in a captivating trilogy, Veronica Rossi’s enthralling debut sweeps you into an unforgettable adventure.

BOOK REPORT CARD:

Cover	3.0
Plot	3.0
Writing	3.0
Characters	2.5
Ending	3.0
Overall Rating	3.0 Very Good  (89% - 92%) * highest rating possible is 4.0

LOCATION/SETTING:
Dystopian. People lived in pods, a virtual environment. They basically view the world using an eyepiece. But there is also those that do not live in the pods, and they are considered savages.

MAIN CHARACTERS:
Aria is a girl who grew up in a virtual environment. There, everything was controlled, including the mating and the reproduction. For this reason, she doesn't know anything about the real world and how it works. Perry, on the other hand, is the brother of the blood lord (sort of a tribe chief), and has the power to scent people's emotions. He has crooked nose, and full of scars.

WHAT THE BOOK IS ABOUT:
Aria lives in a virtual environment, and sees life in an eyepiece called the smart eye. As punishment for defying the pod's rules, she was sent away to the outside world called the Death Shop. On the other hand, Perry is part of a hunting tribe in the outside world, and has very powerful senses. Aria and Perry meet and travel together to help Aria get back to the pods and to look for Perry's lost nephew.

LOVE:
I loved the adventure part of the story. Aria and Perry traveled together, and they have met some pretty interesting characters along the way. Also, for some weird reason, I found Aria's first period scene very cute. (Although it really bothers me that Aria was completely ignorant of the what, how and why of the female physiology, and that Perry had to inform her about such things.) I also loved the very slow developing romance. Aria and Perry started out as enemies, calling each other names and insulting each other. As they travel together, they became friends eventually. Then they become friends who are interested in becoming more but are still in denial of their feelings. Then after a kiss, they became a couple. As they traveled some more, they realized that they truly loved each other. Aria and Perry's relationship is just so sweet. Really touching and charming. I also love the theme of forbidden love in the story (Perry, whose powers are very rare, cannot have a relationship outside of his kind as they want to keep the bloodline pure and powerful), and the fact that Aria and Perry's sweet romance will inevitably end as their journey ends. The chapters near the end were a bit heartbreaking. Aria and Perry didn't want to let go of each other as they have become everything to one another. But they have to, and they knew this from the beginning. It was just so bittersweet - it will never be you, and you just have this one time to be with the other. Moreover, I love the fact that Perry is not your typical tall, dark, and handsome leading man. Perry is full of scars and has a crooked nose. Nevertheless, Aria viewed him as beautiful for his strength and talent.

NO LOVE:
The story was very confusing at the beginning. There were so many details that the reader needs to be familiar with to hang on to Aria's narration. It can seem a bit overwhelming most especially with the details on how people live in the pods. For the first two or three chapters, I did not know where the story was headed as there also unfamiliar things happening at once. I felt that the book lacked an introduction on how life goes in the pods as well as in the outside world. The book had a very slow beginning too. I almost set the book aside, but after Aria and Perry met, things got more interesting. I also did not like the way Aria treated Perry at first. I thought she was ungrateful - calling Perry a savage despite the fact that Perry saved her life.

FAVORITE CHARACTER:
I loved Roar, Perry's best friend. He charmed me from the time entered the story. He's handsome and funny. Most of all, he's very loyal.

FAVORITE LINE:
I will not include any lines from the book as this is an ARC, and is yet to be released.

MUSINGS:
The writing was okay, but like I said, details were bombarded all at once. But I liked the switching POVs. Somehow, this made the first half of the book bearable. I'd give the first half of the book 2.5 stars as it was quite dragging, but the second half of the book deserved 4.5 stars. Also, although I adored Aria and Perry's relationship in the story, there really isn't much romance in this book though. Most of the time, the characters are just trying to survive the outside world. Plus, I don't think Perry knows how to properly court a girl despite his claims that he has been with other girls. This book is a journey - not only a physical journey of traveling from point A to point B, but also a journey of finding oneself. This book is about feeling lost and not being a part of anything. It's about finding the true meaning of "home."

DOODLES:

AUTHOR'S WEBSITE:
Veronica Rossi

SIMILAR READS:
Blood Red Road by Moira Young
Legend by Marie Lu

CONTENT REVIEW:
profanity: mild
violence: moderate
sexual content: moderate
mature themes: mild
age recommendation: 13+