Review ~ Under the Never Sky ~ Veronica Rossi

Title: Under the Never Sky

Author: Veronica Rossi

Published: 7th February 2012

By: Atom Books

First line: They called the world beyond the walls of the pod “the death shop”

Last line: Sorry, would be a spoiler!

Under the Never Sky brings me back to the dystopian genre, something I don’t seem to be able to get enough of at the moment. In this instance we are transported to the future where the planet has, due to climate change, become a dangerous, inhospitable place to live. As a result a large proportion of the population, also known as dwellers live in an underground environment known as the realms where through the use of a smarteye you can imagine any environment you would want to. The dwellers are I guess ‘the haves’. The ‘have-nots’ are the outsiders, 'savages' that live outside the walls of the realm where resources are scarce and survival is a constant struggle.

At the beginning of the story we meet Aria, a dweller, who is trying to make contact with her mother, a scientist who works in a different area of the realm. As her plan to find out about her mother’s welfare goes wrong Aria finds herself cast out into ‘the death shop’ to die. Things take a turn however when she ends up meeting Perry, a boy she has met fleetingly before and who considers to be a savage. Perry has his own issues. Cast out by his clan after his nephew is kidnapped he is now searching for the child, his only goal to bring him home. The two outcasts team up with Perry helping Aria to find her mother before he begins his own search.

I love the way that Rossi writes. She gives the information you need and that’s pretty much it – no guilding the lily, no over-egging...you get my drift. But there is enough information there for the reader to be able to visualise everything and to get to know the characters and their flaws and weaknesses as well as their strengths. I also like the use of the dual POV here. She switches flawlessly between the two perspectives as she moves through the plot and the switch is made just at the right time when one character or the others view or opinion becomes more salient.

I love the slow build up in Aria and Perry’s relationship considering the hostile circumstances in which they meet but what I really like is that both are such strong characters, never losing sight of their goals in the pursuit of each other. I also liked Roar and Cinder and I look forward to reading more about them in the sequels. And the ending...well it just left me craving the next book.

The only thing that annoys me about this book is that I have to wait so darned long for the sequel ‘Through the Ever Night’ which isn’t due out ‘til 2013. Now that is just wrong. It’s so so wrong...

4/5 Do I have to wait a whole year for book two? Seriously?!