Under the Never Sky audiobook

Sometimes your book reading experience comes down to one single factor: Do you like the MC?That character can make or break a book.Name the biggest praise and the biggest complaint about J.D. Salinger's Catcher in the Rye. If you said they're both Holden Caulfield then you get the gold star. This book was teetering on a precipice for me. It could either land back on solid ground or go toppling off into the deep end. eventually, the main characters, Aria and Perry, are what stacked it back to being a great read.There's a lot to like about Rossi's futuristic science-fiction novel. The world building is fascinating and vivid, yet simplistic enough for most audiences to grasp reasonably well. The writing is fair enough and I felt that it was reasonably tight and serviceable. It wasn't a perfect novel but I feel that it achieved what it was meant to and that was inspiring me to invest in Aria and Perry's story. Mostly I'm just impressed with Rossi because she clearly is a badass.I can just imagine how her meeting with the editor went:"Ms. Rossi, thank you for coming. We love your first copy but we're concerned about this Aether thing. What is it? Where did it come from? How does it work?"Rossi sits back in her chair and kicks her feet up onto the editor's table. She pulls out a raw falcon egg and starts eating it. "So?" she asks between bites."Well, you never clarify how it works? Why it's there? How did it come to be there?"Rossi shrugs casually. "Meh. I don't give a shit. It's there. YA takes it for granted that a 108 year old vampire would fall in love with a teenager. They'll figure out this Aether shit. They have google.""But-" the editor tries to continue.Rossi pins the editor with a withering gaze. "I could devote ten boring pages to giving some lameass sciency explanation of the Aether or I could add in 20% more awesome. Also, I know how to falcon punch. I learned it from the mother of this egg I stole before I gave a right hook and uppercut to a shark."The editor decides that surrender is the better part of valor and everyone learns an important lesson that day. Especially the wild life. The End.So basically, I like this book, and even if Rossi does eat raw falcon eggs, I like her characters and I like her style.And hopefully you will too. If you know what's good for you.This review also appears on my blog, Cuddlebuggery Book Blog.

As seen on The ReadventurerMy opinion about Under the Never Sky is similar to the one I have about Unearthly. I am not going to claim that these books are ground-breaking or Printz-worthy. But in their genres, dystopia/post-apocalyptic and PNR respectively, they are as good as it gets. They are well written and entertaining, with characters and relationships that do not annoy and make you roll your eyes. The summary of Under the Never Sky does this book a disservice. It is accurate enough, but overwhelms you with weird names of things and places. I'll try to explain the plot in a, hopefully, simpler way. In a distant future, our (I assume) planet is ravaged by strange climate changes that make living on the surface quite rough. A big part of the population now exists inside huge, self-supporting, sealed from the outside domes. This group of people finds its only relief from the tediousness of the confined, sterilized living in virtual realities. The other half of the population barely survives outside. Food is scarce, climate dangerous, the living is primal, only the fittest survives.Aria belongs to the sheltered kind, Perry - to the savage kind. When Aria is expelled from the security of her dome, she joins Perry, and together they ally to reach their separate goals.While Under the Never Sky is hardly super-original, whatever genre tropes are used in it, are done exactly to my taste. The novel has dual narration, but the choices Veronica Rossi made here work just right. 3rd person helps her avoid the customary similarities between her characters' voices. The switches between the POVs always happen when it is the most advantageous, no repetitiveness, no excessive navel-gazing (also, very frequent whenever 2-POV structure is used).Another plus, Under the Never Sky is more of an adventure story, rather than romance (thank you, Jesus! I mean, Harper Teen). The love story line is strong, but the romance is slow-burning, not angsty, not overwhelming. The priorities are straight here - there are more important things in the characters' lives than a few days-long romantic relationships, things like families and loyalties. Finally, the characters. I really liked Aria and Perry, especially Perry. There is a soft spot in my heart for a guy who is understanding of and helpful during the special lady days (aka periods).Basically, Under the Never Sky, in my eyes, is a perfect mix of adventure and love, sci-fi and romance, entertainment and heartbreak. I am definitely coming back for more.

i started reading this for the intriguing plot, but finished reading it for the characters (more specifically, the romance). so funny how priorities and interests can change throughout the course of a story. and its not because the storyline is lacking in any way; i just found the characters to be the strength of this book. they are so complex and have so many layers (even the minor characters!). but especially perry - he is one of those characters that is more than meets the eye and that is such a treat for a reader. i also think aria is really well-written. her character has such a lovely balance between being tender, but also strong. and these two together are the ultimate couple goals. there is soooo much angst between them for like 70% of the book, but it built up to something to satisfying to read. i am definitely rooting these two in the books to come. i would definitely recommend this to those looking for a unique sci-fi story set in a crazy world, filled with very likeable characters! ↠ 3.5 stars

I thought Tatiana's comparisons between this and Blood Red Road were spot on, Under the Never Sky is definitely a very similar kind of book but without the strange dialect that sometimes made the other difficult to appreciate at times. They both focus on the dystopian aspect, instead of getting caught up in a romantic whirlwind, they both feature a journey that keeps the novels fast-paced and interesting, and I can honestly say that I cared about the characters in both books.The romance, when it arrives, is told perfectly. It didn't feel rushed or "insta" and I liked Aria and Perry enough already to want them to be together. Perry was an especially intriguing character, his past and his motives for doing what he does throughout the novel endeared me to him almost immediately. He does seem to think that monthly ladythings smell like violets but, oh well, nobody gets it right all the time...As well as Blood Red Road, I recognised similarities between this and another dystopia I've read recently: Pure. Both use the idea of humanity being split into two, those "lucky" enough to make it into the domes and those who are forced to live outside - the latter of which are meant to be the underprivileged and uneducated group. Of course, things are not all what they seem and the domes aren't as rosy as they first appear. A fact which becomes apparent when a boy and girl from each world happen to meet. The difference is that Under the Never Sky is just an all round better book, in terms of writing, plot and characters. In Pure the reader is bombarded with overly descriptive and often shocking imagery, it's okay at first but after a while I began to wonder where the actual story was amongst the descriptions. The characters were only as good as their weird physical portrayal and had little personality. So if you were wondering which of the two to go for, here's my recommendation.Though I can't say this is the best book or most unique storyline I've ever read, I found it very entertaining with all of the elements balanced just right: action, adventure, dystopia, romance and even the occasional touch of humour. I'm really looking forward to the sequel.

I tried twice. I only reached 10% so no ratings for this one. The writing style is way too choppy, and there are so many pronouns that I get lost on what the heck is going on. However, maybe it is me since many other readers have no problems reading it AND clearly they enjoy it. So, don't let my inability to read this book stop you from giving it a try. Yes I'm eating crow.I was wrong!Don't be shocked. It happens often. I know you can't believe it but yeah, I was wrong.This turned out to be a good book with a bad, boring start. I ended up really, really liking it. I'll write more later (I'm sure you've heard that before but no, I gotta catch up on my reviews eventually).

Reread and still 5 stars! Reread this because who doesn't want a wild boy , with a strong sense of smell, to fall in love with you, and think your essence smells like violets, and is content with smelling you all day. (okay, that sounded weird but its romantic in the book okay?)initial read Savage boy + tame girl love story 😍A dystopian book without the cliche rebel plot and annoying mc 😍

Yeah, that's right—5 stars, glitches! This book is massive champ. Sorry, I just had to find a way to use that Dweller slang somewhere in this review. Ha. Now that I got that out of my system let's get down to business. Under the Never Sky is set in the future where the world is ravaged by Aether storms that strike the earth with fire. Humanity's forced to split into two different societies—the Dwellers and the Outsiders. The Dwellers live in dome Pods and people go about their daily business wearing a Smarteye—it's a device that allows them into a virtual reality (Realms) where everything is “Better than Real.” There's no fear, no stress, just a psuedo-life of doing whatever your heart desires. Want to become a mermaid and swim around? Go on ahead. Interested in the Medieval times? With a quick tap of a button you can be there. The Outsiders are just the opposite. They live off the land—think to more primitive times with hunters and gatherers—and are split into small tribes led by a Blood Lord. There's also something special about people who live out under the Aether. A few of them have enhanced Senses (smell, sight, sound), a sort of mutation from exposure. For example, someone with a smell Sense can scent if someone lies. Someone with a sight Sense can hear miles away. Aria has lived all her life under a dome logged into the Realms. In an attempt to reach her mother (who she hasn't heard from in days) in another dome, Aria's caught breaking several rules that nearly bring down the whole Pod. As a result she gets banished to the outside world, left to die. Perry is an Outsider who's gifted with two Senses—sight and smell. Tension brews with his brother, the Blood Lord of their tribe, and it's to a point where he needs to leave or fight him for leadership. But then a fellow tribe member is kidnapped on his watch and he flees to get that person back. On his trip, he meets with Aria. Although they don't like each other, they decide it's in their best interest to help each other find their loved ones. Before I really delve into my opinion on this book, I noticed how this novel shared similar elements to other sci-fi/dystopia novels I've read within the past year. Everything from Ready Player One, Enclave, Blood Red Road, and Across the Universe. There's a long journey by foot, search for a loved one, an addicting virtual reality, crazed mutated humans, false sense of utopia, enclosed societies, rumors of a safe haven—it's all here, but Veronica Rossi certainly makes her own mark with an exciting new approach and world. The writing was simple, straightforward—it easily thrusts you into this world. And let me tell you the world building was striking and vivid. Majority of the novel takes place outside the Pods and for that I'm glad because I enjoyed going along with these characters and exploring the real. There's just something about adventure/journey books that spark my interest, especially one as engaging as this is. I loved reading about the characters trudging on to new places and meeting new people (by the way the minor characters are brilliant and captivating). It gave a fast-paced feel (hell, they run from cannibals and wolves, dodging any Aether falling from the sky). On a different note, I did find the justification for Pods and Realms fascinating as well. It's not entirely odd that part of society would revert to technology in order to keep the masses from going crazy. Today we are so immersed in it anyway, why not make it a permanent way of life. It was better left to explanation rather experiencing it through a character's eyes, though. Don't get me wrong, the Realms do sound interesting, but at the same time I feel like I'd get bored with it if that was the backdrop for the novel. Under the Never Sky is written with a dual narrative which I appreciated so much. I think it gives a great insight to the main characters Aria and Perry and kept it fresh. I got quite invested in these two, also. With Aria, I was pleasantly surprised. I figured as someone who's been sheltered she'd be an annoying damsel in the distress the entire time, utterly useless. Nope. Not to say that she didn't have her stumbles and flaws, but she was determined and kept trekking on, no complaints on her physical pain—there was something admirable about that. I thought she went through a great transformation, if you think of how far she came from the first page to the last, evolving into who she was meant to be.Perry, hands down, is one of my favorite male protagonists I've ever come across. He's a layered character with so much weighing on his shoulders. He's had a rougher life than Aria's seemingly pristine one, living with what some (his family) have said to be a blessing and a curse (those two Senses). I think his best trait was his innate compassion. He hated Aria, but even so, he protected her, he tended to her wounds. And not just with Aria, but with a few minor characters as well. He sort of sneaks up on you and steals your heart. And the romance! It's so, so well developed. I think I would have punched this book in the gut if it had the characters instantly falling head over heels in love. There was a lot of animosity between Aria and Perry in the beginning. Understandable under their circumstances, a dislike based on ignorance and (view spoiler)[the aftermath of what happened in Ag6 (hide spoiler)]. But then there's a mutual agreement between them that slowly eases into a camaraderie and then into something more. It felt believable even though in reality it was only a few weeks. And with what they go through, I'm not at all surprised they formed a strong bond. This is a biggie, but I think their relationship is one of my favorites in the YA sci-fi/fantasy genre. There was some well placed humor here and there. Also some great twists and secrets. I anticipated a few things but they were expanded into something that still surprised me. This is such a well rounded, GOOD novel—the characters, the world, the relationships, the plot, the execution. I want to sing from the rooftops that I looove this book! Cookies for you if you get the reference. I even reread it right after (yep, you read that right—not something I normally do) and I stand by my initial reaction: this is an awesome book. I know it's early in the year, but I'm pretty sure it'll make my favorites of 2012 list. *Reread 3/26/13. Still amazing. *Reread 1/19/14.

Eine super dystopie für Einsteiger in das Genre. Die Welt ist nicht allzu komplex und die Geschichte bezieht sich auf das wesentliche, wegen sie stellenweise nach meinem Empfinden etwas schmucklos wirkte. Aria und Perry sind ein süßes Gespann, ihre Empfindungen und Gedanken sind gut nachzuvollziehen. Ich werde auf jeden Fall weiterlesen, da das Ende schon etwas fies war :D

During the first few chapters of this book, I was tempted to violate my sacred rule in reading books (finishing a book once I started it). The backdrop of the story seems so alien to me and I felt like I will be reading another measly done dystopian trilogy. But wait, after reading the first few chapters. I have proven myself wrong. Under the Never Sky is an original dystopian novel and is a very strong foundation to a trilogy. So, for fans of dystopian series, this series is a must read.

4.25 delighted ★★★★✩ This book is for you if…ya dystopian novels with fantasy elements and an enemies-to-lovers-trope are just the thing to get you going. It reminded me a bit of Divergent - but not quite as good - and can be described as a better version of Breathe. Should you give this a try I'd advise you to have the sequel at hand. ⤐ Overall.Having added this to my to-read shelf probably a lifetime ago, I still didn't bother checking the synopsis when I started reading this like a week ago for my book club. I just dived in head first, no safety net, no nothing. It was totally worth it, though!This book is very well planned out, telling a story set in the US of the future. Veronica clearly took care of thinking her book through, and both the plot development and the writing style very much agreed with me. The only criticism I can bring to the table is the fact that up until the end of the book I was still wishing for a tad more world-building.Be ready for a teenage-angst filled book with lots of smouldering glances and just the right mixture of romance and adventure. "if there was no fear, how could there be comfort? or courage?" ⤐ What’s happening.Aria knows something is wrong. Her mother is in Bliss, a faraway research unit of Reverie, the remainder of modern civilization - full of technological wonders with a terrible downside. People may look perfect, genetically modified according to their maker's wishes, but sanity is slowly crumbling apart.Aria has to experience this first hand. Trying to get a hold of her mother, she follows the risky undertaking of a fellow teenage boy who turns into a cruel monster the minute they leave the safety of their controlled environment. Only with the help of Perry does she survive the catastrophe that follows. Her relief lasts a short while, however, when the leaders of her community drop her off in the wilderness and leave her to die. Except Aria doesn't die.Perry is at constant war with his short-sighted brother and his primal need to take over as the leader of his tribe. When his nephew is taken by the Dwellers - the flawless humans dependent on technology - all he can think of is getting him back. An opportunity to do so arises when Perry crosses paths with the girl he saved from the exploding pod.Despite their harsh feelings towards each other they strike a deal: Perry will get Aria to Bliss so she can find her mother and she will help him get back Talon. Barely even able to look at each other in the beginning, it still doesn't take long for both of them to leave behind their prejudices and their reservations towards each other._____________________ Writing quality + easy of reading = 4* pace = 5* plot development = 4* characters = 4* enjoyability =5 * insightfulness = 3*