Under The Never Sky

Under The Never Sky
Veronica Rossi
374 pages
Publisher: HarperTeen
Source: library
★★★☆☆

You can read the Goodreads summary here.

Under The Never Sky came out in January so I know I'm a little behind the game here, but my library just got it in and let me tell you the wait was worth it.  Under The Never Sky is being billed as a post-apocalitypic science fiction novel, but it's actually got a little something in it for everyone.

The post-apocalyptic world Aria grew up in is pretty segregated.  You've got those who live where she lives, in pods with fancy technology and no wants for anything, really.  Then you've got those living in The Death Shop, the "Savages" as they're called, those who still live in the outside world, filled with Aether that is rumored to those in the pods to kill you in the most horrible ways.  When the two meet it definitely causes clashes that will keep you turning the pages.

The science-fiction aspect of the novel really intrigued me the most, I think.  Those in the pods wear little devices on their eyes, kind of like a built in smart phone but with much greater technology.  Since life in the pods in and of itself is pretty boring, you can use your Smarteye to virtually travel to other realms and there are plenty to visit.  Aria and her mother used to visit a realm with a giant stage where Aria would serenade her mother, but there are also forest realms and others you can visit.  This didn't seem entirely unrealistic to me; surely we don't have the technology now for this kind of thing, but at the rate technology advances, I don't think it's out of the question for something to be attached to our bodies at some point in the future... and I'm certainly not saying that's a good idea.  Under The Never Sky taught me that.

Finally, there was also a romance in the novel.  It's not a hot and heavy romance, but Aria and her suitor do have a sort of je ne sais quois chemistry.  The way their romance progresses, it actually reminded me of the romance in the Outlander series between Jamie and Claire.  Maybe it was the way they were thrown together followed by all the epic fighting in the woods.  Either way, it was a great plot thread in the novel.

I really liked Under The Never Sky and if you're a fan of epic adventures, I think you'll like it, too.  It's got a little something for everyone.