Hello! And a happy Tuesday to you!

So, last night I finished reading the first book in a trilogy by Veronica Rossi titled Under the Never Sky. I didn’t have a lot of background on this book, only that it has a beautiful cover and is set in a dystopian future. I’ve seen pictures of it going around the bookstagram universe, but no one had really said what it was about! So, I decided to jump into it without any knowledge and surprise myself! First off, I loved the writing style! I usually search Pinterest for some pretty pictures and quotes for you guys. And I usually like 2-3 quotes that I pick from. But with this book, I found like 8 quotes without even trying! There was a lot of wisdom in this book. A lot about the importance of self-discovery and independence. However, it doesn’t really feel like you’re getting food for thought while you’re reading. The story transports you to a universe so much like our own that it’s relatable, but different enough that it’s engaging. The story switches back and forth between two points of view, the Dweller Aria and the Outsider Perry. In my experience when books change POV, there is an exciting character and a boring character. When I’m reading from the exciting character, I’m totally into the story. And then it switches to the boring character, and I’m wondering if I’ll miss anything if I skip ahead ;). That was not my experience at all with this book! Aria and Perry are very different characters who each have something to offer the story. And obviously, if the writing from an alternate character is done well, it can be a big hit (I’m looking at you, Grey). So, now that I’ve discussed it way more than I was planning too, lets get into some mild spoilers!

~~Caution!  Small Spoilers Ahead~~

 The Good: Okay, when I started this book I expected a crazy future world that was generally uninhabitable for humans. Because that’s all dystopian novels, right? It’s what we love about them! I did not expect some awesome superpowers as the result of forced evolution! In this world, Rossi has given me one of my favorite things: a touch of paranormal in a normal world. Some of the characters I have come to love are Marked, meaning they are identified as having a super sense, such as amazing hearing, a sense of smell that allows you to feel emotions, and immaculate vision. If that’s not cool enough, there is something wrong with the sky. Its called Aether, and apparently in real life, it’s an element theorized by medieval scientists to explain gravity and traveling light (read more about that on Wikipedia here). But, back to the book! The Aether is causing massive storms that seem to involve lightening and tornadoes, and basically desolate the land in their wake. I think including this in the story not only gives an easy plot line to work with for future installments, but also really brings the world to life. I’m all about details! Also, the romance here! I’m a sucker for some forbidden love, and Perry and Aria have that in spades. I really enjoyed how their relationship changes from the beginning to end. It’s not “insta-love”, but a quiet progression, and that’s what makes me love it. Lastly, that ending! There was a major plot twist there that I didn’t see coming, related to Vale. And I’m usually a pretty good guesser. Prepare yourselves!

The Just Okay: Alright, there really wasn’t much I didn’t like about this book. I do wish there had been a little more

background story on Roar and just more Roar in general, but I’m sure we’ll get that in future books. He is one of my favorite characters. Otherwise, I’m pretty happy with this book! The ending had just enough cliff-hanger that I want more, but not so much that I wanted to write the author an angry letter 😉

So, there you have it! If you have read this book, leave me your thoughts about it in the comments! I’d love to hear some other opinions!

Cheers and love!

~Jordan