Format: Hardcover, 374 pages
Publisher: HarperCollins
Publication Date: January 4, 2012
WORLDS KEPT THEM APART.
DESTINY BROUGHT THEM TOGETHER.
Aria has lived her whole life in the protected dome of Reverie. Her entire world confined to its spaces, she's never thought to dream of what lies beyond its doors. So when her mother goes missing, Aria knows her chances of surviving in the outer wasteland long enough to find her are slim.
Then Aria meets an outsider named Perry. He's searching for someone too. He's also wild - a savage - but might be her best hope at staying alive.
If they can survive, they are each other's best hope for finding answers.
As a reader and writer, I don't personally prefer anything written in third-person. Although many of my writing professors have told me that third-person is better because you can provide the reader with a wider-scope of information. I agree with this statement but I also find that third-person is very detached--in third-person the reader is told what the character is feeling as opposed to being in the character's shoes and feeling their emotions. I still prefer the first-person prospective but I found that in reading Under the Never Sky that I was not completely right about this writing style because I did feel the characters' emotions, and in some ways I understood their thoughts and actions better than in third-person.
1) This book follows both Perry and Aria's point-of-view, providing the reader with a well rounded understanding of the setting, plot, and all of the characters' ways of seeing and understanding things. Also, both characters had very distinctive voices. As I have said in my review of The Fault in Our Stars, it's very difficult to be able to dual point-of-views without the characters sounding too much alike. I didn't find that to be a problem with this book. The two characters are so opposite in personality that it was clear who was speaking, feeling, and acting.
2) I enjoyed the building of Aria and Perry's relationship. It was interesting to read a couple that really resented each other develop into a strong bond. I can't think of any book that I have read where the couple for a long period of time disliked one another and then was written so well for the reader to be able to see that it's developing into something more than hate. For example, in Harry Potter, I saw no build to Hermione and Ron becoming a couple. They were always bickering and fighting, and then boom they have feelings for each other, I felt more chemistry between Hermione and Harry than between the actual couple.
3) The book was more than just Aria and Perry's relationship. There were other plot lines that wove together to form the entire plot. Although Aria and Perry are obviously a major plot-line, the book didn't purely move forward because of their relationship. There were other relationships, problems, actions that pushed the book onward. Life is more than just the person you are with, you have family, friends, enemies so I think that this book illustrated all of that very well.
4) As I said earlier, this book really opened my mind more towards the third-person perspective. The most recent third-person series I read was Harry Potter, but since then I have strictly stuck to first-person writing, because all of the other third-person perspectives I have encountered have been unfulfilling for me.
*Spoiler Alert!*
1) This book needs more description. This is probably my main problem with this book because to me there are a lot of things that are unclear. I had a problem understanding Aether storms, to me it sounds like lightening that strikes at random, but I don't understand how it's constantly brewing and why is there is no rain, clouds, and what about the sun? Is it visible when it's light out? Also, why are aether storms drawn to the medicinal suit but not the Smarteye?
Another problem I have is why is that the Dwellers smell so bad? Specifically, why do they smell like they are dying? And how does Aria's female body changes suddenly wipe all of that away? Another thing...was Aria just bleeding all over the place or did Perry teach her how to use a tampon? Did they have tampons or were they using make-shift pads? It was all very confusing.
Lastly, if Aria is half Outsider and half Dweller how did Lumina conceive her? Did she have sex, and then hide her belly from all the other scientist and Consul Hess? Or did she extract sperm from Aria's father and then create her? It doesn't seem logically that Aria's mom should be able to conceive normally since she always lived in the Pods. Hopefully the second book and the upcoming third book will answer these questions.
Perry remembered what she'd said in her room. We could miss them together. She'd been right. It had been easer with her. Perry placed his right hand on hers. 'Are you alright?' he whispered. It wasn't what he wanted to know. Of course she wasn't alright. What he wanted to know if the together part still mattered t her. Because even though she was confused and sorry and angry, it still mattered to him.
"What are you doing?" she asked.
"I can't concentrate. I thought I could do this." He put his hands up in defeat. "Can't." Then he came closer. Aria didn't think her heart could beat any faster, but then it did, faster with every step he took toward her until it hammered against her chest, making her breathless when he stopped right in front of her. Her wooden blade rested on his chest. She stared at it, her heart in her throat. She stared at the way it pressed into his shirt.
"I've been watching you and Roar. Wanting it to be me training with you." His shoulders came up. "I don't want to do it now."
"Why?" Aria's voice was high and thin.
He smiled, a flash of shyness, before he leaned close. "There are other things I'd rather do when I'm alone with you."
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