Since she'd been on the outside, she'd survived an Aether storm, she'd had a knife held to her throat, and she'd seen men murdered. This was worse.
Exiled from her home, the enclosed city of Reverie, Aria knows her chances of surviving in the outer wasteland - known as The Death Shop - are slim. If the cannibals don't get her, the violent, electrified energy storms will. She's been taught that the very air she breathes can kill her. Then Aria meets an Outsider named Perry. He's wild - a savage - and her only hope of staying alive.
A hunter for his tribe in a merciless landscape, Perry views Aria as sheltered and fragile - everything he would expect from a Dweller. But he needs Aria's help too; she alone holds the key to his redemption. Opposites in nearly every way, Aria and Perry must accept each other to survive. Their unlikely alliance forges a bond that will determine the fate of all who live under the never sky.
***
Why I think this book is awesome:
1. Obvious separation:
I know that most dystopian novel are about keeping the citizens ignorant and what really is happening "outside". But most people living in those dystopian novels don't know about the outside. But in UTNS, the Dwellers know about the Outside, aka Death Shop, and Aether storms. Not very much, but at least they know they're in some sort of danger.
You might ask, "well, then, what so interesting about it?" the author can push the plot harder right on the first book, and even harder on the second book (I read the excerpt of Through The Ever Night). That means: Everything's gonna be way more interesting.
2. Unexpected things keep popping up:
After several years of heart-breaking, gut-wrenching, palm-twitching, toes-curling, even I thought I am used to all kinds of surprise. But no. I still can't figure out why this book can still surprise me (in a good way, of course). First is Aria being a half-Dweller. Second is Talon being so goddamn happy in Dweller's lab (and I was like why the hell is he so freaking happy?) And third is Consul Hess's blackmail. I love surprises all the time.
3. It kind of reminds me of Shatter Me
I have a habit. You can call it either good or bad. But I always put series into pairs. Like TMI/TID, Divergent/Delirium, Lux/Covenant. And now I put Under The Never Sky with Shatter Me. Their writing style is so different yet oddly the same. Running from obvious threat. You might think just because it resembles Shatter Me by your standard doesn't mean UTNS is good (or Shatter Me). Well, there's no real explaining to that. I just love Shatter Me. And somehow UTNS reminds me of Adam and Juliette (vise versa, with Aria and Perry). Maybe that's why.
***
Why you guys should read this book:
1. A different kind of dystopian novel:
Why so different? Many dystopian novel are about science and politics. Like in Divergent, all kinds of serum and battle between Erudite and Abnegation. Or Delirium, which involves the procedure and DLA. Or even Partials, which involves a disease and some kind of man-made creature. But this is different. The Seers, the Auds, and the Scires are more like supernatural things than logical. Putting aside the Smarteye and all the Aether Storm trouble, this is like a supernatural dystopian novel. Even the Still Blue sounds more like a place like Eden. This is a nice combination.
2. Few gut-wrenching:
If you read The Mortal Instruments/The Infernal Devices/Divergent/whatever, you probably know that these series are the most gut-wrenching and heart-breaking out of all series. And keep absorbing all those feels can damage your health (no kidding :D). Sometimes we really need to take a break. And UTNS is exactly the kind of break you should take. Even with all the exciting scenes, there are fewer destroy-you-into-million-pieces feels. Which is kind of relaxing.
See my full review here:
http://smoking-hot-books.blogspot.hk/2012/10/under-never-sky-review.html
Oh, and Through The Ever Night, the second book of this series, will be released on January 8th, 2013
Not far away, so no gut-wrenching? NO, I need to take part in my school examinations at the moment. *Sigh
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