Review: Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi

Title: Under the Never Sky
Author: Veronica Rossi
Genre: YA Dystopian Science-Fiction
Publisher: Atom
Length: 374 pages
Original Publishing Date: 
Series: Under the Never Sky #1
Where I got it: Audiobook from the e-library
Links: Goodreads Amazon Author's Website

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Synopsis from Goodreads:   

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.

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Main characters: 3.5/5
I was pretty unenchanted with Aria at the beginning. I couldn’t get a read on her personality and my first impression was that she was ditzy and silly. Ultimately, I think this was the goal, because it made her personality change all the better. I ended up really liking Aria, her stubbornness and her drive. 
Perry was pretty cool. I loved his relationship with Talon and his desire to do well by his people. There was a lot of detail in his character: his tattoos, his abilities, his personality. 
I liked that Aria & Perry’s relationship grew slowly and began as a friendship rather than an insta-love romance. Sometimes it almost seemed like it grew too slowly?

Secondary characters: 2/5
I was very disappointed in the quality and quantity of the secondary characters. We possibly see the most of Roar but he seemed fairly flat and one-dimensional. Perry’s brother was the most intriguing to me. There was more depth and intrigue to him than the other main characters. Talon was cute, but I didn't feel like he was a fully developed character, more like a plot point.

Writing Style: 2.5/5
I really struggled to get into Under the Never Sky in the opening few chapters. I wasn’t really digging the whole dome thing (as I’d just finished Pure and Fuse and this felt like a shoddy knock off), and the action and characters seemed stilted and jolty. Once Aria left the dome however, I felt like the pacing really started to get into its groove. I can't say that Rossi's style was anything spectacular, in fact there was a lot to be desired, but it moved well and kept me entertained.

Plot: 2.5/5 
Arggghh the worldbuilding. This is a baby of mine- I love the worldbuilding. And I felt like Under the Never Sky’s worldbuilding was honestly pretty shoddy. There wasn’t a lot of description or explanation about why things were the way that they were. In other news, the abilities were not necessarily unique but I liked the way that Rossi added in minute details that contributed to the complexity. Okay, and seriously? What’s up with the aether storms? Can I get a little more description or explanation there?>

Ending: 1.5/5
Props for Rossi for making an end that simultaneously keeps all the secrets hidden and ties up the first book. That being said, it was unmemorable.

Best scene: The siege on the castle

Reminded Me Of: Pure meets Crossed

Positives: Positive character change and growth, interesting premise, pacing began to get better half way through

Negatives: Secondary characters, some of the writing style, worldbuilding, unmemorable ending

Cover: I LOVE the UK cover for sure, although some parts of it remind me of a romance cover, but the US is just ok. Gives me of an aether feel, but I don't like the girl.

Verdict: A lackluster dystopian- am I getting tired of them or is this one really just not that good?

Rating:  4.8 / 10 (3 stars)

Your Thoughts: Have you read it? What did you think? If you haven't, will you be adding it to your TBR list? Let me know!