Book Review: Under the Never Sky Trilogy by Veronica Rossi

The three books in this trilogy are Under the Never Sky, Through the Ever Night, and Into the Still Blue. This series redefines the dystopian genre, breaking all the stereotypes of plot and characters while still working inside a world ruled by a heavy handed, totalitarian government. But what makes this series so unique is that outside of the world of Reverie, where the citizens spend their days in alternate, fantasy worlds, connected through Smart Eyes, there is a thriving culture of Outsiders, those who weren’t lucky enough to be sheltered away when humanity could no longer survive on the surface of the earth. Outside, aether storms, like hyped up lightning, destroy the world, but tribes of Outsiders manage to survive. The story follows Aria–an ‘Insider’–when she finds herself (though PLOT POINTS, that I won’t reveal because spoilers) on the Outside. There she teams up with Perry, an Outsider, who Aria has been raised to believe is a Savage, a monster of a human being. Perry likewise hates Aria for being a part of the people who left his tribe outside to die while they hid in safety from the aether. The inevitable happens as Perry and Aria feel drawn to each other–but how can two people so different ever love each other? Over the course of three books, the two struggle to reconcile their pasts with their new futures and find a place of peace as the world falls to pieces around them.

Veronica Rossi creates addictive characters and tumultuous, can’t-put-the-book-down plots. She has a knack for knowing exactly which conflicts to force between her characters, AKA exactly the best way to rip out the reader’s heart. It’s a dystopian world without the cliche revolution. It’s a fresh take on romance and character development. All in all, it is refreshing. A must read for people beginning to doubt the world of YA can ever surprise you.