Under the Never Sky

Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi

Rossi, V. (2012). Under the never sky. New York, NY: Harper Collins.

Genre: Dystopian Fiction (YA)

Reverie is a virtual world compacted into small spaces. This is the world, Aria knows. When her mother goes missing, Aria finds herself in a very real world where only the strong survive. Aria shouldn’t be able to survive but secrets about her identity and reluctant help from Perry might be enough to see her through this great unknown. 

Reaction: Veronica Rossi did a fabulous job of telling this story through the eyes of both Aria and Perry. I do find it interesting that I was able to learn more about Perry from Aria and vice versa, their connection is that strong. 

I was intrigued by the world in which they live and the Aether that seems to be destroying or controlling it. 

The concept of the "marked" fascinates me...I'm still not sure if it’s a gift or a curse but I guess that will play out as the series continues. 

Roar's character makes me laugh. Cinder and Talon both seem to have special roles in the story; I wonder if children will be the key to escaping Aether...Cinder's "ability" prompted this thinking/prediction.

The book is extremely intriguing and addictive. The book pretty much had to be pried out of my hands, COULD NOT PUT IT DOWN! 

I cannot wait to read more about this world.

Side note: I do feel like a love triangle is a given for this series but I hope that Aria and Perry make it...

5 stars

"Legend"

Lu, M. (2011). Legend. New York, NY: G. P. Putnam's Sons.

Genre: Dystopian Fiction (YA)

 

In this dystopian novel, the United States is no more. The Republic is a new nation and it seems its main focus is war. War with neighboring nations and war within its own structure. 15-year-old Day was born into one of the poorer families and spends his time rebelling against the Republic. Day’s antics are extremely popular and he is a criminal to some and a legend to others. 15-year-old June was born into one of the wealthier families and spends her time preparing for a respected role in the Republic’s military. June’s skills and high test scores have deemed her the nation’s prodigy. The death of June’s brother, Metias, brings the legend and prodigy together for a story full of action, twists, and of course, romance…

Reaction: Marie Lu's approach to this story enticed me. I was immediately drawn to the characters and their emotion kept me hooked throughout the entire book. June and Day each have a distinct voice and Lu shares each of their point of views flawlessly. The distinct fonts and structured chapters help Lu to carry this out successfully. June and Day both express their thoughts in an intense, emotionally charged story full of pain, loss, rebellion, and hope. The Republic is cruel and while more explanation is needed, Lu has developed a dystopian world that frighteningly believable. 

 5 stars

*Legend is the first of a series; stay tuned for my review of its next installments.

5 YA/Teen DYSTOPIAN Novels

Five YA/Teen DYSTOPIAN Novels

In spirit of Children’s Book Week, I will be presenting FIVE quality children’s book each day. While, we tend to think of young children during this weeklong event, it is important to remember the teens too. Many teens (and adults, like me) are drawn to Young Adult (YA) novels. That being said, Wednesday’s theme is

DYSTOPIAN NOVELS

Why?

Dystopian novels feature a society that is corrupt or frightening in some way—whether it be a natural disaster, genetic/science crisis, cruel government or other terrifying aspect. In YA dystopian novels, it is common for resistance and romance to be leading themes as the main characters battle with the corruption of their society. Dystopian novels fascinate teens because like them, the main characters are faced with circumstances that make the future seem questionable and their sense of power low. Many teens experience similar feelings and identifying with those feelings as the characters seek to resist this and regain their power can be empowering for the reader too.

THE BOOKS!

 

 Delirium by Lauren Oliver                                    Blood Red Road by Moira Young

Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi

 

 

Birthmarked by Caragh M. O’Brien                                         Legend by Marie Lu

Fever

DeStefano, L. (2012). Fever: The chemical garden #2. New York, NY: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers.

Genre: Dystopian Fiction, Young Adult

Fever, is a continuation of Wither (see my review of Wither here). In this novel, Rhine and Gabriel escape from Vaughn and embark on a journey to find Rowan. The journey is rocky from the very beginning and each new obstacle is like a huge boulder determined to hold them back from achieving their goal. 

Reaction: Rhine has certainly grown as a person and as a character…and it is evident that DeStefano’s writing has improved also. After reading Wither, I would never have thought Rhine had the strength and depth to accomplish everything she did in this book. She’s not as dependent on others as it seems. Rhine's relationships and interactions with the other characters were noticeably more meaningful in this book too. For me the highlight of this book was Maddie. Maddie is a young child, a brilliant child (possibly with autism) who sees life more clearly than the adults around her do. 

I hope to see Gabriel, Maddie, and Rowan in book three…I suppose Rhine should be on that list too.

"Wither"

DeStefano, L. (2011). Wither: The chemical garden #1. New York, NY: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers.

Genre: Dystopian Fiction, Young Adult

Rhine is 16. In her world, that means her life is almost over. Huh? Yep, her life is almost over. In this dystopian novel, geneticists are scrambling to find an antidote to cure a virus causing a 20-year lifespan that plagues the world’s youth. There is much conflict surrounding geneticists and their work because they caused this virus with their attempts to create a perfect race. Rhine’s parents, both geneticists, were killed in a bombing. Rhine and her twin brother, Rowan, are left in a poverty-stricken city forced to find odd jobs to survive. To make matters worse, young girls, like Rhine, are the targets of horrendous crimes as people seek to either rebuild the human race or rip it down to prevent even more suffering. 

And that’s just the opening. Rhine is kidnapped and bought as a bride to a wealthy man, Linden. His father is a sinister geneticist who will do everything in his power to keep Rhine under his control. Will Rhine be able to escape and find her way back to Rowan?

Reaction: Despite numerous warnings from others, I have to say that I really enjoyed DeStanfo's debut novel. Wither is beautifully and addictively written. I quickly became fond of Rhine and could understand her mixed emotions about her situation. She was kidnapped, torn from her brother and home, and forced into a polygamous marriage. Her sister-wives offer an interesting dynamic to the story as they cope with their generation's deadly virus, share their wealthy husband, and try to deal with the evil whims of Vaughn. At times, I wished I could have heard the inner thoughts of Rhine’s sister-wives. Rhine finds an unexpected love interest in the mansion that is her prison—for me, this was the highlight of the book. This unexpected love adds dimension to the plot and leads to a cliffhanger ending that will be continued in the next installment of this emotionally tragic, intriguing series. (Read in August 2011)