Pearls Cast Before a McPig

Under the Never Sky (Under the Never Sky #1)
by Veronica Rossi

What is it about:
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.

What did I think of it:
Yes: yet another Dystopian Young Adult story.
And I checked this one for possible present tense before buying it and luckily it's not written in present tense.

I really liked this book.

The Dystopian setting is really interesting. Not just the outer wasteland where Aria ends up: the city she grew up in is really intriguing as well. I was even a little bit disappointed that Aria left the city so early on in the book, because I wanted to learn more about the society within the city.

But my disappointment didn't last long: the outer wasteland was really fascinating and full of danger and soon I was totally engrossed in the story.

I really liked Perry, he is a strong character, but with some flaws that make him more human. Aria was a bit more difficult to like at first, but she grew on me. It did help that she grew up a bit along the way as well.

The one negative thing I can say about this book, is that it doesn't have a proper ending in my opinion. It sets itself up for the next book, setting up a new major plotline near the end and leaving it wide open. It could be just me, but it feels like cheating the reader into buying the next book.

That annoyance aside I did really enjoy this book and will probably be buying the next book as well, but I would also have done so without the big arrow at the end of this book pointing to the next book.

Why should you read it:
It's an intriguing Dystopian story