Under the Never Sky

Gr 7 Up—Aria has lived her entire life in the domed city of Reverie. As the story opens, she is sneaking into a restricted area with the security chief's son, Soren, in hopes that he will be able to help her reach her scientist mother, with whom she has lost contact. The son turns strangely violent and Aria only survives his attack by the timely intervention of Peregrine, one of the "Savages" from outside the dome. In order to keep her quiet, Soren's father casts her into the outside world to die. She is saved again by Peregrine, who is on his own quest to rescue his nephew from dome "Dweller" kidnappers. Though from different worlds, the two must work together if they are to prevail in the wilderness. Rossi's novel transcends the bleak category of dystopias to which it technically belongs. There is a luminescence to her characters and world that denies the grim realities of environmental degradation, domed cities, genetic disease, and roaming bands of cannibals. The almost-magical senses that Peregrine and Aria possess allow Rossi to expand her descriptive palette beyond the mundane spectrum to create truly wondrous images. Her action sequences are cinematic in feel while her romance builds from tentative feelings to a powerful bond between Aria and Peregrine. The hopeful ending leaves room for but doesn't necessitate a sequel. Although this is a first novel, it comes across as the work of a master craftsman and should appeal to both teen and adult readers far beyond dystopia fans. Film rights optioned by Warner Bros.—Eric Norton, McMillan Memorial Library, Wisconsin Rapids, WI