Book Thoughts: Under the Never Sky

Title: Under the Never Sky
Author: Veronica Rossi
Series: Under the Never Sky #1

I finished this earlier today, and I wish I didn't have to wait all the way until January for the sequel. So good!

Aria has lived in the Pod known as Reverie her whole life. She has been sheltered from the outside world, existing in a place where disease has been eradicated and almost all interaction occurs in a virtual world rather than the real world. Perry's life has been the opposite. He grew up hunting and struggling to survive, dodging storms that lashed out from the Aether in the sky and knowing how dangerous life could be. When Aria is exiled from Reverie, she and Perry will need to rely on each other in order to save them both.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I loved the characters, I loved the setting - the idea of the Aether and the Pods is really cool. I kept reading because I needed to know what would happen next. I also really loved how distinct Aria and Perry's voices were. Even though none of the book was in first person, the focal character of each chapter was always clear just through the narrative voice. I love that.

Also: it wasn't love at first sight yay! Aria and Perry have to work at it and learn to trust each other, and the progression of their relationship from enemies to friends to something more was really well done.

Basically I just really thoroughly enjoyed this book and I cannot wait to read the sequel. Definitely read it!

Book Thoughts: The Gardener

Title: The Gardener
Author: S.A. Bodeen

Science fiction + global warming + eco-cyborgs = a pretty intense mix of stuff.

The only connection Mason has ever had to is father is a DVD of the man, shoulders-down, reading The Runaway Bunny. So when a comatose girl at the hospital where his mother works suddenly wakes up when she hears the story on the DVD and begs to leave, Mason - who has a bit of a hero complex - rescues her.

The girl only remembers bits and pieces of who she is and what has happened to her, but Mason can tell that she's anything but normal. The circular scars covering her legs only add to the mystery of the girl's past. Add in that there's a tattoo on her arm that matches the one on Mason's father on the DVD and the fact that the least official police force Mason has ever encountered is chasing the girl he rescued. There's mystery and adventure brewing, and Mason may not like what he discovers.

This novel takes a real, present-day scientific crisis and gives it an impossible solution with just enough scientific backing that it just might happen. Add in two teenagers who are trying to figure out the truth behind the science and the mystery of the girl's past, and you've got The Gardener. I will say that I figured out the end well before I got there, but it was one of those books that was worth reading anyway. Not the best book I've ever read, but still definitely worth my time. I'm glad I read it. You should check it out too.