Ever since I read Harry Potter and The Hunger Games, I’ve been looking for a series that could inspire me as much as those stories did.

Not only am I a YA novelist, but I’m also a high school English teacher and the president of our local writers guild. That being said, I’m picky. I read the Matched series and Divergent – both nice series – but nothing has captured me like Under the Never Sky! And why is that?

First, author Veronica Rossi’s world is rich and believable. One of her two main characters, Aria, grows up in the sheltered safety of the Pods. Like in most dystopian novels, this life is seemingly perfect. People live extremely long lives. Medical procedures and genetics have eradicated most diseases. Plus, everyone is protected from the dangerous Aether storms that come without warning, ripping up the world outside the domes. And while they cannot physically leave the Pods, Aria and her friends are able to visit fantastic Realms using their Smarteyes – technological devices that operate like smartphones on steriods.

But Aria’s perfect life is shattered when she is falsely blamed for a crime. Her punishment – to die alone in the wilderness, the Outside, the “Death Shop” as they call it.

However, life has found a way to continue, even in the Death Shop. Large tribes of people have fought back against the wilderness, the cannibals, and the Aether storms. They’ve established medieval style villages and their own system of governments. There, the highest honor is to be Blood Lord of one’s tribe. And other than his nephew Talon, this is all Perry can think about. He wants to be Blood Lord and lead his people out of the Aether ravaged lands to the safety of a place called the Still Blue. But Still Blue is only a myth, and Perry isn’t Blood Lord. That title belongs to his brother Vale – a man torn apart by loss and anger.

The second reason why Rossi’s series is so amazing is the complexity of her characters. Each are well written with their own strengths and unapologetic weaknesses. Plus, all have secrets that are only revealed with time. Not only will the reader love Aria and Perry’s interactions, but they will also fall for characters like Roar, Cinder, and Talon as this incredible story unfolds. And forget selecting your favorite house at Hogwarts. By the time you finish this book, you’ll be trying to decide which you’d rather be – Scire, Aud, Seer…or something entirely different. (Hint, hint.)

I read the first book in one day. It has already brought me more reading enjoyment than I’ve had in years. And as I devour the second in the series, I can only say I’m longing for more of the magic that occurs “under the never sky”!