About This Blog

Many of the books I read are part of a series. Often, it can be months and months before the next book in the series becomes available. By that time, I have already read so many other books that it's sometimes difficult to remember details or where the story left off. I'm using this blog to record recaps of the books I have read. This will allow me to re-familiarize myself with the story and characters when I get to the next book in the series.

This is not intended to be a book review site but simply a personal journal for me to refer back to as needed. These recaps are written in a way that makes sense to me and will help me recall the story. Readers should be aware that spoilers will be included in the recaps.

Under The Never Sky by Veronica Rossi

This post contains spoilers!

Characters

Aria - 17 yr. old girl who lives in Reverie; her kind are called Dwellers

Peregrine aka Perry - 18 yr. old boy who lives outside the pods; part of a tribe known as the Tides; he is a Scire - his two exceptional senses are that he's a Seer (night-sighted) and a strong sense of smell; his kind are sometimes called savages

Lumina - Aria's mother

Paisley - Friend of Aria

Soren - Privileged son of Reverie's Director of Security

Counsel Hess - Soren's father; the Director of Security at Reverie

Bane - Friend of Soren

Echo - Friend of Soren

Vale - Older brother of Perry and the Blood Lord (leader) of the Tides

Talon - 7 yr. old son of Vale; very close to Perry

Mila - Wife of Vale/Mother of Talon; she has just recently died

Olivia aka Liv - Sister to Perry and Vale

Roar - Best friend of Perry; in love with Liv; he is an Aud (exceptional hearing)

Cinder - a young boy found in the forests; his body is in sync with the Aether and he can burn and incinerate

Marron -  He is the leader at Delphi, a protected, ornate community which provides health care


In Reverie, everyone is genetically enhanced to make them healthy and more perfect; most of their experiences happen virtually. They all wear tech pieces called Smarteyes which allow them into the Realms - virtual worlds where they can go or do just about anything. Aria's mom is an important scientist in Reverie. Her work has taken her to a distant pod called Bliss. There is a power disruption between Bliss and Reverie and Aria has lost all contact with her mother. Hoping to get some information out of Soren, Aria and Paisley agree to accompany him (and Bane and Echo) on an illegal adventure - they plan on sneaking into a non-functioning section of Reverie by disabling the security and their Smarteyes. Once they get there, Soren, Bane, and Echo seem to lose themselves and have a hard time distinguishing the real from the not-real. They start a fire which soon gets out of control. Aria tries to reactivate her Smarteye and get help but is only able to make it record what is happening. When Aria and Paisley try to escape, they are attacked by the boys. Suddenly a stranger appears on the scene, a savage. He fights off the boys and carries a barely conscious Aria to safety, then disappears (taking Aria's Smarteye with him). Only Aria and Soren survive the escapade.

The stranger was Perry. He was attempting to sneak into the pods to steal medication for his nephew, Talon, who is sick. Perry is at odds with his brother Vale over how the Tides are being led. Perry does not think that Vale is doing enough to protect and provide for the tribe. But, because Perry loves his nephew so much, he does not outwardly challenge his brother.

Back in Reverie, Aria is questioned about the events leading up to the fire. Without her Smarteye, she has no proof that Soren was responsible. Soren's father assures her that all will be investigated and that he is sending her to Bliss to be with her mother. But, he is secretly trying to protect his son and cover up the incident. Aria is put into a hover in what she thinks is a trip to Bliss. Instead, she is dumped out into the outside, left to fend for herself. Meanwhile, the guards who dumped Aria come upon Perry and Talon while they are out hunting. They abduct Talon and fly away with him. Perry is left thinking that they took Talon in retribution for him taking the Smarteye (which is non-functioning now). When Vale learns about this, he and Perry fight but in the end, Perry runs away. He vows to himself that he will get Talon back on his own.

Aria and Perry meet up again in the outer world. While they do not trust each other at all, they agree to help one another. They will travel to Delphi and ask Marron to repair the Smarteye. Then they will get back to Reverie where Aria will have proof of Soren's crimes and Perry will be able to rescue Talon.

During their journey, they encounter danger. They survive Aether storms and then Aria's carelessness causes Perry to have to take the lives of three member of the Croven (cannibal tribe). They continue traveling toward Delphi, meeting Roar along the way. Roar has news of Perry's sister, Liv. She was recently betrothed to another tribal Blood Lord by Vale. The arrangement was that she would marry the rival Blood Lord in exchange for food supplies for the Tides. Half of the supplies were sent, but Liv ran away without completing her end of the bargain. Roar, has been searching the outer lands for Liv. He agrees to travel with Perry and Aria. Along the way, they meet a young wild boy in the forest, Cinder. They soon learned that he has some special power connected to the Aether and can ignite and burn things at will. During a scuffle, he accidentally burns Perry's hand badly. With the Croven hot on their trail, the group finally makes it to the safety of Delphi.

While receiving medical care and awaiting the repair of the Smarteye, Aria and Perry begin to realize they have strong feelings for one another. But, because Perry is a Scire, they know that they cannot be together in the end. When the work is completed on the Smarteye, Aria finds that she is blocked and unable to connect with her mother, Bliss, or Reverie. She and Marron guide Perry through the Realms via her Smarteye. There, he makes contact with Talon who reports that he is being treated well and likes it there. He also tells Perry that his father, Vale, is with him in Reverie. Soon, Aria, Perry, and Roar attempt to leave Delphi. The Croven are still waiting to make their attack and they are forced to return to Delphi.

Finally, Aria and Perry leave Delphi on their own. Perry agrees to escort Aria to Bliss so that she can find out whether her mother is really alive or not. Then, they will part ways and Perry will return to his tribe to assume leadership as Blood Lord (since Vale is now in Reverie.)

When Aria reaches Bliss, she sneaks in and learns that her mother has died. She is soon discovered and captured. Counsel Hess tells Aria that the worsening Aether storms are a threat to all of Reverie and their way of life. He will not allow her to return to Reverie and threatens her with this - unless she agrees to go to the outside and find information about the safe area known as The Still Blue, they will harm Talon and Perry. She agrees.

Perry leaves Aria behind at Bliss, not knowing what has transpired inside or that her mother is really dead. He is very despondent over parting from her. In the forest, he comes across a band of men and end up in a brawl. One of the men, a Scire named Braids, admires Perry for not forcing him to pledge his allegiance after winning the fight. The band of men decide to follow Perry back to the Tides and serve him there. When they reach the Tides, Perry is surprised to discover Vale is actually there, not at Reverie. He figures out that Vale set up Talon's abduction (much in the same way that he "sold" their sister, doing what he thought was for the good of the tribe) and that he wanted Perry killed by the Reverie guards. Perry and Vale fight it out and in the end, Vale dies and Perry becomes Blood Lord. The people of the tribe now know the truth about Vale and are willing to follow Perry.

Aria makes her way back to Delphi and awaits spring's arrival with Roar. Then she will set out to find the Still Blue and Roar will journey back to the Tides. Aria gives Roar a violet, asking him to give it to Perry. Once she is on her way, she and Perry reunite in the outside.

Legend by Marie Lu

This post contains spoilers!

This story takes place in the Republic (which long ago was known as the western coast of the United States). There are various sectors within the Republic - most of which are poor, dirty slums. The Republic is at war with it's neighbors, the Colonies.

In the Republic, kids are forced to take a test known as the trials. If their score is high, they are assigned to a top university where they undergo highly specialized training which will allow them to eventually serve the Republic. If their score is low, they are immediately sent away to labor camps, never to see their families again.

June (15) is from an elite family of the Republic. Her parents are dead and she lives with her older brother, Metias, in a nice, affluent area of the Republic. Metias is a captain with the Republic forces. June, is just about to complete her training to follow in her brother's footsteps. She is something of a military prodigy - the only one to achieve a perfect score in the trials.

Day (15) is from the slums of the Republic's Lake Sector. After failing his trial (we later learn the Republic lied about his trials - he didn't really fail, he actually got a perfect score), he is sent away from his family. Day lives on the streets and over the years commits acts of sabotage and crimes against the Republic. Because of this, he has become the Republic's most wanted criminal. However, no one knows for sure his true identity and he eludes capture. While living on the streets, Day has partnered up with a younger girl, Tess. She is an orphan that he encountered and took under his wings. Day's family consists of his mom, older brother, John, and younger brother, Eden. His father is dead. Day's family presumes him to be dead as well. Only John knows the truth - that Day is alive. They keep the truth from their mother and younger brother because it would be too risky for them if Day were ever captured by the Republic. Day secretly tries to help out his poor family by bringing them food and supplies that he scavenges from the streets.

Other characters:

Thomas - A soldier; originally from the poor sector but worked his way up through the ranks and is 2nd in command under Metias; long-time friend of Metias; seems to harbor secret affection for June.

Commander Jameson - Ruthless superior of Metias; when Metias is killed, she allows June to serve in her unit.

Kaede - A tough girl bartender; she faces off in the Skiz fight with June; we later learn that she is a Patriot rebel



Viruses rage within the poor sectors of the Republic. The army (plague patrol) routinely performs door-to-door sweeps to tests the household members for the virus. Those found to be infected are quarantined to their homes and basically left to die. A large X is marked on the home to indicate the presence of the virus. During one of the sweeps, Day witnesses the soldiers mark his mother's house with a special X and soon discovers that his little brother, Eden, has become infected. Day is determined to somehow get his hands on "the cures" - whether he has to buy them or steal them.

In a botched attempt at breaking in to a Republic lab to steal the cures, Day is almost apprehended. While making a quick getaway, he comes face-to-face with soldier Metias but manages to escape. When Metias is found dead at the scene, Day is blamed for the murder. Filled with anger, June vows to capture Day and make him pay for the death of her brother.

June is allowed to graduate early and go to work for the Republic. For her first mission, she plans an undercover operation to try and find Day. She spends several days out on the streets, living among the poor, scouring for information that could lead to Day. When she inadvertently becomes involved in a Skiz fight, June finds herself injured and in a dangerous situation. The crowd wants her to stay and continue fighting but June refuses and walks away. The angry and unruly crowd tries to come after her but a mysterious boy suddenly appears at her side and helps her escape. June finds the boy attractive and is drawn to him. They do not exchange names or information - it's too difficult to trust anyone on the streets - and spend several days together. He, along with a young girl, help June as she heals from her wound. It's only a matter of time before June realizes that the boy is Day. She is conflicted because even though she knows he is the enemy, she is still feeling a connection to him.

June informs Thomas of her findings and exposes Day and his family. During the raid on Day's home, Thomas kills Day's mother (on orders from Commander Jameson). Day and his brothers are captured and taken away by the Republic. While imprisoned, Day doesn't know what has become of his brothers. He soon learns his own fate when he is sentenced to die in a few short days. Crowds from the slum sectors show up in protests, causing near riots over the upcoming execution.

Meanwhile, June continues to feel a connection to Day. Although Day insists he did not kill Metias, she is not sure if she can believe him. She is shocked when Day tells her that he thinks the Republic controls the virus - who gets it and when. He also tells her the truth about the so-called labor camps. The children who fail their trials are not really sent away to labor camps...they are used for medical experiments and/or killed by the Republic. He tells her that when he failed his own trials, the Republic took him away and experimented on him. Only when they thought he had died, was he able to escape to the streets. For appearances, June remains loyal to the Republic. But, she secretly starts investigating on her own. She studies the crime scene photos taken when Metias died. She pours through her brother's journals and discovers some cryptic hidden messages. This leads her to a secret website, made by Metias, to reveal the truth about the Republic to June. Everything Day had told her is true. Thomas is the true killer of Metias. Furthermore, she learns that her parents were killed after learning the truth about the Republic's involvement with the virus.

June devises a plan to help Day and John escape and intends to carry it out just before his execution. She reaches out to Tess and Kaede, hoping that the Patriots will be able to assist in freeing Day. Commander Jameson throws the plan off somewhat when she suddenly moves up Day's execution day. Kaede and the Patriots show up to help. But, while June is trying to flee with Day and John, it becomes clear they are not going to be able to pull of the escape. In a split second decision, John sacrifices himself so that June and Day can get away. The Republic executes John, telling the public that it was Day who was put to death. With the help of the Patriots, June and Day escape to Barstow, California. It's a sector that's far enough away for them to hide out for awhile and decide their next move.

Day tells June that he wants to head for Vegas. This is where he hopes to find Tess and make sure that she is safe with the Patriots. He also intends to head back and find out what happened to his younger brother, Eden. He tells June that it's okay if she doesn't want to stay with him but she pledges to stay and join him in his mission.