Under the Never Sky

The short version: Really good easy reading. Nice characters, good writing style.Longer version: Many moons ago, when I was young and dinosaurs roamed the Earth, I read a book called [b:Devil on My Back 1190717 Devil on My Back (Arc One, #1) Monica Hughes https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1336746901s/1190717.jpg 1178743] by [a:Monica Hughes 84820 Monica Hughes https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1291739338p2/84820.jpg]. In this book civilisation had fallen, though islands survived - self contained settlements called “Arcs”. As the book opens we realise that the dwellers in “Arc One” have developed a disturbing reliance on computer technology for all aspects of thought. Soon one young dweller is cast into the outside world - believed to be certain death - only to learn how to survive without his smart-tech.This is essentially the same plot. Oh, though the settlements are called “Pods” not “Arcs”.Don't get me wrong - this is an updated version (technology has progressed) and it is a really good updated version. Avoiding serious spoilers, our main character Aria is thrust out of her “Pod” into a wild world she does not understand. Everything she knows slowly unwinds, revealing the fabric of lies she has been fed. What is real? She soon meets up with an outsider, a hunter called Perry. Sure romance ensues eventually as it does in many YA novels, but it is well written and far more balanced than in many similar books. Aria is not a helpless princess, but neither is she a cynical over-competent ice-queen. She's human, and so is the well-meaning but seriously put-upon hunter Perry. The romance enhances the plot and the characters - it doesn't overwhelm them, or feel tagged on. I like that.One more thing - there is no love triangle thank the heavens for that.So good characters, a great setting and a plot that really draws you in.Any warnings? This book ends halfway through the story. If you are going to read it, have book 2 to hand - you'll want to jump straight in.