Roar and Liv (Under the Never Sky Book 1)

Review originally posted on The Book Addict's Guide

Completed: April 18, 2013
Publishing Info: October 30th 2012 by HarperCollins
Source: Purchased ebook from Google Play (so I could easily read it on my computer)

Can we please have a full-length novel from Roar’s POV? Yes, ALWAYS MORE ROAR. Roar is definitely my favorite character of this series. I love his humor, his loyalty, and seeing his friendships grow. He is a joy to read about and I’m so glad I FINALLY got around to reading this novella because even though we get more of the story in THROUGH THE EVER NIGHT, we really get to know Roar and Liv as a couple and their backstory in this novella.

Veronica Rossi’s writing is amazing, even in only 76 pages (or how ever long the ebook translates to based on where you purchase it). She paints such vivid pictures to begin with and then adding in the abilities of the Scires, the Auds, etc and we get even MORE vivid pictures. Her characters are amazing, fully stacked with imperfections that make them the amazing people they were before UNDER THE NEVER SKY and who they’ve become at the end of THROUGH THE EVER NIGHT. Everything is so perfectly woven and carefully plotted out but it all seems so effortless and natural.

And of course, I’ll talk some more about Roar. Seriously, Veronia Rossi? Please? Let’s have book three from Roar’s POV!! He’s easily one of my favorite secondary characters EVER (yes, ever) and I’m so glad that at least we have this novella! I really loved getting to know Liv even more and I was so sad when it ended because fans who have finished books one and two know where the story line is headed from there.

If you’re a fan of this series and you’re not quite sold on novellas, this is the novella to start with! Definitely worth it to read this one!

I love reading novellas. They're the perfect opportunity to delve deeper into backstory, provide a better look at secondary characters and elaborate on the world-building. While they're not necessary additions to a series, I feel like they can certainly add to and enhance the overall reading experience and Rossi's novellas do exactly that. They give us a new perspective into the minds and relationships of some of our favourite characters and add depth to events that have already taken place within the series.

Roar and Liv takes place prior to the events in Under The Never Sky, focusing not only the romantic relationships that Perry and Roar have, but also their dynamic as friends and as family. We learn how Vale came to sell his sister and exactly why Roar left the Tides. We get to see how things came to be so tense between Perry and Vale and experience just how callous Vale could be. This story unequivocally broke my heart. It broke my heart because I read it with the tragic knowledge of what would befall Roar and Liv in Through The Ever Night. Roar quickly became one of my favourite characters in this series with his easy-going nature, humourous attitude, loyalty and strength. In a way, after seeing what transpired between Roar and Vale, you can really understand why Roar could be a bit of an ass sometimes. You feel the love between him and Liv, the way they thought they'd really be together for forever. Roar and Liv adds so many feels to this series and I highly recommend reading it after UtNS and TtEN.

Original Review at Belle of the Literati @ [...]

"If I have to lose everything to keep her,
I will."
--Veronica Rossi, Roar and Liv

Short little Sunday treat of a review!! *sigh* I binge read (like this is something new) Roar and Liv a few nights ago and if I had to sum up my thoughts with one nonverbal action it would just be a sigh. These two are too cute for words, seriously. We get a lovely insight into the world that Perry comes from before he meets Aria in this fantastic e-novella. This story however follows Roar and his romance with Perry's sister Liv. Their tribe is struggling and Vale who is the leader of the tribe as well as Perry and Liv's older brother decides to sell Liv to another tribe wrapped up as a wife in order to feed the rest of the tribe. We knew this from Under the Never Sky but reading it played out in words...uh...let's just say things didn't go over quite well. Vale really is quite the bastard, excuse my French, but seriously. He is a mean little man...and by little I mean roughly 6'4" and probably upwards of 250 pounds but I digress.

We also get a little more insight as to the unrest in the tribe with Vale leading and the discourse as to if people really need to marry those who share their special oversensitive senses. I loved being plunged back into this world of Aether and Auds and Scires, oh my! And while all of the selling of your sister to another tribe stuff sucks major the moments between Roar and Liv are just adorbs. They are so sweet to each other and I love reading about couples who sense from each other when they need the other person and when to respect their independence. These two have that. As much as Roar would like to scrap that courtesy most of the time the main underlying emotion as to why he doesn't is respect. He respects Liv and her choices, even when he doesn't agree, and he lets her be who she is. Angry, passionate, fiery, and he loves her just the same. He just loves her so much and his inner dialogue as to what he's thinking when he sees her and spends time with her made both my heart melt and mouth laugh out loud. He's quite sassy this Roar...and I love it.

This was a perfect addition to the Under the Never Sky story and I cannot WAIT for Through The Ever Night!! Eep!

I enjoyed Roar’s character in Under the Never Sky and when Mrs. Rossi wrote a short about him and his love, I was so excited! Thanking god I was able to borrow this short from the library, I dove right in as soon as possible! It took me a while to fall back into this world and to remember the characters as it’s been a year since I’ve read Under the Never Sky but once I was able to figure things out, I couldn’t help but be sucked in! Why I haven’t gotten back to this series sooner is beyond me! Must get to the sequel!

Roar and Liv’s story was a reminder why I hated Vale! I get he needed a solution to save his tribe and just like any kind of kingdom or society, there must be sacrifices. But it doesn’t mean I have to agree with him or like what he does and what he does is devastating. Which is why throughout I hoped Perry would stand up to him….but I know that’s not until, Under the Never Sky haha.

Overall this was a good little tale and it makes me want to get to Through the Ever Night. Reading this reminded me how much I loved Under the Never Sky and its captivating world. So if you’re fans of this series, this is a must! Though I enjoyed this romance and hated how Roar and Liv’s story ended, I mean how could you just leave it there! I want to know what happens! I think I enjoyed Aria and Perry’s story more but that’s only because I fell in love with them in the first book.

I went into this novella without having read any of the rest of the series. I like to read things in Chronological order, which sometimes gives me a different outlook on the prequels when I finish them. That being said, this novella was extremely well written. I know nothing of this world, or the basic idea of the main part of the series, and yet after these 70 some odd pages, I'm hooked. I was reading it on my Nook and didn't have book one with me at the time and I was upset that I couldn't immediately get into the first book! I want to know where all of this was leading, I want to know what some of the words which weren't really explained in this prequel mean, and what the world is like in the dystopia that the author has created. I'm so excited for the rest of the series!

Originally published on my blog @ Little Pieces of Imagination

They say that your heart is the size of your fist. I have very small hands. My thoughts after finishing Roar and Liv’s novella were something along like this: “I think I [just] broke my already tiny heart into a million, even smaller pieces. What kind of a cruel joke is this???” I loved being inside Roar’s head and seeing his POV on things. His relationship with Perry got a whole new meaning and this one quote made me smile while at the same time want to sob like crazy:

Perry looks right at me. "What do you think we are?"
.........
"You're better than a brother," he says.
*sobs uncontrollably*

I truly came to understand Roar and his pain now. He is one of the most loyal, caring, sweet, thoughtful characters I have ever read about and above all an amazing friend. He will always be one of my favorite fictional characters and if you haven’t read this novella yet, give it a go! It’s amazing how much Rossi can make you feel in so few pages. Plus, who can pass up an extra dose of Roar? Anyone? Yeah, didn’t think so:)

Overall rating: 4.8 out of 5.0

Review courtesy of Dark Faerie Tales

Quick & Dirty: An emotional look into the love of Roar and Liv in this prequel short story.

Opening Sentence: I make my move when the tribe is asleep.

The Review:

Roar and Liv is a quick supplemental story for readers who enjoyed the first book in the Under the Never Sky trilogy. This is a short novella set right before the events in Under the Never Sky. Roar and Liv are in love. They always figured they would be together even though they never really thought about marriage, until the day Liv's brother Vale announces that she will marry a rival leader. This novella explores Roar's feelings for Liv and even explains a bit of what Peregrine goes through with Vale as the ruler.

This is a fascinating novella to read for those who have read Under the Never Sky. It just fills in information about the village that Peregrine comes from and the journey to the northern tribe that they undergo before Liv disappears as explained in the first novel. Even though this is a prequel of sorts, I think this would be best read after Under the Never Sky to truly understand what the characters have gone through to get to the point they are at now. The timeline felt a little off to me but I don't exactly remember how long Roar had been searching for Liv in Under the Never Sky when Peregrine and Aria met up with him.

Unlike Under the Never Sky, Roar and Liv, is told strictly through the first person of Roar. Whatever thoughts and feelings that Liv is having during this difficult time are not explained. But on the bright side, I really enjoyed Roar in Under the Never Sky and loved to have this little insight into his thoughts.

FTC Advisory: I purchased my own copy of Roar and Liv. No goody bags, sponsorships, "material connections," or bribes were exchanged for my review.

This story just explains the love between Roar and Liv, Perry's sister. Throughout the series it seemed almost like unrequited love on Roar's part, but now we can see that they both loved each other. It also explains Perry's history with Brooke a bit. It's a good story that keeps the series going, as the series is amazing, but it is not a stand alone. It is simply a novella for those who are fans of the trilogy. Excellent like all Rossi's books in the series.
And I don't really ever read novellas...but I gave it a chance. Happy I did.

I usually don't write review for novellas. Mainly because they are so short, but also because I just never really get into them. They are usually a nice addition to a series, but they never leave a lasting impact. However, Roar and Liv is not your normal novella. It added so much to series in just a few pages, and opened you up to a completely new side of Roar. It was absolutely wonderful and well worth the $2.99.

Roar and Liv is the prequel to Veronica Rossi's popular Under the Never Sky, and tells the story of, you guessed it, Roar and Liv. For those of you who don't know, Liv is the sister of Perry (one of the main characters in Under the Never Sky) and Roar is Perry's best friend. In Roar and Liv we get just a small glimpse into the relationship between Roar and Liv, but from that small glimpse you can see that they truly love each other and that they would do anything for each other.

Roar and Liv is an amazing novella and is a must-read for anybody who has or is planning to read the Under the Never Sky series. Veronica Rossi has created amazing characters that you are sure to fall in love with. I don't think this series gets the attention that it deserves. It's one of the best out there right now. So my advice? GO BUY THIS NOW! It is so worth it.

I resisted buying this little novella for a while but needed to have something to read in a short amount of time while waiting for a library book. I loved it just like I loved Under the Never Sky. I'm even more excited now for the next book in the series to come out! I enjoy these characters and their situations a lot! I just wish it had lasted longer!

I resisted buying this little novella for a while but needed to have something to read in a short amount of time while waiting for a library book. I loved it just like I loved Under the Never Sky. I'm even more excited now for the next book in the series to come out! I enjoy these characters and their situations a lot! I just wish it had lasted longer!

Captivating and heart-achingly romantic, this novella takes place before Under The Never Sky and tells the story of Roar and Liv, best friend and sister to Perry. What starts out as friendship, grows into a love not only worth fighting for, but when threatened, a love worth risking it all for.

The bromance between Roar and Perry is entertaining and just as endearing as the love between Roar and Liv. Vale gave me the creeps and my heart broke a little for Brooke over Perry's indifference.

This is the perfect addition to this series and fans will not be disappointed!

The depth of the characters and relationships that Ms. Rossi so skillfully sculps in her stories is impressive.
A wonderful mix of dystopia, fantasy and romance. She is able to convey beautiful images of her world with few strokes reflecting her ability as a classic figurative painter. A wonderful read!.... And hopefully soon a wonderful movie!