Early Review: Level 2 by Lenore Appehans

Level 2
(The Memory Chronicles #1)
Lenore Appelhans
Release: January 15, 2013
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Three levels. Two loves. One choice. Debut novelist, Lenore Appelhans has written a thrilling otherworldly young adult novel about a place that exists between our world (Level 1) and what comes after life (Level 2).

Felicia Ward is dead. Trapped in a stark white afterlife limbo, she spends endless days replaying memories, of her family, friends, boyfriend ... and of the guy who broke her heart. The guy who has just broken into Level 2 to find her.

Felicia learns that a rebellion is brewing, and it seems she is the key. Suspended between heaven and earth, she must make a choice. Between two worlds, two lives and two loves. 

Review:

Level 2 promises to be a thrilling and unique debut, an exciting ride in an unusual world. Unfortunately, I found myself less thrilled and more disappointed while reading. I did not enjoy this book at all. In fact, after roughly sixty pages, I skimmed through the rest of the book because I just couldn't sit through it anymore.

Level 2 does fulfill it's promise to be unusual, only I didn't find this such a positive thing. When the story starts, our main character Felicia is in a bizarre facility with white walls, white ceiling, and a white floor. Oh yeah, and she's bald. Everyone there is bald (don't get me started...). She has apparently been there for years (and years and years) and for some reason Felicia and her two friends are the only ones among the other girls that live there who are interested in friendship or socializing. Felicia spends most of her existence sitting in a futuristic, sci-fi style chair (which for some reason reminded me of Total Recall) that can show her memories from her own life. There is also a credit system set up in this whacky facility that the girls can use to buy and watch each other's memories.

This whole idea of these girls trapped in this mysterious place after death could have been really interesting but instead it just reads as weird.

The introduction of a mysterious and good-looking guy named Julian excited me for a short time, and I thought maybe he could turn this ship around. Felicia spends a little time watching her memories of him and we get a little of their back story from when they were both alive. He's a slightly shady character and we're not sure if he's a bad boy we're supposed to love or just a bad boy.

But even Julian couldn't keep my interest. Even after he breaks Felicia out of said bizarre facility and they go on their long adventure that leads to Felicia learning she is some kind of important piece to a rebellion against...um something, I was still bored and confused. Some of the important aspects of the plot include heaven vs. purgatory and some rebellious angels, but by the time we get around to these things I just didn't care.

With generic, puddle-deep characters and a plot based on convenience I just couldn't get into Level 2. Although others have read and enjoyed this, I would, sadly, not recommend it.

Recommended for fans of: not recommended

This review is based on an advance copy of the book.

  

  2 / 5 stars