Level 2 by Lenore Appelhans Book Review
Level 2
Lenore Appelhans
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
Release Date: January 15, 2013
Pages: 288
Buy the Book: Amazon | B&N | Book Depository
Rating: 4.5 stars
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).
‘I pause to look around the hive – all the podlike chambers are lit up as the drones shoot up on memories … I’ve wanted to get out of here before, but now the tight quarters start to choke me. There has to be more to death than this.’
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.
I love afterlife stories. They all are so unique and vastly different from one another, but Level 2 by Lenore Appelhans is by far the most unique of them all. Basically we need to just talk about how incredibly awesome Level 2 was.
Lenore Appelhans prose is just gorgeous. I could read her writing all day and I in a way did. This was one of those books that was so good but I drew out reading it so I could just savor the story. Level 2 was one of the best written books I’ve read in a long while. Level 2 has some epic world building going on. I loved the world and loved finding out more about it.
Level 2 is such a neat blend of genres. It’s a bit paranormal, with a bit scifi, and a big dose of dystopian in there as well. I absolutely loved it. Then on top of it all, so much of the book is reliving memories. It was just such a neat structure and framework to the book.
The beginning of the book was a bit slower paced. The story really picks up in the second half of the book. Lenore Appelhans has a real knack for story telling. I was just entranced by both the world and the characters themselves. All the characters had such interesting qualities and I am really curious to see more about all of their back stories.
The stakes are high in Level 2. It was quite the thrill to read. By the end of the book, I was on the edge of my seat, mouth wide open. One thing after the next kept surprising me. I loved the unpredictability of the plot.
Lenore Appelhans is an author to watch out for if Level 2 was any measure of what she can do. Level 2 is a new favorite of mine and I cannot wait to delve back into the world of Felicia and Julian once more. I basically just want to stand and shout from the rooftops my love for this book. It was just so awesome.
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5 Responses to: Level 2 by Lenore Appelhans Book Review
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Hi! I'm Fran, hope you're having a great time visiting The Book Cellar!
On 1/17/2013
We Heart YA said:
WOW. Sounds fantastic!! We weren’t sure we wanted to pick this one up (nothing personal, just general paranormal/dystopian fatigue) but you’ve convinced us it’s worth a look. Thanks!
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On 1/17/2013
Hollie @ Music, Books and Tea said:
I definitely need to pick up a copy of Level 2! It sounds so incredible, and I love that it doesn’t just fit into one genre. Great review!
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On 1/17/2013
Nicole said:
I’m excited to get my hands on this. Great review, Erica!
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On 1/17/2013
Allison Reviews Level 2 by Lenore Appelhans said:
[...] The Book Cellar: “I basically just want to stand and shout from the rooftops my love for this book.” [...]
On 1/19/2013
Briana said:
Everyone has been freaking out about this book! It sounds really interesting and its so cool that Lenore started off as a blogger. Really inspiring :)