Level 2 by Lenore Appelhans

Title: Level 2 (The Memory Chronicles #1)

Author: Lenore Appelhans

Publisher: Simon & Schuster BFYR

Release Date: January 15, 2013

Source: Borrowed from fellow blogger

Buy the Book: Amazon / Book Depository

Everything Felicia Ward thought she knew about the afterlife was wrong.

Killed in a car accident just before she turned eighteen, Felicia left behind friends, family, and the boy she loved, Neil. Now trapped in a stark white world known as Level 2, Felicia and the other drones spend the endless days in chambers watching memories from their lives. 

The interminable pattern is broken when someone appears in Felicia's chamber. Julian, a dangerously charming acquaintance in life, encourages Felicia to join a brewing rebellion against the Morati, the angels in charge of Level 2. Instead of shepherding souls to the next level, the Morati have been keeping the dead in Level 2 indefinitely, upsetting the delicate balance of the afterlife. Though Felicia is reluctant to trust Julian, he promises Felicia a way out and the one thing she wants most--to be with Neil again.

Felicia can't resist the chance to find Neil. She joins the rebels, but there's more to this battle than anyone--even Julian--knows. Torn between what she's lost and what's at stake for Level 2, Felicia finds herself at the center of an eternal struggle--and at risk are the souls of all mankind.

When I first heard about Lenore Appelhans' Level 2, I had an idea of what I thought it was going to be. But then I read it and it turned out to be something completely different. And though it wasn't what I thought it was going, it turned out to be something I enjoyed all the same.

Felicia knows she's dead. She spends her days watching memories from her old life, wondering what has now happened to everyone that was part of that life. But one day, that peaceful afterlife is shaken up when all of a sudden, people can't remember who they are or where they are. And that's when Julian walks back into Felicia's life. Felicia knew Julian when she was alive and he wasn't very good news then so why would now be any better. But when he tells her that he can help her see Neil again, Felicia can't really do anything other than follow him. 

The story in Level 2 was definitely something different. Right away when I started reading, I really had to pay attention in order to really understand the world this story was taking place in. I had to make good use of my imagination to picture all the hives where everyone was willing and how they all fit together to make up the level of afterlife Felicia was living in. But beyond just the setting, the story also dealt with something that I haven't really read that much about--the afterlife. It definitely put things in a certain perspective. In this afterlife people are still living, though that life is somewhat reduced. But the people there have a lot of time to think about things and reflect back on different aspects of their lives, something which was really interesting to read about, especially when it came to Felicia. 

Felicia was interesting to read about. She really seemed to be the only person living in Level 2 that that questioned a lot of what was going on or the way things were, especially when weird things started happening. It was also really intriguing to read about how she seemed to be the only one unaffected by certain changes. But what intrigued me the most about Felicia was her relationships with Julian and Neil. It was interesting to see it all unfold, both in the past and in the present. With Julian, it was interesting to see the differences between him as he was when Felicia was alive, and how he was in the afterlife. And he definitely puzzled me because at time he seemed like two different people, but at the same time I could never seem to quite figure him out. Neil seemed to be the complete opposite of Julian, but at the same time that's hard to tell because I only really got to see Neil in flashbacks. And that more than anything is what made it hard to get a clear read on Neil as well. But despite the fact that I had trouble getting a clear understanding of either boy, they were both clearly important and almost integral to who Felicia was…and is.

Level 2 by Lenore Appelhans was definitely an interesting read. It is really unlike a lot of what is already out there in terms of YA books. There aren't too many books that deal with the afterlife, so if you are looking for something a little different that will also make you think, then I recommend picking Level 2. 

Waiting on Wednesday (66)

For those who don't know, Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill of Breaking the Spine where book bloggers showcase books they are particularly looking for to. For the next few weeks, I'm going to be doing this a little differently. Like I did last year, each week I will be talking about books that are coming out early next year from different publishers. Up this week are January 2013 releases coming from Simon & Schuster.

Crash by Lisa McMann
January 8, 2013

If what you see is what you get, Jules is in serious trouble. The suspenseful first of four books from the New York Times bestselling author of the Wake trilogy.

Jules lives with her family about their restaurant, which means she smells like pizza most of the time and drives their double-meatball-shaped food truck to school. It's not a recipe for popularity, but she can handle that.

What she can't handle is the recurring vision that haunts her. Over and over, Jules sees a careening truck hit a building and explode…and nine body bags in the snow.

The vision is everywhere--on billboards, television screens, windows--and she's the only one who sees it. And the more she sees it, the more she sees. The vision is giving her clues, and soon Jules knows what she has to do. Because now she can see the face in one of the body bags, and it's someone she knows. Someone she has been in love with for as long as she can remember.

In this riveting start to a gripping series from New York Times bestselling author Lisa McMann, Jules has to act--and act fast--to keep her vision from becoming reality.

I read a book by Lisa McMann for the first time this year and it definitely made me want to read more. And then I read the summary for Crash and I just knew this was a book I need to get my hands on. It sounds so intriguing and I can't wait to be able to dive into it come January.

Then You Were Gone by Lauren Strasnick

January 8, 2013

In the tradition of 13 Reasons Why, a suspenseful and heart-wrenching novel from the author of Nothing Like You and Her and Me and You.

Two years ago, Adrienne's best friend walked out of her life. One week ago, she left Adrienne a desperate, muffled voicemail. Adrienne never called back.

Now Dakota is missing. She left behind a string of broken hearts, a flurry of rumors, and a suicide note.

Adrienne can't stop obsessing over what might have happened if she'd answered Dakota's call. And she's increasingly convinced that Dakota must still be alive.

Maybe finding and saving Dakota is the only way Adrienne can save herself.

Or maybe it's too late for them both.

If you've been following this blog for any amount of time, you probably know that I am a major sucker for any story that involves mystery. So when I discovered Then You Were Gone I was hooked from just reading the synopsis. Now I'm just hoping that the story lives up to my expectations of it.

Level 2 by Lenore Appelhans
January 15, 2013

In this gripping exploration of a futuristic afterlife, a teen discovers that death is just the beginning.

Since her untimely death the day before her eighteenth birthday, Felicia War has been trapped in Level 2, a stark white afterlife located between our world and the next. Along with her fellow drones, Felicia passes the endless hours reliving memories of her time on Earth and mourning what she's lost--family, friends, and Neil, the boy she loved. 

Then a girl in a neighboring chamber is found dead, and nobody but Felicia recalls that she existed in the first place. When Julian--a dangerously charming guy Felicia knew in life--comes to offer Felicia a way out, Felicia learns the truth: If she joins the rebellion to overthrow the Morati, the angel guardians of Level 2, she can be with Neil again.

Suspended between Heaven and Earth, Felicia finds herself at the center of an age-old struggle between good and evil. As memories from her life come back to haunt her, and as the Morati hunt her down, Felicia will discover it's not just her own redemption at stake…but the salvation of all mankind.

I've been lucky enough to already read an ARC of Level 2 and it definitely left me intrigued. I feel like this is one of those books that could definitely benefit from a re-read as there are some things that are still unclear in my mind. So come January, hopefully I'll have some time to take another shot at this one.


So those are the January 2013 titles I'm looking forward to from Simon & Schuster. Once again, let me just say that my wallet will be suffering come the new year. But I can't help being excited about all these upcoming titles. So many books, so little time, right?