Duet Review: Level 2 by Lenore Appelhans

 

Duet review is a feature where I review a book along with my friend,Maliha.For more info. on this feature,check out my very first Duet Review post HERE.

Here's the book that we are going to review today.

Level 2 by Lenore Appelhans

Publication date: January 15th 2013 by Allen & Unwin 

Blurb:  ''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.

My Review:   

Rating: 3.5 0f 5 stars

**I received a copy of this book (AUSSIE EDITION) from the author in exchange for an honest review and for using it in a giveaway.**

LEVEL 2 is one of those books for which I had higher expectations,but still liked it enough to crave for the sequel.The thing with LEVEL 2 is that despite its awesome premise and a bad-ass cover that highlights the story's concept so clearly,it was still able to let me down in some cases.I might have enjoyed it a lot more if it was a bit more fast paced.It seems as though that there is no action in Felicia's afterlife until Julian is dragged into the story,which actually takes quite a good amount of time to happen.Even though Felicia's memory flashbacks were an okay distraction for the forthcoming action,it still wasn't enough.But the flashbacks had their ups and downs.While some of them were absolutely mind-blowing,gnawing at my mind and making me even more excited about the mysteries to be unveiled,others felt like as if they were just there to fill up the pages.

My feelings towards the characters,just like with the memory flashbacks,were also very conflicting.There were times when I felt like wrapping them in a bear hug while at other times I felt like hitting them on the head hard enough to make them pass out.Well,those feelings counted mainly for Julian and Felicia.....not so much for Neil.But I think conflicting personalities in characters is what I enjoy most in a book.Makes the story a lot more lively.

But about whether you,as a reader,will enjoy this book or not?In this case most of it will depend on your taste,because this is one book that will shine in the limelight for some people while burn to ashes for others.I have a feeling that this one is going to have a huge number of conflicting reviews,like Stormdancer and The Selection.Or moreover,you can already guess it from the difference between Maliha's review and mine.

So while I'd encourage people to give this book a chance,I'd probably recommend them to borrow it from a friend or a library,just to be on the safe side.

Maliha's Review:

 
Rating:  2.5 0f 5 stars

“I had my chance for redemption and I failed” – this happens to be the only sentence I agreed with the heroine in this book.

The concepts of religion and myth were not explained enough. The plot itself seemed lacking to me.  There were no challenges and every obstacle was too easily overcome. Ironically, the pace of the story was too fast, as though the author could not put her ideas on paper fast enough. Instead of drawing the readers in, the rushed scenes were confusing and lacked necessary detail.

The net was a nice touch. I mean, if we can’t live life without the internet, why the afterlife? And the love triangle was not as promising as the synopsis suggested. But I guess I’ll admit, Julian was an important character and I did not expect his little secret.

The relieving of memories from life was very interesting. It’s definitely something I would have wanted included in my ‘welcome to the afterlife’ package. Materialization was also a cool bonus.

Overall, the book did not meet my expectations. I expect a lot more from LEVEL 3 because I believe the author can meet its potential. I hope she writes more about the rebellion. The fact that we have no idea about what to expect from the sequel only makes me more curious.