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Level 2 (The Memory Chronicles, #1)
by Lenore Appelhans (Goodreads Author)
by Lenore Appelhans (Goodreads Author)
Felicia's life in Level 2 is comfortable. She's got everything she needs, and she's able to be so content because she can slip into her machine and relive her memories. Except she is unable to be happy because she can't put her finger on what happened to her. The problem is she keeps reliving a memory that breaks her heart: she keeps living through the time she lost her chance with Neil, the boy she'd fallen for. When she's about to reach the truth, it slips away from her cruelly.
So when Julian shows up in Level 2 and promises he can reunite Felicia with Neil, she jumps at the chance to know the truth about her life, her death, and to reunite with Neil.
Appelhans's debut is a dystopian with a dash of the supernatural, written in compelling, action-paced prose. What seems like a fairly straightforward story of escaping from what looks like a utopian world -- Level 2 -- turns out to be something much more sinister. Felicia is caught between two worlds, and the success or failure of either and both depend upon her. The story is told both in the present and in the past, through Felicia's memories, which gives the reader not only a sense of who she is now, but a real feel for the whole girl who has lost so much in her life.
What made this book work for me was that it's never clear cut who is good and who is bad. It's easy to see Felicia as the good girl, but there are many times I wondered if she wasn't. If she was just as bad as people like Julian...or if Julian himself was even bad. He did offer Felicia a chance to meet Neil again, even if it meant giving away a part of herself. When it looks like he wants to do nothing more than use her as a tool, he flips the switch and gives readers (and Felicia) reason to wonder if he really DOES want the best for her. That he's not being selfish and greedy. Appelhans does a great job of never hand-holding the reader.
I'm not a romantic, but the moments between Felicia and Neil made my heart swell quite a bit, especially since it was so uncertain. But I can so see readers thinking they're very wrong for each other. That Julian is the person to whom Felicia should give her heart. There's also the question of whether Felicia deserves to be with anyone, given her less-than-perfect history.
Level 2 is a complete story, though there are enough threads left open to warrant another installment.
(Full disclosure: I beta read this one, but trust me, it's a winner).
So when Julian shows up in Level 2 and promises he can reunite Felicia with Neil, she jumps at the chance to know the truth about her life, her death, and to reunite with Neil.
Appelhans's debut is a dystopian with a dash of the supernatural, written in compelling, action-paced prose. What seems like a fairly straightforward story of escaping from what looks like a utopian world -- Level 2 -- turns out to be something much more sinister. Felicia is caught between two worlds, and the success or failure of either and both depend upon her. The story is told both in the present and in the past, through Felicia's memories, which gives the reader not only a sense of who she is now, but a real feel for the whole girl who has lost so much in her life.
What made this book work for me was that it's never clear cut who is good and who is bad. It's easy to see Felicia as the good girl, but there are many times I wondered if she wasn't. If she was just as bad as people like Julian...or if Julian himself was even bad. He did offer Felicia a chance to meet Neil again, even if it meant giving away a part of herself. When it looks like he wants to do nothing more than use her as a tool, he flips the switch and gives readers (and Felicia) reason to wonder if he really DOES want the best for her. That he's not being selfish and greedy. Appelhans does a great job of never hand-holding the reader.
I'm not a romantic, but the moments between Felicia and Neil made my heart swell quite a bit, especially since it was so uncertain. But I can so see readers thinking they're very wrong for each other. That Julian is the person to whom Felicia should give her heart. There's also the question of whether Felicia deserves to be with anyone, given her less-than-perfect history.
Level 2 is a complete story, though there are enough threads left open to warrant another installment.
(Full disclosure: I beta read this one, but trust me, it's a winner).
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Beth wrote: "*Green with envy* I only got a sampling of the first chapter and that sampling was enough to make me desperate to read the rest. I love when books are written with characters that are so well-dev..."
The romance here is well balanced with the character development and the action of the story (which I cannot elaborate too much on because that'd ruin the twists, which there are many of!). But all of these characters walk that fine line of good/bad, and you're never quite sure what to believe about them. Even Neil, who I think is a good guy, I'm still wondering about. But I liked him enough to give him the benefit of the doubt.
I love when books are written with characters that are so well-developed that you can't always tell who's good and who's bad. And the fact that the romance doesn't run rampant is also huge for me since I am always quite dubious of romance in any novel. The last book I read with romance in it that I didn't roll my eyes to the back of my head was The Fault in Our Stars. Otherwise, I can't remember the last book with romance that didn't make me want to gag. From your description however, I am excited about the prospect. :)