What happens after you
die? Well, if you live in Lenore Appelhans’ world you end up in Level 2. Due out in Jan. 2013, Level
2 is published by Simon and Schuster.
The Story-
Felicia
is dead. She died in a car crash just before she turned 18, leaving behinds
family, friends, and Neil, her boyfriend. Now she is locked inside a white room
with a pod full of other girls. All dressed in white, with no hair, the girls
rest in chambers watching memories of their lives.
After
unknown days, a door suddenly appears in Felicia’s pod, and Julian, a boy she
remembers from her life, steps in. Julian helps Felicia escape and tells her
about life in Level 2. It is basically a waiting zone for dead humans, overseen
by angels, which allows people a chance to learn lessons from their life on
earth. But, the angels have gone rogue and are harnessing the energies of the
people in the chambers to fuel their war against heaven.
Julian
entices Felicia to join the rebellion, dangling the idea of seeing Neil again
as bait. But everything is not what it seems, and the role Felicia plays in
saving the souls of humanity could be more than she is willing to pay.
My
Thoughts-
An
interesting adaptation of the typical fallen angel story. The plot itself is intriguing
and little clues are dropped throughout the story that leads the reader to
believe more is going on than what they read.
Our
main character Felicia is special at the start. She remembers more than the
other girls in her pod, and seems to care about the entire group. She is fiercely
loyal to her friends, even when they don’t remember her. As a person she grows,
becoming self-sacrificing and putting the needs of others before her own.
Julian
is a mysterious character. There is just something about him that seems shady,
and the author does a good job increasing the tension between Felicia and
Julian. However, the core feeling that he cares about Felicia is strong.
I
did have to ask myself where God was in the story. Seems like the bad angels
are getting away with everything scott free.
My
other critique is about the cover. Usually I don’t mention cover art, but with
this book I think I need to weigh in. The title of the story, Level 2, does not
give away anything about the book. So in my opinion the cover should help the
reader gleam some info. In this case, the cover art tells you nothing. In fact,
my first thought was that it was a girl serving tennis. I had to look past the
title and white dots to notice that the girl’s knees are bent and she’s
sitting? Overall, no clue is given about what the book is about.
If
you are looking for an interesting new take on purgatory, this one is for you.
It is full of action, mystery and angelic powers.
I always love books about the afterlife so I'll definitely be checking this one out. :)
ReplyDeleteYou'll like this new twist.
DeleteI have this one on my TBR list. It looks like an interesting read. You are right about the cover though. It's pretty, but it is very hard to find out what is going on. Jaclyn @ JC's Book Haven
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you think so too. Happy Reading.
Delete