Lenore Appelhans
Publisher: Simon and Schuster Books for Young Readers
Release Date: 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 Ward 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.
This book switches between two different time periods: flashbacks to Felicia's life and her afterlife. The flashbacks feature a very contemporary vibe while Felicia's time in the afterlife (which is described as futuristic in the synopsis) is borderline sci-fi. I really liked the flack backs and learning about Felicia while she was living. However, I had a hard time getting into the Level 2 world. I think this is a personal issue; I am not a sic-fi fan and I had a hard time imagining this world.
Level 2, being so short, is a fast read. It is overall fast-paced novel, although the flashbacks slowed it down a little. I didn't mind that at all but I can see how it could bother others. It did take me a long time to get into this book. Not sure why. But I did get more into the second half.
It took me a while to like Felicia. At first it bothered me that she seemed to go along with everything. But then I realized she wasn't as naive as I initially thought because she questioned everything. However, she still isn't my favorite main characters.
Overall, I did enjoy Level 2, but not as much as I would have liked. It just isn't a book that will stick with me.
We felt exactly the same about LEVEL 2. I wanted to like it, but it just didn't make much of an impression at all. :(
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