The Leveller Review


17852690Title: The Leveller
Author: Julia Durango
Publication Date: June 23rd, 2015
Publisher: Harper Collins
Nixy Bauer is a self-made Leveller. Her job? Dragging kids out of virtual reality and back to their parents in the real world. It’s normally easy cash, but Nixy’s latest mission is fraught with real danger, intrigue, and romance.

Nixy Bauer is used to her classmates being very, very unhappy to see her. After all, she’s a bounty hunter in a virtual reality gaming world. Kids in the MEEP, as they call it, play entirely with their minds, while their bodies languish in a sleeplike state on the couch. Irritated parents, looking to wrench their kids back to reality, hire Nixy to jump into the game and retrieve them.

But when the game’s billionaire developer loses track of his own son in the MEEP, Nixy is in for the biggest challenge of her bounty-hunting career. Wyn Salvador isn’t some lazy kid looking to escape his homework: Wyn does not want to be found. And he’s left behind a suicide note. Nixy takes the job but quickly discovers that Wyn’s not hiding—he’s being held inside the game against his will. But who is holding him captive, and why?

Nixy and Wyn attempt to fight their way out of a mind game unlike any they’ve encountered, and the battle brings them closer than either could have imagined. But when the whole world is virtual, how can Nixy possibly know if her feelings are real?

Gamers and action fans of all types will dive straight into the MEEP, thanks to Julia Durango’s cinematic storytelling. A touch of romance adds some heart to Nixy’s vivid, multidimensional journey through Wyn’s tricked-out virtual city, and constant twists keep readers flying through to the breathtaking end.
This book is an ARC from Edelweiss

So this is really a 3.5 stars. Overall, this was a quick book. I had a few issues with it, which I listed below, but all in all it was a good read. 


What I Liked:


  • The MEEP. I loved this world that was created through this book. It is awesome to think about a virtual reality like that. Though the piercings are way scary.

  • Writing Style. I liked the writing style of this author. It was fast pace and very descriptive. I could easily imagine this new virtual world.

  • Levelling. I love the idea of this. Though I would have liked to see Nixy in a school setting with the kids that she leveled regularly. 



What I Didn't Like:


  • Wyn. He is a bit flat. I didn't have any feeling either way for him, he was just kind of there. 

  • Jill. I hate that Nixy refers to her mother as Jill and her dad Dad and it doesn't ever say why. There is only two times that I counted in which Nixy said Mom and I found that just confusing.

  • Unbelievable. There were points in this book that I just shook my head at. First, they expect me to believe that a teenage girl can get through a maze that made grown men (that programmed the game) need therapy? And some of her actions didn't seem like they would have really worked if the situation had been real.



Would I Recommend:


Yes, if you are looking for a quick read that will take you into a virtual world.

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