Here is the summary of the book:
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.
Virtually vivid and technologically suave, Julia Durango's The Leveller is a fantastic and fascinating young adult adventure. A homing beacon to all those who love games (of the virtual kind) or are simply looking forward to a thrilling sci-fi adventure played out in the confines of a game. You heard right, the story takes off in a games and plays out in a game. Of course the setting is not new - '.hack' anime series, Spy Kids movie 3 and author Eve Silver's The Game trilogy comes to mind.
Set in the virtual premise of an interactive RPG called 'MEEP' (think of 'The Sims' on a grander scale), Durango describes this customizable world to stark details adding the concept and science of virtual reality to set things off. You can do practically anything in this game world if you have the imagination & the stamina for it. And that is what makes the job of a Leveller more interesting and thrilling.
Nixy Baeur, our kick-ass no-nonsense Leveller works to chase down people who spend more than necessary time in the MEEP world and must be extracted kicking and screaming back to the real world. A gamer, strong and clever and intelligent to boot Nixy isn't one to shy away from a challenge even if the case may be related to the MEEP's creator.
Wyn is our person of interest and he definitely has the brains to show for it. There was a marked sweetness to his character. He is just as smart and determined too. There is romance here as well but thankfully it doesn't overpower the plot. Nixy & Wyn have too much on their minds to maintain a relationship at the moment but the under currents are there and I absolutely look forward to this in the future sequels.
The plot paces well and very clear; adding the exotic details of the MEEP world to maintain the thrill throughout the pages. Keeps us hooked and tethered that we don't even see the hurdles coming our way. Packing unexpectedly surprising punches along the way. Julia Durango's The Leveller proves its mettle as an exciting debut for the series.
"For gamers & thrill-seekers alike 'The Leveller' proves to be an exciting virtual adventure with the promises of more to come"
Genre : Young Adult, Sci-fi, Thriller, Dystopia, Romance
Publisher: Harper Collins
Release Date: 23rd June, 2015
My Copy: publisher & edelweiss
Rate: 4/5 (Really Like It)
Buy: Amazon | Book Depository
Publisher: Harper Collins
Release Date: 23rd June, 2015
My Copy: publisher & edelweiss
Rate: 4/5 (Really Like It)
Buy: Amazon | Book Depository
OOoh nice! I was curious about this one and now I'm only getting more so! Will definitely have to pick this one up at some point!! Maybe for my birthday in 4.5 months! LOL! Great review!
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