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chasing before by lenore appelhans

What: Chasing Before (The Memory Chronicles #2) by Lenore Appelhans

Who: Allen and Unwin

When: August 27th 2014

How: A copy of this novel was provided by Allen and Unwin for review.

Felicia and Neil have arrived in Level 3 and are supposed to prepare for their divine vocations.

But during Felicia and Neil’s training period, a series of explosions rips through Level 3. Tension is high, and casualties are mounting. A rift forms between the pair, one that grows wider when Felicia receives memories from the Morati. The memories cast doubt on the people she loves the most, but Felicia can’t stop her curiosity. She has to know the truth about her life – even if it means putting at risk everything she’s worked for in her death.

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It’s official. This is the first book that I have read and am about to review that I did not like. It was not amazing, or really good, or good, or even okay. I did not like this book.

In my review of Level 2 (or The Memory of After as it is known now), I said that I wasn’t a huge fan of Neil and that I didn’t really understand why Felicia was so obsessed with him. If I thought Felicia was obsessed with Neil in Level 2 – oh boy, I did not know what was coming in Chasing Before.

To sum this book up: Felicia pining about Neil, or fighting with Neil, or reliving memories of Neil. Neil. Neil. Neil.

Neil, the most self righteous sanctimonious character I have had the displeasure of reading. So, this WHOLE TIME he hasn’t wanted to do the deed with Felicia. He won’t even sleep in the same bed because of course THAT’S A FREAKING SIN. And then SPOILER we find out he had sex eons ago and is a goddamn born again virgin END SPOILER I can’t stand liars, I can’t stand people who always think they are better than others thereby making others feel lesser. I also cannot stand manipulative people. I’m pretty sure if you look up ‘manipulative’, there’s a picture of Neil. He uses Felicia’s feelings against her all the time. For example, they’re having a fight (one of thousands), and to shut her up he tells her he loves her – for the first time. Of course, all fighting ceases because Neil loves her. Ugh. I CANNOT STAND NEIL.

More than I can’t stand Neil though (but not by much) is how much I can’t stand Felicia. She pines over Neil, even though she’s pretty aware of what a jerk he is. She even thinks it a few times. And she is attracted to Julian (who I’ll get to in a moment). HELLO. WHEN YOU’RE ATTRACTED TO SOMEONE YOU’RE NOT WITH, THAT PROBABLY MEANS YOU SHOULDN’T BE WITH THE PERSON YOU’RE WITH.

And dear lord the self deprecation. ‘Oh, Neil is too good for me’, ‘I’ll never be good enough for Neil’, ‘Neil wouldn’t do this’, ‘I’m so bad, how can someone so good like Neil ever love me?’. NEIL IS A DOUCHE. A really douchey douche. He makes Felicia feel like shit over the most ridiculous things, and the lies and all the manipulation are vomit inducing.

Felicia is like the anti-heroine. She relies on the men round her and completely bases her self worth off their opinion of her.

Julian is the only good thing about this book. He’s sexy and supportive and everything he has ever done has been for Felicia. He is so unselfish, so the opposite of Neil, so the right love interest for any girl who thinks she deserves something good (OH HO WHICH FELICIA DIDN’T, I SEE WHAT HAPPENED THERE).

There was no plot in this book, which irked me to no end. Oooooo evil angels doing absolutely nothing. One showdown with one evil angel and then that’s it? What the actual hell? What was the point of this novel, except to drag out the Felicia-Neil drama? I’ll tell you – there was no point.

Overall, I didn’t enjoy Chasing Before at all. I feel like I completely wasted my time reading this novel.

© 2014, Chiara @ Books for a Delicate Eternity. All rights reserved.

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Posted on: September 24, 2014 • By: Chiara

6 Responses to Review: Chasing Before by Lenore Appelhans

  1. Aww…shucks! :( I am sorry you didn’t enjoy this Chiara! It’s always a horrible feeling when you don’t enjoy a book and are forced to review it, so I sympathize with you!

    I read the first book in the series a little while back and DNF’d it after a chapter or so, not because it was necessarily bad, but because I just wasn’t engrossed into the story, you know? I have a feeling my thoughts would be the same with this one, so I am now feeling less guilt over my decision to skip this.

    Sorry this was such a disappointment. :( I hope your next read is better! <3

    • Chiara says:

      It wasn’t the greatest, that’s for sure >.< I was quite enamoured with the first one, which is why I was excited to read this book, but everything just went downhill, unfortunately! Thank you, Zoe - I do, too!

  2. Oh no Chiara, I can see why this book would totally piss you off, especially since the girl just pines over the jerk and you’re like screaming at her going WHYYY YOU DESERVE ALL THE PAIN BECAUSE YOU CANT GET OVER YOURSELF. I’m kind of glad I didn’t pick up Level 2 because of this. Great review!

  3. JULIAN IS BACK. GOOD. He was one of the few things I liked about Level 2. I hated Felicia :’) and I can see she doesn’t get any better. Her character development even seems to go downhill, with all her whining and I can’ t stand people who think they are ‘not good enough for someone.’

    • Chiara says:

      HE IS. And I feel the same. Pretty much the only good thing about this entire series.

      Felicia definitely got worse in this book, especially in regards to her feelings for Neil. It was pretty much unbearable.

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