Paperback Launch of THE MEMORY OF AFTER by Lenore Appelhans!

Hey all! Today is the release of the paperback of THE MEMORY OF AFTER! I'm so excited to chat about this (I was lucky enough to read an ARC of this when it was known as LEVEL 2), but first some details:

In this gripping exploration of a futuristic afterlife, a teen discovers that death is just the beginning.

Since her untimely death, 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—appears 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.

Here's some buzz on why this is such a fantastic book:

“Appelhans brings the afterlife to a whole new level. . . . A high-voltage thrill ride through love, death, and memory that will leave you breathless.” (Jess Rothenberg, author of The Catastrophic History of You and Me)

“Absolutely gripping. My heart pounded on nearly every page. You won't be able to put it down.” (Mary E. Pearson, award-winning author of the Jenna Fox Chronicles)

...and some fantastic reviews!

“This imaginative debut brings conflict to the afterlife....An absorbing, sensitive read.” (Kirkus Reviews)

“Appelhans’ storytelling is well paced, tantalizing the reader with hints, and the compelling theme of the necessity of facing the wrongs of the past in order to move forward into the future will appeal to teens.” (Booklist)

So...I loved this book. 

I thought that Appelhans did a fantastically original job of envisioning this life in the "after" and how memories were accessed--with no small commentary on how lives on social media today are accessed by anybody and everybody. All the while, we as readers are doing the very same by plugging into Felicia's past and piecing together why she's here, and what led her to this place. 

The core of any good story worth its words is the everlasting why--why is the main character in this situation, and moreover, what is she going to do with that knowledge once she understands it? Ultimately, The Memory of After is a mystery, a story of self, and a story of unfolding redemption. It truly is a page turner, in every sense of the word.

If you haven't had a chance to read it, now you can own it in all its paperback glory. :)

The paperback of THE MEMORY OF AFTER is available on Amazon, IndieBound, Book Depository, Barnes and Noble.  Check out The Memory Chronicles Pinterest board for quoteables from the novel all this week! 

(Yeah. I'm going to have to buy this now just so I can own that gorgeous new cover!)