ARC Review of The Leveller by Julia Durango

Goodreads Summary:
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.

My Review:
I can totally see a world where a video game and virtual reality are number one. Who wouldn't want to go to a world the have created and live however they want?! This is why Nixy's job is needed. You are only suppose to spend so much time in this world. She gets sent in to retrieve the people who break the rules. A lot of times to get teens out when they don't listen to their parents. I am not sure I'd want to come out of a virtual reality where I can be beautiful and have fun. Nixy's ability to find people in the MEEP lands her a job that pays very well. Finding the creatoer of MEEP's son, Wyn. Who has decided to commit suicide by not coming out of MEEP and letting his body die. After Nixy decides to take the job, she quickly learns that more is going on the meets the eye. The mission quickly becomes harder then she imagined. Will she be able to find Wyn and get out before it's to late?

I thought Wyn and Nixy's relationship was cute. Obviously it doesn't start out romantic due to the being stuck inside a virtual reality video game. They are busy trying to get out of the game most of the time. They also take a bit of a vacation. When your trapped in paradise why not enjoy it a little bit right? Things do get a little heated between them for a bit but, nothing to crazy. 

I really enjoyed this book. It was different from what is currently out there. I also enjoyed it because I believe something like that will happen in the future. A virtual reality that people will not want to leave. It is such an interesting topic. I loved it!