The Leveller by Julia Durango [SPOILER FREE REVIEW]

Hey, y'all! I recently read The Leveller by Julia Durango, and despite having a lot of feelings about the book, I didn't want to devote an entire video to reviewing it. So, I decided to do a full written review on here instead. Despite the fact that I'm reviewing it quite soon after its 6/23 release date, I did NOT receive this for review, it's a book I purchased for myself.

Nixy Bauer is a leveller, a pseudo bounty hunter inside of the virtual reality game called MEEP. Because MEEP is a fairly new technology, the government limits how much time people can spend within it per day. When a kid is spending too much time in MEEP, their parents call on Nixy to pull them out, and she's known for being able to pull kids out of MEEP extremely efficiently.

One day, however, she gets a job from the game's creator. His son, Wyn, has blocked himself into MEEP and has left behind a suicide note. It's now Nixy's job to go in after him and retrieve him. However, when Nixy reaches Wyn, she discovers that things are not quite as they seem, because he reveals that he has actually been trapped inside MEEP. Nixy and Wyn must fight their way out if they ever want to get back to the real world.


That concept sounds really intriguing, right? Doesn't it give you Ready Player One vibes? I'll be honest, that's the biggest reason that I picked this up. I've been in the mood to re-read Ready Player One for quite a while, but can't really justify the re-read when I have a reading challenge going on. And I hoped that this would at least be a decent stand-in for Ready Player One. Unfortunately, though, this was just overall disappointing.

My first major problem with the book was the writing. This may sound strange, but I don't typically notice how good or bad the writing is unless I really enjoy it or really dislike it. And in this case, I really disliked it. Everything came across as very juvenile and sometimes reminded me of the way that I worded things when attempting to write stories at the age of 13. Nixy and Wyn were supposed to be 16, but they often spoke and acted like 13 year olds. On top of this, there were some words that were just extremely over-used. Specifically, the word 'truly.' It got to the point where I was going to throw the book if a character said 'truly' ONE. MORE. TIME.

Unfortunately, the problems don't stop there. Overall, I didn't find the plot that intriguing. In fact, it was only vaguely there. After Nixy got into MEEP to rescue Wyn, nothing really happened until the very end, apart from some instalove and some aimless wandering around. Speaking of which, the instalove in this book was really painful and cringe-worthy for me. I don't know how else to describe it except that I was physically cringing at some of the dialogue between Nixy and Wyn within approximately 10 minutes of meeting each other.

I also kind of expected some of the things that I think were supposed to be a surprise. This is generally to be expected, because I've mentioned many times that I can usually guess twists. Durango tried to surprise the reader with the villain reveal, but the foreshadowing was too heavy pretty early on, and she practically blatantly revealed it a while before the official reveal.

However, despite the many problems I had with it, I didn't hate it. I do see potential in the story and the world based on the way that the story ended. I think it will be really interesting to see the real-world implications of the things that happened within the game. I'm assuming that this will be a trilogy (because series apparently just means trilogy in YA anymore), and I hope that the next two books are a little longer and better written so that we can dive a little deeper into this game.

I found it very hard to come up with a rating for this one. Based just on my criticisms alone, it would seem that this book should get an abysmal rating. But for some reason, I somewhat enjoyed it. I would say that my dislike of the book didn't outweigh my like of the book. There's something oddly intriguing and charming about it, and enough loose threads left that I'm curious about what will happen next. I think I would have given this a slightly lower rating if not for the potential that I see in this series. Durango definitely has room to delve deeper into some of the issues that were raised very late on in this first installment, and I hope for everyone's sake that she does, or else the rest of the series will be as bland as this book was.

In the end, I gave The Leveller 6 stars out of 10. I think I would've gone with a 5.5 if not for the potential that I see, but I can only hope that Durango takes this series in a slightly better direction than she took this first book.

Top 5 Books Over 500 Pages| Top 5 Wednesday [Video]

Hey, y'all! So, I recently started trying my hand at Booktubing, so I decided to go ahead and post yesterday's video to my blog. There's a series within Booktube that's called Top 5 Wednesday, with a different topic every week. This week, it was Top 5 Books Over 500 Pages. Since I LOVE big books, I decided to get in on the action. Enjoy!

To check out my Youtube channel, you can click HERE. I plan to post most of my videos to my blog, but just in case I miss one or decide not to post it on here, that will keep you up-to date. 

I've also created a Facebook page for my blog, so if you want to check that out and like it, you can click HERE. I'll try to keep that pretty up-to-date with new posts and such.

My Favorite Youtubers- Fall 2014 Edition!

Hey, y'all! So I've mentioned a couple times that I planned to get this post made, and it's finally happening. I'm turning these "favorite youtubers" posts into a series, which will be updated bi-annually. The first post was a little over a year ago, and the second was in January, so I'm way overdue for a new one. If you want to check out either of the previous posts, here are the links:

My Favorite Youtubers! (Aug. 2013)

My Favorite Youtubers (January 2014)

This will be formatted slightly differently than the previous posts. I'm going to discuss Youtubers that I really enjoy by category, and then I'll do the list ranking my top 25. Also, since I'm weird, I'll mention whether they're a returning favorite, or a newcomer. So, that being said, let's get straight into it!

British Vloggers

Danisnotonfire (Dan Howell)

3rd time on the list!

If y'all have seen any of the lists before this one, you know my deep-rooted love for Dan Howell. He's basically the male version of me. He was also #1 on both of my previous lists. I just love him a lot. 

AmazingPhil (Phil Lester)

3rd time on the list!

While I don't love Phil quite as much as I love his flatmate/bff, Dan, I watch him regularly. There are some youtubers whose new videos I have to watch as soon as I see them, and he's one of them. 

PointlessBlog (Alfie Deyes)

3rd time on the list!

Yet another 3 time fave! Alfie was one of the first British Youtubers I watched, and he's still one of my favorites. He's my age, so it's really cool to see someone my age being so successful doing what they love. And he's really funny... and adorable. I don't watch him quite as much as I used to, but he's still a fave.

Marcus Butler

3rd time on the list!

Kinda like with Dan & Phil, Marcus and Alfie are best friends and I usually favor Alfie over Marcus. Obviously, I still really like Marcus because he's one of my favorites, but lately I haven't been watching him quite as much.

Honorable Mentions: Jim Chapman & ThatcherJoe (Joe Sugg).

Non-British Vloggers

Superfruit (Mitch Grassi & Scott Hoying)

2nd time on the list!

So, if you didn't know, Scott (in the hat) and Mitch (the brunette) are 2/5 of the a cappella singing group, Pentatonix. They've been best friends since age 10 and they live together and have an adorable sphynx cat named Wyatt. I discovered that Superfruit was a thing mere weeks after posting my first favorite Youtubers post, so they missed out on the first one, but my love for these two is real. I eagerly anticipate each video from them, and have seen all of their videos many, MANY times.

MattG124 (Matt Gibson)

3rd time on the list!

This section was almost called "American Vloggers," but then I remembered that Matt is Canadian. Anyway, Matt posts videos twice a week- he has random vlogs on Tuesdays and Dare MattG on Fridays... there are almost 100 Dare MattG videos and I have seen almost all of those. It's also fun to see what hair color he's sporting each week because currently, his hair is all black, but his bangs are usually green or red or blue or some other fun color. On the first list, I'd just discovered him, so I hadn't watched a ton, but now that I've seen way too many of his videos, I can confidently say that he's a fave.

Evan Edinger

First time on the list!

I'm actually really surprised that this is Evan's first time on the list, but it is! I feel like I've been watching him for forever, but I guess not? Anyway, Evan is an American Youtuber who has been living in England for the past couple years, so I'm not sure that the non-British section is where he belongs, but that's where I'm putting him. He's really nerdy and he has the best terrible puns and dad jokes and I always love getting to watch a new video from him every Sunday!

Connor Franta

3rd time on the list!

I know a lot of people were really upset that Connor left O2L, but I was really glad about it. Honestly, I can't stand any of the O2L guys. But I love me some Connor Franta. He's not my absolute favorite person ever, but I do really enjoy his videos. 

Tyler Oakley

3rd time on the list!

Unlike many of the Youtubers on this list, I think I've grown to like Tyler more since my last post rather than falling out of love with him. I still wouldn't consider myself to be a Tyler superfan, but I definitely watch a lot more than I used to, and look forward to his videos rather than just being a casual viewer.

Honorable Mentions: Sawyer Hartman and Cyr (Vincent Cyr).

Daily Vloggers

Shane Dawson

3rd time on the list

I've been watching Shane Dawson for much longer than I've watched almost all of the other Youtubers on this list. I remember back when he had less than 20,000 subscribers, and I'll never forget Hodini's Street Magic. Too great. Anyway, I'm so happy for how everything has turned out for him, and I find myself watching his daily vlogs more than anything else he ever makes, which is why he ends up here.

Joey Graceffa

3rd time on the list!

Like with a lot of Youtubers, I don't watch Joey quite as much as I used to, but I still really love his videos. I usually watch his daily vlogs, but I also tend to really like his collabs, especially when he's doing a collab with Shane or one of my other favorite Youtubers.

SoundlyAwake (Nicola Foti)

3rd time on the list!

Nick (the one in the brown sweater) has several Youtube channels. His main channel is SoundlyAwake, which is where he posts weekly sketches/vlogs. While I enjoy those videos quite a bit, I generally find myself watching the daily vlogs that he and his bf, Ken, post on their second channel, StillSoundlyAwake. Lately, I haven't been keeping up with their videos, but that's partially because it's hard to keep up when people post new videos every single day.

Honorable Mentions: Lush (Matt Lush & Nick Laws)

Booktubers

This is a section of Youtube that I got into near the beginning of the year, but didn't get into them quite early enough for them to be included on the January list... but I've got my faves, and they're all down below!

Katytastic (Kat O'Keeffe)

First time on the list!

Kat was the first booktuber that I started watching on a regular basis. She was my introduction into Booktube, and I haven't looked back since. As far as reviewer trust goes, she's really high up on my list. We tend to have the same opinions about books and like the same genres, so I really love watching her book hauls and wrap-ups/reviews to get opinions and suggestions for what to read next. I also really love her tag videos. The only videos of hers that I don't really watch are when it pertains to spoilers about a book I haven't read yet.

JesseTheReader (Jesse George)

First time on the list!

There are some Booktubers that I watch because I want to get ideas for new books coming out or maybe to get opinions on a book I want to read, but I watch Jesse purely for entertainment. Jesse is crazy and hilarious and extremely fun to watch. We don't always have the same taste in books, or agree on how good a book is, but I always love his videos because of how excited and crazy he is in his videos. He's lots of fun, so that keeps it entertaining even if I'm not quite as interested in the books that he's talking about.

Peruse Project (Regan)

First time on the list!

So, fun fact- I actually went to high school with Regan! Also, I'm not 100% sure that her last name is common knowledge, because when I googled her using her first and last name, none of her Youtube stuff showed up. So just in case she doesn't want her full name out there, I'm not listing her last name.

So yeah, we went to high school together, but she was a year behind me so we didn't really know each other. The only reason I realized we went to school together was because I saw her youtube and she looked like someone I'd seen in the halls in HS and so I checked my yearbook, and lo and behold, she was there. I promise I'm not a weird, crazy stalker. 

Anyway, she's my go-to booktuber when it comes to fantasy. Regan is the queen of fantasy. I love seeing her book hauls and challenges and any tags that she does. Obviously I still trust her opinion about other types of books, but especially when it comes to fantasy. 

Ariel Bissett

First time on the list!

It actually took me a really long time to get into Ariel's videos. I was completely aware of her channel and had watched one or two videos, but for some reason, my interest just wasn't quite peaked. Maybe I watched the wrong video or maybe I just wasn't in the right mood. I don't know. The thing about Ariel is that she has a pretty different taste in books than I do. Her favorite genre is contemporary, and she finds it hard to get into fantasies sometimes. I read fantasy constantly, and can rarely get into contemporaries. However, it's not her taste in books that gets her on this list- it's her discussion videos. She often posts videos that make me think about my own opinions on books and authors in a deeper way than I normally would.

One example of this is that she posted a video a few months back pertaining to favorite authors and she said that she doesn't consider JK Rowling to be one of her favorite authors, even though she holds the Harry Potter series in extremely high regard. Because she doesn't feel obligated to go out and buy everything by her, she feels that she can't count her among her favorites, which is an interesting idea that I had never thought of before. 

Honorable Mentions: TheLittleBookOwl (Catriona), Ermahgerd Berks (Jamie), PadfootandProngs07 (Raeleen),  & Kassidy Voinche. 

Shows

Good Mythical Morning (Rhett & Link)

3rd time on the list!

Rhett and Link have been a staple in my life for quite a while now. I used to watch them every day, but in the past few months, I've been watching more like a few times a week, depending on how interesting that episode sounds. I still absolutely love them, I just don't have time to watch every single day.

The Fine Bros (Benny & Rafi Fine)

3rd time on the list!

Between their main channel and their React channel, these two pop up in my news feed many, many times a week, and I find myself watching either all or almost all of their content. I just really enjoy all of the react series, as well as all of the new series that they've started on their new channel. The only time I really miss a video is when they're doing something spoilery that I haven't seen.

Honorable Mentions: PBS Idea Channel

Sketches

Smosh (Anthony Padilla & Ian Hecox)

3rd time on the list!

I guess that sketches isn't really the right section for these two, but this is where they're going, because this is what their main channel is. I started watching them back in 2007 or 2008 and have been a fan ever since. Anymore, I don't really watch a lot of their main channel videos. I do, however, watch Smosh 2nd Channel (Previously Ian H) quite a bit. I think I've watched every single episode of Lunchtime With Smosh.

Jacksfilms (Jack Douglass)

3rd time on the list!

Jack does this great series on his channel called Your Grammar Sucks, where he reads/ makes fun of comments and posts that have horrible, horrible grammar mistakes. As a grammar Nazi, I absolutely love this series. I've watched every single episode of it, and it never gets old. Ever.

Honorable Mentions: Jenna Marbles.

Misc.

Smosh Games

2nd time on the list!

I continually watch more and more of their series. My favorite is Game Bang, where the six of them compete in video games, but I also like their Top 5 lists, Why We're Single, and Gametime With Smosh. Needless to say, I watch Smosh Games quite a bit. 

MassageASMR (Dmitri)

2nd time on the list!

Any time I need to focus, I turn on an ASMR video. I'd listen to music, but that's just too distracting. I also listen to ASMR videos to get to sleep. There are a couple I like (JustAWhisperingGuy is my 2nd fave!) but Dmitri is my go-to dude. He's got tons of great videos with and without talking, and it's great to listen to if you want to relax or sleep. He has a really soothing voice.

EmilyNoel83 (Emily Eddington)

2nd time on the list!

I don't watch a ton of beauty vloggers, but I do watch Emily. I usually trust her opinions on products and so I watch a lot because of that. I also love seeing hauls and such. Also, she does Drugstore a lot more than a lot of youtubers, which I greatly appreciate.

Grav3yardGirl (Bunny Meyer)

2nd time on the list!

She's loud, she's crazy, and she's absolutely hilarious. She totally embraces being really weird, and I love that about her. I also really love her "Does This Thing Really Work" videos. Those are my favorites.

WatchMojo.com

2nd time on the list!

This is a youtube channel that posts top 10 lists on a daily basis (sometimes more than once a day). They're usually entertainment based, such as the top 10 rock bands or something to that effect. They're not always super-interesting, but when I see one that looks really cool, I just have to watch it.

Top 25 Favorite Youtubers

For this, I did something a little different. I was having trouble organizing my thoughts on what order they should be in, so I made a bit of a chart with different categories and gave them points from 1-5 in each. Yes, I'm aware that I'm a nerd. Anyway, I didn't necessarily order them by the points they received, but I used it to help me out just a bit. I'll list the points the Youtuber got beside their name. There were 5 categories, so the most points a Youtuber can get is 25.

25. MassageASMR- 14 points

(previously #22)

He doesn't look too happy about dropping so many spots.

24. WatchMojo.com- 16 points

(previously #13)

Still smiling after dropping 11 spots... kudos!

23. Grav3yardGirl- 14 points

(previously #21)

She is unamused with this downgrade...

22. EmilyNoel83- 15 points

(previously #16)

Doing some deep introspection about why she might have dropped so much...

21. Marcus Butler- 13 points

(previously #8) 

Yep, Marcus, that was the same reaction I had when I realized that I was putting you this low, but it's where you belong.

20. Connor Franta- 14 points

(previously #20)

I get it, you're frustrated about being stuck in the same place, but you'll be ok.

19. Tyler Oakley- 14 points

(previously #19)

Yes, Tyler, I understand the frustration of not getting any higher. Sorrynotsorry.

18. AmazingPhil- 17 points

(previously #18)

Yeah, I know, I know, it sucks to get nowhere.

17. Joey Graceffa- 13 points

(previously #4)

Please don't kill me, fetus Joey. I still love you. Promise.

16. PointlessBlog- 14 points

(previously #7)

Don't give me that look. Being cute won't get you any higher on the list.

15. Shane Dawson- 14 points

(previously #10)

It's only a few spots, Shane. No need to rage. I still love you.

14. Ariel Bissett- 16 points

(previously unranked)

Hooray for making the list for the first time!

13. Smosh- 18 points

(previously #14)

One spot higher YAY!!!

12. SoundlyAwake- 17 points

(previously #11)

It's only one spot, Nick. I still love you lots.

11. Evan Edinger- 19 points

(previously unranked)

Yeah, IDK how you bad-punned your way into 11th place, but that's a thing that happened, and I'm OK with that. More bad punz plz.

10. PeruseProject- 18 points

(previously unranked)

Hooray, you cracked the top 10 on your first go!

9. JesseTheReader- 19 points

(previously unranked)

Yep, you flew right to 9th place. Good job, Jesse.

8. Katytastic- 19 points

(previously unranked)

So excite.

7. Jacksfilms- 19 points

(previously #5)

Slow clap for dropping 2 spots...

6. Good Mythical Morning- 19 points

(previously #3)

They dropped just a little, but I still love them.

5. Smosh Games- 20 points

(previously #6)

So excite about that one spot. Very excite. Much excitement.

4. MattG124- 21 points

(previously #12)

He's really excited about cracking the top 5.

3. The Fine Bros- 21 points

(previously #9)

They're just so excited about moving up a few spots.

2. Danisnotonfire- 24 points

(previously #1)

Yep, sorry babe, you've been dethroned. Still love you lots, but maybe if you would upload more...

1. Superfruit- 25 points

(previously #2)

Look how excited they are to be #1. I'm still absolutely obsessed with them. They're perfect.

So there you go, those are my current favorite Youtubers. I actually surprised myself with how far some of my all-time faves have fallen, but I just don't watch some of them on a regular basis anymore. 

What did you think of my list of favorite Youtubers? Who are your favorites? Do we like any of the same ones? Let me know in the comments! 

Don't forget about the Facebook page for my blog! If you want to check that out and like it, you can click HERE. I'll try to keep that pretty up-to-date with new posts and such.

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