diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 49dcdb8..4fb5d47 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -109,6 +109,12 @@ e.g. Reverse patch file : `patch-02-01.sql`
 UPDATE metadata SET value = '1' WHERE name = 'schema-patch-level';
 ```
 
+## Changelog ##
+
+### v0.4.0 - 2014-11-14 ###
+
+* added a check between patches to make sure the patch level was incremented properly
+
 ## License ##
 
 [Mozilla Public License v2](https://www.mozilla.org/MPL/2.0/)
diff --git a/index.js b/index.js
index d9bd3ce..08f2e5d 100644
--- a/index.js
+++ b/index.js
@@ -13,6 +13,8 @@ var clone = require('clone')
 // globals for this package
 var noop = Function.prototype // a No Op function
 
+var ERR_NO_SUCH_TABLE = 1146
+
 // the main export from this package
 function patch(options, callback) {
   callback = callback || noop
@@ -100,14 +102,14 @@ function changeUser(callback) {
 }
 
 function checkDbMetadataExists(callback) {
-  var context = this
+  var ctx = this
   var query = "SELECT COUNT(*) AS count FROM information_schema.TABLES WHERE table_schema = ? AND table_name = ?"
   this.connection.query(
     query,
-    [ this.options.database, this.options.metaTable ],
+    [ ctx.options.database, ctx.options.metaTable ],
     function (err, result) {
       if (err) { return callback(err) }
-      context.metaTableExists = result[0].count === 0 ? false : true
+      ctx.metaTableExists = result[0].count === 0 ? false : true
       callback()
     }
   )
@@ -229,7 +231,43 @@ function applyPatches(callback) {
     ctx.patchesToApply,
     function(patch, donePatch) {
       // emit : 'Updating DB for patch ' + patch.from + ' to ' + patch.to
-      ctx.connection.query(patch.sql, donePatch)
+      ctx.connection.query(patch.sql, function(err, info) {
+        if (err) return donePatch(err)
+
+        // check that the database is now at the (intermediate) patch level
+        var query = "SELECT value FROM " + ctx.options.metaTable +  " WHERE name = ?"
+        ctx.connection.query(
+          query,
+          [ ctx.options.patchKey ],
+          function(err, result) {
+            if (err) {
+              // this is not an error if we are wanting to patch to level 0
+              // and the problem is that the metaTable is not there
+              if ( patch.to === 0 && err.errno === ERR_NO_SUCH_TABLE ) {
+                return donePatch()
+              }
+
+              // otherwise, return this error since we don't know what it is
+              return donePatch(err)
+            }
+
+            if ( result.length === 0 ) {
+              // nothing in the table yet
+              return donePatch(new Error('The patchKey does not exist in the metaTable'))
+            }
+
+            // convert the patch level from a string to a number
+            result[0].value = +result[0].value
+
+            // check if this value is incorrect
+            if ( result[0].value !== patch.to ) {
+              return donePatch(new Error('Patch level in metaTable (%s) is incorrect after this patch (%s)', result[0].value, patch.to))
+            }
+
+            donePatch()
+          }
+        )
+      })
     },
     callback
   )
diff --git a/package.json b/package.json
index a34ce3a..c22f9c9 100644
--- a/package.json
+++ b/package.json
@@ -22,7 +22,8 @@
   "dependencies": {
     "async": "^0.9.0",
     "bluebird": "^2.3.0",
-    "clone": "^0.1.18"
+    "clone": "^0.1.18",
+    "xtend": "^4.0.0"
   },
   "devDependencies": {
     "mysql": "^2.4.2",
diff --git a/test/end-to-end.js b/test/end-to-end.js
index 724a11a..9015c06 100644
--- a/test/end-to-end.js
+++ b/test/end-to-end.js
@@ -12,7 +12,7 @@ var options = {
   createDatabase : true,
   user       : 'root',
   database   : 'patcher',
-  // password   : '',
+  password   : '',
   dir        : path.join(__dirname, 'end-to-end'),
   metaTable  : 'metadata',
   patchKey   : 'schema-patch-level',
@@ -24,14 +24,15 @@ var options = {
 var connection = mysql.createConnection(options)
 
 test('run an end to end test, with no error (to patch 0)', function(t) {
+  t.plan(5)
+
   // change the expected patchLevel to 0
   options.patchLevel = 0
 
   patcher.patch(options, function(err, res) {
-    console.log(err, res)
     t.ok(!err, 'There was no error when patching the database')
 
-    // create a connection and check the metadata key has been updated to 3
+    // check the metadata table does not yet exist
     connection.query("SELECT value FROM metadata WHERE name = 'schema-patch-level'", function(err, res) {
       t.ok(err, 'There was an error getting the database patch level')
       t.equal(err.code, 'ER_NO_SUCH_TABLE', 'No metadata table')
@@ -44,13 +45,15 @@ test('run an end to end test, with no error (to patch 0)', function(t) {
 })
 
 test('run an end to end test, with no error(to patch 3)', function(t) {
-  // change the expected patchLevel to 0
+  t.plan(3)
+
+  // change the expected patchLevel to 3
   options.patchLevel = 3
 
   patcher.patch(options, function(err, res) {
     t.ok(!err, 'There was no error when patching the database')
 
-    // create a connection and check the metadata key has been updated to 3
+    // check the metadata key has been updated to 3
     connection.query("SELECT value FROM metadata WHERE name = 'schema-patch-level'", function(err, res) {
       t.ok(!err, 'There was no error getting the database patch level')
 
@@ -61,9 +64,26 @@ test('run an end to end test, with no error(to patch 3)', function(t) {
   })
 })
 
+test('run an end to end test, with no error (back to patch 0)', function(t) {
+  t.plan(5)
 
+  // change the expected patchLevel to 0
+  options.patchLevel = 0
 
+  patcher.patch(options, function(err, res) {
+    t.ok(!err, 'There was no error when patching the database')
 
+    // check the metadata table no longer exists
+    connection.query("SELECT value FROM metadata WHERE name = 'schema-patch-level'", function(err, res) {
+      t.ok(err, 'There was an error getting the database patch level')
+      t.equal(err.code, 'ER_NO_SUCH_TABLE', 'No metadata table')
+      t.equal(err.errno, 1146, 'Correct error number')
+      t.equal(err.message, "ER_NO_SUCH_TABLE: Table 'patcher.metadata' doesn't exist", 'Correct message')
+
+      t.end()
+    })
+  })
+})
 
 test('the last test, just to close the connection', function(t) {
   connection.end()
diff --git a/test/failed-create-metatable/patch-000-001.sql b/test/failed-create-metatable/patch-000-001.sql
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..57a54b1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/failed-create-metatable/patch-000-001.sql
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+-- Do Nothing
diff --git a/test/failed-create-metatable/patch-001-000.sql b/test/failed-create-metatable/patch-001-000.sql
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..57a54b1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/failed-create-metatable/patch-001-000.sql
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+-- Do Nothing
diff --git a/test/failed-insert/patch-000000-000001.sql b/test/failed-insert/patch-000000-000001.sql
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..1c89f1b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/failed-insert/patch-000000-000001.sql
@@ -0,0 +1,10 @@
+-- Create the 'metadata' table.
+-- Note: This should be the only thing in this initial patch.
+
+CREATE TABLE failed_insert (
+  name VARCHAR(255) NOT NULL PRIMARY KEY,
+  value VARCHAR(255) NOT NULL
+) ENGINE=InnoDB;
+
+-- Not doing this, so that the check fails.
+-- INSERT INTO failed_insert SET name = 'schema-patch-level', value = '1';
diff --git a/test/failed-insert/patch-000001-000000.sql b/test/failed-insert/patch-000001-000000.sql
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..168c0cb
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/failed-insert/patch-000001-000000.sql
@@ -0,0 +1,2 @@
+-- -- drop the metadata table
+DROP TABLE failed_insert;
diff --git a/test/failed.js b/test/failed.js
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..11e7022
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/failed.js
@@ -0,0 +1,75 @@
+/* Any copyright is dedicated to the Public Domain.
+ * http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/ */
+
+var path = require('path')
+
+var xtend = require('xtend')
+var mysql = require('mysql')
+var test = require('tape')
+
+var patcher = require('../')
+
+var options = {
+  createDatabase : true,
+  user       : 'root',
+  database   : 'patcher',
+  password   : '',
+  patchKey   : 'schema-patch-level',
+  mysql      : mysql,
+
+  // dir        : ?, // \
+  // metaTable  : ?, //  > to be set in each test
+  // patchLevel : ?, // /
+}
+
+test('run an end to end test, error updating metaTable in patch 1', function(t) {
+  // set expected patch and metaTable
+  var opts = xtend(
+    options,
+    {
+      dir        : path.join(__dirname, 'failed-insert'),
+      patchLevel : 1,
+      metaTable  : 'failed_insert',
+    }
+  )
+
+  // create a connection for us to use directly
+  var connection = mysql.createConnection(opts)
+
+  t.plan(3)
+
+  patcher.patch(opts, function(err, res) {
+    t.ok(err, 'There was an error when patching the database')
+    t.ok(!res, 'No result was returned')
+    t.equal('' + err, 'Error: The patchKey does not exist in the metaTable', 'Error message is correct')
+    connection.end()
+    t.end()
+  })
+})
+
+test('run an end to end test, metaTable not created', function(t) {
+  // set expected patch and metaTable
+  var opts = xtend(
+    options,
+    {
+      dir        : path.join(__dirname, 'failed-create-metatable'),
+      patchLevel : 1,
+      metaTable  : 'failed_create_metatable',
+    }
+  )
+
+  // create a connection for us to use directly
+  var connection = mysql.createConnection(opts)
+
+  t.plan(4)
+
+  patcher.patch(opts, function(err, res) {
+    t.ok(err, 'There was an error when patching the database')
+    t.ok(!res, 'No result was returned')
+    // t.equal('' + err, 'Error: ER_NO_SUCH_TABLE: Table \'patcher.failed_create_metatable\' doesn\'t exist', 'Error message is correct')
+    t.equal(err.errno, 1146, 'Error number is correct')
+    t.equal(err.code, 'ER_NO_SUCH_TABLE', 'Error code is correct')
+    connection.end()
+    t.end()
+  })
+})
diff --git a/test/patches.js b/test/patches.js
index afe18c4..b8de61d 100644
--- a/test/patches.js
+++ b/test/patches.js
@@ -145,24 +145,39 @@ test('check all patches are available (fails, no patch #1)', function(t) {
 test('checking that these patch files are executed', function(t) {
   var count = 0
   var ctx = {
+    options : {
+      dir       : path.join(__dirname, 'end-to-end'),
+      metaTable : 'metadata',
+      patchKey  : 'schema-patch-level',
+    },
     connection : {
-      query : function(sql, callback) {
+      query : function(sql, args, callback) {
+        if ( typeof callback === 'undefined' ) {
+          callback = args
+          args = undefined
+        }
+        // if this query is the patcher trying to get the patch level, ignore it
+        if ( sql.match(/SELECT value FROM metadata WHERE name/) ) {
+          return callback(null, [])
+        }
         t.equal(sql, ctx.patchesToApply[count].sql, 'SQL is correct')
         count += 1
-        callback()
+        callback(null, [])
       },
     },
-    patchesToApply : [
-      { sql : '-- 0->1' },
-      { sql : '-- 1->2' },
-      { sql : '-- 2->3' },
-    ],
   }
 
-  patcher.applyPatches.call(ctx, function(err) {
+  patcher.readPatchFiles.call(ctx, function(err) {
     t.ok(!err, 'No error occurred')
-    t.end()
+    patcher.checkAllPatchesAvailable.call(ctx, function(err) {
+      t.ok(!err, 'No error occurred')
+      patcher.applyPatches.call(ctx, function(err) {
+        t.ok(!err, 'No error occurred')
+        t.end()
+      })
+    })
   })
+
 })
 
 test('checking that an error comes back if a patch is missing', function(t) {
@@ -170,15 +185,19 @@ test('checking that an error comes back if a patch is missing', function(t) {
 
   var count = 0
   var ctx = {
+    options : {
+      metaTable : 'metadata',
+      patchKey  : 'level',
+    },
+    patchesToApply : [
+      { sql : '-- 0->1' },
+    ],
     connection : {
       query : function(sql, callback) {
         t.equal(sql, '-- 0->1', 'The sql is what is expected')
         callback(new Error('Something went wrong'))
       },
     },
-    patchesToApply : [
-      { sql : '-- 0->1' },
-    ],
   }
 
   patcher.applyPatches.call(ctx, function(err) {