Review: Hereafter

Author: Tara Hudson
Pages: 404
Publisher: HarperTeen
Source: Library
Challenge: Debut Author Challenge
Synopsis: Can there truly be love after death? 


 Drifting in the dark waters of a mysterious river, the only thing Amelia knows for sure is that she's dead. With no recollection of her past life—or her actual death—she's trapped alone in a nightmarish existence. All of this changes when she tries to rescue a boy, Joshua, from drowning in her river. As a ghost, she can do nothing but will him to live. Yet in an unforgettable moment of connection, she helps him survive.


 Amelia and Joshua grow ever closer as they begin to uncover the strange circumstances of her death and the secrets of the dark river that held her captive for so long. But even while they struggle to keep their bond hidden from the living world, a frightening spirit named Eli is doing everything in his power to destroy their newfound happiness and drag Amelia back into the ghost world . . . forever. 


 Thrilling and evocative, with moments of pure pleasure, Hereafter is a sensation you won't want to miss.


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Hereafter is another title to add to the list of "nice ghost stories". There's romance, death, and some really creepy spirits.

Reading this book was a breeze. The second I started it I was wrapped into the easy prose. Very easy to get into and to read I was surprised how quickly I finished the book. It's 400 pages or so, but it doesn't feel like 400 pages. The story isn't very complex and is very much a love story. Hereafter isn't a plot driven story, it's driven by characters instead. Which means most of what happens is Amelia's thoughts, feelings, reactions and fears.

After finishing Hereafter I'm not sure what to think of Amelia. I think she's nicer than me and has a better temper to start with but that doesn't say very much about her. She seems like an average girl. Part of the problem is that Amelia doesn't remember her past at all except for brief flashes. So since she can't remember what she has done, and she's a ghost so she has very limited interactions, it's hard to make her more of a real person and less of a character. Right now I think of her as a lovestruck yearning spirit that's on the verge of finding the light.

I said before that Hereafter was a love story and that's partly why I wasn't in love with the book. I like a romance being in the book but not the first or second main focus for 50%-75% of the book. I did like Joshua as he was really sweet and nice and he was good for Amelia. I would have liked to see him in more action though. Maybe more danger? I think the problem is that Joshua and Amelia are in an adorable and sweet relationship. I like more danger and darkness in a relationship. So me not liking it was based on my tastes.

Despite my complaints I did like Hereafter. Some of the ghost stuff was really cool, once you got to the good stuff. The end was interesting and I'm curious to see what happens next. Do I think this book is a must read? Not really. There are lots of cool points to it which is why many people probably will enjoy it. I'm giving it 3.5 stars,

*** & 1/2 *