Review - Hereafter by Tara Hudson

Title and Author: Hereafter by Tara Hudson

Publisher: Harper Collins
Publication Date: June 7th, 2011
Paperback/Hardcover: 404
Genre: Young Adult, Paranormal

Summary

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.

Review:

First of all, I really like the cover of this book and the premise seemed really interesting so I just had to read it.

Hereafter is a very well written book about Amelia, a ghost who can’t remember neither her living life nr exactly how she died. Amelia wanders around aimlessly but everything changes for her the day she meets Joshua, who almost dies in the same lake Amelia did. Despite all odds Amelia manages to save Joshua, who is the first person she finds that is able to see her.

As Amelia and Joshua become closer, Amelia starts to remember more and more about her life. However, how can a ghost and a living boy ever be together?

I liked Amelia. At the beginning of the book she is very confused. All she knows for sure is that she is dead but she doesn’t remember exactly how she died or why. Her emotions, including fear and love, seemed real and very appropriate.

Joshua was my favorite character, though. He’s sweet and smart and willing to fight to stay with Amelia even though he knows she is a ghost and their love is, to say the least, very complicated.

The relationship between Amelia develops nicely from curiosity to a crush, to love. I liked the fact Joshua was always trying to find a way of being with Amelia so he could help her remember who she was when she was alive. They were definitely a good couple.

I enjoyed Amelia and Joshua’s struggle to be together as well as the whole plot idea. The writing is this book is very good as well.

My only problem with the book was the ending. I hoped for more and thought it was a little rushed. There are a lot of questions that weren’t answered and I can only hope they are indeed answered in the next books.

All in all this is a good book and a fun read any young adult paranormal fan will be able to enjoy. I’m sure the next book in the series will be very interesting as well.

Rating: Worth Your Time (4 Stars)

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