Wednesday, July 13, 2011

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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CymLowell

12 comments:

  1. I agree about that cover-I think it's so gorgeous and it definitely intrigued me about the content within.

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  2. I keep hovering over this book. To read, not to read... Thanks for your review.

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  3. Hi - I don't think I've ever been to your blog. It's beautiful. I love the "scrapbooky" feeling of it. Thanks for stopping by family literacy - I was so excited to read Uncommon Criminals. For a kids book it was a great one!

    Tina "the Book Lady"
    http://familyliteracyandyou.blogspot.com

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  4. Stopping by from Cym Lowell's Book Party.

    Sounds like an interesting book...THANKS.

    Stop by my blog if you like for a giveaway of NIGHT TRAIN that ends on July 25.

    http://silversolara.blogspot.com/2011/06/book-giveawaythe-night-train-by-clyde.html

    OLD FOLLOWER.

    Elizabeth

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  5. The characters esem intriguing but too bad for the rushed ending. Great review!

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  6. I really hate when a book messes up the ending a bit or assumes since there is another one to come that they don't need to answer everything - in my opinion they do!!

    Great review.

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  7. This is on my TBR list. I have to say I've noticed a few books lately that have disappointed me in how rushed and with questions left unanswered that the endings have. But this still sounds good!

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  8. I'd still love to read this book despite the ending. Great review and recommendation.

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  9. OOh I totally agree with you about the cover. It's gorgeous. I have this one in my tbr pile. Glad your enjoyed it.

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  10. Although I didn't enjoy the book as much as you did, I still liked the book very much. The cover, like nearly every YA cover I see, is amazing. (Cover designers rock!) I thought that a bit of the story was a little cheesy for my taste, but Amelia and Joshua's relationship was still very sweet. I haven't gotten to picking up the next book yet, but I shall do it soon!

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  11. I read this book and loved it! i am not usually into ghost stories, but this story really intrigued me! Great review!
    -Cali W.

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