Hereafter by Tara Hudson
Reviewed by: Baby Sister Brittany
The Sisters say: Sinister, Spooky, Sweet
Summary(from goodreads):
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.
I really loved Amelia’s story. I’ve been on a ghost kick as of late (check out our reviews of Deception by Lee Nichols and Shade by Jeri Smith-Ready), and her story was new and fresh and didn’t disappoint! It was a book of self-discovery with a generous helping of romance, and a dash of mystery. A great supernatural thriller!
It was great to get to discover her death alongside her, as she scavenged for the reasons why and how she actually died. Her description of the setting is haunting and beautiful, and I felt as if I could actually see the river where Amelia is stuck and the creepy bridge that overlooks it.
But perhaps my favorite part of this book is imagining what might happen next. If you think long-distance relationships are heard, a relationship between a ghost and human ranks way above that on the difficulty scale. Somehow, due to the connection that was made when Amelia saved Josh, he can see her and she can touch him. But no one else can. The only way for them to be together is for Josh to withdraw from the rest of the world, and only spend time with her. I don’t think their relationship is something they can hide forever. Eventually Josh will have to make a choice. And it was knowing that that choice will eventually come that kept me hooked on this book. There were some slower moments where I lost interest, but my investment in these characters and their relationship was strong enough to keep me interested.
If you like ghost stories and impossible romances (like me)—then this story is for you! I personally can’t wait for Book 2!
We also got to meet Tara recently on the Dark Days stop in Austin, TX! She was super nice and she revealed one secret about Book 2! It’s not too spoiler-y, but very exciting nonetheless. In Hereafter, Amelia is stuck forever as she died (in a dress that is pretty, albeit not very covering). But in book two—she discovers a way to change her appearance, and she loses the drowning dress! Yay!
Top (from Left to Right): Baby Sister Brittany, Elder Sister Amy
Bottom (Left to Right): Veronica Roth (Divergent), Tara Hudson (Hereafter)