03 October 2012

Willow Reads Books: Hereafter (Hereafter #1)


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.


Title: Hereafter
Author: Tara Hudson
Page Count: 404 pages
Book website: http://www.tarahudson.com/hereafter.php
Published: June 7, 2011
Source: Goodreads suggestion

Amelia cannot remember much, except that she died in the water and that her name is Amelia. She is some sort of ghost wandering the lonely afterlife until something happens- a boy almost drowns to death in the same body of water. She ends up saving him, though he does die for a short amount of time, and then comes back to life. He can see her instantly after he comes back, but nobody else does.

So, of course, the boy comes looking. His name is Joshua, called Josh by mostly everyone, and he ends up seeing Amelia. Their relationship grows fast and hard, and it's pretty much the most unbelievable aspect of the book. You can't fall completely in love with someone within the span of 24 hours- I don't care how lonely you are.. This doesn't happen- at most, it's infatuation with someone.

But other than that, I really enjoyed this book. The story line is good, I just wish that Hudson had spent a little more time actually developing some sort of romantic relationship; when the whole romance is later tested by Eli, the antagonist of the whole book, it might have made a little more sense to have grown with more time. Love takes time. The whole aspect that the afterlife can mostly be solitude with no ability to remember anything, until someone dies in the same way you did at the same location.. That's definitely interesting.

I'm kind of curious to read the next book of the series, though. I want to see how the relationship is going to turn out between Amelia and Joshua. It's not realistic for a ghost to be with a human... I mean, what are they going to do? Get married? xD

So I don't know. I have to get my hands on book 2 and I'll update then.
Currently reading J.K. Rowling's "The Casual Vacancy," and a review will be up as soon as I'm done and I get to it.

Happy reading!

Template by:

Free Blog Templates