Review: Hereafter

Hereafter by Tara Hudson
HarperCollins; June 2011
416 pages

ISBN13   9780062026774

 

What if you could see ghosts? Or talk to them, smell them or touch them? Would it make you question your mental stability??

This was a wonderful twist into YA paranormal. Amelia is a ghost who has been wandering in a "fog" since her death. She isn't quite sure of how she died, other than knowing that she drowned. She is wandering in the fog when a car suddenly crashes into the river where she drowned. This car crash is where Amelia is finally awakened from her fog and she begins recalling things about her life with the help of a "Seer", the handsome teenager Joshua. Amelia saves Joshua from drowning that night and he develops his ability to see the dead, while awakening Amelia's spirit.

The story was really well written in both character development and plot. It has your nasty bad guy, Eli, who is really creepy in his own sense, the not so nasty Grandma Ruth, and the skeptical sister Jillian. Eli is the "guardian" of the netherworld with his own agenda for Amelia. Grandma Ruth is bent on sending Amelia to the other side so she can protect her grandson. Jillian is in denial about what is going on and trying to be Miss Popular with the kids at school with not so much help from her older brother.

The story moves at a nice pace and connects all of the characters really well. The descriptions throughout the book were so vivid that you could almost see the dark netherworld, smell the honeysuckles and feel the electricity. I really enjoyed the fact that the romance didn't overtake the dark ghost story nor did it really have a weak character to it.

This is the first in the Hereafter series as well as the debut novel of the author. I can honestly say that I will continue to read the series to see how each of the characters develop their individual abilities and how they use them. If you like ghost stories, this one I recommend.

***I received this book from HarperCollins via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. It in no way influenced my review or opinion.