Hereafter: a book recommendation
5 out of 5 stars.
Let me preface this by saying I’m not usually a fan of true-love/love-at-first-sight stories. Nor am I usually a fan of stories where the romance is the focal point.
Then I got an ARC of debut author Tara Hudson’s Hereafter, and she pretty much flipped my expectations around. Maybe it was her lyrical voice or the gentle sweetness that grows between Amelia and Joshua–either way, I adored this story.
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.
The first thing that pulled me into this novel was Amelia’s voice. No pun intended, but it was haunting. Her words felt as ethereal as her ghostly form, and that captivated me.
Then, as I came to discover Amelia’s plight, all I could think was, “I gotta know more. Turn page now.” I was desperate to know what was happening to her, why she was a ghost, and what was so creepy and awful about the river.
Enter stage left: handsome, sweet Joshua, and I couldn’t put the book down. I read it in two days, and it was a pleasant reminder that sometimes exploring outside my usual reading-diet is a good thing. Like I said above: paranormal romance isn’t really my go-to-genre…but this is so much more! There’s mystery, terror, and sweetness on every page.
So, if you’re in the mood for a love story or a ghost story, then be sure to get your hands on Hereafter. It’ll be in stores on Tuesday!
AND STAY TUNED: I’ll soon be featuring an interview with the lovely Ms. Hudson! Yay!
You tell me: Are you a fan of paranormal romance or ghost stories? Do you have any to recommend (now that I’m a convert)?
June 5, 2011 @ 10:18 pm
I’ve never heard of this one. The ghost story part, with the dark river and stuff sounds awesome. I might have to -will- read it 🙂
I apparently do like paranormal romance–I just discovered the other day that most of my favorite books are stashed under YA Paranormal Romance in the Barnes and Noble shelves. Who knew? I found the Gemma Doyle series there the other day next to a vampire book… I must confess I moved it to better company *shamed*.
Anyway, I just bought Eyes Like Stars because I read the first few chapters online. Can’t say I whole-heartedly recommend it because I haven’t finished it, but it has a very interesting premise. I’ll get back to you on this 😀
I recently read Dreaming Anastasia and Ruby Red, and I really liked them both. Dreaming Anastasia was a page-turning twist on the disappearance of Anastasia, which featured Baba Yaga. Ruby Red is about time traveling! 😀 But it’s VERY open-ended, so don’t read it unless you can read the next book soon (which I can’t. Grr)
Oh, but that reminds me! Have YOU read Ruby Red? It said in the back cover that the original book was written in German by Kerstin Gier and then translated into English (Well, the first book has been translated). Have you even heard of it?? 🙂
Loves,
A
June 6, 2011 @ 3:04 pm
Oooh, thanks for all the awesome recs, Adriana! I will definitely look into those–and no, I haven’t heard of RUBY RED. COOOOOOOL.
June 6, 2011 @ 5:26 am
I haven’t read a lot of YA paranormals, but I do love a good ghost story, and this sounds really amazing. Thank you for the rec!
June 6, 2011 @ 3:05 pm
You’re so very welcome, Emy! I hope you enjoy it! 🙂