Book Review: Hereafter

Title:  Hereafter
Author:  Tara Hudson
Where I got it:  I bought it

Amazon 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.

Thrilling and evocative, with moments of pure pleasure, Hereafter is a sensation you won't want to miss.

My Thoughts:
I finally got around to Hereafter because I knew the sequel was coming out, and I have definitely heard fantastic things about both books.  And I did enjoy it, but I am also glad that I waited to read it – it didn’t completely rock my world, and I’m hoping that the sequel will tie up the loose ends that are still bothering me about this book.

Amelia is a ghost, unable to interact with the living world in any way.  Until one day, she discovers Josh almost drowning in the same river that she died in.  Suddenly, there is someone who can see and hear her, who she’s also desperately attracted to.  But even though she can interact with Josh, that doesn’t mean their relationship will actually work.  Especially since the river has a history, and it’s not a good one.

I really liked the plot of this book as a whole – it was interesting, pretty different, and had some good characterization and world building.  However, there was a lot of information that felt like it was missing, in favor of this insta-romance between Josh and Amelia, that I think would have made the book far more interesting if it had been included.  Not to mention the inconsistencies – Amelia can’t interact with the world, except when she can.  Eli is a freeky jerk, except when he isn’t.  That kind of thing.  These little details were kind of jarring when they didn’t match up throughout the story.

Hereafter is currently only $0.99 for the Kindle, and it’s definitely worth that price.  And although there were parts of the story that didn’t really click with me, I will still read Arise at some point.  This is a good book, but to me it wasn’t a great book for me.