BOOK REVIEW - HEREAFTER by TARA HUDSON - HEREAFTER # 1

By : Tara Hudson
Published By : Harper Collins
Release Date : 7th June 2011
Details: Netgalley Digital Read 250 Pages

RATING : 4 GHOSTLY STARS!!!

Book Blurb: Taken 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.



BOOK REVIEW:



‘Hereafter’, is what I call a very clean love story with a paranormal twist. No swear words, or hands wandering where they shouldn’t even though the main characters are 18 yrs old. I thought the story was original and I really felt Amelia and Joshua’s love and at times desperation. Visually I saw the Netherworld really clearly. Tara does write her descriptive very well.


The story unfolded through Amelia’s eyes and the reader got to understand Amelia’s story at the same time as she discovered it. You weren’t jumping ahead.


At times I felt the ‘evil’ character plot could have been stronger.


Amelia is a very likeable character. I loved Joshua , but I didn’t feel that fictional crush that I can ‘feel’ when I read about some of the guys in books.


Grandma Ruth, I think what was missing from her character was the total understanding as to the why in more depth that nan had such a deep hatred and assumed all spirits were evil. I didn’t understand why she had such a loathing for Amelia, not trusting her own grandson’s judgement, considering he was 18 yrs old , Ruth was just going to be this hard nosed, don’t mess with me and my beliefs character , full stop. I kinda felt like she had lost the plot a bit. Joshua’s parents were quite invisible to the story. Ruth ran the show.


I can see Jillian will be a lot of fun. Her character has spunk.


Eli, I liked his character but he could have been awesome. I felt like Tara Hudson could have really poured more into his character, made him a stronger villain . He was quite likeable for most of the book and then he tried to show his bad side, but I kept thinking of his Rock Star looks, bare chest, tight pants and I liked him rather than feared him.


As an overall, it was an enjoyable story and I look forward to ,Hereafter # 2.


I love the book cover it is absolutely gorgeous. I think it suits the book very well.

Thankyou to Netgalley and Harper Collins for this advanced read:D

Michelle