Review: Hereafter (Hereafter #1) by Tara Hudson

Title:  Hereafter
Author:  Tara Hudson
Series:  Hereafter
Publisher:  HarperCollins
Publication Date:  June 7, 2011
Links:  Amazon | Goodreads
Rating: 

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.

Review:


Another great 2011 debut novel. And yet another fantastic start to another awesome trilogy.

Hereafter is the story of a girl who dies but seems doomed to haunt the river in which she met her death. Until she saves a boy from drowning in that same river, that is, and they fall for each other while trying to unravel the mystery of her death.

I liked this book, I really did, but here's the unfortunate reason why I just couldn't justify giving it that 5th star: the love story itself. Yes, it was beautiful and tragic and all the things I adore in a good love story. But it was also so very unrealistic in the way it developed. I mean, I don't know many people who, when told that they are standing face-to-face with a ghost, would a) believe that statement without question or proof and b) not balk at the idea and be completely accepting of that fact. Sure, an open-minded person could come to terms with it--especially after said ghost saved one's life--and could grow to love the ghost of a person, but this story was insta-love and that always grinds my gears a bit.

That said, the story itself was intriguing. Along with ghost-girl and lover-boy, there's an evil, sexy ghost guy vying for ghost-girl's soul. Trust that he's up to no good. Then there's lover-boy's witchy grandmother who would like nothing more than to exorcize ghost-girl. But most importantly, the story centers around finding out who ghost-girl is and how she died and why she's no longer walking around in the daze that she's known for the last decade or so.

It was definitely an enjoyable read and an amazing first book.  Here's the trailer to entice you further:
 

 
Next up for review**: 

**I desperately want to read my copy of Passion by Lauren Kate, but how often do you stumble across a series that's already complete?  So, being the obsessive-compulsive girl that I am, I'll finish The Forest of Hands and Teeth series first.  =D

Labels: book trailers, hereafter, reviews