Brad About Books: Hereafter by Tara Hudson

HEREAFTER
Published: June 7, 2011
Publisher: Harper Teen
Format: Harper Teen
Page Count: 404 pages
Source: Amazon.com
Series: Hereafter, #1

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.

HEREAFTER is a thrilling and gripping story about finding out who you can really trust when you’ve lost everything. 

Tara Hudson’s writing style is a very poetic but fast-paced style, which made me fall in love with the book instantly. I adore it when an author makes you want to care about the characters; makes you want to find out what will happen next. 

And the author did one of the most awesome things: she made the romance between the two characters realistic. They truly cared for each other and wanted to help each other in any way possible. Props to Tara Hudson for that!

One word: Eli. Eli the creepy stalker. Eli the weirdo who’s life mission is to own Amelia (The main character). Eli who is troubled and needs somebody there for him. How did this character come to be? 

He’s one of those characters that you hate so much . . . then the next chapter, you feel for him and cheer for him. But wait, you forgot that you hate him. I love it when authors make characters like that!

And the ending is so full of action and epic. Tara Hudson had me on the edge of my seat with my fingers crossed that nothing horrible would happen to the characters that I have come to love. And the final chapter is so perfect. Loved it!

One more thing before I go: the snarky character that is Grandma Ruth. Oh gosh, how much I loved her sass in HEREAFTER. She had me laughing out loud at some parts, then had me so furious with her at others. Again, Tara Hudson is one of the best character creators ever.

Overall, HEREAFTER was an excellent debut with a great storyline and exquisite characters. So stoked to read ARISE! 

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