Hereafter (Hereafter #1)

Amelia is a spirit, lost in the mortal world. Destined to relive the night of her death over and over. Not exactly the most pleasant existence. That is, until the night that she happens to rescue Joshua.

I know that there are plenty of paranormal romance stories out there, but I'd be lying if I said that this one doesn't stand out. Amelia's character is so perfect. She's sweet and lost, but downright fierce when she needs to be. I loved watching her wake up from the fog and become more aware of herself as the story progressed. Amelia's story has the perfect balance between being utterly heartbreaking, and yet full of hope at the same time. It will tug at your heartstrings, that's for sure!

Then there is Joshua. Wonderful and persistent Joshua. Want a guy who manages to be adorable without even trying? Here's your man. Dead set on being a part of Amelia's afterlife, apparently whether she wants it or not, he holds his own. The banter between these two and the stolen moments of closeness were too sweet for words. There were times when it was just so honest. Sure, they may be from two different planes of existence, but that doesn't stop them from being a perfect match for one another. Be warned, swoon worthy moments ensue.

Lest you think that Hereafter is just a book filled with romance though, let me sate your need for action! As Amelia remembers more about her past, the book really picks up pace. Ghosts who are "unclaimed" are apparently a no-no in Tara Hudson's ghostly afterlife. This allows her to weave a wonderful romance that pits two very different worlds against one another. Amelia's life becomes a tug of war between the living, and the dead. I cannot say enough how much this added to the overall story! Love is great, but love that is fated to fail? Even more delicious.

Let's be honest, I could go on about Hereafter for hours. However I'll wrap it up with the fact that while this may not be a new concept, Tara Hudson takes a story that has been done before and still manages to put her own gorgeous twist on it. Amelia and Joshua will make your heart soar, and then have you rooting for their continued existence together. Couple that with some all out action, and you have a book that is well worth your time.

Previously published on my blog: http://fictionfervor.wordpress.com/2011/06/11/review-hereafter-by-tara-hudson/

Amelia doesn’t remember her past. She can’t remember her last name, who her parents were, when she died, how she died … She only remembers that she died in the river underneath High Bridge. And then all that changes when she meets Joshua –

Hold up a second. Does this sound like deja vu? I mean, maybe not exactly, but don’t you think it’s a little cheesy that everything starts piecing together once — ooh — the hot love interest walks in? Very Twilight-esque, I’d say. Or maybe just corny.

But, believe it or not, Hereafter is actually pretty unique. Maybe I’m just saying that because I don’t read that many ghost stories, but at least it isn’t the same old, same old. The plot is actually decent; instead of focusing entirely on the romance of the story, it’s put off a little bit to the side. Instead, the plot focuses on how Eli, another ghost who wants Amelia to help him capture souls, pursues Amelia, trying to convince her to be his apprentice. In fact, he wants to convince her so badly that he might capture her and banish her to become just another of his little minions if she doesn’t.

I wasn’t the biggest fan of Amelia though. I adore kick-butt heroines, and though Amelia was pretty strong-minded, she wasn’t kick-butt. Which disappoints me greatly. (Spoilers for this next sentence.) I know, I know, she broke High Bridge with her mind and could glow like a firefly, but she didn’t know how she did it. And that rules out “kick-butt.”

And Joshua … Joshua irritated me. He seemed like just another Marty Stue, just another pretty boy who falls in love with the pretty girl. That bores me. I mean, I could find nothing wrong with his character! And though most people would shout for joy for finding someone like that in real life, that’s not the case in books. ‘Cause it’s not realistic. Or, well, realistic even with ghosts.

But if you want to know who my favorite character was … it was Ruth. No offense to Amelia and Joshua, but any grandma who can see ghosts — and exorcise them — is pretty awesome. (Now that’s a kick-butt grandma.)

Hereafter was a haunting love story with a sappy romance, but the intriguing plot — though not perfect — made up for it. I wouldn’t say that I absolutely adored it or loved it, but I generally enjoyed reading and watching as Amelia discovered her past … and her future.

Source: ARC/galley received from publisher for review

Oh my god. This book. I just. Aaaaaaahhhh! To begin and explain simply, this book is definitely capitalizing off of the Twilight school of YA popularity. The writing and the plot are ridiculous. Even more ridiculous is the insta-love (just add water! - Get it?) between the main characters. In my last top ten list about the most obnoxious YA heroines, I mentioned Bianca from Evernight for the trait of immediate obsessive, ridiculously gooey love, but definitely would steal this crown from her without a contest.

Ghosts are tricky heroines. For one thing, they're insubstantial, so what they can do is a bit limited. Of course, with any other paranormal thing, there are ways to play with the legend and make them a bit more interesting. Hudson has devised her own, rather inconsistent ghost lore. Amelia mostly can't do anything. She can't open doors or move things or go through them. Apparently though, she can cry and bleed and breathe and have a racing heartbeat. Well, I lied. She does get to touch one thing (well, a couple others too, but pretty much only in conjunction with this one): super smexy Joshua, whose life she saved. Yeah, they can touch all they want and he can see her because of his ghost-seeing and exorcism powers. Convenient that.

Joshua couldn't actually see ghosts until he died just a lil bit in the water that night. He sees Amelia and thinks she's the prettiest thing in the world and goes back to the scene of the accident to ask her to meet with him the next day. Amelia hesitates but "stunningly, impossibly" agrees to go (32). She worries he will not like her when she learns she's a ghost, because, well, she's dead and no one else can see her. Instead, when he learns, he's like "Sweet! Let's make out!" No one should react to this news so happily. Getting over it would be one thing, but thinking it's the best? No freakin' way.

Although I have to say that imagining Joshua out on a date with her was about the only thing I enjoyed in the book. I mean, even though she's invisible to pretty much everyone else, he talks to her in public, he holds hands with her in public, kisses her in public. He must look so incredibly cray cray. Just picture it. Oh, also, the second and third things he does after she tells him about being a ghost: invite her to calculus class with him and to dinner with his family. Lol, whut? Oh, and apparently, ghosts smell like peaches, or nectarines.

The plot, with its number of villains, none of which I cared too much about, was not interesting whatsoever. However, what really makes this book so incredibly awful for any but Twilight fans is the writing, especially the writing about any scene that features Joshua and Amelia. Here's a sampling of quotes to illustrate what reading Hereafter is like:

"The moment his skin brushed mine, a current shot through my entire body, from my scalp to the tips of my fingers. The current made the ache in my chest, and the tingles that races along my spine each time he looked at me, seem like low-burning cinders. My heart, my brain, my skin—all of it was momentarily engulfed in flame, a flame lit only by the spark on my cheek." (51)

"The kiss sent a jolt through my entire body. The sensation was more intense than any I'd felt until now—a pure shock wave rushing along my spine and down each of my limbs. I gasped from the strength of it, dragging in a near-shriek of air." (115)

"I simply nodded, too befuddled by his proximity to say anything even remotely clever." (140)

"The heat of the little kiss spread across my lips, turning them into two smoldering coals." (155)

So, if you like these quotes, you'll love Hereafter. If not, leave it to that first set of folks. This a story for people who believe that love can overcome any obstacle, even death and the fact that one of the beings involved will never age.

Oh my! I really enjoyed this book. A lot. It's been a while since I have stayed up all night reading a book because I couldn't (and didn't want to) put it down. It makes my heart happy that it's happened again.

Within the first few pages I was hooked. As soon as I realized that Amelia was drowning for real, but repeating her death, I became engrossed in this story. (That only took about two pages.) From there, everything just unfolded so quickly. It was very quick read. I don't know if that was because it had my attention, or if it was due to the fact that you didn't go more than two pages with out some major event occuring. That kept the story moving along at a nice pace. Honestly, I hate "slow" stories. I tend to get a little bored with a story if it takes too long to develop the plot. I'm all for character building, but I need action too.

So, the characters... What can I say? I felt so sorry for Amelia. When she learned about her parents, it made me sad. I could picture the whole scene in my head. So lonely. At the same time, however, I was excited when Joshua didn't run away from her. At first I thought it would be like a friendship thing (and I was cool with that), but it turned into a lot more. Joshua was lovable too. He seemed like the strong, silent type that had a close relationship with his family--even his maniacle grandmother.

Now, the two characters I didn't care for were Eli and Ruth. Obviously, Eli was meant to be hated. He was like the evil spawn/ henchman of the Devil. That goes without saying that you shouldn't like him too much. Plus, he makes a living (no pun intended) on killing off people--Amelia included. I'm not sure if I was supposed to dislike Ruth or not. She seemed to bossy and rude and thickheaded and... That list really could go on. She seemed slightly evil herself, but not in the same way as Eli. Ruth was hell-bent on exorcising all spirits, whether they were good or bad. She didn't even try to listen to her grandson or Amelia. I don't like people that don't listen before forming judgements. Hence my extreme dislike of Ruth.

As much as I enjoyed this book, there was one thing that kind of bothered me. I didn't fully buy into the "Oh you're a ghost but that's cool because you're really hot so I'm going to date you anyway" thing. I mean, really? Come on. That's my big complaint. I thought Josh was way too accepting and willing to overlook the HUGE difference between himself and Amelia. You can over look race, tasts in music, etc but you really can't ignore the other person being dead. How do you take her to prom? Or on a date? You would have to end up looking like a weirdo or a major perv.

Overall, I liked Tara Hudson's book Hereafter. It was a fun read and kept me turning pages. I hope there is a second book, because there are many loose ends I would like to see tied up.

I really enjoyed the love story and main idea behind Hereafter. I was drawn in with Amelia's battle with the aftermath of dying, her nightmares, and then waking up to a world around her. Josh is great, and I love the idea of a sweet and hot guy that is one of the few who can see her. Unfortunately another "person" that can see her isn't so sweet--in fact, he's evil.
The additions of Grandma Ruth and Josh's sister are interesting. I would have liked to see a little more resolution with Ruth, because it seems like she goes from hating Amelia, as she should as a "ghost hunter/exorcist" to pretty much out of the picture.
I think that the main plot line was wrapped up fairly well, although I'd liked more of my questions answered. I know it's a first in a series, but to me, the ending felt rushed.
Though with the great story idea and the sweet romance, I still recommend this one!