jenbsbooks's review
4.0
This was an interesting read. It reminded me a bit of [b:Wraith|12342486|Wraith (Hawaiian Shadows, #1)|Edie Claire|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1384195026s/12342486.jpg|17321793], and I'll admit to hoping there was a similar twist. This is the first of trilogy, and while I did quite like this, I'm not sure it's one I want to continue on with, at least not immediately. I'll probably come back to it at some point.
wanderherz's review against another edition
3.0
The cover of this book is pretty much amazing, and it drew my attention. The plot was interesting enough, although I'm not a big fan of ghoststories, I thought the story sounded intriguing. So I gave it a try.
It's a first-person book (Amelia's POV) and although I'm a huge fan of alternating POVs (if they are well written), I really liked Amelia's voice.
I loved the beginning. Amelia is dead, that's the only thing she really knows and the fact that she died drowning in a river. She doesn't remember anything, isn't able to tell time or interact with living people. So basically she wanders around, completely alone. One day she saves a boy named Joshua from drowning in the exact same river, and somehow they connected and he is able to see her. Together they try to solve the mystery of Amelia's death.
Like I said, the beginning was awesome. The story kept me on my toes because I simply wanted to know what happened to this poor girl. The scenes where Amelia felt lost, alone and empty were really well written. I love when the first chapters of a book ensnare the reader into the story and they convey how terrifying and disturbing Amelia's nightmares really are.
I wished that the plot would have concentrated more on Amelia's mystery around her death rather than her romance with the sleeping pill, aah I mean Joshua. It was rather unbelieving after his nearly deathly accident to accept Amelia as a ghost so quickly and easily. Oh, and did I mentioned that he fell in love with Amelia at first sight because she was oh so pretty. Yeah, needless to say, that bugged me. A lot.
And there is Eli, the villain, who - yes you guessed right - wants Amelia for his own. Although it somehow sounds like a love-triangle, there really isn't one (thank God).
The story is your typical paranormal romance with a hint of fantasy. The story itself is beautiful and captivating (I'm talking about Amelia's death), but the romance felt flat for me. Somehow I also missed a plot-twist that left me speechless.
It's a first-person book (Amelia's POV) and although I'm a huge fan of alternating POVs (if they are well written), I really liked Amelia's voice.
I loved the beginning. Amelia is dead, that's the only thing she really knows and the fact that she died drowning in a river. She doesn't remember anything, isn't able to tell time or interact with living people. So basically she wanders around, completely alone. One day she saves a boy named Joshua from drowning in the exact same river, and somehow they connected and he is able to see her. Together they try to solve the mystery of Amelia's death.
Like I said, the beginning was awesome. The story kept me on my toes because I simply wanted to know what happened to this poor girl. The scenes where Amelia felt lost, alone and empty were really well written. I love when the first chapters of a book ensnare the reader into the story and they convey how terrifying and disturbing Amelia's nightmares really are.
I wished that the plot would have concentrated more on Amelia's mystery around her death rather than her romance with the sleeping pill, aah I mean Joshua. It was rather unbelieving after his nearly deathly accident to accept Amelia as a ghost so quickly and easily. Oh, and did I mentioned that he fell in love with Amelia at first sight because she was oh so pretty. Yeah, needless to say, that bugged me. A lot.
And there is Eli, the villain, who - yes you guessed right - wants Amelia for his own. Although it somehow sounds like a love-triangle, there really isn't one (thank God).
The story is your typical paranormal romance with a hint of fantasy. The story itself is beautiful and captivating (I'm talking about Amelia's death), but the romance felt flat for me. Somehow I also missed a plot-twist that left me speechless.
xan_van_rooyen's review
An atmospheric exploration of the afterlife that will probably appeal to fans of books like Anna Dressed in Blood.
kitkatscanread's review
4.0
This is a beautiful tale of a girl called Amelia.
She is a ghost, and she is trapped in the living world; screaming at people who go by, but no one can see or hear her.
Until one fatal accident with a boy called Joshua. He has a near-death experience in the water, and Amelia saves him. After that, Joshua can see Amelia and is curious about her.
Throughout this story, Amelia embarks upon an adventure in finding about herself, her family, her background, and everything else about her.
However, there is someone else just like Amelia, and they want her. They want her to work along side them.
Not only that, but Joshua's grandmother isn't all that she seems...
I really liked this story.
The writing style is one that I'm comfortable with.
The only criticism I'd have with the story is the connection between Amelia and Joshua. I felt like there was something a little off. It started off sweet, but they fell for each other WAY too fast for my liking, and that put me off. It just didn't make it as believable.
I dislike it in stories when people fall too fast and admit those three words too early. I like seeing relationships blossom slowly. I can understand that what those two characters had was lust, not love.
Other than that, it was a great read and I enjoyed the book =)
Full review: http://kitkat1242.blogspot.co.uk/2013/06/review-hereafter-by-tara-hudson.html
She is a ghost, and she is trapped in the living world; screaming at people who go by, but no one can see or hear her.
Until one fatal accident with a boy called Joshua. He has a near-death experience in the water, and Amelia saves him. After that, Joshua can see Amelia and is curious about her.
Throughout this story, Amelia embarks upon an adventure in finding about herself, her family, her background, and everything else about her.
However, there is someone else just like Amelia, and they want her. They want her to work along side them.
Not only that, but Joshua's grandmother isn't all that she seems...
I really liked this story.
The writing style is one that I'm comfortable with.
The only criticism I'd have with the story is the connection between Amelia and Joshua. I felt like there was something a little off. It started off sweet, but they fell for each other WAY too fast for my liking, and that put me off. It just didn't make it as believable.
I dislike it in stories when people fall too fast and admit those three words too early. I like seeing relationships blossom slowly. I can understand that what those two characters had was lust, not love.
Other than that, it was a great read and I enjoyed the book =)
Full review: http://kitkat1242.blogspot.co.uk/2013/06/review-hereafter-by-tara-hudson.html
samhainreads's review against another edition
4.0
Jeg var faktisk lidt spændt på denne bog, da jeg ikke lige har læst så mange bøger om spøgelser. Utroligt nok, faktisk. Og nu hvor jeg har læst denne, ved jeg så ikke hvad jeg skal skrive. Den var faktisk rigtig god, og det var mange elementer jeg godt kunne lide. Men jeg havde utrolig svært ved at blive fanget af den. Jeg ved faktisk ikke helt hvorfor. Amelia kunne godt irriterer mig lidt, og det kunne Joshua også. Mine to yndlings personer er nok Eli og Ruth. Jeg synes Joshua tog det lidt for pænt, det hele med at Amelia er død. Ja, jeg ved godt, at han havde oplevet nogle ting, men alligevel. Han burde altså have været lidt mere skeptisk efter min mening.
Jeg synes faktisk at Tara Hudson skriver ret godt. Men jeg er ikke overbevist om hendes jeg-fortæller. Jeg tror måske den havde været bedre, hvis det ikke var. Måske ville jeg have kunne lide Amelia lidt bedre? Ikke at jeg ikke kunne lide vores hovedperson, der var bare visse faktorer der generede mig. Såsom at hun er åh så speciel, men man får ikke rigtig at vide hvorfor synes jeg.
Den var god, men alligevel var jeg ikke helt solgt. Den var i hvert fald lidt for lang tid om at gå i gang, der var mere gang i slutningen, og det var da også den del af bogen jeg slugte hurtigst, altså de sidste 100 sider ca.
Jeg ved endnu ikke om jeg vil læse fortsættelsen – det tror jeg.
Jeg synes faktisk at Tara Hudson skriver ret godt. Men jeg er ikke overbevist om hendes jeg-fortæller. Jeg tror måske den havde været bedre, hvis det ikke var. Måske ville jeg have kunne lide Amelia lidt bedre? Ikke at jeg ikke kunne lide vores hovedperson, der var bare visse faktorer der generede mig. Såsom at hun er åh så speciel, men man får ikke rigtig at vide hvorfor synes jeg.
Den var god, men alligevel var jeg ikke helt solgt. Den var i hvert fald lidt for lang tid om at gå i gang, der var mere gang i slutningen, og det var da også den del af bogen jeg slugte hurtigst, altså de sidste 100 sider ca.
Jeg ved endnu ikke om jeg vil læse fortsættelsen – det tror jeg.
julesgou's review
3.0
Not bad.
Again, another interesting way to look after life or death. I have to say that Joshua took Amelia’s situation very well considering what could have happened.
Eli is extremely creepy. From the moment that he showed up, I knew that he was nothing but trouble? I mean, stocking Amelia ever since she died. He is just a little bit obsessed. The fact that he is so obsessed that he thinks that she would take his offer? The bad guys like that just make me laugh. They offer the same things and it never works. I mean, don’t they ever learn?
The plot was nice and an easy read. This whole thing is going to turn out very interesting. Not really left with a cliff hanger and I think there is a next book. I have an idea of how all of this will turn out, and I don’t really want that to happen, but we’ll see. Interested to see what comes next for Amelia and Joshua.
Again, another interesting way to look after life or death. I have to say that Joshua took Amelia’s situation very well considering what could have happened.
Eli is extremely creepy. From the moment that he showed up, I knew that he was nothing but trouble? I mean, stocking Amelia ever since she died. He is just a little bit obsessed. The fact that he is so obsessed that he thinks that she would take his offer? The bad guys like that just make me laugh. They offer the same things and it never works. I mean, don’t they ever learn?
The plot was nice and an easy read. This whole thing is going to turn out very interesting. Not really left with a cliff hanger and I think there is a next book. I have an idea of how all of this will turn out, and I don’t really want that to happen, but we’ll see. Interested to see what comes next for Amelia and Joshua.
foksha_1996's review against another edition
1.0
Unfortunately, I didn't like this book. At all.
It has been sitting on my shelf for 4 years and every time I decide to pick it up, I change my mind. Well, that was until today.
I think I would have liked this book more when I first purchased it 4 years ago. My reading preference has changed now and I'm more into mature YA/ fantasy books. And this book was the total opposite.
I didn't like the writing, didn't like the dialogues and didn't feel any connection with the main character.
I don't think I will be continuing this series.
It has been sitting on my shelf for 4 years and every time I decide to pick it up, I change my mind. Well, that was until today.
I think I would have liked this book more when I first purchased it 4 years ago. My reading preference has changed now and I'm more into mature YA/ fantasy books. And this book was the total opposite.
I didn't like the writing, didn't like the dialogues and didn't feel any connection with the main character.
I don't think I will be continuing this series.
daisy87's review
3.0
This book left me with a lot of questions. Amelia, and therefore the reader as well, knows very little about the whole ghost-lore and the how and why of everything. I liked the twist on ghosts that they couldn't touch anything, but also couldn't float through walls/people/anything standing in the way. Which means you can't just creepily haunt people in their sleep by floating in through their closed window. Which is kind of reassuring.
The writing flows very nicely and I was invested in Amelia and Joshua's story, but I did have some issues with this book. For example, it takes place in about a week, 5 of which Joshua and Amelia spend together. And she says she loves him. You CAN'T love someone after a week of knowing them!! Not if it's not your newborn baby, who you can love in 2 seconds (you've also had about 9 months to get used to the idea, but still). I mean, really, it's not love. It's a crush.
And towards the ending with the big showdown, I was kind of annoyed by how easy it all was for Amelia. She doesn't know how to use her ghostly powers and all of a sudden she scares away bad guys and escapes them like she's been doing it for years? It was a bit too convenient in my opinion.
I thought Amelia and Joshua were likeable main characters, but who really interests me is Ruth, Joshua's grandmother. She's got a lot of non-friendly feelings towards ghosts and I'm really dying (couldn't resist) to find out why! I mean, there has got to be a reason right? Something that happened in the past? And finding out what happens with Jillian will be interesting as well.
While I'm not so into the insta-love thing that was happening here, I did really enjoy the chemistry between Joshua and Amelia and I think that Hudson has created a world that I could explore for at least two more books (which is conventient, since it's the first in a trilogy) and I'm looking forward to getting some answers to the questions that popped up while reading this one!
My rating: 3,5 stars
The writing flows very nicely and I was invested in Amelia and Joshua's story, but I did have some issues with this book. For example, it takes place in about a week, 5 of which Joshua and Amelia spend together. And she says she loves him. You CAN'T love someone after a week of knowing them!! Not if it's not your newborn baby, who you can love in 2 seconds (you've also had about 9 months to get used to the idea, but still). I mean, really, it's not love. It's a crush.
And towards the ending with the big showdown, I was kind of annoyed by how easy it all was for Amelia. She doesn't know how to use her ghostly powers and all of a sudden she scares away bad guys and escapes them like she's been doing it for years? It was a bit too convenient in my opinion.
I thought Amelia and Joshua were likeable main characters, but who really interests me is Ruth, Joshua's grandmother. She's got a lot of non-friendly feelings towards ghosts and I'm really dying (couldn't resist) to find out why! I mean, there has got to be a reason right? Something that happened in the past? And finding out what happens with Jillian will be interesting as well.
While I'm not so into the insta-love thing that was happening here, I did really enjoy the chemistry between Joshua and Amelia and I think that Hudson has created a world that I could explore for at least two more books (which is conventient, since it's the first in a trilogy) and I'm looking forward to getting some answers to the questions that popped up while reading this one!
My rating: 3,5 stars
hdbblog's review against another edition
5.0
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.
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.