Hereafter by Tara Hudson

Hereafter
Hereafter 1
Author: Tara Hudson
Pages: 400 pgs
Genre: YA
Release Date: June 7th 2011
Review Source: Harper Collins

I wasn't entirely sure what to expect when I first started reading this book, but what I discovered was that it was so much more. Tara Hudson not only pulled together a great tale, but she also left her readers eager for more.

Amelia doesn't really remember much. All she knows is that she's a ghost and she keeps reliving the day that she died over and over again, stuck in the nightmare of the river that took her. That is until she finds another before headed for the same fate and she awakens from her fog. She can't touch him, but she somehow manages to get through to him and he climbs to safety.

Now that Amelia is awake and the boy that she saved, Joshua, can see her, she has to figure out how she died. But that's going to be difficult with Joshua's grandmother threatening to exorcise her and Eli, another ghost, wanting her to join him. Amelia has to find her way, or risk losing the one thing she holds dear.

One of the first things I loved when I began reading this was the connection between Amelia and Joshua. It's so natural and sweet, you almost forget that she's a ghost. Whenever Amelia met up with Joshua again there was a subtle shift in the tone of the narration that I just absolutely loved.

The scenes with Eli, Amelia's sort of tormentor, left me squirming and uncomfortable. So hats off to Tara for delivering that one character that every ghost story needs. And Hereafter is a ghost story through and through, with sweet and tender moments and terrifying, heart stopping moments. You will definitely feel like you've gone through a roller coaster ride when you've finished.

All I have to do now is patiently wait for the next book in this series to find out more about Amelia and Joshua's journey. When you get your hands on this be sure to leave the lights on. That's all I'm saying.

To learn more about the world of Hereafter and the author you can check out her website http://tarahudson.com/ or follow her on Twitter http://twitter.com/thudsonwrites. Oh, and don't forget to check out the giveaway I'm hosting if you'd like to win a copy of this phenomenal book. It ends April 15th!