Review of Hereafter

Author: Tara Hudson
Release Date: June 7, 2011
Publisher: HarperCollins
Pages: 416 pages
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Rating: 4 stars
Source: ARC from publisher through NetGalley

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.

If you are in the mood for a spooky paranormal romance, Hereafter may be the book for you. Amelia’s existence is really sad. She is achingly lonely, scared and confused about who she is and even how long she has been dead. When she rescues Joshua from drowning, for the first time in her ghostly existence, she feels something and the two of them form a bond. She is immediately drawn to him and he becomes her anchor in the living world.

Amelia and Joshua’s romance is very sweet. He helps her find out more about herself and her past, which is also sad. Hereafter is a romance, but it also has themes of the loss and emptiness left behind when a loved one dies.

This book has some dark elements to it including demon possession and some trips to a chilling netherworld with wraith like creatures and a portal that seemingly leads to hell. We see hints that Amelia is more special than your average ghost, but the book ends before we really find out why she seems to have extra abilities.  

Hereafter does not end with a cliffhanger, but with a promise of a deeper story to come. I have lots of questions and hope that they will be explored in upcoming books in the series.

Content: Kissing, violence