Hereafter by Tara Hudson

From Goodreads:  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.

My take:  I was completely engrossed in this book.  The characters are so well developed and the story flows so well I forgot I was reading it as it played across my mind.  It was unpredictable and completely new.  

My favorite part was watching Amelia become more and more self aware as she battled Eli and evil forces pulling her to become important in some realm yet holding fast to the idea of goodness and fighting for right and free will as opposed to force.  It was completely creepy and not the kind of book you should read by Costco reading light late at night on the sofa while the household sleeps.  Those sounds are unsettling.

I loved the development of Joshua and his acceptance of who Amelia is and who he is expected to be (a seer who casts out spirits to the netherworld or wherever) and his personal act of free will to collect information and act out his conscience.  It is obviously an impossible romance and I can't imagine how they will overcome the gaping obstacle of one being alive and the other being dead.  On the other hand, the relationship continues to develop.  It is sweet.  It is intriguing.  And I couldn't put it down.  Who doesn't enjoy a good ghost story with an original and very well thought out plot and storyline?

I am so looking forward to the next book!

5/5 stars

Clean read

Some violence