Hereafter by Tara Hudson: Review Posted by Tiffany at 7:33 AM

Title: Hereafter

Author: Tara Hudson (site)

Published: June 7th, 2011 by HarperCollins

Pages: 334

Buy: Amazon / Book Depository 

Rating: 4/5

Source: NetGalley
Synopsis: 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. (Goodreads)


Review: I am not a big fan of Ghost Romance books. I read a pretty amazing book about a girl who falls in love with a Civil War soldier when I was about 12 (no idea what it was called now, girl with curly red hair on the cover. Anyone remember this?) and I was so angry when it ended and he had to go to "his final reward" that I threw the book across the room. I hate getting invested in a romance that has zero potential for a happy ending. Also, the physical stuff involved in some of them is very gross (and ridiculous). I am pleased to say that this book had none of those problems. This is the first example I've seen lately of a Ghost Romance Done Right.

Amelia is a very odd sort of ghost. She doesn't remember anything about who she was or what happened to her, other than her name. She has worked out that she is a ghost, but that's about it. She wanders around town, randomly being sucked into nightmares that end with her waking up in a cemetery. Obviously she did not die peacefully. One day she sees a boy drowning and he somehow sees her right before he dies. He survives and she becomes obsessed with him. He pushes her to figure out what happened to her and, in the course of their investigations, a dangerous secret about him is revealed. Amelia starts out as a sort of blank, vague character, which makes her a very realistic ghost. As she engages more and more with the real world, she begins to gain depth and personality. The relationship between Joshua and Amelia was well done. It was nice to get a break from the desperate lustful longings of a normal teen romance. This one moved a bit slower, based more on emotion than physical attraction (obviously, she is not a physical being).

The whole book had a sort of dark, dreamy feel. It reminded me a bit of A Certain Slant of Light by Laura Whitcomb. In case this is sounding a bit dull to you, there are also Ghost-Murdering Witches and a Demon From Hell involved, but I won't spoil the plot by saying just where the two factions come in. Suffice to say, there's a bit of kick to this love story. I was completely absorbed in Hudson's world from beginning to end. I was both surprised and delighted to see that there will be a sequel. I still can't see much of a future for this couple, but the author has given me a bit of hope. Definitely worth a read, great characters and story. The writing style was fluid and engaging, Tara Hudson is an author to watch.

Two-Way Street by Lauren Barnholdt: Review Posted by Tiffany at 3:08 PM

Title: Two-Way Street
Author: Lauren Barnholdt
Published: June 26th, 2007 by Simon Pulse 
Pages: 288
Price: $8.99 Book Depository $9.99 Amazon  

Rating: 4/5
Synopsis: 
There are two sides to every breakup.
This is Jordan and Courtney, totally in love. Sure, they were an unlikely high school couple. But they clicked; it worked. They're even going to the same college, and driving cross-country together for orientation.
Then Jordan dumps Courtney -- for a girl he met on the Internet.
It's too late to change plans, so the road trip is on. Courtney's heartbroken, but figures she can tough it out for a few days. La la la -- this is Courtney pretending not to care.
But in a strange twist, Jordan cares. A lot.
Turns out, he's got a secret or two that he's not telling Courtney. And it has everything to do with why they broke up, why they can't get back together, and how, in spite of it all, this couple is destined for each other.

Initial Thoughts: Now, this isn't the type of book that I usually read, but something about it just kept grabbing at me, so I gave in and read it.


Review: I loved this book! It was a fast, fun read. The premise seemed a bit nonsensical- after all, couldn't she just fly?- but it all makes sense in the end. The very best thing about TWS? The characters were fantastic. They were funny, realistic, and thoroughly lovable. Courtney was such a fun read! Her determination not to show Jordan how hurt she is was both endearing and hilarious. I think most girls have been there- pride getting the better of you, making you act a bit foolish. Jordan was a great character. At first he's a bit too full of himself, a bit heartless, but he really develops as a character as the story goes on. It starts in the present and then keeps switching back and forth, so that you only slowly realize what's really going on. The Big Secret isn't exactly a complete surprise, but there's a lot more to it than I had initially guessed. I really can't believe that this was almost 300 pages, I flew right through it.


Quick Review: Barnholdt is apparently an expert at creating engaging, easy-to-relate-to characters and then throwing them into situations that are both hilarious and heartbreaking. I loved this book! Don't be put off by the YA Romance label, this is more than a fluffy will-they-won't-they. I'll be picking up more by this author!

Holidays Are Hell: Review Posted by Tiffany at 6:38 PM

Title: Holidays Are Hell

Author: Kim Harrison, Lynsay Sands, Vicki Pettersson, Marjorie M. Liu

Publisher: Harper

Pages: 384

Price: $7.19 (B&N) $7.99 (Amazon) $7.99 (Borders)

Rating: 3/5

Synopsis: This holiday, spend quality time with family and loved ones—living and dead... There's no place like home for the horrordays—unless you'd prefer a romantic midnight walk through a ghost-infested graveyard... or a haunted house candlelight dinner with the sexy vampire of your dreams. The (black) magical season is here—and whether it's a solstice séance gone demonically wrong with the incomparable Kim Harrison, a grossly misshapen Christmas with the remarkable Lynsay Sands, a blood-chilling-and-spilling New Year's with the wonderful Marjorie M. Liu, or a super-powered Thanksgiving with the phenomenal Vicki Pettersson, one thing is for certain: in the able hands of these exceptional dark side explorers, the holidays are going to be deliciously hellish! (Goodreads)

Initial Thoughts: I started a similiar anthology, Never After a while ago and couldn't finish it, so I was a bit wary of Holidays are Hell, but I like Kim Harrison, so I figured I'd at least enjoy one of the stories.

Review: It was much better than the other anthology, but not great. I wouldn't say that I wasted my time reading it, but I won't be rushing out to recommend it to anyone. Since each author was different, I'll do it by story.

"Two Ghosts For Sister Rachel" by Kim Harrison was my second-favorite. A young witch wants to join the IS (like a supernatural FBI) but her brother/guardian thinks it's a bad idea due to the lasting effects of a childhood illness. They decide to summon the ghost of her father and let him decide whether or not she can join. Fans of Kim Harrison's Hollows series will enjoy this prequel. It's interesting to see what Rachel was like before she became- well, I won't spoil it. Harrison's writing is very readable and her characters are always a lot of fun. I loved the romantic part of this one, even though it was doomed from the start.  A solid 4/5

"Run, Rudolph, Run" by Lynsay Sands wasn't really supernatural romance so much as it was just romance. The characters were typical romance novel characters and the plot didn't make a lot of sense. A mad scientist uses a weapon on his ex-partner's sister in order to kidnap her and study the effects. First of all, I'd like to know why he didn't kidnap a homeless person or a runaway to experiment on? It would make more sense to find someone who wouldn't be missed. What really bothered me was the conclusion. Their solution could have been used at any point in the story, but they waited until the very last second. A fun story for fans of fluff romance, but it hit the mark for me. 2/5

"Six" by Marjorie M. Liu was by far my favorite story. A woman who has been trained/brainwashed since the age of five to be a 'counterterrorism agent' in China runs into something that she can't explain and gets pulled along on a crazy adventure. This story was darker in tone, with characters that were more kick-ass than adorable klutz, but it was still very much a romance. My favorite thing about this one was the setting, I haven't read much set in modern China, so I found it very interesting. I'd love to see this become a series. 5/6

"The Harvest" by Vicki Pettersson is a prequel to her Zodiac series, which I have not read. A woman tries to rescue her grandchild from a man that she once betrayed. The twist is that he's an evil shadow-thing and she's a superhero who recently gave up her abilities. I think I probably would have enjoyed this more if I'd read some of the other books set in this world. There was way too much background to fit into this story and it just confused the heck out of me. I like the idea of the story and the world it's set in seems interesting, but it was just a bit too much at once. I had trouble finishing it. 2/5

Quick Review: "Two Ghosts" by Kim Harrison, a prequel to her Hollows series, was fun, with a romantic side that was sweet. "Run, Rudolph" by Lynsay Sands was a light romance with some holes, but good for a quick romantic read. "Six" by Marjorie M. Liu was an exciting sci-fi romance set in modern china with strong characters and a satisfying ending. "The Harvest" by Vicki Pettersson, prequel to her Zodiac series, had an interesting premise, but the story got too muddled with all of the explanations and backstory (at least for someone new to her world). I'll have to give it 2.5/5, but it would be better if I'd understood half of what was going on. This anthology is worth a read, but I'd pick it up at the library over buying it (at least for full price).