If you saw it, would you read it? Hereafter by Tara Hudson #ReadOrNot
About the front:
The fading girl is what caught my eye on this cover. I see her hair, her shoulders, and she fades into the trees and water. So is she dead? Is she a ghost? I can’t tell. I want more detail in that dress … and by it being all faded, I’m staring trying to see what it looks like and letting my mind fill in the blanks. Of course, I love the blue-greens and am now thinking it’s that color. I’m also wondering where she’s going … what she’s going. She looks sad, despondent, yet I can’t even see her face. Even the dock/pier she’s on is faded, so does it exist? I think these are all the questions playing through my mind that makes me look twice at this cover. I’m imagining it to be a romance because I really do expect her to be or about to be dead. And I pick romance? Don’t ask. Sometimes, even I don’t ‘get’ me. 😉
Now let’s look at what the back says:
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.
Does it match? Front to Back without the in between?
Can there truly be love after death?
So I was right! Love after death. Totally got this one!
Drifting in the dark waters of a mysterious river, the only thing Amelia knows for sure is that she’s dead.
I was right!
With no recollection of her past life–or her actual death–she’s trapped alone in a nightmarish existence.
This is so right on with the cover. This is what I was feeling … that she is and isn’t ‘real’. That cover with her fading into the water is a perfect reflection of this.
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.
Okay, well … if she can’t DO anything, how can she help him survive?? Is this just marketing speak? Is this an inconsistency? Is she not really dead even though the earlier part said she was?
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.
So 100% paranormal. I can buy this kind of relationship thing because it’s an obviously paranormal story. However, I’m starting to think the kid didn’t live, but died in order for her to be with him.
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.
And all the way at the end, we get to the real conflict. It feels so thrown in here. So here’s where I struggle with this blurb. It was about her own problem – ghost or not? Lost or not? Dead or alive? Love or not? And then at the end, we throw in a power that’s going to be a menace to all. If this menace came up only because of the relationship, then fine … but that should be said. That Eli comes because of this relationship. If not, if he was there the whole time, he should be represented earlier in the blurb so that we aren’t thrown for a 2nd plot so late in the game. Was he or was he not part of our ghost’s conflict in life?
Thrilling and evocative, with moments of pure pleasure, “Hereafter” is a sensation you won’t want to miss.
As everyone who knows me knows … I hate marketing speak in a blurb. I hate that this mostly great blurb ends with an opinion. Keep to the story!
Overall, I think this fits well. I’m only now unsure about this ‘new’ bad guy. I want a hint about how it has an overarching affect … or to know if it’s the key plot conflict. That would heavily sway me toward reading the story.
Where I’d read it
Not sure. I love the cover. But the blurb has me a little puzzled. They are really close, but the last bit feels like an add on and thus it makes me hesitate.
Will you add it to your bookshelf virtual or otherwise? Share in the comments!
