Hereafter

Author: Tara Hudson

Series: Hereafter # 1

Genres: Paranormal, Ghost Story, Young Adult, Romance

Publisher: HarperCollins

Released: 7 June 2011

Summary: courtesy of goodreads.com 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.

For Fans Of: The Ghost and the Goth, A Certain Slant of Light, and Spellbound

My Review:  Hereafter was definitely one of those books that I liked, but it didn’t necessarily stick with me.  Amelia is such a lovable ghost.  She is sweet and fun and I really enjoyed her voice in the novel.  The same can be said for Joshua, he accepts all of the things that are happening to him with ease, and you can really feel that his love for Amelia goes beyond simply lust.  I think those were my favorite things about this novel though.  The ghost story is a little bit dated, like I had seen it somewhere on television, or I had read it somewhere before.

There was just something about Hereafter that made me keep saying to myself, “oh, well that’s typical” like there was a checklist of things that belonged in a ghost-story and the author went through and checked everything off that list and then sent it off to her editor.  It wasn’t that there was anything bad about this book.  There wasn’t.  It was well written, and pretty light material.  There were definitely some tense moments where you wonder what will happen next, but in the end I definitely felt like it was more typical than most, it didn’t really exceed any expectations that I had for a story about a ghost and a boy falling in love, but it did meet them.

Graveminder

Author: Melissa Marr

Series: Stand Alone (so far)

Genres: Paranormal, Mystery, Fantasy, Adult

Publisher: HarperCollins

Released: 9 May 2011

Summary: courtesy of goodreads.com Rebekkah Barrow never forgot the tender attention her grandmother, Maylene, bestowed upon the dead of Claysville. While growing up, Rebekkah watched as Maylene performed the same unusual ritual at every funeral: three sips from a small silver flask followed by the words, "Sleep well, and stay where I put you."
Now Maylene is gone and Bek must return to the hometown—and the man—she abandoned a decade ago, only to discover that Maylene's death was not natural . . . and there was good reason for her odd traditions. In Claysville, the worlds of the living and the dead are dangerously connected—and beneath the town lies a shadowy, lawless land ruled by the enigmatic Charles, aka Mr. D. From this dark place the deceased will return if their graves are not properly minded. And only the Graveminder, a Barrow woman, and the current Undertaker, Byron, can set things to right once the dead begin to walk.

For Fans Of: Witches of East End, You are So Undead to Me, and A Discovery of Witches

My Review:  Let me start off by saying that I enjoy Melissa Marr’s writing voice.  And I was glad that her voice in her first adult novel hasn’t changed from that in the Wicked Lovely series.  That said, I thoroughly enjoyed Graveminder.

It felt like a great movie.  The town of Claysville is so mysterious and Rebekkah and Byron are such a wonderful team.  Although the mystery rather unfolded rather slowly to in my opinion, the stuff going on relationally between Byron and Rebekkah makes up for the slow moving mystery seem faster.

Graveminder however, is more about a town and the people in it, and like other of Marr’s stories there are a lot of points of view which at times can make it a little bit hard to follow.

However, I have to say I really love how modern Marr’s relationships are.  She doesn’t let her characters get too enamored with each other, but she does let you see the hurt and heartache they feel while trying to move on.  Although she definitely has the idea of soul mates concerning Rebekkah and Byron, she also shows that they can handle themselves, or at least attempt to handle themselves on their own, and they both realize how much stronger they are together, which is something that I think makes every great relationship work.

Plot wise things were really tight, so many things can go wrong in paranormal novels, but with this one everything really comes together quite nicely.  Marr is able to fit in the story as well as the town that is crucial to the construction of the novel.  That Marr is able to do this seemingly effortlessly shows how remarkable of a writer she is.

I enjoyed Rebekkah’s inner monologue during the chapters that were from her point of view, as well as the fact that Marr has managed to encompass an entire town.  She tells Graveminder like an incredibly interesting history.  Definitely one to read around Halloween time that will give you some chills and leave you wanting to have the lights on.  I’m excited to see what she has coming in the future as far as her novels for an older set go.

Masque of the Red Death

Author: Bethany Griffin 
Series: Masque of the Red Death #1

Genres: Steampunk, Dystopian, Science Fiction, Fantasy.

Publisher: Harper Collins

Released: April 24th 2012

Summary: Courtesy of goodreads.com A devastating plague has decimated the population. And those who are left live in fear of catching it as the city crumbles to pieces around them.

So what does Araby Worth have to live for?

Nights in the Debauchery Club, beautiful dresses, glittery make-up . . . and tantalizing ways to forget it all.

But in the depths of the club—in the depths of her own despair—Araby will find more than oblivion. She will find Will, the terribly handsome proprietor of the club. And Elliott, the wickedly smart aristocrat. Neither boy is what he seems. Both have secrets. Everyone does.

And Araby may find something not just to live for, but to fight for—no matter what it costs her.

For Fans Of: For Darkness Shows the Star, Hemlock, Black City, Article 5, and The Infernal Devices

My Review: This was quite a wonderful read. I read it in about 4 hours because I had to finish it! I loved the steampunk style added to the dystopian themed plot. At first it bothered me because I couldn’t figure out when this story took place. I thought maybe it was in modern times, but as I read on, I figured maybe it was more of a Victorian age setting because of the dresses the girls wore and how the men carried walking sticks, how they used to ride horses but now the rich drive in steam carriages. It was slightly confusing but I quickly got over it. The plot and the characters pulled me right in instead.  I just really liked the setting and the plot of the story. That’s why I liked it so much. I was also torn between Will and Elliott. Will, at first glance was the mystery heartthrob who was going to sweep Araby off her feet. I was rooting for him. Elliott was the jerk, who wanted to save the world and only wanted Araby to help him. I was not a fan. So yes there is this love triangle that gets really twisted. Twisted because both boys can’t be trusted. This love triangle reminded me of Catherine, Mr. Henry Tilney and John Thorpe from Jane Austen’s Northanger Abbey, like a lot.

Definitely a good read.