Elegy

Elegy by Tara Hudson
4/5 stars
HarperTeen, 2013
386 pages
YA Paranormal Ghost

Source: Library

First book Hereafter absolutely enchanted me with its ghost girl/human boy romance. Sequel Arise was less enthralling as I felt like it took a while to heat up in New Orleans. Luckily this conclusion returns to Oklahoma, bringing together all the plot threads and resolving them for a satisfying conclusion.

I'm not going to go too in-depth about the plot to avoid spoilers but I really liked how Amelia and Joshua confronted the impracticalities and challenges of their romance. It did go on a bit much for my taste but it is the dominating fact of their relationship so it's understandable. Their romance is what kept me coming back to these books. I love Amelia's compassion and self-sacrificial personality and Joshua's relative normality considering his love for a ghost and his magical powers.

Other characters continue to play a role like Joshua's sister Jillian and their terrifying Gran while new ones are also added or have their roles expanded to provide more background around the evil that is coalescing. Joshua's parents seem rather oblivious though, which I think is a shame. I think if they'd had power they could have provided support and been an example of great YA parents instead of ones who are physically around but have no clue what their kids get up to when out of sight.

As for setting, I liked that we were back at home base in Oklahoma focusing in on High Bridge where Amelia first died and which has been a focus of dark activity for years. Finally all of the powerful good characters are coming together to take it down and end their reign of terror. I was a bit confused on some of the rules that govern ghost behaviors especially relating to some actions taken by Amelia; some things seemed to change on a dime to be convenient. I was never sure what she could and could not touch. The plotting is rather bonkers if you pay close attention (for example, one kid has easy access to a grenade which they decide would be the perfect tool to destroy the (haunted demonic) bridge.) Still it moves fast and flows smoothly as I always expect from a HarperTeen publication.

Overall: If you liked the first two books, you'll probably want to continue the series. I found it to be a fitting end.

Other Opinions:
Bookistry
Love Is Not a Triangle
Refracted Light Reviews

Arise

Arise by Tara Hudson
3.5/5 stars
HarperTeen, 2012
404 pages
YA Paranormal Romance

Source: Picked up from the library for review.

Last year I read the first book Hereafter and discovered that I kind of like ghost love stories; actually ghosts are probably my favorite kind of paranormal creature, way ahead of the oh so popular vampires, werewolves, and zombies. Thus I requested my library stock this second book and hurried to pick it up to find out what happened next for Amelia and Joshua.

Admittedly I couldn't remember much about them although some details came flooding back as Hudson dropped tidbits to remind the reader and my own memory kicked in. Still though I had trouble connecting with the characters whose love story I had previously been so invested in. Much as I love ghost romances, they are very impractical and wrong. Amelia will always be as she is while Joshua should grow up and change. Plus there are some dark forces after her, prompting her to attempt to leave Joshua.

However first they meet Gabrielle who promises them that she can do something to help them. What she does is far beyond what I expected and changes the rules of the game leading to the big confrontation of this book. Once Gaby got really involved in the story, it was so much better but that wasn't until about halfway through and I was more than a little disengaged by that point. So my biggest criticism is how long this book is. I really felt those 400 pages and when I love a book, I don't.

Gaby is a kick! She has mysterious powers and opens Amelia to some new possibilities. As I mentioned, I felt the story perk up once she became involved. There are also some other new characters in Joshua's family but, except for one, I didn't think their roles were that important other than as just pieces of the plot. By that I mean, they didn't have personalities that imbued the plot, they just did things.

Overall: First half would get about a 3, second half a 4, averaging to a 3.5 in the end.

Cover: I do like the cover. I feel like it connects to the first book and I love the change in colors as we explore the voodoo world and the white dress is actually what Amelia wears so I always give points for accuracy. Plus Amelia is more solid, for good reason.

Hereafter

Hereafter by Tara Hudson
HarperTeen, 2011
247 pages
YA; Paranormal
4/5 stars

Source: Received an e-galley via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I was interested in this book as it proclaimed a romance between a dead girl as a ghost and a living human boy as well as strong paranormal elements.  After completing, I was very impressed with the plot and writing, especially as other paranormal elements had fallen short for me in other books.

Amelia is a ghost and has been for she doesn't know how long as she spends her days by the High Bridge.  One night she saves Joshua from drowning in the water after his car goes off the bridge; somehow he can see her and they can even touch.  In the days after, they quickly fall in love, bonding over the strange circumstances in which they have found themselves, curiosity over her past, and similar taste in music.  I really appreciated that even though they fell fast, they also spent a lot of time together talking about everything under the sun and thus that there was a basis for a relationship beyond admiring looks.

The other element of the story was the paranormal.  Why is Amelia still haunting the area where she died? She finds some answers from the terrifying Eli, a fellow ghost who understands his powers and is willing to teach Amelia...for a price.  His sinister intentions were well-described but his background also explained his motivations and could create sympathy for the character; I didn't have any but I can see others doing so.  Another character who provides some explanation is Joshua's scary grandmother Ruth, a Seer who can also see ghosts and does not look kindly on Amelia and Joshua's new relationship.  But Amelia also digs deep within herself to become a powerful spirit, figuring out some of the answers to her questions and helping to save the day in the climax.

Besides these characters and plot, the writing was great.  It flowed well and was a delight to read.

Overall: A good paranormal debut; I'm excited for the second book, Arise.

Cover: I think this cover is very gorgeous and haunting. I like it.

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