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Hereafter (Afterlife #1)

by Terri Bruce (Goodreads Author)

4.03 of 5 stars 4.03 · rating details · 36 ratings · 31 reviews

Thirty-six-year-old Irene Dunphy didn't plan on dying any time soon, but that's exactly what happens when she makes the mistake of getting behind the wheel after a night bar-hopping with friends. She finds herself stranded on Earth as a ghost, where the food has no taste, the alcohol doesn't get you drunk, and the sex...well, let's just say "don't bother." To make matters...more

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Published August 1st 2012 by Eternal Press

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The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson

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Aug 21, 2012 John Henry rated it 5 of 5 stars

This is going to be the first book I read when my Kindle Touch arrives on Wednesday!

And OK, this is five stars not just because I am friends with Terri, but it's really GOOD!

Hereafter is a book about death, the afterlife, but it's really about Life and Living.

High five to Terri on her accomplishment! Great read.

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Feb 10, 2013 Kim rated it 5 of 5 stars

This was a fantastic read, and nothing like I expected. At the beginning of the book, I really, and intensely disliked Irene. She was irresponsible, immature, and more than a little on the selfish side. I wondered how I was ever going to be able to like her, clearly the focus of the story. But as the story went on, and we get to know more about Irene, I truly began to feel for her and love her, even with her faults. Almost everything you read these days has a major romance plot line, but this on...more

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Feb 12, 2013 Diana (Offbeat Vagabond) rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: adventure, contemporary, fantasy, ghosts, humor, mystery, paranormal, science-fiction, urban-fantasy

Original review here: http://offbeatvagabond.blogspot.com/2013/02/indie-book-review-hereafter-afterlife-1.html

Hereafter follows a 36 year old woman named Irene. She loves her independence, she loves her job, she loves to party. After a night out with friends, she wakes up with no memory of the night before. She thinks she has been drugged or something. So she heads home to sober up. But she finds out that she has missed many calls and there is a week's worth of mail in front of her door. On a vi...more Original review here: http://offbeatvagabond.blogspot.com/2013/02/indie-book-review-hereafter-afterlife-1.html

Hereafter follows a 36 year old woman named Irene. She loves her independence, she loves her job, she loves to party. After a night out with friends, she wakes up with no memory of the night before. She thinks she has been drugged or something. So she heads home to sober up. But she finds out that she has missed many calls and there is a week's worth of mail in front of her door. On a visit to her worried mother's house, her mother doesn't notice her. While pondering what is going on she runs into a 14 year old boy named Jonah who tells her she is dead. They soon embark on a journey to find out how to deal with Irene's afterlife and if she really wants to “go-into-the-bright-light” or stay on the living plane. It is easier said than done.

I had a lot of fun with this book. I love a good ghost story and this was definitely one them. Now, this isn't an action packed thriller or anything. I won't lie, I was expecting a little Darynda Jones, but what we got was just as good. There were laughs, there were some tears and some very thought-provoking moments. This is a read that will stick with me.

Our main character Irene was really interesting. It was very easy to relate to her, but she had her moments. I mean she could be quite the bitch sometimes. She was so selfish and stuck in her ways and that was what made her a compelling character. She didn't want to face her reality at all. She didn't want to face that everything she knew was now gone. But in the afterlife, she did find others like her who wanted to stay. But I love how much she learns even though she was so stubborn. I honestly didn't know where Irene would end up or even if she would try to change. I really loved the character development and Irene was a great lead.

But I absolutely loved Jonah. He was a little smartass, but very bright. He was a bookworm and knew far more than a 14 year old boy should. He could see Irene because he read how to astral project. I loved how diverse he was as a character. He was 14, but he acted like more of an adult than Irene. Sometimes she just reminded me of a petulant teenager. Then there were times when you remind yourself he is a 14 year old boy. Why didn't I find boys like this when I was 14? I loved the dynamic between him and Irene. Although, I hated how mean she could be towards him. He was obviously a social outcast and there were times I did want to kill her for things she said to him. Hell without him, I really don't know how much Irene would have discovered about the afterlife or just herself in general.

This is one of those character driven reads. Bruce did a wonderful job with the character development in this book. Once it was finished, I really felt like I lost a friend. We have to go through Irene's denial, her trying to accept her predicament, her trying to come to terms with how she died (she avoids it like the plague) and more. I love what she learns through some of the people she meets. Like through different cultures and beliefs, ghosts can receive presents and such. I even like the creative explanations of how we pick parking spaces, the way we stop at red lights, and long waits in lines. That was a pretty interesting way of bringing this into the real world and made it even more interesting. Very smart.

I won't spoil what happens, but it is great and I am happy to know there is more to come. I love the search for a guide and who they found (or well, who found them). It was very interesting, but again, I can't spoil. This is one of those reads that was very thought provoking and makes you rethink your life and what you have done with it. It is a profound read that was very entertaining and human. It can get a tad bit slow in parts, but it was still a great read. Highly recommended.(less)

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Oct 25, 2012 Lexie rated it 4 of 5 stars

I have to admit this book really wasn’t what I expected. I thought it would be much more action packed, filled with intrigue and fight scenes; however that wasn’t the case. It was much slower paced filled with a chance to look back on one’s life and reflect the choices that were made whether directly or indirectly. I had a hard time really getting into this book; in fact it took about 130 pages until I started to actually feel a pull to keep reading. Then I couldn’t finish until I raced into the...more I have to admit this book really wasn’t what I expected. I thought it would be much more action packed, filled with intrigue and fight scenes; however that wasn’t the case. It was much slower paced filled with a chance to look back on one’s life and reflect the choices that were made whether directly or indirectly. I had a hard time really getting into this book; in fact it took about 130 pages until I started to actually feel a pull to keep reading. Then I couldn’t finish until I raced into the end.
Irene, the main character is killed in the first chapter of this book due to a drunken driving accident, and she was the one driving drunk. And before you start yelling at me, that’s not a spoiler! Throughout the first half of the book of the book Irene is so self-absorbed, selfish, and unwilling of learn or take advice that had she not been a ghost I would have shaken her myself!! It was because of this that I didn’t feel engaged with the book. However, I then took a step back and realized that Terri Bruce had created a character that I had such intense emotions for so she had already done her job. Granted, I would much rather have a charter I like and am rooting for than one who is mean to her one true friend; a 14 year old boy who is alive but can communicate and interact with the dead named Jonah.

He helps her to first realize that she is indeed dead, and then helps her in her research into crossing over. She never saw the “white light” that is typical in ghosts crossing over, and she had no unfinished business on earth so why was she stuck here? Irene was so mean in the first half of the book to Jonah, she is sarcastic, frustrated, and angry. Her thoughts kept centering around, “Why should I have died? I wasn’t a bad person. I had so much more living to do.” Irene’s living centered around drinking and bar-hopping. Jonah on the other hand was an extremely smart 14 year old boy, who had skipped a grade and wasn’t popular at school at all. For some reason he had a fascination with learning the various rituals of “passing over” from a book. That was how if I understand correctly he could see Irene and all of the other ghosts that hadn’t chosen to cross over. He can astral project into the “dead world” which is an exact duplicate of the “living world” except there is no taste in the food, you can’t get drunk (much to Irene’s dismay” and any type of sex isn’t worth it. Keep in mind Jonah’ s a 14 yr old boy who is already uncomfortable with himself and others, so when Irene lashes out at him in anger, whether it’s over being too blasé about passing around her living items or what ghosts she keeps company with it must hurt him even more because she is one of the few people he interacts with. That was one of the reasons this book made me so upset, Jonah was doing so much work to help Irene cross over into the afterlife and she ignored all of his advice. Her sarcasm came across to him as plain mean words plus the fact that she actually was mean and you can see my dilemma.

However, that changed around half-way through the book. Irene helped Jonah loosen up and get used sarcasm and she finally started to listen to his advice, well at least some of it. They both poured over books in the library look for the “tunnel” Irene needed to walk into. He did research on his with Irene and on his own, while she began questioning her new ghost friends and reading the one book that she had obtained on being a ghost and crossing over. The book she had made me laugh, it was like the Cliff Notes version of being a ghost/going into the afterlife, except it kept leaving out truly important parts. Hmmm, similar to real life; each person has to make their own choices and interpret how they choose to live their life. The books she and Jonah researched were contradictory since they covered all types of customs and religions. What is a ghost to do?

While you would think that there would be a zillion ghosts in a city as populated as Boston, but there were weren’t. Quite a few yes, but nothing that would equal the number of people who had died there over the centuries. Neither Jonah nor Irene can find out why. Could it be the hell hounds (which totally made me think of the TV show Supernatural by the way) or had those ghosts learned how to cross over? The ghosts that Irene became friends with were no help, except for Ernest somewhat in the end, they simply chose to keep living their undead lives the way they had lived their real lives. Jonah, who keeps coming back finally starts getting sarcastic with Irene, and then the dialogue become much more fun to read.

Finally, Irene is approached by Samyel who is apparently her “guide” into the afterlife Madame Majicka had spoken about. Apparently, if Irene threw around enough “good will” she would find one; the only thing Irene had was good at throwing around was her “live goods”, sarcasm, and downright meanness. Perhaps that’s why Smayel wasn’t what you would call a “good ghost.” And no, I’m not saying anymore than that since I don’t want to give any spoilers away. Irene had learned why lots of ghosts don’t move on, and she didn’t want to end up like them. I will say one thing about her; she’s ballsy and stubborn in a good way.

While Jonah still doesn’t always approve of who Irene is spending time with he keeps it to himself, and she in turn treats him as an equal not a child. At one point, I thought Bruce was taking an unexpected turn in her book, and I started to cry in anticipation. I was much relieved that I was wrong. The only time I’ve ever been wrong in life. *laughs* They learn to trust one another and that is what leads to the discovery of how to continue into the afterlife. The question is, now that Irene has a pretty good idea of how to do that she doesn’t know exactly what it entails, only that it will be unpleasant. Will she have the courage to follow through, or will she choose the easy way the way she did when she was alive?

Terri Bruce clearly did a thorough job researching other cultures’ beliefs into the afterlife which made this interesting and informative. She also obviously did a great job at characterization, particularly with her two main characters; the others were rather bland. Perhaps that was one purpose since the “dead world” is bland itself. She did a good job of portraying an unlikeable character and showing her growth even after being dead, and that’s what drew me in.

I would have given this books 3 ½ stars (yes, I know you can’t round up)if it wasn’t for the fact that I liked the character development and 2 quotes that I personally found significant because they were so profound to me and applicable to most people.

If you are looking for a fast paced thriller, this isn’t the book for you. However, if you are looking for a thought provoking and reflection on how someone lived their life that will make you question how you live yours then this is your book.

Great job Terri on such good characters that are polar opposites and profound thoughts on how we choose to live our lives; are we content with the status quo or do we seek out knowledge and thirst for the unknown? For those reasons I am giving the book 4 stars, because it caused me to take a step back and continue to change my own life even though I am nothing like Irene.
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Sep 17, 2012 Laura *Little Read Riding Hood* rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I am always nervous when I read a book about life after death. Not because I am religious and offended or anything, but just because most some of them are SO BAD. Fortunately, this is not one of the bad ones.

Have you ever read a book where you didn't really like the main character, but still liked the book? That is this for me. Irene makes bad decision after bad decision. Starting with driving home black out drunk and crashing her car into the water. I am sure you are asking yourself, "But how c...more I am always nervous when I read a book about life after death. Not because I am religious and offended or anything, but just because most some of them are SO BAD. Fortunately, this is not one of the bad ones.

Have you ever read a book where you didn't really like the main character, but still liked the book? That is this for me. Irene makes bad decision after bad decision. Starting with driving home black out drunk and crashing her car into the water. I am sure you are asking yourself, "But how can it get worse?" It does. Just trust me. I really wanted to punch her in her face page after page, and just when she would do or say something that would start redeeming her in my eyes, she would follow it up with an idiotic statement or action. Oh Irene, I want to root for you. I want to like you. I also want to kick your legs out from under you and leave you in the street. You are selfish.

Of course, her little sidekick, Jonah, is a doll. And many of her hateful comments and actions are toward him. Which make them worse. He is just a kid who has figured out how to hang with the dead. There is nothing wrong with that. I suppose. He has the patience of a saint, and even after being mistreated by Irene, he still stands by her, and even helps her accomplish her goal.

There are a few other side characters, who I thought would become more important as the story went on, but they didn't. So I won't spoil anything for you by talking about them. They did provide some good perspective on the afterlife for Irene. And by the way, if the afterlife is like it is portrayed by Bruce, I am not looking forward to it.

There were hints of a love connection, but nothing concrete. I know Bruce did not intend it to be a love story, and that she intended it to be about an imperfect woman finding her own way (which I would have to say, she was successful in getting that point across) I still felt the absence of a romance. I believe it would have given Irene more depth as a character, and she could still save herself. Romance isn't always about the knight in shining armor coming to the rescue. Sometimes the damsel in distress finds she can save herself.

Overall, Hereafter gets a solid 3 1/2 from me. I think it would have made up that other 1/2 if it had been a little bit shorter. I appreciate the detail, but don't need to know what is going on every second of every day. Cut maybe 50 pages, and I would have been left wanting more. (less)

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Sep 15, 2012 Mallory Anne-Marie Forbes rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Recommended to Mallory Anne-Marie by: Making Connections

Shelves: september-2012-reads, september-reading-challenge-ntoyab

Review of Hereafter by Terri Bruce

5 Stars

I REALLY enjoyed this Paranormal story. Author Terri Bruce demonstrates a vivid and creative imagination, and gives us a “land of the dead” that, honestly, is pretty similar to the “land of the living,” only with less fun, excitement, and consequences. (Our newly dead protagonist Irene, for example, drinks to excess-or it would be excess in a living individual, which is exactly WHY she is “newly dead”) with no effects and no consequences beyond boredom)....more

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Sep 08, 2012 Paula Phillips rated it 4 of 5 stars

This is one of those books where I first fell in love with the cover as I admit , I Paula Phillips am a book cover junkie . I am a sucker for the cover of books and fall into more often than not the cliche of Don't Judge a book by it's cover as I do. Sometimes it doesn't pay off and the book ends up BORING as a few I have read or tried to read but other times it is not only an amazing cover but also an amazing book like Terri Bruce's new novel "Hereafter".
Ever thought that dying would be awful...more

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Sep 05, 2012 Kate rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: paranormal

Irene wakes up post drunk night out with her girl friends, but not in a normal place. Instead, she’s on the side of the road, trying to remember how she got there. Recalling the previous night’s events, Irene realizes her memory of the night is incomplete. This is not a pleasant realization, and neither is the pile of mail she finds at her house or the concerned voice mails on her machine.

It isn’t until a boy — a genius kid obsessed with life after death — tells her she’s dead that Irene really...more Irene wakes up post drunk night out with her girl friends, but not in a normal place. Instead, she’s on the side of the road, trying to remember how she got there. Recalling the previous night’s events, Irene realizes her memory of the night is incomplete. This is not a pleasant realization, and neither is the pile of mail she finds at her house or the concerned voice mails on her machine.

It isn’t until a boy — a genius kid obsessed with life after death — tells her she’s dead that Irene really begins to understand what her new existence has become. A ghost wandering the earth, she can interact with inanimate objects but can’t be seen by the living. I liked this aspect, as generally ghosts move right through solid objects because they aren’t solid, but Terri Bruce has made ghosts a bit different than the norm.

Also, Jonah (the genius kid) could have easily been made a love interest in the story, and I kept thinking while making my way through this afterlife adventure that it would have been easy for Bruce to make that decision and form a romance-heavy plotline. However, that’s not what she did with this novel, and that’s admirable. I’ve been visiting other blogs on this tour, and here’s an interview about this very topic — writing a female main character that goes against the grain, maybe challenges a few of the norms, and still manages to be a really great character.

The relationship between Irene and Jonah is unique for various reasons. They aren’t related, are of very different age groups, but they still manage to be friends and journey companions. Irene may be older, but she sure isn’t smarter when it comes to how death and the afterlife are treated in various cultures. This is an aspect of the book which I’m sure took a great deal of research, and maybe adding in all of those details was challenging to write, but it’s done flawlessly. I read this novel enjoying the journey through Irene’s afterlife, liking the friendship between Irene and Jonah, and appreciating the cultural details along the way.

Originally posted here: http://readwearwrite.wordpress.com/20...(less)

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Sep 24, 2012 Heather Boustead rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: contemporary, horror, fantasy, drama, paranormal

Hereafter
By Terri Bruce

After a night of bar-hopping with her friends Thirty-Six year old Irene gets into her car and starts to drive home, when she wakes up she is on the side of the road and she soon realizes she has been gone not just over night but for days. When she is wandering around she runs into a fourteen year old boy who explains to her that she is actually dead. Now Irene is determined to find the “tunnel” and make her way to heaven.

This is an interesting look into a ghost story, it...more

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Aug 07, 2012 Danielle (Bookwhoreblog) Perez rated it 4 of 5 stars

After a night out drinking with the girls, Irene wakes up on the side of a road. Not really sure how she got there, or why some Good Samaritan didn't stop to help her, Irene jumps in her car to drive back home. Once home things just don't seem to be adding up, like the amount of missed calls she has, or the endless amount of mail at her door. In full blown panic Irene bumps into a boy names Jonah who breaks the news about her untimely death to her. The two characters set out on an adventure to g...more After a night out drinking with the girls, Irene wakes up on the side of a road. Not really sure how she got there, or why some Good Samaritan didn't stop to help her, Irene jumps in her car to drive back home. Once home things just don't seem to be adding up, like the amount of missed calls she has, or the endless amount of mail at her door. In full blown panic Irene bumps into a boy names Jonah who breaks the news about her untimely death to her. The two characters set out on an adventure to get Irene to the afterlife. Sounds simple? Being dead is a lot more complicated then searching for a door and tunnels with lights at the end.

I really enjoyed this story. The thing I love most is the character interaction between Jonah and Irene. At first I just thought Irene really treated Jonah like crap. I mean here Jonah is perfectly alive dedicating his free time to helping Irene and she is fussing at him, and just being rude to him. As the characters develop I enjoyed the intersection between the two and it reminded me more of a sister and brother bickering away. Also Irene's emotions are more realistic because she is newly dead and lost and confused that would make any ghost snippy.

I also loved how factual this book is. There are so many different kinds of afterlife theories and religious beliefs it is mind boggling. I love learning about the different afterlife traditions of each culture. Terri Bruce really took the time to research her material, to give readers a factional take on the afterlife but cleverly twisted it into the story. I as the reader felt like it was real and was excited to learn so many awesome facts.

As Irene is bumbling along in the afterlife you get a take on the world through the ghost perspective. The rules they have to follow, and things only they know about and can see. You also get to learn what you really see out of the corner of your eye that makes you look, and why humans can't really see ghost. I loved it, yes I see you giving me crazy eye because this is only a story, but it gave me moments of excitement like "Oh ya that could totally be true". I have don't have a hard time separating fiction from reality I just chose not to.

I definitely recommend this book to readers. I loved wondering the Hereafter with Jonah and Irene, and other things that go bump in the night. (less)

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Aug 10, 2012 Caterina Torres rated it 5 of 5 stars

What a book. Wow! To sum it up - witty, sarcastic, funny, smart, and a good book to curl up and read until you're too sleepy to see the words. This book shows the afterlife of Irene Dunphy, a 30-something year old woman who liked to party a little too much, resulting in her death. When she learns that she's dead, she meets this 14 year old kid, Jonah, who is really book smart.

You can really tell Terri did her research as I learned facts about the different beliefs of dying through the words of...more

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$Faye {Daydreaming_Star}$

Sep 18, 2012 Faye {Daydreaming_Star} rated it 3 of 5 stars

This review was originally posted with a guest post from the author on my blog on 12th September, here

in the beginning
Sometimes, when I’m reading and reviewing a book, I often kick myself for never introducing half ratings on the blog. Personally, I can’t stand them. It’s one of those things that just really irks me but there are a few times when I find myself wondering why this is. While reading Hereafter, I have had this very feeling. I almost want to scrap my rating system just to accommodate...more

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Oct 31, 2012 Alana ~ The Book Pimp added it

Shelves: dnf

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Oct 06, 2012 Juana rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Before I won an ebook copy of Hereafter I had read the first few pages of the book. As soon as I read them I knew this book would be a really good read specially because I believe in a lot of the things that where talked about in the story. In some parts of Mexico people have a tradition called El Dia de Los Muertos it is very similar to the Chinese celebration and their believes but it is celebrated two days only November 1st and 2nd. I celebrate it every year and always set up my altar with my...more Before I won an ebook copy of Hereafter I had read the first few pages of the book. As soon as I read them I knew this book would be a really good read specially because I believe in a lot of the things that where talked about in the story. In some parts of Mexico people have a tradition called El Dia de Los Muertos it is very similar to the Chinese celebration and their believes but it is celebrated two days only November 1st and 2nd. I celebrate it every year and always set up my altar with my ofrendas(offerings). To me it is the most amazing traditions we have besides posadas of course it's just so incredible to be part of a tradition like this and celebrate it. That is why I really enjoyed the story. Terri Bruce did a fantastically amazing job with this story. The best way to write a book about a beautiful tradition and different culture's believes about what comes after death.

I really do hope that if there is an afterlife similar to that, that it really won't be hard to have things, that you don't have to work or be homeless. It would be terrible to carry all the things you own around. I do hope we can read because I would miss that terribly. That would be the worst thing that could ever happen from my point of view lol. In a way this story frightened me, I sure hope it would be a little easier after going to the light.

Besides the story being amazingly written I also loved the book cover. That's what caught my attention as soon as I saw the book and I've got to say I never judge a book by its cover at all. What I usually do is read a small paragraph of the review or the book summary and that is when I say I've got to read this book. After that it goes on my to read list then to find time to read it. The color of the cover is beautiful, the light behind Irene the red dress she has on is just stunning. Everything in the cover looks amazing.

I think that on all my reviews I like saying who my favorite character in the book was and why he/she was my favorite character. In this book Jonah was the best I loved, loved, loved his character. He was so great, he was always there for Irene even if she was so cruel with him most of the time. Poor kid he had so many problems and he still had to deal with Irene. He was one of those friends that would be hard to find and I was pretty sure he had feelings for Irene too. He was so fun in a healthy way, funny, serious when he had to be and smart which was why I loved his character. Don't get me wrong I completely understood Irene I'm sure it was a nightmare for her to realize what she was missing once she died and to know she could never get all that back. That would be a perfectly created hell in my opinion. What I thought was great once she came back to her senses was that she did not want to live like that and wasn't very sad she died she excepted it and wasn't being dramatic about it. What she was mad about and was hard for her was to think about what would happen if she went to the light. She was just afraid about what she didn't know, didn't see and what was waiting for her beyond the light. Which was a very good reason to be freaking out trying to forget about it while she could. Would I recommend this book to people I know who love to read? Definitely yes. Hereafter is a must read. I enjoyed reading it and I know you will too. (less)

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Aug 06, 2012 Parajunkee.com rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: reviewed

PJV Quickie: This was one of those books that I went in expecting a certain thing and then getting something entirely different. Surprises are always fun, and Terri Bruce delivered a very unique surprise.

Review

What was I expecting? Another Urban Fantasy type novel, maybe with a bit of dry or zany humor thrown in to keep things rolling. Which in the beginning is what Bruce delivered, but then the novel slowly morphed into a very introspective type of discovery novel that at points was quite depre...more PJV Quickie: This was one of those books that I went in expecting a certain thing and then getting something entirely different. Surprises are always fun, and Terri Bruce delivered a very unique surprise.

Review

What was I expecting? Another Urban Fantasy type novel, maybe with a bit of dry or zany humor thrown in to keep things rolling. Which in the beginning is what Bruce delivered, but then the novel slowly morphed into a very introspective type of discovery novel that at points was quite depressing and at other times full of hope. Upon finishing I was actually at odds with myself as to whether I truly enjoyed the book. Not because of any lacking within the novel, but just because it wasn’t what I expected and it wasn’t within the normal lines of a categorized paranormal or urban fantasy novel. It just wasn’t one of those books that had you swooning over a love interest, or kicking ass with a leather sporting paranormal heroine. It was a thought-provoking and sometimes uncomfortable read that had me at points despising the main character, pitying her and then coming to understand what she is going through.

The whole story is basically a journey that you go on with Irene Dunphey, the main character, who wakes up on the side of the road after a long drinking binge. Once Irene makes it back home she slowly begins to realize that she isn’t exactly living any more. Then, as she is walking around aimlessly, trying to find someone who can explain to her what happened, she crosses paths with someone who can see her and it happens to be a fourteen year old boy with a strange obsession with death. Not exactly Irene’s first choice in playmates but at least he seems to know more about death then she does.

Sounds different right? The official synopsis paints it with that twist of humor that I was really expecting, but it is a tad bit darker then what is portrayed via the cover and synopsis. I was also impressed with how polished Bruce’s writing was, especially with a small press debut. You could tell she did a ton of research on funeral rites and after-life beliefs and the book was one of those “teach” fictions with a good bit of information on different cultures and their views on death. All courtesy of the fourteen year old boy that could travel in the land of the dead.

What did make me stop and question the book was some of the world’s characteristics. The fact that items left for the dead were transferred into the “world of the dead” and that the dead could move stuff around and the living just “ignored” the things they couldn’t explain, just didn’t ring true for me. I did find it interesting though. Whole floors designated for the dead so they wouldn’t harass the living. Cool concept, but just a little off for me, not that most paranormal novels make sense in perspective, but they usually have the ring of truth or try to explain it within our own world.

That would be it for my critique though. Overall ‘Hereafter’ was entertaining, well-written and thought provoking, I enjoyed it and I’m excited to read more of Bruce’s writing. I was also floored by the ending and thought it was a very daring move for Bruce. She definitely didn’t stick to normal genre conventions. Great debut, you might want to check it out, especially if you are looking for something different then the usual fray.

Recommendations:
Recommended for adults only, while there is nothing explicit or terribly censor-worthy, there are some topics that I believe are more suitable for a more mature audience. Fans of regular literary fiction could find this a good paranormal crossover.(less)

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Oct 20, 2012 Leigh rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: reviewed

Hereafter is an interesting look into different cultures' concepts of the afterlife.

Irene wakes up on the side of the road after a night of partying with her friends. What she doesn't know is that she is dead and has been for several days. She doesn't understand why no one can see her or hear her. Then she meets Jonah who can see her and communicate with her. Jonah is willing to help her come to terms with her death and move on to the afterlife.

This book takes us on a journey of not only the af...more

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Dec 28, 2012 Laurie: Almost Faemous rated it 3 of 5 stars

I received a copy of Hereafter from the author in exchange for a fair and honest review. This review is waaaaaaay overdue, so my apologies to the author for not publishing it in a more timely manner. Honestly though the reason it is late is it was a DNF for me. I tried several times to read Hereafter and just couldn't get into it. So after my third or fourth attempt I just threw in the towel.

Let me be fair the book was in no way badly written it just really wasn't to my taste. It seemed more chi...more

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Feb 13, 2013 Sherry Fundin rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, fiction, ghost, horror, humor, mystery, paranormal, supernatural, suspense

"Why are you staring at me?"

"Well, it's just, because...you know. You're..." "Well...dead"

When she awoke in the morning, it all came back to her. She had searched the web for information about ghosts and the after life, but found nothing describing her situation.

She got in the shower and brushed her teeth. She felt, just because she was dead, that was no reason she shouldn't take care of normal hygiene.

Suddenly, it came to her. There must be others in the same situation as hers. So she left the...more

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Nov 20, 2012 Deborah rated it 4 of 5 stars

A main character you love to hate and hate to sympathize with, a secondary character you just feel so sorry for in so many ways, and the greatest series of "What if this is why that is?" ever to be seen in a medium of paranormal entertainment!

When I picked it up, I couldn't put it down for at least 5 chapters (a feat for me, because I have a short attention span even when I like a book). The opening of Irene's transition into the Hereafter is so compelling and chilling. What would you do if you...more

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Oct 05, 2012 Sara rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012, r2r

This book really tore me in two......and I'm still not sure what my final thoughts are on it to be honest.

I enjoyed the book and would certainly advise people to check it out but I really did dislike the main character, Irene, which made me feel somewhat detached from the story - which was shame.

The book covers a lot of interesting concepts about Life After Death as seen by various cultures, and covers them in such a way it doesn't feel like a dry text book!

Terri Bruce certainly a talented auth...more

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Oct 19, 2012 Victoria Zigler rated it 4 of 5 stars

This was a really good book. The character creation and worldbuilding were fantastically done, and the whole idea behind the story was an interesting concept, which I felt the author handled well. However, on several occasions the plot seemed to be dragging a little, and between that and the fact there were multiple typos scattered throughout the book, I feel I can only give this book 4 stars. I really enjoyed the book, but I didn't feel it was amazing.

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Mar 24, 2013 Kendra Conine rated it 5 of 5 stars

The first 30% of this book was a grueling journey...but the rest of the book was AMAZING. I was so shocked at every twist and turn. Terri Bruce is a fantastic storyteller! She's also apparently a fabulous editor--I didn't see half the spelling errors I was expecting to encounter. I'm so looking forward to the next piece of Irene's journey. I grew to love Irene and Jonah, even people like Ernest and maybe a little Samyel, and I hope I get to see more of them soon. Fantastic!!

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Sep 19, 2012 T.W. Fendley rated it 5 of 5 stars

A 30-something party girl finds the hereafter is not what she expects in this intriguing debut paranormal that steps beyond the tropes.

HEREAFTER is smoothly written and a fast read, yet it leaves you thinking about what our ghostly legends are really trying to tell us. A frequent YA reader, I find this depth and adult perspective refreshing.

Jonah, a living 14-year-old boy obsessed with the afterlife, helps Irene unravel the mysteries hinted at by folklore and religion. She even gains a different...more

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Sep 20, 2012 Sue Morris rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2012-challenge

After a night "drinking" with the girls, Irene wakes up on the side of the road and wonders how she got here. When she finds out she is dead and no one can see her the adventure begins....

With the help of a boy ( who is way to smart for his own good) and others. She starts looking for the "Hereafter"..
I really enjoyed this book and learning how other cultures deal with death,though I found it alittle long at times.

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Sep 07, 2012 Heather rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I really liked the exploration of different views on death and dying, and belief in the afterlife, some of which I knew, but a lot I didn't. Irene made me mad sometimes with how flighty and self-centered she could be, but I also recognized some of myself in her in that I just live day-to-day, not really having any big plans or goals, just seeing what comes next. Jonah is a sweetheart; I either would have had a crush on him or thought him very weird in school. The scenes where Irene was reminded...more

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Oct 29, 2012 Peggy rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The author is a former member of our writers' group. Having read first drafts of many of the chapters, I was impressed with how Terri had rewritten and strengthed her work. The story is unique. The main character, Irene, literally wakes up dead. At first she doesn't realize she has died, but once she does, she's on a search for answers, both about the afterlife and how to find the tunnel to get there. Good Halloween read--there are lots of ghosts involved!

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Aug 29, 2012 Kim marked it as to-read

This is currently on my really really want to read list, because it just sounds sooo interesting.
All the details about death sound nice!
Hopefully I can get it soon and review it...
Grr.

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Jan 24, 2013 Michael Miller rated it 3 of 5 stars

Interesting look at life after death, but perhaps a bit too slow-paced for me. I kept waiting for the plot to start. :)

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Aug 16, 2012 Michelle Hauck rated it 4 of 5 stars

This book really kept my attention with it's snappy dialogue and my desire to find out more.

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Feb 21, 2013 SLA added it

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About Terri Bruce

Terri Bruce has been making up adventure stories for as long as she can remember and won her first writing award when she was twelve. Like Anne Shirley, she prefers to make people cry rather than laugh, but is happy if she can do either. She produces fantasy and adventure stories from a haunted house in New England where she lives with her husband and three cats.

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