Book Review: Hereafter (Afterlife #1) by Terri Bruce

 

Category/genre: Adult/Paranormal

My star rating: 3/5

*I received a complimentary copy from Mictlan Press via Netgalley in exchange for a honest review**

Goodreads blurb:  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 worse, the only person who can see her—courtesy of a book he found in his school library—is a fourteen-year-old boy genius obsessed with the afterlife.

Unfortunately, what waits in the Great Beyond isn’t much better. Stuck between the boring life of a ghost in this world and the terrifying prospect of three-headed hell hounds, final judgment, and eternal torment in the next, Irene sets out to find a third option—preferably one that involves not being dead anymore. Can she wipe the slate clean and get a second chance before it’s too late?

THE RAVE WORTHY:  I have to say I was impressed with Terri Bruce's ability to handle this one.  After-death books have a tendency to leave a sour taste in my mouth because they are generally approached in a really cheesy manner, but this author did a good job managing the transition.  Any and all possible plot holes are addressed at the appropriate time.    The characters were defined and stayed true to character through out.  You were introduced to a lot of fun information on different cultures and their beliefs of death.  I'm a trivia nut, so this was awesome for me.  She even snuck in a little bit of astral projection (a weakness of mine) that worked really, really well.  I wanted to love this SO BAD!

 

THE GRUMBLE WORTHY:  Honestly, the main character is what ruined this for me.  I found Irene to be a whiny, petulant little brat who developed a rather unhealthy and inappropriate dependence on a 14 year old boy.  If she had been scaled back even a little I would have enjoyed this a lot more.  She acted even more like a teenager than the character that was supposed to be a teenager (Jonah).  Maybe this would have worked a little better as a YA--I wouldn't be so focused on the fact that the MC is supposed to be thirty-something.  The story was also a little slow moving, but I totally could have looked past that if it wasn't for how badly Irene grated on my nerves.