Elegy (Hereafter Trilogy Series #3)

by Tara Hudson

Overview

Tara Hudson brings the dark, romantic Hereafter trilogy to a thrilling conclusion with her YA novel Elegy.
 
The passionate love between ghost girl Amelia and human boy Joshua was powerful enough to break the barrier between life and death. Now the star-crossed lovers believe they can finally be together.
 
But demonic forces threaten to tear them apart. The evil beings tell Amelia she must turn herself over to darkness or they will kill a human every week.
 
Forces of light offer Amelia a solution. She can join them in gathering souls. If she does, however, she will never see Joshua again.
 
Amelia refuses to be separated from Joshua. She will fight the forces of darkness and light if that’s what it takes to keep him.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780062209191
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	06/04/2013
Series:	Hereafter Trilogy Series , #3
Sold by:	HARPERCOLLINS
Format:	eBook
Pages:	400
File size:	664 KB
Age Range:	13 - 17 Years

About the Author

Tara Hudson lives in Oklahoma with her husband, son, and a menagerie of ill-behaved pets.

After receiving her law degree, she began writing to entertain her girlfriends. They read her story about a ghost girl who awakes in a cemetery and wanted to know more. This short piece inspired the Hereafter trilogy, which culminates in Elegy.

Editorial Reviews

Will have readers glued to its pages. Unexpected plot twists and suspense. Fans of the first two titles won’t be disappointed in this story.” — School Library Journal

From the Publisher

10/01/2013
Gr 8–11—Amelia, a Risen ghost, is back in Oklahoma with her boyfriend, Joshua, trying to come to terms with her afterlife. She has the ability to be seen by non-Seers, touch objects, smell the intoxicating scents around her, and even eat, but she can no longer touch Joshua. Kiss Joshua. Hold Joshua. Even as she begins to realize that this half-life can't go on for him, the Netherworld demons make yet another play for Amelia's soul. This time they threaten to kill one of her loved ones each week until she surrenders to them. Amelia must come up with a plan that will end this battle once and for all-or sacrifice her soul to save those she loves the most. Though the first chapters seem slow, this final volume in the trilogy gathers steam as it progresses and will have readers glued to its pages for the final battle on High Bridge. Once again Amelia's characteristic inclinations to keep secrets and protect everyone continue to provide unexpected plot twists and suspense. The romance between Amelia and Joshua continues to maintain tension, possibly more so with the new constraints imposed by her Risen status. Fans of the first two titles won't be disappointed in this story, though they will have much to say about the way it ends, at least for Amelia and Joshua.—Heather E. Miller Cover, Homewood Public Library, AL

School Library Journal

Like its heroine, this series conclusion never quite comes to life. Back in Oklahoma from New Orleans, Amelia retains partial corporeality; she can eat and manipulate objects, but she can't make physical contact with the living--even romantic interest Joshua Mayhew. His sister, Jillian, wheedles Amelia into attending a party crashed by evil Kade and his dead cohorts, who announce they'll kill one person a week until Amelia joins them in their grim afterworld. A failed plan to blow up the bridge that serves as gateway between worlds prompts the evil ones to speed up their timeline. Beyond vague biblical allusions, what motivates the nonliving, good or evil, remains unclear; the quasi-religious worldbuilding doesn't reference or build on familiar myths or paradigms that resonate with readers. As the title suggests, the pace is funereal, and pausing to take in mundane events like prom squanders needed momentum. The issue of whether Amelia and Josh will finally "do it" aims to build suspense but seems borrowed from a story with lower stakes. Scenes in the evil afterworld and its gateway bring the novel to intermittent, imaginative life, but it's not enough to keep readers' attention. The thin plot spreads itself across nearly 400 pages, and characters spend more time discussing what to do than actually doing it: a miss. (Paranormal romance. 13 & up)

Kirkus Reviews