Beyond

Afterlife #1

by T.P. Boje

Meghan is 16 when she dies.

She wakes up on a flying steamboat on her way to a school run by Angels in a white marble castle. On the boat she meets Mick who has been dead for more than a hundred years but still looks like a teenager. He helps her past the difficult beginning at the new school in a new world. One day some of Meghan's roommates find a mirror in the cellar of the school and they persuade her to go through it with them - well knowing it is strictly against the rules of the school. Meghan ends up back on earth where she meets Jason. But Jason is in danger and Meghan know something important. Something that is a matter of life and death. Soon she is forced to choose between the two worlds. The one she belongs to now and the one she left.

Beyond is the first novel in Willow Rose's Afterlife series.

Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult, Paranormal, Romance, Angels, Ghosts, Ebooks

267 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 9, 2011

Reviews

[Lissa Smith Reads'~A Bookaholics Bookshelf · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was fortunate enough to make the cut for reviewing this book for R2R on GoodReads. I would like to thank the Author T.P. Boje for providing free copies of her book to the Paranormal Romance and Urban Fantasy Fanatics Book Club and in no way, does this affects my review…

Where to start????
Okay first, let me apologize. I had some issues with my kindle convert; that thanks to a goodreads friend, I found that I could convert my PDF. And gosh, was I glad; PDF on a kindle is not your friend. So, that is why it has taken me so long to read this exciting new first installment from T.P. Boje.

The cover… You would think that was what drew me to the book. Well surprise, surprise, surprise not this time. It was an online advertisement I saw over summer 2011. So it has been a long time coming… Don’t get me wrong the cover is amazing. It's just intriguing enough to bring the readers in.

The Story… Wow, I had the shock of my life…! The book just didn’t stand up to the hype. I was expecting a cross combination of House of Night meets Vampire Academy with a spiritual twist of souls. What I got was a shock I wasn’t planning on. After spending weeks working out the kinks to see the words, I was disappointed to the point I just wasn’t able to finish the book.

Don’t get me wrong! It has a strong beginning I loved the concept of Meghan starting her afterlife off in a flying boat to the academy. I somewhat enjoyed the characters coming into their own; only I couldn’t relate. Something was just off; the dialog maybe. However, it will not stop me from trying to make a go at it later. Maybe as a group read with a circle of pre-teens.


What to Rate…? I gave the book an average of Three (3) stars….
There is some math involved in this rating this book. I personally gave this book one (1) star. I know it doesn’t seem fair to the author. After all she spent so much time creating this world for Young Adults. The problem was the characters seemed too childish to be sixteen (16) to me. That said; I know it takes guts for an author to put their self out there for everyone to criticize. For that alone I give her five (5) stars.

Now, here is where I come to a cross roads. The book seemed perfect for my eleven year old daughter. So, I gave up the copy to her. Wow, was I impressed. My daughter who is normally a slow reader (taking one (1) to two (2) weeks to finish a book) finished reading it in two (2) short days. She loved it and gave it four (4) Stars. So, with my ratings of one (1) and five (5); and my daughters rating of four (4) that gives me an average of three point thirty-three (3.33).

Don’t let my review discourage your reading… If you are looking for an interesting book for girl age 10- 15 look no further. According to my daughter it is a perfect book for girls! So check it out! And don’t forget to share thoughts.

[Gemma · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was sent this book via the Basically Books Group to review. The story is about a young girl called Meghan, who has just died and she starts her new existence in the Afterlife. But, before you can become a fully fledged spirit in the Afterlife, you have to attend a School to prepare you. Meghan quickly makes friends with other students and also the School chef, Mick. Meghans friends find a portal into the human world, which is forbidden to students they decide to go through to the Human world and here Meghan meets Jason and she has some tough decisions to make.

The story was Harry Potter meets Casper the friendly Ghost. There were a few parts where I felt it was a little too close to Harry Potter, for example the moving stair cases, which I didn't think was relevant to the story and could have been left out. It also reminded me of the film Ghost in some places!

To not cause hurt to the families or the new spirits, any memory of your family back on earth is wiped until you graduate which I found a bit odd, but it is explained by Mick during the book and the reasoning behind this did then make sense, I can see why the author chose to do this. However, there were a few instances where they did remember certain things of their lives, I felt it should have been all or nothing as this did annoy me a little bit throughout.

The story is easy to read, easy to follow with quick descriptions that enable you to really picture the characters and the scenes. I have no belief in the afterlife whatsoever, but that did not matter I still enjoyed reading this book as after all, it is fiction. The story ends with you wanting to find out the rest of the story, and what happens next for Meghan I will read the next book in the series.

To sum up, this book did have plenty of faults but as an Adult reading a Children's/Young Adult book there will be, I think if you realise that and take this book for what it is, then it will be an enjoyable read and I would recommend it.

[Diana Stormblessed · Rating 1 out of 5]

The premise of this book got my attention. A school for those recently deceased. What happens when you die? Meghan is 16. She wakes up on a flying boat, remembering nothing of her life or how she got there. It was a very promising start.

Unfortunately, as I read my attention decreased. The book reads like Harry Potter (or at least the first one, the only one I read). A bunch of kids and their hijinx at their new school. And that’s how I kept seeing the characters, as kids. I actually forgot that Meghan and her friends were supposed to be 16. In my mind they were closer to 12, and when kisses started popping up I had to do a double take. Outside of the kissing and the death parts this book could be a cute story for a middle school audience.

My biggest issue with this book, however, was the editing. The sentences were short and concise, not allowing for much description or flow. And the dialogue didn’t contain any any apostrophes, for any of the characters. Examples of dialogue:

“I will go first” she said.

“That sounds a bit dangerous. Not knowing where we will end up,” I said anxiously.

“I have been doing nothing all of my life.”

Real people just don’t talk like that.

In the end I just couldn’t get past the editing to try to enjoy the story. I got about 65% through after several tries, and then gave up. I’ve noticed that this book had some pretty good reviews from other readers, so I fully accept that this book was just not me. I encourage you to try it out for yourselves.

For more reviews visit: http://nightlyreading.wordpress.com/

[Darkfallen · Rating 1 out of 5]

I wanted to like this book. I really did...I mean a book about a bunch of spirit kids going to school in the Afterlife to learn how to be spirits? It sounded great to me.

Unfortunately this just feel flat for me. I mean it started off great. I loved the voice of Megan in the first few chapters. The way it sounded like she was settling in to tell us her story with just a hint of snark to give her some flavor, but then things changed. Her voice changed completely and the wording just seemed all wrong and forced. The story just started falling flat really fast and I found myself disconnecting with everything. I have been pushing myself to finish this book for the last three days but I think it's time to call it quits. It makes me soooooo sad that I couldn't bring myself to read the whole book. I hardly ever do that.

I was also disappointed because while this is supposed to be a YA novel is reads more like a middle grade book. And maybe that was my problem with it, because I don't usually read middle grade. I just don't have the patients for it. In fact I've never even read Harry Potter. So in the end I just have to admit that this book wasn't for me however there are a lot of good reviews out there so try it for yourself. You might like it.

[Rea · Rating 3 out of 5]

Full review can be found here.

I suppose first and foremost, the similarities between this book and Harry Potter should be mentioned at least in passing. I don’t want to focus on them too much but they’re certainly there in various forms. T.P. Boje did go to lengths to change the things borrowed from the Potterverse and adapt them to her creation. Honestly, their presence didn’t fuss me all that much but I know that some readers didn’t appreciate the ties to one of their favourite series.

The way that the story starts, the narrator, Meghan, is addressing the reader and explaining the world of spirits: what a spirit is, how they appear, etc. I’m not sure that this was necessary. I understand why the author did this as it was her way of setting the scene for her world, but the downside is that in doing so she’s laid the whole of her universe before the reader before anything even happens. I think I would have preferred it if the book opened with Meghan waking up on the steamboat with no memory of how she got there and then all these concepts from the first few pages be introduced slowly throughout the book. For the most part, these things are actually rehashed at various points in the narrative so it wouldn’t have harmed the book if the first few pages had been removed.

One of the things mentioned in that part, though, is that a spirit appears in the clothes that they were wearing at the time of their death. All I could think was what would happen if the person died, say, in the bath? Would that spirit be forced to spend eternity in their birthday suit? Maybe I’m thinking too much, I know I have a tendency to do that at times.

I soon found that I was actually very interested in this afterlife that T.P. Boje had created with the idea that spirits train to later go back and interact with the living in order to try to sway them towards doing good things in life and joining them on the good side of the afterlife upon their death. And then God and Satan were introduced. I was really upset and frustrated at this point (obviously I didn’t pay much attention to the synopsis mentioning angels and heaven). I’d been really eating up this concept of the afterlife and then it was all reduced to a Christian concept. Christian because Satan is a Christian concept, not Jewish, and he is much more recent than the concept of God. There’s a scene where it’s mentioned that Satan is leading Adam and Eve somewhere, I forget where, but that’s not possible because he didn’t exist for several thousand years after the idea of Adam and Eve. The snake in the Garden of Eden is actually a representation of the god of the religion that had been popular in that area prior to Judaism and it was fairly normal standard at that time to take the imagery of the previous religion and vilify it. Enough religious side-tracking there, but yes, I was so disappointed when this world was made to revolve around God as I’d been hoping for a really interesting afterlife concept that didn’t hinge on religion. Really I suppose that I should have seen it coming as of the Hebrew terms introduced right at the beginning.

I’m not sure whether this book is aimed at teens or YA. Meghan herself is about 16 but the narration is fairly simple, which would be better for younger readers. It also leant heavily on believing what Meghan told you. I’ve got two examples for this:

1) Meghan is shown to go cloud surfing with Abhik, a young Indian boy who died of cancer. After that one scene together, Meghan suddenly considers him a good friend whom she has to protect - I suppose from himself - when he is coerced into going to visit the humans (something against school rules at this point in their education). I didn’t see enough interaction between the two characters to warrant Meghan feeling this way about Abhik. Had they had more scenes together to show the growing friendship between them, then I would have been more willing to accept this premise. Instead, I found myself having to just accept Meghan’s word for it.

2) When Meghan first arrives in the afterlife, she is sorted into a group of teens around her age. There are six girls who are all introduced when they’re together in the dorm. One, Portia, is soon presented as a spiteful persona and a ringleader with two cronies, Mai and Acacia. Later on, we get this quote: “Everyone who started to hang out too much with Portia seemed to be affected by that [poisoned heart]. I had seen it in Mai and later in Acacia, how they slowly turned more and more vicious every day.” Maybe Meghan had seen it, but I didn’t. Mai and Acacia were never presented as being nice. As of the very introduction of their characters, they were Portia’s cronies and they were not particularly kind, preferring to kick those who are already down. To back up this quote, there should have been scenes earlier in the book where Meghan is interacting with Mai and Acacia and those two girls are slowly changing from being nice girls who could have been her friend to being Portia clones.

There were a few other times when the reader was asked to just accept things on Meghan’s say so. A little bit of tell is ok but this book was occasionally heavily tell. There was show too, but I did find it to rely on tell a tad too much.

There were also certain things that didn’t make sense, such as Mr Grangé, the spirit who will teach the new students how to fly, was guillotined during the French Revolution and he carries his head around under this arm… yet he compares flying to being “the best roller-coaster ride you have ever tried”. How would Mr Grangé have had the experience of a roller-coaster to compare the two thus? I know that in the first few pages Meghan mentions that the spirits can choose to be visible and move around amongst the living, but it’s not expanded on in this first book and, anyway, Mr Grangé was decapitated – he’d stick out like a sore thumb in a crowd! Also, they don’t seem to get enough new comers. I know there are supposedly around 400 of these schools for spirits, but Meghan is there for approx. three human years and we only see one new intake of students. An awful lot of people die around the world in a span of three years. I know some of these will become bad spirits, but surely there’d still be a fair number of good spirits to contend with. Just little things like these left me scratching my head on occasion.

The last thing that I want to mention is that Meghan makes friends with a human boy, Jason, despite this being against the rules. This is fun and I enjoyed reading about the friendship blossoming between the two of them and the subtle hints that Jason was growing up as Meghan stayed the same age. I thought it was well done and I liked the concept of friendship and even romance between a living person and a ghost. Hell, I’ve liked that concept ever since I was convinced that Casper the ghost and Cat the human girl should totally have had their happily ever after! But then Meghan realises that the abuse Jason receives at his stepfather’s hands is going to go too far one day. She feels understandably powerless to do anything to change the situation but she doesn’t want Jason to die. Instead of either trying to find a way to prevent it, or coming to terms with what she can’t change, she just goes all Bella Swan on us and that is never a good thing. She just lies around in bed for a few months and mopes for the boy who’s not even dead yet but who she cannot save. I didn’t like this Meghan at all. I never like characters that choose to mope rather than be proactive, even if their proactivity does not give results. It’s better than reading about a depressed person failing classes and avoiding their friends.

Despite the fact that I’ve mentioned a number of things that didn’t work for me with the novel, it does have redeeming features as well and I did enjoy it. One of these redeeming features is the on-going plot of how Meghan died. We do not yet know what happened to her, but there are hints that maybe her parents never discovered her body and they’re still looking for her. This is actually heart-breaking. Can you imagine how horrible it would be if your child did not come home one day and then you never even had the closure of knowing whether or not they lived or died? That is one of the hardest realities I can imagine. The author also deals with child soldiers in Africa and I think she treated the subject admirably, even if it was only in passing.

As I said before, it was an interesting concept of what happens to us upon our deaths, and I did like the world that was presented even if I also harboured reservations about the religious side of it. I would have preferred it without the religious undertones, especially as the book brings together people of all sorts of different cultures who are not all Christian yet does not address this issue. But then, there is a large market for Christian fiction out there.

The book also ends at a point where Meghan’s next steps will define her as a person (or spirit as the case may be) and I’d like to see just how she’ll go about rectifying the negative impact she has had on events.

[Dorine White · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have an interesting self published YA paranormal for you today. The author contacted me via email and sent me the books herself. I was happy to give them a go, especially because they are paranormal. I’m very picky with self published books, so I was happy to find this one well written. Written by T.P. Boje, book one of the Afterlife series is entitled, Beyond.

The Story- Meghan, age 16, is dead. She doesn’t remember why or how or even her own family. Her new reality involves other dead people at a school for newly deceased people. The school is run by angels and other dead spirits. In school Meghan is taught how to fly, walk through walls, and distinguish evil spirits, or Se’irim.

Meghan is enjoying her new friends, especially the hot new school cook, Mick. But of course, teenagers get into trouble, whether dead or alive. One day, Meghan follows some friend s through a mirror in the basement. She is transported back to earth where she meets and befriends Jason. She breaks all the rules and continues to visit him daily. But, when she finds out he is on a list of people about to die, she is forced to choose between the two worlds.

My Thoughts- The reason I agreed to read this series was because the hook caught me right away, a school for angels. It is something fresh and not really delved into yet in the paranormal world- Lots of fallen angels, but not angel schools. I’m glad I took the chance. The book is a lot of fun and contains a couple of mysteries that are engaging and make me want to head straight to book two.

First off, there seem to be secrets out there, and nobody will tell the newly dead the whole story. And then there is Mick. I have a feeling he is more important to the story than is let on in book one.

Another thing I enjoyed is the ending. In many books the hero takes it upon themselves to go against the rules, but ends of saving the day. In this book, Meghan’s decision is full of real life consequences that she did not foresee. I liked this development. It made the book seem grounded and the choices real.

So far, so good. I’m off to read book two, Serenity.
www.dorinewhite.blogspot.com

[Maryann · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was sent a copy of this book from the author, via the Basically Books group for an honest review. Beyond is a great, quick and fascinating read. I loved the characters and the book concept. “Meghan is 16 when she dies. She wakes up on a flying steamboat on her way to a school run by Angels in a white marble castle. It is a school everybody has to go to before they are let into Heaven.”

The book goes on to tell of her adventures in school and even ventures back into the human world. I liked the author’s view of the afterlife, although the timing of both worlds was a little confusing (one is faster time wise). I am interested in the next book to see what happens with Meghan and her schooling and also Jason! If you like Young Adult and 'ghost' stories, I recommend this book for you.

[Vonda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Young adult

Once I realized that this series is not crime fiction, the author's usual frightening works, I enjoyed the characters and the plot. This is a cute young adult romance.

[Blue · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beyond: The Academy is one book that I simply enjoyed thoroughly. It was a nice, easy read where I was fully able to just forget about everything and simply read a story that really interested me and kept me wanting to turn page after page. While there were some issues that I had with the story, all in all, this was a novel that I would happily read again, one that I would recommend to others, and one that has me sitting on abated breath for the next instalment. Therefore, it simply makes sense that this novel deserves four stars from me because it is just such a good read.

I loved the concept behind this story. It should be known now that ghost stories always touch a soft spot in my heart. I absolutely adore them and I am so glad that this book was no exception. I love the idea of a ghost academy where one goes to learn about how to be a spirit properly, learn how to control yourself and how to fend yourself against the evil spirits that lurk around the corner just waiting to enter your mind. I also implore the idea that the spirits can affect the humans thoughts and actions, I found this to be such an intriguing and though provoking part of the story.

Another aspect of the story that I adored was the love story. I am always usually a bit iffy when it comes to love in a novel, or rather, I’m picky. However, I liked the way that it played out in this novel. I really liked Jason, especially the way he acts the first time that he is introduced. From then on, I knew that this was a character I was going to enjoy reading about. I like that the love wasn’t too pushed or forward and I like how she didn’t think it was a good idea to fall for him and yet just couldn’t help it. It felt more natural than the other relationship that tried to happen in the book but failed. That is probably why I am more excited to see how it will turn out for Jason and Meghan.

It is this lack of unnatural friendships with in the book that is one of the problems I found with it. Unfortunately, the characters, for me at least, just weren’t fleshed out enough and it was impossible to see how the relationships therefore worked between them. I found myself asking too many questions as I read, such as why was Meghan suddenly friends with so-and-so? When did they become so close, did I skip something? While this did detract from the story slightly, it did not stop me from reading and it was easy to just push it aside to see the other relationship with Jason develop and to witness how everything else went down. It is unfortunate but for me, it is only a small issue that is easily resolved by just continuing to read and enjoying everything else the book has to offer.

The only other problem I felt with the book was the lack of description in some places and sometimes it would feel a little inconsistent. It was often difficult to really see how they got from place to place, and it was told that they couldn’t hold things but they would sit and eat, and open doors, etc, but it was never really explained how this was possible if they hadn’t learnt how to fully feel objects fully. It was slightly distracting but once you realised that it was never going to be explained, it was easier to just sort of go with it. This was the main reason this story didn’t get five stars and it very nearly made me change it to a three star review before I realised that, actually, I really liked the story and while there were inconsistencies, the plot helped to just push these things aside.

I really liked how this story ended, and the message that it was getting across that everything we do has consequences, even the things we think we’re doing out of kindness. I loved the little twist at the end and can honestly say that I cannot wait to read and find out how that is going to turn out! This ending was another reason this story was rated so highly with me, it was just so rich and full of emotion and something that I just wasn’t expecting at all.

All in all, this was a novel that I just really enjoyed. It had some issues but these never fully detracted from the great story that was unfolding before my eyes. It is a book that I am extremely happy to have read and one that I would happily read again as well. I received this book as part of the read 2 review scheme on the Paranormal Romance and Urban Fantasy Fanatics goodreads group and boy am I glad that I did!

[Amanda The Book Slayer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have to hand it to T.P. Bojoe. This book takes the Afterlife places I hadn't thought about. Mainly, the fact that once you die you get send to an Academy to learn about the new you, was an intriguing concept.

Recommend: Young Adults and Adults who enjoy a good Angels Vs. Demons story.

I kept hearing the song Sail by Awolnation as I was reading this book. It had an otherworldly vive to it that reminds me of the song. Plus, the opening scene Meghan,the main character, is sailing on a ship in the sky. Feel free to listen to the track while reading the first chapter. The section you are looking for starts around page 8.

Now on to the things I loved about this book:

1) I loved the Thinking Chair. I loved how it could read minds and take you where you want to go. I keep picturing the foot stool that used to be a dog on Beauty and the Beast.

2) Professor Grange was an interesting character. I loved that he carried his head around under his arm while teaching. Kinda has that Sleeping Hollow feel to it.

3) The love story between Meghan and Jason rated up there with West Side Story.

4) Angels Vs. Demons Do I really need to say more? Fighting for Souls in the Afterlife.

5) The ending surprised me, in a good way. I felt like it was a lesson that most people could benefit from.


Things I did not like:

1) I was not a fan of Mick. I thought at first I might like him but then I did not. I just kept going back and forth. Therefore, I have decided that Jason is the guy I am sticking with.

2) The Hebrew terms/names for the Angels were a little hard for me to pronounce so I ended up dubing them Angels and so on. I think this is why it took about 80 pages for me to get into. The terminology was a little complicated for a Young Adult book, in my mind.


I am looking forward to reading the next book in her Afterlife Series. The ending kep you on the edge and hoping for a better tomorrow.

Thanks to T.P. Boje and Paranormal Romance & Urban Fantasy Fanatics! group for giving me a copy in exchange for an honest review. This book is definitely worth purchasing and reading.

[Michelle · Rating 1 out of 5]

Okay first things first...how old is this author? Seriously my 14 year old sister could have written better than "T.P.Boje"...the writing was so terrible that I got headaches while reading this
second thing I would like to thank the Basically Books Group...it was not your fault that I hated this book, and I thank thee for the read...even if it was so bad that I originally thought it was supposed to be funny
while reading this I took some notes on microsoft word...i think i might just copy and paste it here...


1. Girl is a “spirit” but looks like a human?
a) She is made out of fluids?
b) The soul leaves the body 2 seconds before it dies?
i) But you wouldn’t BE dead yet…so the soul leaves the body before the body actually dies?
2. I HATE the narrative
a) Umm she says “cute-looking” like seriously?
b) She thinks boys just LIKES to wear old fashioned clothes….like come on!
c) She wants to “be close” to her teacher? Who is a lady…
3. So she dies then wakes up on a steam boat that is really an academy?
a) In denial
b) Umm why is the Academy a steam boat?
i) Oh wait! She just got off the boat…my bad!
a) Small man holding torch waiting at the platform looking for new students
b) Pretty sure it’s Hagrid!
i) Is she at Hogwarts?….OMG what if when you died you’d get to go to HOGWARTS…just kill me now :)
c) Unusual that she doesn’t remember her death? I think?
d) WAIT! She doesn’t remember anything ABOUT HERSELF…I’m pretty sure….
4. WHAT ARE WITH THESE NAMES!!!!!
a) What kind of parent would name their child: Rahmiel or Salethiel?
i) Because it’s not like these people came to the “after life” and suddenly changed their names to these weird ones
a) “Oh yes…this is Heaven? Then I want my name to be Salethiel, and teach people about their cool powers like becoming fluid”
b) STUPID STUPID!
5. I think I’m just going to stop reading, it’s just way to much and way to bad…

[Kelly · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm a little torn on this book. I like the idea of a school for the recently deceased that teaches them how to let go of their mortal way of thinking and learn the ins and outs of being a spirit. That said, while the book feels geared toward a younger audience (it's definitely in the young adult category in my head) I had a hard time with some of the dialogue. I found myself stumbling over some of the phrasing and it did slow down my reading a bit. Beyond that, there were a couple of references to rape that took me by surprise and left me blinking in confusion. While I can understand why the topic was brought up - it was relevant to one of the characters - I had been viewing this book as a middle grade book up until that point and I really wasn't expecting it.

Now, upon occasion I'm a big fan of books that give us a non-standard ending and I did like that this one wasn't a pat happily ever after. It was left open-ended enough that there are a lot of ways the next story arc can go and it seemed necessary to Meghan's overall character development. Am I thrilled by the position one of the characters was left in? No. I can't even say what I didn't like about it without giving away something major. So, there's that.

Interesting, but I have to say that I think it was written with a younger audience in mind. The talk of rape may be off-putting for some and I was disappointed in Meghan's reaction to the revelation that one of her classmates had been raped. Honestly, that one scene is a small drop in the bucket but I was slightly put off by it.

-Kelly @ Reading the Paranormal

[Bianca · Rating 2 out of 5]

Well, I am reading the box set at the moment, but I felt like adding this to my shelf, as I finished book one yesterday and a review is needed for this.

It was a rather quick read - luckily. I don't know if I would have brought up the will to continue reading, if it would be longer. First impression? Welcome to Hogwarts, but Harry is dead and a girl this time. Luckily this impression changed. Guess I was a bit scared of a Harry Potter rip off because I recently read a bad one. Anyways...the main character...yeah. See here it starts already. I can't even remember her name. Bad sign...
She basically is dead, and i expected a lot of stuff happening...but instead there isn't much going on. She is on the academy, does something she is not allowed to do, like all good and bad students and therefore fucks up more or less. And that is basically the plot of the first book.

The whole thing is basically a "ghost falls in love with human - human is about to die - ghost saves his life but screws it at the same time - human turns into a homeless boy".

I got the set for free, and I will finish it. I hope it will get better in book two. I would have loved more of the cool stuff...like...I don't know...something really amazing happening and the Ghostbusters interfering....or, no, that was too much. I would have just wished for more action =)

[nightlyreadingheather · Rating 1 out of 5]

I would like to thank the author and R2R for allowing me to review this title. I would love to report that I loved the book, although, I am not able to.

This book felt like middle grade rather than YA to me. I enjoyed the character of Mick. He was mysterious and interesting, but it was not enough to keep me reading. I could not get a feel for the main character of Meghan. I never really felt a connection to her.

I did enjoy the beginning where it felt like Meghan was opening with a story of her own. Explaining what had happened to her. I felt like this was an interesting opening and had high hopes. After that, the book just seemed to fall flat for me.

Needless to say, I could not finish the book. It did not hold my attention and I kept finding myself having to reread what I had just read.

I have read some really good reviews for this book and many people loved it. I guess it just was not one for me.

[Terri ♥ (aka Mrs. Christian Grey) · Rating 2 out of 5]

This story wasn't terribly long. So it shouldn't take long to get through. The premise was interesting but this story lacked on execution. I'm not one to make issue of grammar mistakes, but here it was a really problem for me and maybe because I never really connected to the story. Authors are incredibly courageous to put their books out there to be critiqued. So I have to give credit for that. Others really liked this story, so don't take my word for it and give it a try.

[MarytheBookLover · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am in between on this one. It started good then went down hill. I am reading the second so we will see.

[Kel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ehh its ok.. I had high hopes because it had a supernatural/ghost school setting and a love interest she's not supposed to be with.. And she was a little snarky.. But she was also a smidge annoying and some irky SC.. But there were also some great SC.. Had a bit of a twist with the whole evil spirit student thing.. Glad she was able to stop Jason from dying because I liked him, but I also thought he was a very young child at first because of Narrator's voice for him.. I like most of the teachers/Supervisors at the school except that one bitch of a teacher and Mick the snitch.. I get he was trying to help but ughh like stfu dude. Struggled with some of the people and place names as they aren't English, and I dislike how she forgives Mick so easily.. Really don't like him much.. And might sound bad but I wish Jason died so they could be together. It's also pretty sad that he ended up as a homeless addict because his mom went to jail.

[Wren · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a YA series of 4 books: Beyond, Serenity, Endurance, and Courageous. With that in mind, I'll say I really enjoyed them and found the subject matter and story progression original and very well written. Unfortunately, there were massive editing problems on the Kindle Unlimited copies I read, and that detracted from the read.

I have an interest in the afterlife from a very loosely-based Christian context and would think writing about would be pretty difficult. The story did not seem forced or unnatural and I really enjoyed that aspect.

After finishing all four books, I wanted to read more from this author, but I really don't care for horror.

[Hannah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting concept

The book has an interesting concept... the idea of spiritual beings in training. I couldn't tell a couple times if the author was wanting to pay homage to other stories by making nods at them (such as Harry Potter) or if she didn't realize she was so heavily influenced by a couple of books that she practically copied some plot points (mostly minor things). I enjoyed the book but I don't know if I will be able to recommend it to many people. Since I have already purchased the next two books in the series, I will be reading them and perhaps the series will continue to improve.

[Nancy Silk · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Welcome To The Afterlife Experience"

This series is great! Just know that each story begins with death. Megan is 16 yrs old when she dies. She wakes on a flying steamboat which takes her to school which is run by angels at a castle. On the trip she meets Mick whose been dead for more than 100 years. However, he's still looking like a teenager. He helps her learn about the afterlife and helps her learn about the magical powers she will have. This novel is a Young Adult Paranormal Romance which adults will also enjoy. You'll soon learn that every book Willow Rose creates is breathtaking. Enjoy the trip to almost heaven!

[Ashley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Intriguing

I don't read many supernatural books but while I as a Christian and huge fan of Willow Rose's work find this was very intriguing and I really enjoyed her take on this because who doesn't wonder about afterlife and I find it very plausible. I can't wait to go ahead and start the next three books in this series. Even though I love her usual horror stories she proves that she is just as good at any style of genre she pens. Great work as always Ms Rose!!

[Julie Hillman · Rating 5 out of 5]

A heart breaking tale of love and light in a war against hate and dark things

Another fantastic book from Willow Rose. Dying young Meghan learns what it is to be a spirit, to love and to be happy. She falls in love with a human boy and does everything she can to prevent his death. Will her meddling allow the dark forces to capture his spirit? So incredibly emotional it will leave you with a lump in your throat.

[Alana Byers-Crawford · Rating 2 out of 5]

The premise of this book was interesting but unfortunately that's where all the good things stopped.
The characters were unrelatable. The dialogue was frustrating and too fake. There was so many things that instantly reminded me of Harry Potter but of course not done as well. I couldn't get into it and simply finished it because I don't like having unfinished books.

[Lelia Y Morgan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good series, I read them all

I loved the characters! I just knew there was something sinister about Mick! I'm not going to spoil the ending for other readers, but I am sure most will conclude Mick is up.to no good! Author knows her theology a d throws some sound wisdom in now and then. Never the less, the story is pure fantasy about the afterlife. It was a good read.

[Velid · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting story about afterlife, angels and spirits. How small decisions can affect and change someones life and / or view. As someone who does not believe in afterlife or organized religion, I still find those books fun and sometimes interesting to read, especially when they are focused only on one religion and their views. (in this case - Christianity)

[Deanna Gurley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beyond (Afterlife Book 1)

I will say as all of Willow Rose's books, I am at the edge of my seat wondering what will happen next. This book was brilliantly written & I can't hardly wait to read the rest of the series.

[Tony Sommer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very interesting story

This is a story about the after life with a different twist to it. I thoroughly enjoyed this story. It takes place in an in between world between life and heaven.

[Elaine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Potentially dangerous. There are social services for final situation described in this story and they are able to become aware of situations like this and take action. Particularly when the police are involved. Totally unbelievable ending.

[Bon Peterson · Rating 5 out of 5]

VERY DIFFERENT

My third Willow Rose book and it’s completely different than her latest books. I liked it a lot. I love paranormal books and Willow writes good books in any genre.

Thank you, Willow Rose for your wonderful talent.

[Laurie Nathan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Only an intro

A wonderful beginning but ends as a cliffhanger. I will not but the next three books to learn the conclusion.