*A Library Journal Best Book of the Year Runner Up for 2015* Mara’s brother Soren remembers when his name was Cole. He remembers how he used to play pirate ship with his brothers in the backyard, the taste of his mother’s soft and chewy chocolate-chip cookies, and that he rode the number eight bus to get to school. And he also remembers the night he died. On a dark and windy night, Soren tells Mara about the person who killed him before he chose to live with their family. Mara sets out to investigate her little brother’s claims of a past life and discovers that the small tidbits of memory appear to match the life of a boy who was murdered fifteen years ago. As she inserts herself deeper into the life Cole left behind, Mara’s world begins to unravel. Those who believe her are worried for her safety, and those that don’t are worried for her emotional wellbeing. Confused and frightened, Mara begins a journey deep into the heart of what it means to be alive, what it means to be dead, and everything in-between. "After Life" is a compelling YA paranormal thriller and an Amazon bestseller.
The most horrifying part is how teenagers are treated!
Seriously though this is an amazing book. I gasped aloud a few times when I got to some of the twists. I’ll definitely be looking into more by this author.
My only note is that there were a fair few typos and the book could have used a little more proofreading.
Other than that, excellent story, great characters! Loved it.
This book was such a ride. It went from being sweet and a little emotional to creepy to slightly disturbing REAL fast. It was such a compelling and completely captivating read. I didn’t want to put it down until it got to be too much, it was just that good.
When I first started this book I had no real idea of what I was getting into. I knew this was gonna be creepy, but not as creepy as it got. There were a couple of nights when I was reading this that I had to stop and read something a little lighter and fluffier. There were also a few points that had me nearly in tears. This was so intense with all the feels and I loved it. This was probably one of the most well rounded books I’ve read in a while. It balanced all the scares, the family drama, the hurts, and the angst. All against a mix of paranormal ghost story, horror mystery, with a dash of psychological thriller thrown in for fun.
This is a genre that I’m not normally drawn to, but this book was pretty fantastic. It was pure spooky perfection to read around Halloween. It’s got that perfectly creepy small town atmosphere to really give you a scare. This one gets a solid four out of five stars.
I'm not normally a horror/scary book reader--I used to be super into Stephen King when I was a YA myself--but dang, Wescott can write a good story! The characters are REAL, the friendships are realistic, the development of the story is interesting and believable, and overall this book was really, really good. VERY tight writing--the author's craft keeps getting better! If you like a good story, or if you like well-written characters, or if you like suspense, THIS is THE BOOK. SO GOOD!
This was... not good. The author does have a genuine talent for building a sense of suspense, the foreboding that accompanies a haunting. Other than that... meh. I gave it 2 stars for the scares.
Mara was a genuinely unlikable person. That's not a very strong place to start. She thinks every single person she encounters is disgusting and everyone of her attributes aside from determined, manipulative, and mean was informed. The author made me feel her fear during some of the haunting scenes but definitely didn't make me care if she lived or died.
All of the characters were pretty awful. I don't know if that's just because Mara's a bad person and was drawn to other bad people. Her "friends" are awful. For all the narrative likes to go on about her and Carlie's unshakable friendship, Mara is a horrible friend. So it stands to reason her friends are horrible people. I didn't understand why it was necessary to add so much ugliness into almost every single character. It really wasn't necessary. Her dad could have been oblivious without being spiteful. Other than justifying the narrator (and possible the author's) self-righteous jaded meanness, what did that add to the story?
The problem with making your main character a mean-spirited brat, other than making her impossible to root for, is that it makes any not-awful character immediately seem out of place. I loathed her relationship with Sam. He's probably the least offensive character in the book. He and Mara have zero chemistry and she's literally using him. This should not be portrayed as romantic. It isn't.
The inclusion of Wicca was bad. I'm not Wiccan and can't speak to its accuracy, but the attitudes surrounding it were bad. It felt like another version of the "Indian mystic" stereotype. Also I don't recall Mara having any religious inclinations at all until she needs a reason to look down on Wicca. Which again, fits with her being awful, but makes me hate her even more.
The plot. There were a couple of good twists, but the main one was incredibly obvious, yet played for the most impact. There genuinely were things that surprised me and I thought moral questions really could have been raised. They weren't. It was really easily resolved, too, which is annoying in a book where the main character realizes what she needs to do halfway through and then continues acting like an idiot.
Finally, it really obviously needed another read-through from a copy editor. Probably the most egregious example was the use of "the Sullivan's house". Small, but it occurred so many times it was clear the author literally did not understand how to create a plural possessive. Sullivans' house. It's that simple. I'm not sure this was ever done correctly and by the end it really annoyed me. Just like the rest of this book!
Mara’s four year old brother Soren insists on being called Colton, a claims he had another life but was murdered, leading Mara to dig into the tragic lives and deaths of the Sullivan brothers fifteen years earlier. Part ghost story, part coming of age tale, this novel explores the concept of not just an afterlife, but rebirth. Overall, After Life is an interesting story if not a little sluggish in places. There are “ coincidences” that may come across as contrived, but they work. I think this story is more about personal growth than it is a ghost story. Other than the slow pacing, I enjoyed this tale.
I thought the main storyline about the boy's memories of being murdered in a past life and Mara's investigation was pretty good. There were some really spooky moments. I felt the second half of the story focused a little too much on high school drama and relationship issues. And the big revelation about "who done it" was pretty predictable from the start. Overall, it was a decent suspense / light horror story that would have benefited from being a bit shorter, without so many subplots.
I preferred Wescott's Virulent series over After Life. The story itself is robust though a bit predictable. I liked the characters, but felt Westcott needs more writing experience to bring her readers to the edge of their seats during suspense and action scenes.
I will definitely keep reading her work; she has a great creative gift for storytelling.
The overall story line that developed in this book was really intriguing and I did enjoy reading it. However, there were definitely some character flaws that basically just got ignored and a few plot holes here and there. I really loved the concept that the author brought to life, and it genuinely left me scared which is really rare for a book to do.
It was a very good gripping story which kept you reading it early in the morning. Not sure that the ending was as good as it could have been. I more gripping end which could have lead to another novel but overall I thoroughly enjoyed it and wold recommend to anyone that is into that type of reading
Scary book, right before Halloween - not a bad choice. Another YA novel, didn't really "like" most of the stereotyped characters, whether young or adult, but maybe that's the way families are today. Really a ghost story and mystery / cold case with a plot interesting enough. Unfortunately I felt more drama in the teenage angst than in the scary parts. Entertaining none-the-less.
This book was simply breath-taking. It is one of the best books that I have read this year. A movie needs to be made from this book because the messages it conveys about life are just essential and so on-target. I'll end by saying that I can't say enough good things about this book
This was a book i thoroughly e joyed from beginning to end. There were some grammatical errors but nothing that made it unenjoyable. I'd recommend this book to anyone. Some romance bur nothing over the top or spicy. I didn't give it 5 stars simply because of grammatical errors. I wish icould do 4.5 stars.
I’ll be the first to say, I am not a fan of horror (like at all), but let me tell you, Shelbi Wescott really blew it out of the water here. Her writing varies from just enough unsettling, to making my heart ache. Definitely going to become a book that I recommend for others to read.
Not the kind of book I usually read. I found it took my back to the kind of teenage angst I experienced umpteen million years ago. Characters were well drawn and rang true. The scene in the forest outside Bend was realistic and scary and a bit too true to life for this Oregonian.
This was exciting, scary, realistic and fantastical. It was a good story with love and about different kinds of love. Nobody was perfect, which made it more believable. I would recommend it.
I loved this book and am deadly serious when I say I couldn't put it down. Great story! Believable, scarey, and smart. Read it! I know you will enjoy it!?
Reincarnation of a young murder victim in four-year-old Soren leads to dangerous hauntings. High schooler has serious parent issues and a devoted suitor.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
I really enjoyed this book. It was well written, and the characters felt real. I had stumbled across this book, and I am now destined to read more from this author!
I was lucky enough to receive this book as a giveaway from Goodreads. The cover looked great – very haunting but after reading the blurb I wasn’t sure that I’d enjoy this book. It ended up heading in a very different direction to what was expected.
Positives - After life is very intellectually written for the directed age group and I found that a big positive whilst reading. The storyline moves along at a steady pace and I for the most part didn’t find any part of it that I wanted to skim past. I was drawn into Mara’s character and absolutely rapt up in the storyline by the end of the second chapter. The story went along without any kind of thoughts of a romance within its page but without giving too much away I was glad there was some love tangled in all that anger and fear. Mara was a strange character who seemed to be a mixture of determination, stubbornness, strength yet she was also overdramatic, reckless and even bordering on cowardly sometimes so ultimately a walking contradiction. Despite all of that you couldn’t help but love her and her wild decisions. I loved the twists and turns the story took and was definitely surprised by a few revelations.
Negatives - I found the first chapter lacking and predictable. I knew this book was along the lines of a horror story but it seemed like it was trying too hard. Unexpectedly, the second chapter start to flow and entice me to read more. The first chapter felt disjointed from the rest of the book but once through that I was hooked. There were a few ‘groan-worthy’ moments (as I refer to them) but they were short and easily dismissed. Some of those were almost justifiable but I felt they could’ve been written a bit better. I was also annoyed at the behaviour of her friends multiple times and felt Mara was fairly gullible. I’m not a huge fan of over the top moments and there were some in this book. In saying that though, it certainly wasn’t enough for me to be put off finishing it.
Overall – I found this book a rollercoaster of twists and turns and was excited to finish it. The storyline was interesting and unexpected despite the feeling that it may be very predictable at the start. It’s great for not only horror lovers but anyone likes a bit of a mystery or something paranormal. I loved that this book really sparked intrigued about past lives and peaked my curiosity about the ‘After Life.” For me this book warranted a rating of 4 stars (or 3.75 but I’m rounding up).
Well Done Shelbi Wescott 4 Stars! Check out this review & others on my blog - charlottebull88.com
Full disclosure - I was given a copy of After Life to read and give a fair review. I don't normally read paranormal books, but I had recently read (and LOVED)this author's Virulent trilogy so I thought I would give it a try.
I started reading on vacation, and I enjoyed it. Read a little each night. Then, as the story went on and I returned home, I didn't want to turn the Kindle off. Last night I drained the battery at 3:30 am and finished it today (during the daylight, thank goodness!). I became so invested in Mara, the main character, and so engrossed in this tale. And it was believable.
Mara is a senior in high school with a control freak mother, absent father, newish step father, and 4 year old brother. During a thunderstorm one night, Soren, her brother, climbs into her bed for comfort and tells her he is really Cole, and he was murdered by drowning. Mara is shaken and tells her mother the next morning - only to find out that her mother knows and has decided to just ignore it. When Mara and her best friend start to investigate, they find there was a murder of 3 boys 15 years ago in a neighboring town. That's when creepy things start to happen....
I liked the fact that Mara, her friends, and her (first) boyfriend Sam act like real teenagers - they do stupid things, have angst, have school and coach and parent problems, and everything else that comes with being a regular teenager. Parents are not always right, nor are they always wrong. This "realness" made the story all that much more creepy. There is a nice little twist at the end.
I would recommend this book to anyone - I loved it and it's not a genre I usually read.
If you love reading scary books right before Halloween, this is a great book to get you ready. Even though I totally don't believe in reincarnation, Shelbi Wescott has written a creative paranormal story that is filled with dark shadows, and things that go bump in the night.
One of the things that I admire most about Ms. Wescott's writing, is that she creates characters that have so much personality, that they realistically ooze off the page. She is particularly good at creating teenagers that are sarcastic, filled with angst, and don't get along with their parents. This makes them very realistic. I really liked Sam and Soren.
My only problem with her characters is that they are so flawed, which is great for creating tension and depth in a story, that they aren't very unlikeable. I know so many teenagers that just aren't the way she portrays them in this book.
Another thing I admire about Wescott's writing, is that her stories are very well put together. There isn't any detail out of place, or awkward writing technique. Her stories are very well written.
My reason for giving this story four out of five stars is that I just don't like the characters and the content that accompanies the. I feel like we do a disservice to teenagers by making them sassy, disrespectful, and full of angst.
This is an amazing story! From the very first chapter to the last word of this book, there is wisdom, laughter, joy, sadness and most of all enjoyment. The characters, the plot and the storyline flows together so well that this reader has to g give praise to the writer for crafting this story. Here is a quote from the story to feast on "Life will hurt. But whether or not the world is fair and just, you are all worthy and capable of reaching every height you wish." Imagine such words of wisdom from a ghost story, or shall I use the term "spirit story". But there it is. Great Read
I am not a huge scary book fan. Generally, I find life has enough things to keep me up at night, I don't need to add more. However, I won a copy of this book so I decided to read it. OH. MY. GOSH. I loved it! It is one of those books you can't put down (even when it is 11:30 at night and you have work the next day). Then, when you do put it down, you can't sleep because every creak, every rustle, every noise IS A GHOST! You are sure of it!
A fabulous book for scary book fans, and for book fans in general! Way to go Shelbi Wescott!
Excellent reading! I really enjoyed everything about this book. The story is riveting and the characters are all believable. None of the characters are perfect or cliched, and each one has a distinct personality. The plot is fascinating, with some really chilling elements. Although it's basically a paranormal story, there is horror as well, the kind of subtle horror that makes a story truly scary.
Well written, well edited, and very entertaining. This book was fun to read from first page to last.
Talk about an intense book...once I started reading, it was very difficult to put it down. I loved this book, the whole storyline and especially the characters.
The whole concept behind the story was creepy and exciting and kept me on my toes to know whats next!
Shelbi is an amazing writer, she knows how to throw you neck deep into the story, and connect you with the characters. There wasn't a dull moment in the story. It had all the elements I love in a great paranormal story! This was the first book I've read by Shelbi and I cannot wait to dive into more of her books!!
Reincarnation, ghosts, and a murder mystery all in one book ... what more could a girl ask for? This book was so good I recommended it to my mother (she could only read it during the day, though - it scared her a little!), my sister-in-law, my husband, and my friends. Everyone in my family read it and loved it. It is one of those books that sticks with you after you finish it. You find yourself thinking about the characters days after finishing the book.
I do not give 5 stars lightly - this one truly deserved all 5 stars.