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Life After #1
Huntress
An alternative cover edition for this ASIN can be found here.
No one’s afterlife is as dispiriting as Audrey’s―at least that’s what she believes after waking up dead without her memories and being promptly assigned to hunt demons for the rest of eternity. She’s convinced God’s made a cosmic mistake; after all, she’d rather discuss the color of her nails than break them on angelic weapons.
It doesn’t help that her trainer, Logan, is as infuriating as he is attractive. And just when Audrey and Logan appear close to developing an amicable relationship, a decision made under duress pushes their hearts in a direction neither of them saw coming.
Despite her sub-par fighting abilities, an ancient weapon of unparalleled power chooses Audrey as its wielder, attracting the cautious gazes of her fellow hunters and the attention of Satan himself. With Satan’s eyes now fixed on Audrey, a battle for the safety of the living looms in the shadows.
No one’s afterlife is as dispiriting as Audrey’s―at least that’s what she believes after waking up dead without her memories and being promptly assigned to hunt demons for the rest of eternity. She’s convinced God’s made a cosmic mistake; after all, she’d rather discuss the color of her nails than break them on angelic weapons.
It doesn’t help that her trainer, Logan, is as infuriating as he is attractive. And just when Audrey and Logan appear close to developing an amicable relationship, a decision made under duress pushes their hearts in a direction neither of them saw coming.
Despite her sub-par fighting abilities, an ancient weapon of unparalleled power chooses Audrey as its wielder, attracting the cautious gazes of her fellow hunters and the attention of Satan himself. With Satan’s eyes now fixed on Audrey, a battle for the safety of the living looms in the shadows.
360 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 1, 2015
830 people are currently reading
2973 people want to read
About the author
Julie Hall
23 books1,407 followersJulie Hall is a USA Today bestselling, 11x award-winning author.
She writes YA paranormal / fantasy novels, loves doodles, and drinks Red Bull, but not necessarily in that order. Julie's daughter says that her super power is sleeping all day and writing all night... and well, she wouldn't be wrong.
Julie currently lives in Colorado with her four favorite people - her husband, daughter, and two fur babies.
Website: www.JulieHallAuthor.com
Newsletter: www.JulieHallAuthor.com/newsletter
Julie's Fan Club: www.fb.com/groups/juliehall
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/julie.hall....
She writes YA paranormal / fantasy novels, loves doodles, and drinks Red Bull, but not necessarily in that order. Julie's daughter says that her super power is sleeping all day and writing all night... and well, she wouldn't be wrong.
Julie currently lives in Colorado with her four favorite people - her husband, daughter, and two fur babies.
Website: www.JulieHallAuthor.com
Newsletter: www.JulieHallAuthor.com/newsletter
Julie's Fan Club: www.fb.com/groups/juliehall
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/julie.hall....
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 259 reviews
May 20, 2017
Overall, I enjoyed Huntress, book one in the LIFE AFTER series by Julie Hall. I went into it determined to take it lightly. And I did ... really liking it as a unique speculative fiction read. It was intriguing, fun, mysterious, adventurous, and thought-provoking. The interesting things the author came up with were really fantastical, and kept you wanting to read more.
I liked the characters, for the most part, and felt each had their own voice and personality. The action-packed ending was fabulous! Angels and demons fighting. Intense spiritual war going on. It was both dark and hopeful. Breathless and intriguing.
That all being said, there were still some things that niggled at me as theologically incorrect. This book is the first book I've read that the character dies in the beginning, and we proceed to discover her afterlife. Huntress isn't fantasy, but speculative fiction set in our contemporary world. Our main characters encounters demons and Satan, who comes disguised as beauty and light. She also seeks God in her afterlife, having believed in Him before she died.
But there were things like tears, romance, doubt, anger, and fighting in this "afterlife". People were waiting for their spouse to join them from earth ... Things like that. I don't believe that's exactly how it's going to be in heaven. Granted, this is more an "in-between" place while everyone whose died waits for the end of time and the making new of all things.
Anyway, it was interesting, action-filled, and fun, but I couldn't take it too seriously because of those things. (Regardless that it did have some epic spiritual warfare and heartfelt moments of encountering God, surrendering to Him, and realizing His deep love.)
But it did make me think, for certain! And ponder the new heaven and new earth and what God has planned for us there. I hope to continue with book two, Warfare, and see where this series goes.
I received a copy of Huntress from the author after winning a giveaway of the paperback.
I liked the characters, for the most part, and felt each had their own voice and personality. The action-packed ending was fabulous! Angels and demons fighting. Intense spiritual war going on. It was both dark and hopeful. Breathless and intriguing.
That all being said, there were still some things that niggled at me as theologically incorrect. This book is the first book I've read that the character dies in the beginning, and we proceed to discover her afterlife. Huntress isn't fantasy, but speculative fiction set in our contemporary world. Our main characters encounters demons and Satan, who comes disguised as beauty and light. She also seeks God in her afterlife, having believed in Him before she died.
But there were things like tears, romance, doubt, anger, and fighting in this "afterlife". People were waiting for their spouse to join them from earth ... Things like that. I don't believe that's exactly how it's going to be in heaven. Granted, this is more an "in-between" place while everyone whose died waits for the end of time and the making new of all things.
Anyway, it was interesting, action-filled, and fun, but I couldn't take it too seriously because of those things. (Regardless that it did have some epic spiritual warfare and heartfelt moments of encountering God, surrendering to Him, and realizing His deep love.)
But it did make me think, for certain! And ponder the new heaven and new earth and what God has planned for us there. I hope to continue with book two, Warfare, and see where this series goes.
I received a copy of Huntress from the author after winning a giveaway of the paperback.
June 21, 2019
Pros: Interesting premise and the world building was great.
Cons: There might be spoilers below, but I stopped caring partway through so read with caution.
Okay so the start of this book had a ton of issues for me. There was a lot of telling to start and then there were the inconsistencies, and then just bad writing. I am beyond shocked as this book has been recommended to me by so many friends and I have seen it around a lot.
She couldn’t remember anything at all, but some guy spoke like Arnold Schwarzenegger, and that being the only thing in her empty mind, doesn’t surprise her in the least. No, “Weird I remembered that but not my own name!”
Then there are the characters being shocked that no one has told her a single thing, but still don’t explain anything to her.
Conversations read like:
“No one told you X?”
“No.”
“Weird… anyway, how about them Yankies?”
There’s not even a suggestion that we might learn a “reason” for this later on. It makes me think that if there IS a reason it’s because the author realized too late and just threw it in rather than fixing it and adding in foreshadowing.
The main character was plain stupid. Her trainer was talking about fighting, and armor and weaponry and he mentions chainmail and she can’t take context clues, and goes strain to “like spam email?” Because yeah, spam email is totally relevant in this conversation.
If it was supposed to come off as a joke, it missed the mark by a mile.. or ten. Audrey just came across as completely brainless.
I cringed so hard at her stupidity in that moment that I almost DNF’ed it right then and there.
Audrey says “i wasn’t aware of…” at least once a chapter if not a hundred times. Well of course not, she’s not aware of anything because no one tells her anything, except when they want to… which is like once.
“I’m a really important hunter and I can learn to surf in a single day, but I often run into walls, other people, and trip on air!” Gag, no. Too annoying and cheesy.
She trips, falls face first into his chest (?????) and then lands on top of him after knocking him down and manages to forget HOW to stand up without having to worry about jerking her knee forward. Standing from laying on your stomach is NOT a difficult circus maneuver. Another gag and cringe-worthy moment.
SO MUCH “backpedaling” And not even verbally, but everyone physically backpedals out of the room ALL. THE. TIME.
She forgot the sword she was holding was BLAZING with fire…...... yeah no. Any one with eyes wouldn't be able to forget that.
Audrey also spends a ton of time staring at herself and admiring her stunning magical brown eyes that everyone in heaven is also head-over-heels in love with.
Chapter 24: Massive info dump that gives a bunch of information that doesn’t actually answer any questions that this book promised to deliver. She actually asks a question I have had since the very beginning and His response is “Not telling.”
And the only halfway answer to why no one tells her anything or WHY she wasn’t put through orientation was that she’s the “figure it out as you go type” Which is given at the end and not even a good answer, considering no one explained how her room worked to her so she slept in a blank room for a month before someone bothered to explain it to her. She never figured it out herself. Anything she did learn was always told to her way later. So, no there wasn’t a good reason for withholding information at any point because she’s not a “figure it out as you go” type.
I was told that “it all gets explained and there’s a good reason for it” Except there’s not. There’s not a single answer in book one that should be there. Later it was explained it’s all explained at the ned of book three. How about no. I’m not wasting money and time to get answers that did not need to be dragged out for more than the first book.
When even the smallest thing gets explained, the main character always reacts with a “Huh?” as if the simplest concepts are beyond her reach. “Here’s your room, you’ve seen people image things into being, you do that with your room too.” and she’ll respond with “Huh?” instead of something halfway intelligible.
Do I expect all my questions to be answered? No. But I do expect at least some of them to be, and the ones that should be answered in the first book, not to be forced to read the whole series before I get a single answer that should have been given in book one.
The reveal of who her BFF was… wasn’t a shock. It was the only “question” that didn’t need an answer because it was obvious.
The love interest… what a waste. He’s rude from the start, very aggressive toward her, though she still swoons for him constantly, even though when he’s not being horrible to her he’s had the personality of a wet paper sack. Then sometime after 50% he finally tells her that he was only hard on her because he was her mentor and wanted to make sure she’s survive the battles. And there is no reason at all for him to not say on day one, “I’m going to be hard on you because it’s my job to get you ready to survive these battles.”
If the author had bothered to answer any simple questions that didn’t need to be dragged to other books, I would have rated this much higher, not a five, (sorry but a female lead THAT stupid is an automatic minus one star) but more than a 1. I would have loved to continue since the world building WAS good. The character was just too brainless and the simplest questions not being answered was just too much.
The author literally dragged out all things so you’d have to finish the series to get any answers. Sorry I am not going to waste my time and money on a series where the first book is such a let down and doesn’t give me any faith that the author will deliver any answers at all, especially good ones, because at this point I expect cop out answers like “he was mean because they are should mates!” or like the “figure it out as you go type” which wasn’t even true.
It baffles me how so many people have missed any of these issues when they are slapping you in the face on nearly every page.
Narrator: Flat, robotic, and choppy. Everything is read with the same clipped emotionless rhythm. From picking up a bag, to the middle of a battle. She read like a bad caricature of William Shatner as Captain Kirk x10.
Cons: There might be spoilers below, but I stopped caring partway through so read with caution.
Okay so the start of this book had a ton of issues for me. There was a lot of telling to start and then there were the inconsistencies, and then just bad writing. I am beyond shocked as this book has been recommended to me by so many friends and I have seen it around a lot.
She couldn’t remember anything at all, but some guy spoke like Arnold Schwarzenegger, and that being the only thing in her empty mind, doesn’t surprise her in the least. No, “Weird I remembered that but not my own name!”
Then there are the characters being shocked that no one has told her a single thing, but still don’t explain anything to her.
Conversations read like:
“No one told you X?”
“No.”
“Weird… anyway, how about them Yankies?”
There’s not even a suggestion that we might learn a “reason” for this later on. It makes me think that if there IS a reason it’s because the author realized too late and just threw it in rather than fixing it and adding in foreshadowing.
The main character was plain stupid. Her trainer was talking about fighting, and armor and weaponry and he mentions chainmail and she can’t take context clues, and goes strain to “like spam email?” Because yeah, spam email is totally relevant in this conversation.
If it was supposed to come off as a joke, it missed the mark by a mile.. or ten. Audrey just came across as completely brainless.
I cringed so hard at her stupidity in that moment that I almost DNF’ed it right then and there.
Audrey says “i wasn’t aware of…” at least once a chapter if not a hundred times. Well of course not, she’s not aware of anything because no one tells her anything, except when they want to… which is like once.
“I’m a really important hunter and I can learn to surf in a single day, but I often run into walls, other people, and trip on air!” Gag, no. Too annoying and cheesy.
She trips, falls face first into his chest (?????) and then lands on top of him after knocking him down and manages to forget HOW to stand up without having to worry about jerking her knee forward. Standing from laying on your stomach is NOT a difficult circus maneuver. Another gag and cringe-worthy moment.
SO MUCH “backpedaling” And not even verbally, but everyone physically backpedals out of the room ALL. THE. TIME.
She forgot the sword she was holding was BLAZING with fire…...... yeah no. Any one with eyes wouldn't be able to forget that.
Audrey also spends a ton of time staring at herself and admiring her stunning magical brown eyes that everyone in heaven is also head-over-heels in love with.
Chapter 24: Massive info dump that gives a bunch of information that doesn’t actually answer any questions that this book promised to deliver. She actually asks a question I have had since the very beginning and His response is “Not telling.”
And the only halfway answer to why no one tells her anything or WHY she wasn’t put through orientation was that she’s the “figure it out as you go type” Which is given at the end and not even a good answer, considering no one explained how her room worked to her so she slept in a blank room for a month before someone bothered to explain it to her. She never figured it out herself. Anything she did learn was always told to her way later. So, no there wasn’t a good reason for withholding information at any point because she’s not a “figure it out as you go” type.
I was told that “it all gets explained and there’s a good reason for it” Except there’s not. There’s not a single answer in book one that should be there. Later it was explained it’s all explained at the ned of book three. How about no. I’m not wasting money and time to get answers that did not need to be dragged out for more than the first book.
When even the smallest thing gets explained, the main character always reacts with a “Huh?” as if the simplest concepts are beyond her reach. “Here’s your room, you’ve seen people image things into being, you do that with your room too.” and she’ll respond with “Huh?” instead of something halfway intelligible.
Do I expect all my questions to be answered? No. But I do expect at least some of them to be, and the ones that should be answered in the first book, not to be forced to read the whole series before I get a single answer that should have been given in book one.
The reveal of who her BFF was… wasn’t a shock. It was the only “question” that didn’t need an answer because it was obvious.
The love interest… what a waste. He’s rude from the start, very aggressive toward her, though she still swoons for him constantly, even though when he’s not being horrible to her he’s had the personality of a wet paper sack. Then sometime after 50% he finally tells her that he was only hard on her because he was her mentor and wanted to make sure she’s survive the battles. And there is no reason at all for him to not say on day one, “I’m going to be hard on you because it’s my job to get you ready to survive these battles.”
If the author had bothered to answer any simple questions that didn’t need to be dragged to other books, I would have rated this much higher, not a five, (sorry but a female lead THAT stupid is an automatic minus one star) but more than a 1. I would have loved to continue since the world building WAS good. The character was just too brainless and the simplest questions not being answered was just too much.
The author literally dragged out all things so you’d have to finish the series to get any answers. Sorry I am not going to waste my time and money on a series where the first book is such a let down and doesn’t give me any faith that the author will deliver any answers at all, especially good ones, because at this point I expect cop out answers like “he was mean because they are should mates!” or like the “figure it out as you go type” which wasn’t even true.
It baffles me how so many people have missed any of these issues when they are slapping you in the face on nearly every page.
Narrator: Flat, robotic, and choppy. Everything is read with the same clipped emotionless rhythm. From picking up a bag, to the middle of a battle. She read like a bad caricature of William Shatner as Captain Kirk x10.
December 28, 2023
5⭐️
I have a lot to say about this book, and most of it will come tonight because my phone's almost dead😂
For starters, I can with 100% honesty say that this book changed my life a couple years ago. I don't say that about any other book. This series truly showed me who God was and really changed the way I thought (and even now think) about life. And the end. . .even tho it was conpletely heartbreaking and everything, it gives me courage. Despite how it may or may not have been the right choice, she did what she thought she had to do even when it was hard and that's always awesome to me. So yeah, I'll write more coherent thoughts later. I highly recommend reading this series!
"I'm not running away. I'm running to something. Something new."
I have a lot to say about this book, and most of it will come tonight because my phone's almost dead😂
For starters, I can with 100% honesty say that this book changed my life a couple years ago. I don't say that about any other book. This series truly showed me who God was and really changed the way I thought (and even now think) about life. And the end. . .even tho it was conpletely heartbreaking and everything, it gives me courage. Despite how it may or may not have been the right choice, she did what she thought she had to do even when it was hard and that's always awesome to me. So yeah, I'll write more coherent thoughts later. I highly recommend reading this series!
"I'm not running away. I'm running to something. Something new."
December 20, 2017
Reread December 2018: Such an amazing story! Still just as powerful and thought-provoking as the first time reading it.
So I thought I knew what I was getting into when reading HUNTRESS, but I was quite wrong in my expectations. The author literally created a world like I have never read. I'm not quite sure how to put it into words because it was so utterly creative. I immensely enjoyed learning about the place Audrey lived in with the same awe and wonder as her.
Logan was something else. I was able to interview him recently on my blog (HOPE through the Pages) and was SO intrigued about him afterwards, that I desperately wanted to read more.
I was not disappointed! Him and Audrey have a very lively relationship that more than once caused me to laugh or giggle, but that ending broke a chunk of my heart. So thankful to know book two is releasing soon.
My favorite chapter was "God." In no way does the author put the idea of God in a box. She brought Him to “life” in a beautiful way and was so strongly touched by this chapter that I am unsure if I fully comprehended everything. One of the best parts of this book for sure!
The only reason I am giving this book four stars is because I was unsure for much of the beginning if the concept of this story was Biblical or not. However, once I let that go and just enjoyed the story WITH powerful Biblical truths woven throughout, I immensely did (very happily if I might add).
Overall, this was a very good read that had me entranced as I attempted to read it in a day. The wonder of Audrey's surroundings soaked into me and the reminder of God's powerful love for His children, despite what our circumstances "seem" to tell us otherwise, did as well.
So I thought I knew what I was getting into when reading HUNTRESS, but I was quite wrong in my expectations. The author literally created a world like I have never read. I'm not quite sure how to put it into words because it was so utterly creative. I immensely enjoyed learning about the place Audrey lived in with the same awe and wonder as her.
Logan was something else. I was able to interview him recently on my blog (HOPE through the Pages) and was SO intrigued about him afterwards, that I desperately wanted to read more.
I was not disappointed! Him and Audrey have a very lively relationship that more than once caused me to laugh or giggle, but that ending broke a chunk of my heart. So thankful to know book two is releasing soon.
My favorite chapter was "God." In no way does the author put the idea of God in a box. She brought Him to “life” in a beautiful way and was so strongly touched by this chapter that I am unsure if I fully comprehended everything. One of the best parts of this book for sure!
The only reason I am giving this book four stars is because I was unsure for much of the beginning if the concept of this story was Biblical or not. However, once I let that go and just enjoyed the story WITH powerful Biblical truths woven throughout, I immensely did (very happily if I might add).
Overall, this was a very good read that had me entranced as I attempted to read it in a day. The wonder of Audrey's surroundings soaked into me and the reminder of God's powerful love for His children, despite what our circumstances "seem" to tell us otherwise, did as well.
June 1, 2017
Genuinely confused on how this has so many good ratings.
May 4, 2017
*Side note before the review*
So I'm doing this review a little differently, I'm trying to figure out how I want to do my reviews. So sorry it's a little short, but hopefully I will figure out how I want to do my reviews from now on, and get better at them! :) *hugs*
*you may read the review now, haha*
The Writing:
Was wonderful! The story flowed very nicely, and it was very fast paced.
The 'World':
I loved it, I love how Julie describes everything. I can't wait to see more of it :-D
The Characters:
Audrey- She's such a strong character, true she has her doubts, but she keeps fighting(most of the time lol ;)
Logan- <3 ...he's amazing
Romona- Is such a great friend<3
Kaitlin- Still not quite sure how I feel about her...I guess we shall see what she does in the next book ;)
Alrik- I want more backstory on him, and it confirmed he is a viking
Kevin- Is also a amazing friend<3
The Spoilers:
*PROCEED AT YOUR OWN RISK*
byeeeeeee
So I'm doing this review a little differently, I'm trying to figure out how I want to do my reviews. So sorry it's a little short, but hopefully I will figure out how I want to do my reviews from now on, and get better at them! :) *hugs*
*you may read the review now, haha*
The Writing:
Was wonderful! The story flowed very nicely, and it was very fast paced.
The 'World':
I loved it, I love how Julie describes everything. I can't wait to see more of it :-D
The Characters:
Audrey- She's such a strong character, true she has her doubts, but she keeps fighting(most of the time lol ;)
Logan- <3 ...he's amazing
Romona- Is such a great friend<3
Kaitlin- Still not quite sure how I feel about her...I guess we shall see what she does in the next book ;)
Alrik- I want more backstory on him, and it confirmed he is a viking
Kevin- Is also a amazing friend<3
The Spoilers:
*PROCEED AT YOUR OWN RISK*
byeeeeeee
October 28, 2019
DNF @ 80% - I came for the angels and demons but ended up with Christian fiction... probably should have paid closer attention to the reviews 🤦♀️
If you like clean romance and Christian fiction then this might be up your alley.
If, like me you’re looking for fantasy with lush world building, fully realised characters feat angels try Daughter of Smoke and Bone. Or just something else.
If you like clean romance and Christian fiction then this might be up your alley.
If, like me you’re looking for fantasy with lush world building, fully realised characters feat angels try Daughter of Smoke and Bone. Or just something else.
April 20, 2019
Rating: 3/5
Thank you to the author Julie Hall for sending me an audio book copy of this book for an honest review, as well as partnering with her on a book tour for this series!
This is the first in Julie's Life After series which follows the life...err....afterlife of Audrey who has found herself dead, with no memory, and forced to hunt demons for all eternity.
.
.
Since she is more bargain hunter than demon hunter, she feels God has made a huge cosmic error. And Logan, her trainer, isn't too thrilled with her, either. But when a powerful weapon chooses Audrey as its weilder, much to her dismay, she attracts the attention of Satan herself. Now Audrey finds herself in a battle for the souls of the living. Can she save them?
.
.
Okay. Starting with my constructive criticism:
1.) This book definitely falls victim to many common YA tropes. The main character "lets out a breath she didn't know she was holding" at least twice, which earned as many eye-rolls from me. She also spends countless times describing the color and effect of Logan's blue eyes, which is something commonly found in YA literature. She also uses the "let's get lost in the crowd by kissing each other " move, to escape some demons on Earth.
So yes, tropes and cliches abound in this novel.
2.) There was a lot of set-up in this book. Part of me appreciated that because we really got to know the characters, understand the world in which Audrey was living, and get a strong base for what's to come. But that also means that, if you are at all curious, you have to continue with the series in order to get to the meat of series.
3.) There was some preachiness. This is a Christina-Fiction novel. Which, on its own, I certainly don't consider an issue. However, there were certain portions of this book (primarily a lengthy chapter near the end), that were written as though trying to provide a lesson on God and Faith to young teenagers. It was all about accepting God's love and trusting in him fully, with no doubt.
Now, in my opinion, if you hope to reach a wide teen audience, and especially reach those who many be agnostic or even downright hostile about religion, you will not attract them with this type of material. It felt like a Sunday School less thrown into an otherwise decent YA Fantasy.
Now onto the positives.
1.) Audrey has no memory of her life on Earth after she dies. Because of this she is not distracted by her past life and in turn, neither is the reader. We can focus on the present as she acclimates herself to the after life without wondering about those details because we know it will be revealed later in the story.
2) Julie added a lot of fun and creative nuances to the world that I had never seen before. She created an empathy link that occurs when people touch, or a bond that forms between someone with just one kiss. There were a lot of little fun details like that I enjoyed learning.
3.) I appreciated how, even though we are basically in Heaven, everyone is still flawed with their own personalities. They are not perfect. They still have toxic emotions or negative thoughts. That was really good to see.
4.) The slight bit of angst between her and Logan. Honestly, that is the main reason I want to continue with this series. I want to know what happens between them!
So, all-in-all, I felt this was actually a decent story. I enjoyed the characters and the world, and I am invested enough to find out what happens next.
.
Thank you to the author Julie Hall for sending me an audio book copy of this book for an honest review, as well as partnering with her on a book tour for this series!
This is the first in Julie's Life After series which follows the life...err....afterlife of Audrey who has found herself dead, with no memory, and forced to hunt demons for all eternity.
.
.
Since she is more bargain hunter than demon hunter, she feels God has made a huge cosmic error. And Logan, her trainer, isn't too thrilled with her, either. But when a powerful weapon chooses Audrey as its weilder, much to her dismay, she attracts the attention of Satan herself. Now Audrey finds herself in a battle for the souls of the living. Can she save them?
.
.
Okay. Starting with my constructive criticism:
1.) This book definitely falls victim to many common YA tropes. The main character "lets out a breath she didn't know she was holding" at least twice, which earned as many eye-rolls from me. She also spends countless times describing the color and effect of Logan's blue eyes, which is something commonly found in YA literature. She also uses the "let's get lost in the crowd by kissing each other " move, to escape some demons on Earth.
So yes, tropes and cliches abound in this novel.
2.) There was a lot of set-up in this book. Part of me appreciated that because we really got to know the characters, understand the world in which Audrey was living, and get a strong base for what's to come. But that also means that, if you are at all curious, you have to continue with the series in order to get to the meat of series.
3.) There was some preachiness. This is a Christina-Fiction novel. Which, on its own, I certainly don't consider an issue. However, there were certain portions of this book (primarily a lengthy chapter near the end), that were written as though trying to provide a lesson on God and Faith to young teenagers. It was all about accepting God's love and trusting in him fully, with no doubt.
Now, in my opinion, if you hope to reach a wide teen audience, and especially reach those who many be agnostic or even downright hostile about religion, you will not attract them with this type of material. It felt like a Sunday School less thrown into an otherwise decent YA Fantasy.
Now onto the positives.
1.) Audrey has no memory of her life on Earth after she dies. Because of this she is not distracted by her past life and in turn, neither is the reader. We can focus on the present as she acclimates herself to the after life without wondering about those details because we know it will be revealed later in the story.
2) Julie added a lot of fun and creative nuances to the world that I had never seen before. She created an empathy link that occurs when people touch, or a bond that forms between someone with just one kiss. There were a lot of little fun details like that I enjoyed learning.
3.) I appreciated how, even though we are basically in Heaven, everyone is still flawed with their own personalities. They are not perfect. They still have toxic emotions or negative thoughts. That was really good to see.
4.) The slight bit of angst between her and Logan. Honestly, that is the main reason I want to continue with this series. I want to know what happens between them!
So, all-in-all, I felt this was actually a decent story. I enjoyed the characters and the world, and I am invested enough to find out what happens next.
.
May 28, 2017
I've read a lot of Christian Fiction but I've never read anything like Huntress. I would say the closest author I've read would be somewhere along the lines of Frank Peretti or Ted Dekker but still completely different. I found myself engulfed in the world Julie Hall created and I was not disappointed. I loved every minute of it. I found myself relating so much to Audrey with her doubts and questions and the fear of not knowing what's going on or if you are doing what you are supposed to be doing. I think we all struggle with these questions from time to time and it was a great reminded that God hasn't left us nor has he forsaken us! His hand is in all things and we need to trust him. Thank you Julie for creating a story that reminded me that God is Love!!!!! I can't wait for book 2 to find out what happens next! Also, I heart Logan! 😊
April 12, 2024
Such an interesting concept about what happens to Christians after they die and go to heaven. In this part of heaven, you get an occupation (in Audrey's case, that of Demon Hunter) and you can still feel all the emotions. Sadness, anger, jealousy, etc. And there's also romance because this is a YA fantasy book so of course there is still romance even in heaven. And while I think there are some people who wouldn't be comfortable with heaven depicted this way, I'm mostly okay with it. There were times when I didn't like how sonething was done, and I didn't think certain things should be allowed in heaven, but overall, I really enjoyed this a lot. It's very different from the other spiritual warfare books I've read.
January 26, 2020
I really wanted to love this book and it was okay. However, I'm borderline atheist and all the stuff about God and believing in him and etc was a bit much for me.
August 21, 2021
Such a great start to the series!
The heaven the author has created is amazing, creative, and could in some ways even be plausible since what do we know about what heaven looks like? I loved all the creative elements and how she wove Christian themes and truths in a way that’s very relatable and real.
Speaking of relatable, I LOVED Audrey and how she and I share a lot of insecurities, fears, and personality traits that just made her a ball to follow—I snickered more then once at things she said or thought, haha. All the characters—Logan, Katlin, Kevin, and Ramona to name my faves—are great and feel so real, though I will admit that Logan IS a bit too prickly, but I sense it’s a cover for whatever he’s hiding underneath his toughness, so I’ll grant him some slack for now. 😉 Not to mention Audrey IS a bit of a pain to deal with at times, so, you know, I don’t blame the guy TOO much… The romance was started well though Audrey had to go and run away and botch all THAT up for future conflict. *sigh* All she had to do was ask and talk to people… 🙄🤦🏼♀️
I also love the whole tension with what Satan’s planning, and the spiritual warfare and the hunters’ part in it was really well done and could even be plausible since the Bible doesn’t go into all that. Sure stuff isn’t theologically correct (the author even has a note saying so on the copyright page), but I take it as more of a fun allegory/take on what COULD be then as absolute fact. This IS fiction after all. ☺️
I loved every second, page, and word of this story and can’t wait to dive into Warfare!
Content: violence and blood (nothing over PG-13); a school shooting; kissing (semi detailed)
The heaven the author has created is amazing, creative, and could in some ways even be plausible since what do we know about what heaven looks like? I loved all the creative elements and how she wove Christian themes and truths in a way that’s very relatable and real.
Speaking of relatable, I LOVED Audrey and how she and I share a lot of insecurities, fears, and personality traits that just made her a ball to follow—I snickered more then once at things she said or thought, haha. All the characters—Logan, Katlin, Kevin, and Ramona to name my faves—are great and feel so real, though I will admit that Logan IS a bit too prickly, but I sense it’s a cover for whatever he’s hiding underneath his toughness, so I’ll grant him some slack for now. 😉 Not to mention Audrey IS a bit of a pain to deal with at times, so, you know, I don’t blame the guy TOO much… The romance was started well though Audrey had to go and run away and botch all THAT up for future conflict. *sigh* All she had to do was ask and talk to people… 🙄🤦🏼♀️
I also love the whole tension with what Satan’s planning, and the spiritual warfare and the hunters’ part in it was really well done and could even be plausible since the Bible doesn’t go into all that. Sure stuff isn’t theologically correct (the author even has a note saying so on the copyright page), but I take it as more of a fun allegory/take on what COULD be then as absolute fact. This IS fiction after all. ☺️
I loved every second, page, and word of this story and can’t wait to dive into Warfare!
Content: violence and blood (nothing over PG-13); a school shooting; kissing (semi detailed)
September 23, 2016
I loved so much about this book. It was a super quick read and hard to put down. It's in the Christian Fantasy Fiction genre, but when reading it I would not look at is a solid theological or doctrinal book. It is purely fiction with a beautiful story that highlights what I value in my faith, which is hope, love, redemption, and salvation by grace through faith and not works. All of these themes are explored in the story, but not in a preachy way. It is a lovely, entertaining escape. The emotional tension throughout the story has a lovely ebb and flow as well. I'm looking forward to more! I'd recommend this book for teen and above.
August 23, 2024
DNF at 22%/Ch7
I feel like this would have gone better if the plot didn’t take a hard backseat to the religious views that became dominant. Also, I peeked at a few reviews that gave feedback on the numerous items not being addressed & my TBR pile is too large to commit to a book that has these types of issues.
I feel like this would have gone better if the plot didn’t take a hard backseat to the religious views that became dominant. Also, I peeked at a few reviews that gave feedback on the numerous items not being addressed & my TBR pile is too large to commit to a book that has these types of issues.
August 16, 2020
This would have been so good, if it wasn’t for the amount of religious talk. The premise and plot would have been just perfect, but her conversations with god felt like a bible study, and that’s not something everyone would enjoy.
May 22, 2019
HUNTRESS By Julie Hall
I have never read one of Ms Hall’s book’s before, and in all honesty don’t usually read Christian related book’s for the simple reason I often feel as though I am being preached to. This certainly had the Christian undercurrent but in an unusual way, so much so, that I found the book to be very refreshing with the unusual view’s Ms Hall bring’s to us regarding the after world. The main character ‘Audrey’ find’s herself suddenly in the situation no one wants to, has to deal with being dead. That’s bad enough, but find’s she is meant to stick to a certain way of doing thing’s, which to this young lady is something she never does.
Well that doesn’t sit well with her, especially when her trainer is far more attractive that she really wants, so she fights what she is asked to do every step of the way. Audrey goes through huge personal self discovery throughout the book, dealing with character traits that don’t sit well with her. But every character in this storyline seems to be going through an enormous change of some sort, so Audreys problem’s are really not looked on as being particularly difficult.
As the main character Audrey is someone most people could relate to, very likeable, she’s a rather determined person who believes that there has definitely been a huge mistake made regarding her placement in the afterlife and spends a lot of time complaining about it. She believes that absolutely no way would God leave her to deal with this whole situation the way he has, so she finds her trust dealing with it and Gods so called plans for her, are way beyond what she will believe. She shows no faith or trust in his choices.
Throughout this terrific storyline there are continually different entertaining twist’s and turn’s that we are never made aware are coming. Audrey has a huge responsibility placed on her shoulder’s, and even though her trainer ‘Logan’ is really the only one she can rely on, he’s the last person she want’s . As in most romantic interludes, their immediate reaction’s appear as if being within any distance of each other really is unpleasant.
But the two of them have a chemistry that cannot be denied, or ignored. Even as their emotional development is occurring Audrey is determined to do things her own way, but their direct chemistry neither one can ignore.
Julie Hall’s creativity and descriptive style leaves you with a beautiful idea of what the afterlife could be like. It’s certainly not like anything else I have ever had described to me. Ms Hall’s narration leaves you with very vivid images of each character and their world, giving us a genuine understanding of how deeply the event’s involves each person, both the dead and the living, creatively entwining the plot with twist’s that cannot be interpreted in any way leaving you guessing.
Without giving anything away re; the plot and outcome, as much as God is mentioned, Satan has to be involved in this storyline to keep some type of balance and believe me, as usual satan likes to take centre stage in certain cases.
The HUNTRESS is all round a superb read, if you enjoy secrets, action and never ending clues about what is on its way, then this is something you will have trouble putting down.
In fact I had a similar problem, once I started putting this book down was hard.
There is an undercurrent of certain ideals the Author is giving the reader, but they are so well concealed its up to the reader if they wanted to look into it. All in all this is a well written book with heaps of fun, action, emotional involvement that’s easily felt, and a plot that keeps you guessing. If you expect a romance that’s going to be concluded with perfection, then you are going to need to grab bk 2 in the series. But for a Christian based world with Paranormal twist this was extremely entertaining and I am going to order book 2 asap.
I have never read one of Ms Hall’s book’s before, and in all honesty don’t usually read Christian related book’s for the simple reason I often feel as though I am being preached to. This certainly had the Christian undercurrent but in an unusual way, so much so, that I found the book to be very refreshing with the unusual view’s Ms Hall bring’s to us regarding the after world. The main character ‘Audrey’ find’s herself suddenly in the situation no one wants to, has to deal with being dead. That’s bad enough, but find’s she is meant to stick to a certain way of doing thing’s, which to this young lady is something she never does.
Well that doesn’t sit well with her, especially when her trainer is far more attractive that she really wants, so she fights what she is asked to do every step of the way. Audrey goes through huge personal self discovery throughout the book, dealing with character traits that don’t sit well with her. But every character in this storyline seems to be going through an enormous change of some sort, so Audreys problem’s are really not looked on as being particularly difficult.
As the main character Audrey is someone most people could relate to, very likeable, she’s a rather determined person who believes that there has definitely been a huge mistake made regarding her placement in the afterlife and spends a lot of time complaining about it. She believes that absolutely no way would God leave her to deal with this whole situation the way he has, so she finds her trust dealing with it and Gods so called plans for her, are way beyond what she will believe. She shows no faith or trust in his choices.
Throughout this terrific storyline there are continually different entertaining twist’s and turn’s that we are never made aware are coming. Audrey has a huge responsibility placed on her shoulder’s, and even though her trainer ‘Logan’ is really the only one she can rely on, he’s the last person she want’s . As in most romantic interludes, their immediate reaction’s appear as if being within any distance of each other really is unpleasant.
But the two of them have a chemistry that cannot be denied, or ignored. Even as their emotional development is occurring Audrey is determined to do things her own way, but their direct chemistry neither one can ignore.
Julie Hall’s creativity and descriptive style leaves you with a beautiful idea of what the afterlife could be like. It’s certainly not like anything else I have ever had described to me. Ms Hall’s narration leaves you with very vivid images of each character and their world, giving us a genuine understanding of how deeply the event’s involves each person, both the dead and the living, creatively entwining the plot with twist’s that cannot be interpreted in any way leaving you guessing.
Without giving anything away re; the plot and outcome, as much as God is mentioned, Satan has to be involved in this storyline to keep some type of balance and believe me, as usual satan likes to take centre stage in certain cases.
The HUNTRESS is all round a superb read, if you enjoy secrets, action and never ending clues about what is on its way, then this is something you will have trouble putting down.
In fact I had a similar problem, once I started putting this book down was hard.
There is an undercurrent of certain ideals the Author is giving the reader, but they are so well concealed its up to the reader if they wanted to look into it. All in all this is a well written book with heaps of fun, action, emotional involvement that’s easily felt, and a plot that keeps you guessing. If you expect a romance that’s going to be concluded with perfection, then you are going to need to grab bk 2 in the series. But for a Christian based world with Paranormal twist this was extremely entertaining and I am going to order book 2 asap.
May 16, 2020
See my review for the whole series under Dominion ( because I read the Omnibus = 800+ pages!!) ☺
February 9, 2018
Me encantó este libro, tiene una temática que no he leído nunca antes, sobre la vida en el más allá. La trama es muy entretenida y atrapante, tiene escenas muy divertidas que me han hecho reír y otras repletas de acción y aventuras. Ya quiero saber cómo continúa esta historia porque me quedé completamente enganchada.
Pronto traigo la reseña completa :)
Pronto traigo la reseña completa :)
Read
August 9, 2019Love this idea of afterlife!
April 25, 2019
Woah....
that was most DEFINITELY not what I expected it to be. In a totally good way.
that was most DEFINITELY not what I expected it to be. In a totally good way.
January 29, 2018
Author: Julie Hall
Publisher: Self-Published
Publishing Date: May 16, 2017
ISBN: 9781543119596
I received this book from Julie in exchange for an honest and objective review.
“Death was only the beginning.”
Summary:
Audrey has died and is now faced with what her Life After will be like. She’s less-than-happy about waking up in a new world with no memories of her past life but when she’s assigned to demon-hunting duty for all eternity she’s sure that there has been a cosmic mistake.
Seeing how she’s never been the type to get down and dirty, and she’d much rather wear makeup than sweat, she can’t fathom why God would assign her to Demon Duty. Her trainer, Logan, isn’t thrilled with being assigned to her, either. He knows better than to question God but that doesn’t make him any happier to be stuck with Audrey. Just as the two have worked out a way to function in the same room without arguing they are thrust into a situation that leads to rash decision making, thus altering their relationship in a way they least expected.
Audrey continues to train and battle against the fact that her skills are better set for dressmaking than they are for head rolling, but before she knows it an ancient weapon has chosen her to wield its fierce power. As the rest of her community is in cautious awe she finds that she’s also attracted the attention of Satan. With Satan’s attention hooked on Audrey, the battle is just beginning.
Pros and Cons:
Personal: The following sentences explain my personal experience with this novel and in no way discusses the literary merits of this work. If you would like to skip this portion to purely discuss the facts, please skip down to the “Literary Merit” portion and read from there. First, l
et me start by saying that this book is so much more than just a work of fiction. With clear Christian undertones, this book approaches some of life’s many questions in a highly relatable way. For those of you who are not of any faith, what I’m about to say may sound strange. This book reached me on a spiritual level beyond that of just traditional fiction. As I have personally struggled with the same questions Audrey asks, and even with the same guilt she has in being angry with God – whom society teaches us we are not supposed to ever question or feel any animosity towards – I felt this novel touched me in such a personal way. You can easily tell that Audrey wrote this novel with such tenderheartedness and love – it makes some of the tough truths in this novel much easier to withstand.
As a Christian, I believe God speaks to us in many ways, and though in my anger I have tried running from Him, He still found a way to reach out to me in a way that He knew I would hear him – through a book. He chose a work of fiction that not only has an awesome synopsis but stunning cover art that would draw me in so that I could lower my guard and hear Him speak to me through Audrey’s story. It is in His love that He paid attention to the things that I love so that He could better communicate with me. I am in awe of His wonder and am so thankful to Julie for letting God work through her in this novel.
Literary Merit:
One of the things that I really loved about this novel was a simple beauty that Julie used to paint heaven. From a Biblical standpoint, it is said that no person can fathom it’s beauty, so I appreciate that she didn’t go over-the-top in creating a world that was too extravagant to comprehend. It allowed for a much smoother flow to the story and easier images to be painted in my mind’s eye.
I also liked that the Romance in this novel wasn’t gritty. There were no sex scenes are intense sexual tension. There was a heavy pull between the characters that expressed a passionate hunger – a hunger to be closer and know more of each other. This kind of pure visual of the attraction between two people was more enjoyable for me than the grittier, sexier scenes in other novels. It felt pure and real and I craved the dialogue between these characters almost more than the plot itself at times.
The only downfall I could possibly imagine in this book would be that Julie created such an intense draw between the romance in the characters that I struggled at times to not skip through other parts of the plot simply because I was so eager to experience more interaction between these two. The romance wasn’t the focus of the novel, but for those of you who hate romance (as I myself don’t like reading it) just beware that you might get swept up by this one!
Characters:
Audrey is by far my favorite character! She is relatable, stubborn, impulsive, ultimately has such a sweet heart. Her questioning mind gives her no rest and she’s highly sensitive (so essentially she’s my twin.) Though I know her approach to certain things isn’t appropriate I guess it’s her relatability that ultimately makes me biased.
I also really liked Romona, as she is such a fierce friend. She pays close attention to Audrey’s needs and is so genuinely caring. She’s encouraging and supportive – especially considering that she’s one of the few females in her profession.
Logan gives me different vibes at different times. Sometimes I feel like he’s a complete jerk, and at others, I feel like he’s just really reserved and respectful. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not immune to his charm. In some moments I’m completely captured by him and I feel like a 5-year-old pushing barbie heads together to make them kiss! The shipping in this novel is SO strong for me.
Ultimately, you could definitely tell that the characters in this novel are just coming to life, and they don’t really start to develop until closer to the end. I am very eager to see the developments in the next installment, Warfare!
Conclusion:
I rated this Supernatural Fantasy novel 4 stars because the plot was interesting, and the romance pulled me from page to page. It was a well-written novel and had some very serious undertones that easily conveyed Julie’s message loud and clear by the end – we all have a purpose even if we don’t see it, and God’s love knows no bounds.
Given the serious nature of the topic of God’s love, a bit of romance, and the struggle with identity and insecurity, I do think that this requires a more mature reader of 13+. I am so very excited for the next book in this series, especially considering that it will be more focused on kicking demon butt, versus training to kick demon butt! A HUGE thank you to Julie for sending me her novel, and I am SO looking forward to the rest of her series.
Favorite Quotes:
“Well, I’m really sorry I didn’t get in better shape before I died. Had I known I’d be working with a bunch of meatheads for eternity, I’m sure I would have prepared a little better.” – Audrey
“For there are times when your eyes will be deceived, and you will need to rely on the truth burried in your heart to overcome.”
“Not to say I have any secrets, but that if I did they would remain that way. No offense, but I’m kind of a private guy.” – Logan
Publisher: Self-Published
Publishing Date: May 16, 2017
ISBN: 9781543119596
I received this book from Julie in exchange for an honest and objective review.
“Death was only the beginning.”
Summary:
Audrey has died and is now faced with what her Life After will be like. She’s less-than-happy about waking up in a new world with no memories of her past life but when she’s assigned to demon-hunting duty for all eternity she’s sure that there has been a cosmic mistake.
Seeing how she’s never been the type to get down and dirty, and she’d much rather wear makeup than sweat, she can’t fathom why God would assign her to Demon Duty. Her trainer, Logan, isn’t thrilled with being assigned to her, either. He knows better than to question God but that doesn’t make him any happier to be stuck with Audrey. Just as the two have worked out a way to function in the same room without arguing they are thrust into a situation that leads to rash decision making, thus altering their relationship in a way they least expected.
Audrey continues to train and battle against the fact that her skills are better set for dressmaking than they are for head rolling, but before she knows it an ancient weapon has chosen her to wield its fierce power. As the rest of her community is in cautious awe she finds that she’s also attracted the attention of Satan. With Satan’s attention hooked on Audrey, the battle is just beginning.
Pros and Cons:
Personal: The following sentences explain my personal experience with this novel and in no way discusses the literary merits of this work. If you would like to skip this portion to purely discuss the facts, please skip down to the “Literary Merit” portion and read from there. First, l
et me start by saying that this book is so much more than just a work of fiction. With clear Christian undertones, this book approaches some of life’s many questions in a highly relatable way. For those of you who are not of any faith, what I’m about to say may sound strange. This book reached me on a spiritual level beyond that of just traditional fiction. As I have personally struggled with the same questions Audrey asks, and even with the same guilt she has in being angry with God – whom society teaches us we are not supposed to ever question or feel any animosity towards – I felt this novel touched me in such a personal way. You can easily tell that Audrey wrote this novel with such tenderheartedness and love – it makes some of the tough truths in this novel much easier to withstand.
As a Christian, I believe God speaks to us in many ways, and though in my anger I have tried running from Him, He still found a way to reach out to me in a way that He knew I would hear him – through a book. He chose a work of fiction that not only has an awesome synopsis but stunning cover art that would draw me in so that I could lower my guard and hear Him speak to me through Audrey’s story. It is in His love that He paid attention to the things that I love so that He could better communicate with me. I am in awe of His wonder and am so thankful to Julie for letting God work through her in this novel.
Literary Merit:
One of the things that I really loved about this novel was a simple beauty that Julie used to paint heaven. From a Biblical standpoint, it is said that no person can fathom it’s beauty, so I appreciate that she didn’t go over-the-top in creating a world that was too extravagant to comprehend. It allowed for a much smoother flow to the story and easier images to be painted in my mind’s eye.
I also liked that the Romance in this novel wasn’t gritty. There were no sex scenes are intense sexual tension. There was a heavy pull between the characters that expressed a passionate hunger – a hunger to be closer and know more of each other. This kind of pure visual of the attraction between two people was more enjoyable for me than the grittier, sexier scenes in other novels. It felt pure and real and I craved the dialogue between these characters almost more than the plot itself at times.
The only downfall I could possibly imagine in this book would be that Julie created such an intense draw between the romance in the characters that I struggled at times to not skip through other parts of the plot simply because I was so eager to experience more interaction between these two. The romance wasn’t the focus of the novel, but for those of you who hate romance (as I myself don’t like reading it) just beware that you might get swept up by this one!
Characters:
Audrey is by far my favorite character! She is relatable, stubborn, impulsive, ultimately has such a sweet heart. Her questioning mind gives her no rest and she’s highly sensitive (so essentially she’s my twin.) Though I know her approach to certain things isn’t appropriate I guess it’s her relatability that ultimately makes me biased.
I also really liked Romona, as she is such a fierce friend. She pays close attention to Audrey’s needs and is so genuinely caring. She’s encouraging and supportive – especially considering that she’s one of the few females in her profession.
Logan gives me different vibes at different times. Sometimes I feel like he’s a complete jerk, and at others, I feel like he’s just really reserved and respectful. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not immune to his charm. In some moments I’m completely captured by him and I feel like a 5-year-old pushing barbie heads together to make them kiss! The shipping in this novel is SO strong for me.
Ultimately, you could definitely tell that the characters in this novel are just coming to life, and they don’t really start to develop until closer to the end. I am very eager to see the developments in the next installment, Warfare!
Conclusion:
I rated this Supernatural Fantasy novel 4 stars because the plot was interesting, and the romance pulled me from page to page. It was a well-written novel and had some very serious undertones that easily conveyed Julie’s message loud and clear by the end – we all have a purpose even if we don’t see it, and God’s love knows no bounds.
Given the serious nature of the topic of God’s love, a bit of romance, and the struggle with identity and insecurity, I do think that this requires a more mature reader of 13+. I am so very excited for the next book in this series, especially considering that it will be more focused on kicking demon butt, versus training to kick demon butt! A HUGE thank you to Julie for sending me her novel, and I am SO looking forward to the rest of her series.
Favorite Quotes:
“Well, I’m really sorry I didn’t get in better shape before I died. Had I known I’d be working with a bunch of meatheads for eternity, I’m sure I would have prepared a little better.” – Audrey
“For there are times when your eyes will be deceived, and you will need to rely on the truth burried in your heart to overcome.”
“Not to say I have any secrets, but that if I did they would remain that way. No offense, but I’m kind of a private guy.” – Logan
March 31, 2019
Only a quarter of the way through this book, and I already have to put it down. To begin with, it meanders and can't really seem to find a plot. But my biggest problem is that this is supposed to be Christian YA or YA with Christian themes, and it absolutely loses me the second Audrey gets to "town" in heaven. Ugh. The girl is supposed to be in heaven, where there are no tears, pain, pride, deceit or anger. Instead, she's in a place that is just like middle school, where she gets teased, beat up and bullied. The very beginning was practically quoting scripture in the narration. So what happened when she got to town??!! Granted heaven is supposed to be indescribable, but there are enough scriptures that tell us what it will and won't be for any novice to see that this heaven is wrong wrong wrong. I mean, I know you gotta build tension and create a challenge for there to be a plot, but there are other ways to do it than to straight up say heaven is something that it is clearly NOT according to the scriptures. This kind of false advertising makes me mad. We'll see if I have the ability to suspend reality enough to finish this later, bc right now I want to chuck the book across the room and burn it for its blasphemy.
Update: I finally finished. The book did not improve. The characters were annoying and not at all sympathetic. The ending was lame. The whole way through this novel, I had to fight to keep reading. The most inaccurately categorized YA book I've ever read. If you want to write fantasy, that's great, but don't advertise it as one thing and then make it another.
Update: I finally finished. The book did not improve. The characters were annoying and not at all sympathetic. The ending was lame. The whole way through this novel, I had to fight to keep reading. The most inaccurately categorized YA book I've ever read. If you want to write fantasy, that's great, but don't advertise it as one thing and then make it another.
January 28, 2019
DNF-ing at 50%.
The first and the BIGGEST turn off is the word building. This anthropomorphic depiction of the afterlife where they dress up, wear 4 inch heels, go to salons to do their nails and hair is just so primitive and ridiculous I can't even describe how much it annoyed me. I guess some people who believe in afterlife, expect to have an ordinary life there like nothing has changed.
The second huge turn off is the heroine. I expected to read about a kick-ass heroine. What I got was a whiny female character who hasn't grown emotionally or otherwise through half of the book. I'm halfway done with the story and nothing interesting has actually happened. It's dragging on and on about training and some uninteresting stuff, I'm like who cares about this?
I've read some reviews and they say it gets better at the end but at this point I don't even care and to be honest I don't even trust the reviews any more. This book was such a disappointment and it's a shame because I already had the second book in the series and I really love religion and mythology based fantasy.
I'm really, really mystified about how this book gets so many positive reviews. :(((
The first and the BIGGEST turn off is the word building. This anthropomorphic depiction of the afterlife where they dress up, wear 4 inch heels, go to salons to do their nails and hair is just so primitive and ridiculous I can't even describe how much it annoyed me. I guess some people who believe in afterlife, expect to have an ordinary life there like nothing has changed.
The second huge turn off is the heroine. I expected to read about a kick-ass heroine. What I got was a whiny female character who hasn't grown emotionally or otherwise through half of the book. I'm halfway done with the story and nothing interesting has actually happened. It's dragging on and on about training and some uninteresting stuff, I'm like who cares about this?
I've read some reviews and they say it gets better at the end but at this point I don't even care and to be honest I don't even trust the reviews any more. This book was such a disappointment and it's a shame because I already had the second book in the series and I really love religion and mythology based fantasy.
I'm really, really mystified about how this book gets so many positive reviews. :(((
January 8, 2019
Wow! I really flew through the pages of this story. I have had a number of fans recommend these books, but I have never gotten around to reading them. I completed this novel in one night. I didn't want to put it down. I really wanted to see what would happen to Audrey. It captured my attention and didn't let go. I can't wait to jump into Warfare and see what else happens.
August 3, 2018
DNF 21% I don't like this book and it is not for me.
June 6, 2019
**Review can be found at https://smadasbooksmack.blogspot.com/ **
Audrey wakes up- to find herself dead. With no memories of her past or what happened to her, she tries her best to fit into this strange new afterworld she now part of. When she is assigned the job of being a Hunter to hunt down the demons roaming earth, she is pretty sure she is in the wrong place. No matter how hard she trains, it seems that she has no real fighting skills, but he biggest talent is making her stoic trainer Logan irritated. But what Audrey does not know is that she has a larger role in this world than she ever could have guessed- and war is coming.
I have seriously been eyeballing Julie's books for forever, I even know the firsts in multiple series, I just had not had the chance to read one yet so when the opportunity to listen to Huntress occurred I was so excited. The pacing of the story made this very easy to get lost in the plot, I ending up reading it in a day because I was so curious about everything and I wanted answers (patience is not my strong suit). I rooted for Audrey and her headstrong ways and I was crossing my fingers for a romance that seems pretty doomed at the moment (but I have hope!). The world Julie made was really interesting, being almost magic while at the same time having the undercurrent of religion and faith, and her version of demons was scary and realistic. Overall this was a great start to an otherworldy urban fantasy-esque series.
I listened to the audiobook and I think the narrator did a great job bringing Audrey to life. She gave her personality and the sass I really appreciated, making Audrey seem like a real (undead) person I could connect to. Also, she did a great job of giving the side characters distinctive voices so I always knew who was talking and I love narrators who can make it feel like a full performance. After listening to Afterlife, I would highly recommend it as an audiobook and I would love to listen to the rest of the series.
And yes, this is a series where only a little bit of Audrey's fate has been revealed. I have so many ideas and theories as to what is really going on with Audrey, only some of them I have been right about and others only hints that I need to learn more about. Julie does a great job of leaving just enough bread crumbs to lead the reader in a certain direction without giving almost anything away and making me desperate for more. This is my first read by Julie but I have already added all her other series to my wishlist.
Audrey wakes up- to find herself dead. With no memories of her past or what happened to her, she tries her best to fit into this strange new afterworld she now part of. When she is assigned the job of being a Hunter to hunt down the demons roaming earth, she is pretty sure she is in the wrong place. No matter how hard she trains, it seems that she has no real fighting skills, but he biggest talent is making her stoic trainer Logan irritated. But what Audrey does not know is that she has a larger role in this world than she ever could have guessed- and war is coming.
I have seriously been eyeballing Julie's books for forever, I even know the firsts in multiple series, I just had not had the chance to read one yet so when the opportunity to listen to Huntress occurred I was so excited. The pacing of the story made this very easy to get lost in the plot, I ending up reading it in a day because I was so curious about everything and I wanted answers (patience is not my strong suit). I rooted for Audrey and her headstrong ways and I was crossing my fingers for a romance that seems pretty doomed at the moment (but I have hope!). The world Julie made was really interesting, being almost magic while at the same time having the undercurrent of religion and faith, and her version of demons was scary and realistic. Overall this was a great start to an otherworldy urban fantasy-esque series.
I listened to the audiobook and I think the narrator did a great job bringing Audrey to life. She gave her personality and the sass I really appreciated, making Audrey seem like a real (undead) person I could connect to. Also, she did a great job of giving the side characters distinctive voices so I always knew who was talking and I love narrators who can make it feel like a full performance. After listening to Afterlife, I would highly recommend it as an audiobook and I would love to listen to the rest of the series.
And yes, this is a series where only a little bit of Audrey's fate has been revealed. I have so many ideas and theories as to what is really going on with Audrey, only some of them I have been right about and others only hints that I need to learn more about. Julie does a great job of leaving just enough bread crumbs to lead the reader in a certain direction without giving almost anything away and making me desperate for more. This is my first read by Julie but I have already added all her other series to my wishlist.
February 6, 2019
What’s it really like to leave our mortal bodies? We hear accounts of people who have experienced death; watching their bodies lying on a table while they hover above, hearing conversations and seeing the heroic efforts to save them; the long tunnel with a bright light at the end. We know people who were with loved ones when they passed away, seeing them sit up suddenly as if recognizing someone, and then the shell of their body crumpling back onto the bed, maybe with a surprised smile on their face.
But there is very little information given in the Bible about what it’s going to be like “over there” … “Absent from the body is present with the Lord,” we know, and “He has gone to prepare a place for us and will receive us unto Himself.” Tears will be wiped away and there will be no need of the sun, for He is the light. A new heaven. A new earth. Golden streets, gates of pearl, foundations of precious stones. These are things that we know. We don’t need to know the rest, but we can speculate; and it can be entertaining to do so.
Julie Hall, in her book Huntress: Life After, has envisioned a scenario where a young woman, Audrey, who has lost her (earthly) life finds herself in training to be a demon hunter when she reaches her eternal abode. Although she cannot remember one bit of her mortal existence, she is fairly sure that she has no business fighting demons. But that is what has been chosen for her. The characters are memorable, and the story moves along quite nicely with little plot twists and surprises to hold the reader’s interest. As the memory of Audrey’s earthly life comes back, little by little, she grows in her remembrance of God and also in her relationship with Him.
I loved the explanations that God gives of himself to Audrey. They were wonderful confirmations of truths expressed in Scripture, yet personalized to Audrey’s situation. I appreciated how so many different personalities and characters were in the afterlife, just as we have on earth. Huntress: Life After has certainly given me a lot to think about as a believer. Eye has not seen, nor hath ear heard, neither hath entered into the heart of man, what the Lord has prepared for us! We know it’ll be truly amazing when we get there, but in the meantime, you might be challenged by reading Huntress. I’m eager to dig into the second book in the series after finishing it.
But there is very little information given in the Bible about what it’s going to be like “over there” … “Absent from the body is present with the Lord,” we know, and “He has gone to prepare a place for us and will receive us unto Himself.” Tears will be wiped away and there will be no need of the sun, for He is the light. A new heaven. A new earth. Golden streets, gates of pearl, foundations of precious stones. These are things that we know. We don’t need to know the rest, but we can speculate; and it can be entertaining to do so.
Julie Hall, in her book Huntress: Life After, has envisioned a scenario where a young woman, Audrey, who has lost her (earthly) life finds herself in training to be a demon hunter when she reaches her eternal abode. Although she cannot remember one bit of her mortal existence, she is fairly sure that she has no business fighting demons. But that is what has been chosen for her. The characters are memorable, and the story moves along quite nicely with little plot twists and surprises to hold the reader’s interest. As the memory of Audrey’s earthly life comes back, little by little, she grows in her remembrance of God and also in her relationship with Him.
I loved the explanations that God gives of himself to Audrey. They were wonderful confirmations of truths expressed in Scripture, yet personalized to Audrey’s situation. I appreciated how so many different personalities and characters were in the afterlife, just as we have on earth. Huntress: Life After has certainly given me a lot to think about as a believer. Eye has not seen, nor hath ear heard, neither hath entered into the heart of man, what the Lord has prepared for us! We know it’ll be truly amazing when we get there, but in the meantime, you might be challenged by reading Huntress. I’m eager to dig into the second book in the series after finishing it.
May 15, 2018
my rating is 4.5
The cover truly wowed me on this one, but I still didn't know if I'd like it. I'm so cautious about after life stories, but this one was different from the beginning. I did not know it was a Christian book and the details about Heaven really touched me. I had trouble with Audrey NOT remembering her relationship with God and even her lack of faith at first. I'm still not sure about that relationship after finishing Book 1, but I'm eager to read the series now. Her relationship with Logan annoyed me, definite chemistry but way too much confusion.
I was HOOKED on her second mission with the other hunters, up until that point the book had been interesting but more amusing than anything else as Audrey figures out what the afterlife is about and how she fits into the picture. Then her second mission, a school shooting, leads to her full out memories and my heart melted. Shouldn't cry when you have a stuffy nose, but I couldn't help it with that chapter :)
Absolute FAVE scene is her encounter with God answering her questions and then getting her dog back. That scene for me is worth the price of this book, so incredibly precious. I was THRILLED she moves away from Logan and gets a new mentor, fully noting that appearances in the after life are NEVER what they seem! And Romona being her grandmother, priceless, even though I had figured out they were related.
Audrey's sarcasm and personality kept me reading the whole time. I'd probably have reacted the way she did to everything or worse. But once she encounters God face to face, it changes her priorities and the ending was perfect. Now that I know it's a Christian read (the covers are so amazing and match the story, so satisfying to me), I definitely want to know more about Audrey's journey and so happy to have given this a chance.
For other demon fighting, Christian speculative reads that will give you all the feels, HIGHLY recommend Chronicle of the Three: Bloodline by Tabitha Caplinger. Kept thinking of that series while starting this one.
The cover truly wowed me on this one, but I still didn't know if I'd like it. I'm so cautious about after life stories, but this one was different from the beginning. I did not know it was a Christian book and the details about Heaven really touched me. I had trouble with Audrey NOT remembering her relationship with God and even her lack of faith at first. I'm still not sure about that relationship after finishing Book 1, but I'm eager to read the series now. Her relationship with Logan annoyed me, definite chemistry but way too much confusion.
I was HOOKED on her second mission with the other hunters, up until that point the book had been interesting but more amusing than anything else as Audrey figures out what the afterlife is about and how she fits into the picture. Then her second mission, a school shooting, leads to her full out memories and my heart melted. Shouldn't cry when you have a stuffy nose, but I couldn't help it with that chapter :)
Absolute FAVE scene is her encounter with God answering her questions and then getting her dog back. That scene for me is worth the price of this book, so incredibly precious. I was THRILLED she moves away from Logan and gets a new mentor, fully noting that appearances in the after life are NEVER what they seem! And Romona being her grandmother, priceless, even though I had figured out they were related.
Audrey's sarcasm and personality kept me reading the whole time. I'd probably have reacted the way she did to everything or worse. But once she encounters God face to face, it changes her priorities and the ending was perfect. Now that I know it's a Christian read (the covers are so amazing and match the story, so satisfying to me), I definitely want to know more about Audrey's journey and so happy to have given this a chance.
For other demon fighting, Christian speculative reads that will give you all the feels, HIGHLY recommend Chronicle of the Three: Bloodline by Tabitha Caplinger. Kept thinking of that series while starting this one.
January 27, 2021
My rating: 3.5 stars out of 5 stars
Wow! What an interesting read. I'm not sure if I have ever read another book like it!
What makes this book unique is is that it takes place mostly in the afterlife and that all of the main characters are dead.
I will admit that it took awhile for me to embrace all the concepts in this book. This is a Christian fiction book, but based on several of the ideas presented about heaven (i.e. You can still sin when you're in heaven, you can get physically injured fighting demons, etc...) it does seem to to contradict scripture about at life after death.
I think the concepts, though not exactly scripture based, do work, because I think the book is intended to only be seen as a fantastical and magical story, with Christian principles in it.
I think it also works because the author does not take liberties with the gospel. She makes it clear that we are all in need of Jesus' grace and mercy and that we can only have peace with God of we turn and trust in Him. She also makes it very clear that spiritual warfare is real and serious, as we can see through the struggles that Audrey and Logan go through.
While I did really end up enjoy the thought provoking aspects of this book, I didn't end up absolutely loving this book. It took me till about half way through to really get into the story.
It also took me about that long to connect with main character, Audrey. Though she could be super bratty sometimes, I did like how maturely she acted at the end of the book.
As for the two male leads, I'm not a fan of either, as of this point. Logan is too broody and serious for my tastes and Jonathan is a little too flirty and forward for me to trust him. We'll see if my opinion on them changes as I continue this series.
I'm not sure when I will get around to reading book two, but I eventually will!
Wow! What an interesting read. I'm not sure if I have ever read another book like it!
What makes this book unique is is that it takes place mostly in the afterlife and that all of the main characters are dead.
I will admit that it took awhile for me to embrace all the concepts in this book. This is a Christian fiction book, but based on several of the ideas presented about heaven (i.e. You can still sin when you're in heaven, you can get physically injured fighting demons, etc...) it does seem to to contradict scripture about at life after death.
I think the concepts, though not exactly scripture based, do work, because I think the book is intended to only be seen as a fantastical and magical story, with Christian principles in it.
I think it also works because the author does not take liberties with the gospel. She makes it clear that we are all in need of Jesus' grace and mercy and that we can only have peace with God of we turn and trust in Him. She also makes it very clear that spiritual warfare is real and serious, as we can see through the struggles that Audrey and Logan go through.
While I did really end up enjoy the thought provoking aspects of this book, I didn't end up absolutely loving this book. It took me till about half way through to really get into the story.
It also took me about that long to connect with main character, Audrey. Though she could be super bratty sometimes, I did like how maturely she acted at the end of the book.
As for the two male leads, I'm not a fan of either, as of this point. Logan is too broody and serious for my tastes and Jonathan is a little too flirty and forward for me to trust him. We'll see if my opinion on them changes as I continue this series.
I'm not sure when I will get around to reading book two, but I eventually will!
May 31, 2019
This book was a breath of fresh air. I really enjoyed how it portrayed the after life. Ever wonder what happens to us after we die? Audrey wakes up in the after life with no clue how she has passed. She is trust into an amazing adventure as she makes her way through the after life and is assigned her job as a huntress, a demon hunter. Between training and learning about her new world she spends her days training and learning about her new world and role while making new friends and maybe something more.
This book exceeded my expectations. A beautiful created world along with amazing characters such a as Audrey and Logan. Their character development in this book was amazing you can really see how much Audrey grows and learns throughout her journey and makes me very excited to pick up book two to continue with this amazing adventure. This book takes a different spin on the angels vs demons books that I have previously read and I really enjoyed the direction this book is headed. I will be picking up book two very soon!
Copy received from author in exchange for an honest review!📚
This book exceeded my expectations. A beautiful created world along with amazing characters such a as Audrey and Logan. Their character development in this book was amazing you can really see how much Audrey grows and learns throughout her journey and makes me very excited to pick up book two to continue with this amazing adventure. This book takes a different spin on the angels vs demons books that I have previously read and I really enjoyed the direction this book is headed. I will be picking up book two very soon!
Copy received from author in exchange for an honest review!📚
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