Title: The Reckless Afterlife of Harriet Stoker
Author: Lauren James
Pages: 426
Publisher: Walker Books
Release Date: 3rd September 2020
Blurb from Goodreads:
“Congratulations, new kid. Welcome to the afterlife.”
What
if death is only the beginning?
When Harriet Stoker dies
after falling from a balcony in a long-abandoned building, she
discovers a group of ghosts, each with a special power.
Felix,
Kasper, Rima and Leah welcome Harriet into their world, eager to make
friends with the new arrival after decades alone. Yet Harriet is more
interested in unleashing her own power, even if it means destroying
everyone around her. But when all of eternity is at stake, the
afterlife can be a dangerous place to make an enemy.
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My Review:
*I received an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. Thanks to Walker Books and NetGalley*
When university student Harriet Stoker falls to her death in a derelict building on campus, she finds herself in the afterlife with a group of other ghosts.
The ghosts - Felix, Rima, Leah and Kasper - welcome Harriet with open arms into their group, but when Harriet learns that everyone develops a power upon becoming a ghost she becomes obsessed with discovering what her power is.
As Harriet's obsession strains her new friendships she will have to decide what is more important, having power or friends.
Going into this I wasn't sure how much I would like it as I was disappointed by the author's last book and the premise for this one didn't excite me overly. However, as a fan of some of the author's previous books, I decided to give her new release a chance.
I didn't find Harriet to be a likeable protagonist, but I don't think she wasn't meant to be. Harriet's relationship with her grandmother was complicated and reflected the way Harriet treated people herself, which was quite interesting.
Rima was my favourite character and I liked the relationships she had with Felix, Leah and Kasper.
The plot was a bit mixed for me, with times where the pacing dipped, but there were several things that happened that I didn't expect. However, these unexpected plot points didn't have the intended shock value and some scenes didn't have the intended emotional impact because I struggled at times to connect with the characters.
The book is told from several point of views and there were times when the point of views changed too quickly for me, making the story a bit jarring at times.
While I did enjoy the book overall, it didn't grip me or have me eager to keep reading.
Overall, this was an enjoyable read.
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