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Thursday, 3 September 2020

The Reckless Afterlife of Harriet Stoker by Lauren James

“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.
Lauren James is the queen of foreshadowing. She just is. Moments, words, looks that you think nothing of at the time take on huge significance later, when you realise what they really meant.

Several of Lauren's novels, although they cross genres, are set in the same universe. This one is a sort of action horror, a story about ghosts with special powers and vendettas that literally last beyond the grave. The group of ghosts Harriet meets are fascinating (although the idea is creepy; are there ghosts in my house eating spiders and watching me?) I have occasionally wondered about all the people who lived on this land before it was my house!

So far, apart from being gently linked, these novels don't have sequels. That's a shame, because I'd love to know what happens next. Although the story we've been following is over, there's plenty more to know about these people and more adventures they could have. (I have a question about Leah, but I don't want to spoil anyone reading this!)

I really enjoyed this. I liked the characters, even the ones I didn't like, the idea was very clever, and, if  possible, I'm even more of a Lauren James fan than I was before. Brava.

And although this isn't so much Lauren's doing, I love the cover on this one. It matches her others without being exactly the same, just similar enough to be noticed, which I think is really clever. And the title, as always, is excellent.

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