After Ever (After #1) by Jillian Eaton

Goth Girl + Cute Guy In Horn-Rimmed Glasses + A Trip Over Thin Ice= Another Awesomely Written Novella Called After Ever by Jillian Eaton

“Just because you’re dead doesn’t mean you can’t die again in a thousand different ways.”

For sixteen-year-old Winnie Coleman, dying is the least of her worries. Between coming to terms with her mother’s unexpected death, trying to think up new and inventive ways to break up her father and Girlfriend #3, and keeping her brother from chewing off his fingers, she has her hands full. Courtesy of a thin patch of ice and failed swimming lessons, all of that changes in the blink of an eye.

In death Winnie will find the answers that eluded her in life, and a whole slew of other questions she never thought to ask. Like why is she stuck with Sam for a guide? Sure, he’s funny and cute in a geeky sort of way, but he wears sweater vests… and loafers. For a girl who has tattoos on her face and glue in her hair, it’s not exactly the best match up.

But when Sam is taken and his very existence threatened, Winnie must make the ultimate choice between cowardice and courage. Faithlessness and loyalty. Family... and love.

Suspenseful and action packed, After Ever is a must read for anyone who ever wondered: what happens next?

You can never go wrong with a self-published novel that actually has minimal spelling and grammar errors. It's like seeing pizza after a million days eating tofu. And it makes it so much more easier to enjoy.

Winnie Coleman makes me want to laugh and cry in the same sentence. The personality that Eaton has written her is complex and rich, and her relationships with her depressed dad, Girlfriend #3, and her little brother are so vibrant and real it's hard to feel like Winnie is just words on page. And just as she successfully creates such entertaining characters, Eaton builds an otherworldly place in the  After, where demons are abroad and magical doors can take you anywhere-seriously. I should call one up to take me to Disneyland.

As the story continues from it's adrenaline fueled introduction, however, loose threads in the plot kept me a little frustrated and overwhelmed. It always felt like there was this rule-book about the After that you kept adding more to, but you still couldn't figure out how it all worked. Nevertheless, After Ever leads to a jaw-dropping ending (cliff-hangers and all) that prompts me to say:

WRITE FASTER! :)