By Darkeva

Afterlife
The Resurrection Chronicles
By Merrie Destefano
Paperback | Kindle
HarperCollins Voyager
Release Date: September 28, 2010

Plot Summary
This novel revolves around the life of Chaz, who is a “Babysitter,” which means that his job is to help people who have recently died adjust to their lives, which are supposed to be better, but this whole big brother-esque “Fresh Start” program isn’t as good as it seems to be, and people, like cats, only get nine lives, and it doesn’t take too long for those to dry up. But the keys to preventing the negative side effects of the re-adjustment and the nine lives is with a pretty blonde newly risen woman, Angelique, who also remembers quite a bit from her past life. The two eventually fall for each other, and soon he finds himself doing anything he can to protect her from the people who mean her harm.

Review
Afterlife marks the debut novel from Merrie Destefano. The book starts off from the point of view of the main character, Chaz, who is a “Babysitter,” or someone who looks out for newly resurrected people in a futuristic New Orleans.

As I was reading, I found that the term “Babysitter” actually diminished the seriousness of Chaz’s role, and the dialogue was clichéd in many parts and included one of my pet peeves — Southern characters, especially those from Mississippi, who use the term “suggah.” And one character’s dialogue was particularly exaggerated in an unflattering way. In terms of characterization, I found it difficult to sympathize with any of the characters, particularly because there were so many and the goals of each person weren’t always clear, as well as the constant POV shifts. However, on the plus side, there was still lots of action, good pacing, and some interesting world-building, although some parts were confusing.

More of a sci-fi romp with romance elements, you’ll enjoy Afterlife if you’re a fan of the Charlie Madigan series by Kelly Gay, or Elle Jasper’s Afterlight: The Dark Ink Chronicles.

Rating: 3 out of 5

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