Hereafter

It is finally here! The last book in Jody Hedlund’s amazing series, The Lost Princesses. I was so excited for Hereafter and it does not disappoint. Hereafter follows the adventure of the younger twin, Emmeline. She has had an upbringing much different from either of her sisters. She was brought up knowing who she was, she was raised by the elite guard and the lady’s maid that saved her life and the lives of her sisters.

Emmeline has lived in hiding her whole life, she has grown up as a sheltered daughter of a charcoal burner. She was taught by her father, Lance, how to survive and to hide. But she can no longer hide and ignore her heritage. She is now the only princess eligible to marry King Ethelwulf’s son, Ethelrex. Her parents warned her that she must run and take refuge with her sisters, but Emmeline doesn’t want to run. She doesn’t want things to change. And so she finds herself the wife of King Ethelwulf’s son, Ethelrex.

  Emmeline was a great character, I loved her for her strength but also for her fear. She was like me, always wondering if she was really doing what was right or if she was just giving in to her fears. I felt her pain as she tried to make the best of her circumstances. She was afraid but she didn’t let her fears control her. She learned how to forgive and love those who had hurt her and how to find courage in God to do the hard things.

Ethelrex, or Rex, is the heir of King Ethelwulf. He has grown up away from his father, taking his training in Warwick, the land of his home. Though he is a commander and has grown up under the pressure of his father, Rex is reasonable and he protects his own. Rex has lived his whole life trying to please his father and prove his worth. He now has the chance to prove himself to his father by finding Emmeline and making her his wife. But as he gets to know Emmeline, he finds himself falling deeper and deeper in love with her. He wants her to not just be his wife because she was forced to be, but because she wanted to be with him and because she loved him. 

Rex was such a complex character. I loved him for the beginning. He was trying to figure out what was right and what was wrong. He had spent his whole life believing that his father was a harsh king, but a good king. Unfortunately as he serves his father in Mercia, he finds himself doubting the king. He starts to wonder if his father has been in the wrong this whole time. As he finds himself struggling with these doubts, he starts to see his father in a new light. His father starts making him choose between his wife, Emmeline, and obeying the king.

Emmeline and Rex will have to fight to stay alive as they navigate these rocky waters. Emmeline learns not to let her fears control her, but that God will give her the courage she needs. Rex learns to do what is right even when it is hard. He will have to give up everything before he can bring peace to his home.

There were so many great quotes to choose from in this book, but these ones really stuck with me. “Courage is not the absence of fear but the determination to preserve when the circumstances are at their worst” and “Was it possible that when we made up our minds to face our monsters, God gave us the right amount of courage at the exact moment we needed it?” These two quotes reminds me to find my courage in God. It is only through his power that we can do anything.

This was a great book, even better the ones before it. I fell in love with these characters. I would recommend this book to girls, 13 and up. This is a good, clean christian book.

I received a free copy from the editor, this review is my own. I was not obligated to write a good review.