Beyond (The Academy) by T.P. Boje

Title: Beyond (The Academy)
Series: Afterlife #1
Author: T.P. Boje
Independently Published

Synopsis:

Have you ever wondered where you go when you die? 

Meghan is 16 when it happens to her. 

She wakes up on a flying steamboat on her way to a school run by Angels in a white marble castle. 

It is a school everybody has to go to before they are let into Heaven. 

On the boat she meets Mick who has been dead for more than a hundred years but still looks like a teenager. He helps her past the difficult beginning at the new school in a new world. 

One day some of Meghan's roommates find a mirror in the cellar of the school and they persuade her to go through it with them - well knowing it is strictly against the rules of the school. Meghan ends up back on earth where she meets Jason. But Jason is in danger and Meghan know something important. Something that is a matter of life and death. Soon she is forced to choose between the two worlds. The one she belongs to now and the one she left.

I honestly admit that I don't read a lot of religious based literature, but Beyond (The Academy) was a truly fascinating read.  One thing I really liked was the use of second person narrative in the first chapter. Ms. Boje allows Meghan to speak directly to the reader. This is a very unusual technique seldom used in YA literature. After the first chapter, the narrative becomes first person from Meghan's point of view.  The book is based on a prominent Christian belief system and focuses on fate and the intervention of fate.

We start the story with Meghan boarding a ship headed for The Academy where she is told that she is now dead and a part of the spirit world. She has no memory of her past life except that she knows she has parents...but she has no idea who they are. While attending The Academy, Meghan will learn how to be a spirit and how to assist humans to make wise decisions in life. Problem is, Meghan will have to learn to make the same type decisions herself. I love Meghan as the protagonist. I envision great things for her. She is already strong and loyal with a good heart.

Meghan accidentally becomes privy to information she should have never seen. When she comes in contact with Jason, a living human, she realizes she has seen him before and his outcome will not be a happy one. He is destined to face a brutal ending of his life. Meghan knows she isn't supposed to tell him, but feels it is the right thing to do. Her friend Mick discourages her, siting that it is against the rules. Her internal battle between right and wrong drives her into depression, making her a target for the evil spirits. Doing the right thing is never easy.

Beyond (The Academy) was a quick and inspirational read. There was heart-ache and death but there were also times of accomplishment and joy. I always enjoy a good protagonist facing an internal battle. I highly recommend this book. I look forward to the sequel and learning more about Meghan, Mick, and Jason.

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*I was provided a free e-book by the author in exchange for my honest review.