Blog tour: Life, A.D. by Michelle E. Reed

By Laurie T - December 09, 2013

Welcome! We are thrilled to be one of the two blogs kicking off the blog tour for Life, A.D. For our stop, we are beaming the spotlight on this YA novel and are sharing our review too. There is also a giveaway. Thanks for stopping by!

Life, A.D.: Life, After. Dez. (Atman City series, Book One)
by Michelle E. Reed

YA paranormal
Expected publication: December 10th 2013 by Month 9 Books

In Life, A.D. you have two choices: join the program or face the consequences.

Seventeen-year-old Dez Donnelly crashes headlong into fate on the side of a rural highway, her life ending in a violent collision of steel and screaming brakes. The train that delivers her newly departed soul to the crossroads of the afterlife won’t be carrying her to the sweet hereafter until she accepts her abrupt end and learns to let go of the life she’ll never finish.

Her new reality is conduct manuals, propaganda, and unrelenting staff, all part of a system to ease her transition from life to death, while helping her earn her way out of limbo. Atman City, beautiful and enticing, is an ever-present temptation that is strictly off limits to underage souls. The promise of adventure proves too strong, and beneath the city’s sheen of ethereal majesty, Dez discovers a world teeming with danger.

Welcome to Life, A.D. where being dead doesn’t mean you’re safe, and the only thing harder than getting out of limbo is getting through it.

Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | BookDepo | Indiebound

About the author:

Michelle E. Reed was born in a small Midwestern town, to which she has returned to raise her own family. Her imagination and love of literature were fueled by a childhood of late nights, hidden under the covers and reading by flashlight. She is a passionate adoption advocate who lives in Wisconsin with her husband, son, and their yellow lab, Sully.

Connect with Michelle:
Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

We meet Desiree Donnelly, the spunky, independent thinker and main character in Life, A.D. by Michelle E. Reed, as she lays dying. Right in the middle of her young life, this seventeen year old sees that she has died. That sucks, but for this outspoken girl death is not something she will readily commit to. When she finds herself traveling on a train after being in a car accident, she has her guesses as to where she is and where she might be going. But when Desiree "Everyone calls me Dez" arrives at Atman City, she is shocked to see this place filled with dead people. They don't look any different than the living. Still, no matter where she winds up, Dez is not about to give up or give in so easily. All I can say is, Atman City had better watch out cause here comes Dez!

What is Atman City? Limbo? A way station which helps prepare the dead for what is next? I'm not saying. What I will say is I have to applaud author Michelle E. Reed for writing such an engrossing and refreshingly unique YA tale dealing with the afterlife. Dez is such a vivacious character and her voice is very strong. Dez is simply Dez. I loved the way she thinks, her outlook, and especially, her stubbornness, snark, and need to always find out more, to question everything-she is no quivering, scared, weak, nor a 'follower'. YA also needs more multi-cultural characters and we find one here with Dez.

The ease with which I feel into Life, A.D. is a reading experience I haven't really had lately. From page one I will readily admit, I was taken with this teen girl and needed to know what happens next. The world Reed creates is visually stunning and I felt as though I was walking (or in Dez's case in the beginning, running) around, meeting the various workers inside Atman Station. This book flows seamlessly and I mean seamlessly--I couldn't believe only a week passed in this book since there was so much going on.

Active Body, Active Soul, a rigorous scheduled life, Dez is shocked by this organized world and the 'propaganda' she sees. Life inside Atman is a cross between New Age beliefs, the seriousness of running a business in the corporate world, along with the vivid sets out of a Wim Wenders film. As an underage soul, Dez sees how she is treated differently since she is a loose cannon.

A colorful cast of secondary characters (my favorites included Charlie, Bobby and Hannah) rounds out this rousing yet introspective tale. As for Crosby--what can I say about him? As someone who has to keep watch over Dez, he becomes integral in her accepting her new life and adhering to the regimented schedule. His job is taxing when dealing with her and I loved their scenes together. Crosby gave this story heart and mystery (his "You're not a loser" speech grabbed at my heartstrings).

Retaining one's identity, natural curiosity, acceptance, there is SO much going on in Dez's story. And there is also danger of the unknown, friendship, and romance. Some novels don't fully explore the afterlife and its endless possibilities. Other books, like Kimberly Sabatini's Touching the Surface, and this novel, Life, A.D. by Michelle E. Reed do so brilliantly and keep readers entertained too. I loved Life A.D. and look forward to continuing the journey with Dez!

Rating: 5