Beyond by Graham McNamee

Published by Hodder Children's Books in January 2013

Pages - 268

I remember dying.

After I got injured my heart stopped and I flatlined.

I was  done and gone. But I wasn't alone.

Goodreads Summary

Jane is not your typical teen. She and her best friend Lexi call themselves the Creep Sisters.

Only Lexi knows why Jane is different from anyone else: Her own shadow seems to pull her into near-fatal accidents. Jane is determined to find out why these terrifying things happen, and to overcome her shadow enemy.

But her sleuthing with Lexi connects her own horrors to the secret history of a serial killer ...

******

If you are an 80's girlie like me and grew up watching Flatliners over and over again (huge fan of Kevin Bacon!) then you will really enjoy this book as it takes the idea behind that film, gives it legs and runs with it.

As soon as you get to know  the main charactere, Jane, better, you want to wrap her up in cotton wool and chain her to her bed. This girl's life is in serious danger and there is nothing she can do to stop it. To most people she comes across as a crazy individual hellbent on suicide, but in reality she is fighting something she cannot see, something that wants her so badly it will stop at nothing to get to her. Her fear will grip you. 

Lexi makes the ideal friend for Jane as she can see right past the weirdness that everyone else  visualises. She will do anything to protect Jane and go to great lengths to keep her safe. 

The story is very  dark and terrifying at times. The truth rather compelling and frightening making it very easy to see how this author has been compared to Stephen King. There are some difficult subjects dealt with in the book and I felt the author dealt with them compassionately. 

My only niggle with this book is that I felt it was too short, it needed more of a build up in tension to the final showdown which I felt happened to quickly. It felt rushed in places and when I'm reading horror, I like my fear to be long and drawn out. 

Having said that, I really did enjoy this book and would definitely recommend it. Flatlining is an interesting topic that I don't really feel has been covered that much in YA. Though I could be wrong and find I just haven't read the right books. 

A fantastically terrifying read to keep you up late at night.