Afterworlds

by Scott Westerfeld

Genre: Realistic fiction/Fantasy
Age group: Mature 12/Mature 13/14+

Darcy should be heading to college, but she just got a two-book contract with a big-name publishing company. They want to publish her book Afterworlds, so instead of going to Oberlin, like she and her parents had planned, she's taking a year off to go to New York and write.
New York is noodle-filled and exciting—when Darcy arrives, she's immediately surrounded by a new crowd of friends: authors, whether they're famous or obscure, published or still waiting. She's particularly close to Imogen, another writer who's getting published soon. There's still a lot about Imogen Darcy doesn't know, but she might just be falling for her...
At the same time, Darcy's revising Afterworlds, about a girl named Lizzie who was caught in a terrorist attack and wished so hard that she was dead that she went to the Afterworld. Now she's become a psychopomp, and she's gained the power to walk in the Afterworld whenever she needs to—but power comes at a price. Other psychopomps, strange ghosts, and serial killers are the priorities in her mind—after Yama, that is, another psychopomp that she just might be in love with.

A very well-written book. I sat down with it intending to read for just a little while, and I ended up reading half the book before I got up and realized I had been there for far longer than expected. It might sound strange, but there are actually two stories intertwined in this book: Darcy's story and Lizzie's story. The chapters alternate. It's a little hard to get used to at first, but it's actually very well done and becomes easier to follow. Honestly, Lizzie's story feels a little more cliched, but it's still quite well-written and does have those small differences in tone and plot that make it truly interesting. I personally liked Darcy's story more; I've never read a teen book before about publishing a book. (There is the younger-age-range book The School Story by Andrew Clements, but it's very different.) There are tons of great details, and the setting and backstory are unique and interesting. Darcy's life just sounds so exciting. It's fun to read about! Overall, a very good read.
Plus, the cover is great.