Review: Shade by Jeri Smith-Ready

Filed in Jeri Smith-Ready , Review , The Monster Lover Posted on May 5, 2010 @ 7:29 am 1 comments

Format Read: ARC
Number of Pages: 320 pages
Release Date: May 4, 2010
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Formats Available: Hardcover, Audio
Purchasing Info: Amazon.com, Chapters.ca, GoodReads

Book Blurb:

Love ties them together. Death can’t tear them apart.

Best. Birthday. Ever. At least, it was supposed to be. With Logan’s band playing a critical gig and Aura’s plans for an intimate after-party, Aura knows it will be the most memorable night of her boyfriend’s life. She never thought it would be his last.

Logan’s sudden death leaves Aura devastated. He’s gone.

Well, sort of.

Like everyone born after the Shift, Aura can see and hear ghosts. This mysterious ability has always been annoying, and Aura had wanted nothing more than to figure out why the Shift happened so she can undo it. But not with Logan’s violet-hued spirit still hanging around. Because dead Logan is almost as real as ever. Almost.

It doesn’t help that Aura’s new friend Zachary is so understanding–and so very alive. His support means more to Aura than she cares to admit.

As Aura’s relationships with the dead and the living grow ever complicated, so do her feelings for Logan and Zachary. Each holds a piece of Aura’s heart…and clues to the secret of the Shift.

My Thoughts:

People born after the Shift have the ability to see spirits, those left wandering the earth as their deaths were sudden & they had no time to prepare…Aura happens to be the first one born. When her (almost) rockstar boyfriend, Logan, suddenly dies, Aura has the unique opporunity to keep seeing him, but at a cost. They can’t really be boyfriend & girlfriend since he is a ghost…or can they? The new kid in school, Zachary is great support for Aura, being there when she needs someone, and he has a secret of his own…he was the last one born before the Shift occurs.

Shade is one of those books that stick with you long after you read it & reads like two stories in one. You’ve got Aura & Logan, then you have Aura & Zacahry. With Aura & Logan you have the love story and the what happens next now that he is a spirit. Then Zachary comes along & not only is he also interested in uncovering the mystery of the Shift, Aura starts to feel things for him! OK, I must admit to liking Zachary a tad more & can’t wait to see where this relationship goes. He had me at the Scottish accent & fun slang 😉

I love the concept of the Shift, people needing closure before moving on, yet if anger takes over, the spirit turns to a shade. As I was reading, I found myself questioning the good that came come from this. If you could continue seeing a loved one after they had passed, is it fair/healthy for the living person? The spirit may need closure, but it stops the grieving process, the living person is not realy living their life anymore but an altered reality.

After writing award winning adult fiction, this is Jeri’s debut YA. The sequel, Shift, is set for release May 2011 which can’t come soon enough. If you love reading paranormal, you must check this out!

I give Shade a full 5 out of 5 bookies.



***FTC Disclaimer: Most books reviewed on this site have been provided free of charge by the publisher, author or publicist. Some books we have purchased with our own money and will be noted as such. Any links to places to purchase books are provided as a convenience, and do not serve as an endorsement by this blog. All reviews are the true and honest opinion of the blogger reviewing the book. The method of acquiring the book does not have a bearing on the content of the review.

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1 Comments

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  • Melissa (My World...in words and pages) May 7, 2010 at 2:07 pm

    This does sound like a great book and a wonderful premises for one too. Thank you for the great review! I will have to get this one at some point here. 🙂

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