Shade by Jeri Smith-Ready
8:00 AM
Author: Jeri Smith-Ready
Release Date: April 5, 2011 (paperback, first published May 4, 2010)
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Pages: 336
Source: Bought
Overall: 4 Stars
Summary:
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:
I can still remember seeing a copy of Jeri Smith-Ready’s Shade in bookstores when it was first released last year and finding myself reading the plot summary, vaguely interested, but ultimately setting the book back down. There have been so many times since then that I’ve picked up the book intending to buy it only to back out at the last moment. But after hearing tons and tons of praise lately for the novels (and a certain character named Zachary), I finally cast away my doubts and began reading Shade!
Jeri Smith-Ready has created a fantastic world that is similar to our own in so many ways, but also different in retrospect. It’s almost difficult to describe, but when I first began reading the book, it felt more like a contemporary novel with the paranormal aspects in the background. With the exception of being able to see and communicate with ghosts, like everyone else born after the Shift, Aura is a relatively normal teenage girl who loves her boyfriend and hanging out with her best friend. It’s not until Aura tries to dig deeper into the mysteries of the Shift that the supernatural aspects really surface to the forefront of the novel.
Shade features a very unconventional love triangle. When Aura's musician boyfriend Logan suddenly dies, her heart is shattered; his return as a ghost leaves her clinging to hope she can still be with him, even if they can’t actually touch anymore. In the back of her mind, she knows nothing can really happen with Logan anymore, but she doesn't want to truly lose him for good. And then there’s the gorgeous Zachary, a new student who immediately befriends and helps support Aura in her time of grief. He’s irresistibly sweet with his Scottish accent and more importantly, he’s alive. Whereas Logan came across as self-centered and ambitious for fame, Zachary was the opposite. You could tell he was hiding something from Aura though, which left me eagerly flipping the pages to uncover his secrets. In any case, I’m Team Zachary!
My only regret after reading Shade was not picking up a copy of Shift, the second novel in the trilogy, as well because now I can't immediately jump into reading it right away! I'm looking forward to learning more about the origins of the Shift and, of course, seeing some more of Zachary in the next book! I may have been late into starting the series... but it's definitely safe to say I'm hooked! Shade most definitely exceeded my expectations.
8 comments
ZACHARY!!! *hoots and cheers for another Team Zach*
ReplyDeleteI read this ages ago and loved it, but I still haven't read Shift yet *hands head in shame* I seriously need to get my hands on a copy soon so I can be ready when the third book is released. Love your review and I'm so happy to hear that despite your initial doubts, you ended up a fan of this!
Awesome review :)
I'm definitely Team Zach as well! :D Glad you finally jumped on the bandwagon ;) I'm really looking forward to Shine!
ReplyDeleteGreat review! I love this series and I'm glad to see you enjoyed Shade. Also, I'm Team Zach too :)
ReplyDeleteI have heard of these books but I don't think I've read them before.
ReplyDeleteLove your review though! :D
Zach sounds hot.
hohohohohoo!! Liiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiz! Im so glad you like it and Im specially glad that you are team Zac!! huhuuhuhu! Shame on you that you didnt get a copy of shift at the same time of Shade! XD LOL. I hope you read it soon. It's totally awesome and heartbreaking at the end.
ReplyDeleteGreat review my dear!Im so glad it surpassed your expectations ^___^
excellent review! WOOOOHOOOOOOOOOOOO!!
WONDERFUL REVIEW, LIZ!
ReplyDeleteI have Shade sitting on my shelf.
I LOVED ZACH! He was so patient!!
ReplyDeleteI can't wait to read Shift but I won't read it till Shine comes out! *I will not!*
Krazyyme @ Young Readers
I have Shade and Shift sitting on my bookshelf collecting dust and I know it need to get on in quick! I wish I didn't have soooo many books that I NEED to read! Booooo!!!
ReplyDeleteMagical Urban Fantasy Reads
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