Author: Jeri Smith-Ready
Series: Shade #1
Format: Hardcover
Pages: 309
Genre: Young Adult, Paranormal
Publication Date: May 4th, 2010
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Rating: A
Summary
From Goodreads: 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 Review
Why did I read this book? I had heard so many good things about Smith-Ready's writing and a lot of good things about Shade in particular. I bought this book right after Christmas and finally go a chance to sit down a read it.
What I liked: There's a lot to like and love about Shade. First, I was completely absorbed in how original this story is. What would happen in a story about a girl who loses her boyfriend but can continue to interact with him as a ghost? I just liked the premise so much and I thought it added a lot of weight to the theme of grief and how you cope with losing someone you love. While the book is very entertaining I always came back to the feeling that I felt so sorry for Aura and the situation she's in. She has to juggle a ghost-boyfriend who very much still loves her and the attention of a new boy at school while also trying to figure out what happened to her mother. It might not sound like much the way I'm describing it, but Smith-Ready does a great job of balancing a fast-paced plot and heart-wrenching story.
I also loved the worldbuilding and thought it very well developed. People 16 and under can see and talk to ghosts because of a mysterious event that happened called the Shift. As you can expect, this event changes the world in ways such as how crimes are solved. I mean, things can really change when a person who's murdered can testify at their own murder trial. As for the Shift itself, we don't get much answers but I suspect we will as the series continues.
What I didn't like: There's not much I didn't like, really. Sometimes I became fustrated with Aura and her insistance of continuing her relationship with Logan, but I ususally ended up feeling bad and thinking that most people would do the same thing in that situation, so soon after losing someone like that.
Thoughts on the cover: What can I say, my favorite color is purple so I automatically like it a lot!
Overall Thoughts
I definitely recommend Shade to anyone looking for a great young adult read with a paranormal slant. I really liked it and plan on snatching the next book in the series, Shift, as soon as I can.
Series: Shade #1
Format: Hardcover
Pages: 309
Genre: Young Adult, Paranormal
Publication Date: May 4th, 2010
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Rating: A
Summary
From Goodreads: 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 Review
Why did I read this book? I had heard so many good things about Smith-Ready's writing and a lot of good things about Shade in particular. I bought this book right after Christmas and finally go a chance to sit down a read it.
What I liked: There's a lot to like and love about Shade. First, I was completely absorbed in how original this story is. What would happen in a story about a girl who loses her boyfriend but can continue to interact with him as a ghost? I just liked the premise so much and I thought it added a lot of weight to the theme of grief and how you cope with losing someone you love. While the book is very entertaining I always came back to the feeling that I felt so sorry for Aura and the situation she's in. She has to juggle a ghost-boyfriend who very much still loves her and the attention of a new boy at school while also trying to figure out what happened to her mother. It might not sound like much the way I'm describing it, but Smith-Ready does a great job of balancing a fast-paced plot and heart-wrenching story.
I also loved the worldbuilding and thought it very well developed. People 16 and under can see and talk to ghosts because of a mysterious event that happened called the Shift. As you can expect, this event changes the world in ways such as how crimes are solved. I mean, things can really change when a person who's murdered can testify at their own murder trial. As for the Shift itself, we don't get much answers but I suspect we will as the series continues.
What I didn't like: There's not much I didn't like, really. Sometimes I became fustrated with Aura and her insistance of continuing her relationship with Logan, but I ususally ended up feeling bad and thinking that most people would do the same thing in that situation, so soon after losing someone like that.
Thoughts on the cover: What can I say, my favorite color is purple so I automatically like it a lot!
Overall Thoughts
I definitely recommend Shade to anyone looking for a great young adult read with a paranormal slant. I really liked it and plan on snatching the next book in the series, Shift, as soon as I can.
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