Shade Review

Shade by Jeri Smith-Ready

Publisher: Simon Pulse

Release date: May 4, 2010

Source: Publisher

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.

Review:

Shade was a terrific YA debut that had me glued to the pages. Jeri Smith-Ready has a knack for writing a novel that keeps the reader unable to put the book down. With terrific characters, an original plot, and awesome writing- Shade is one of my favorite 2010 releases yet!

To begin with, Aura was a fabulous main character. She was well developed and readers could understand what she was going through, even if they'd never suffered such loss themselves. Aura's emotions were believable and not over-exaggerated so her intense attachment to Logan was understandable, not fake. This brings the love-triangle into play. I love, love, love love triangles. They add a lot to novels and keep the suspense going on who the girl is going to choose. Unfortunately, love triangles have been a little over-done lately, so I was worried how this one was going to play out. Luckily, it worked.

Logan and Zachary were both awesome. Logan, who originally seemed a little shallow, turned out to be a great guy and he was perfect for Aura. I also was a little unsure how the ghost angle would play out, but in this way I was able to better understand Logan's character. Zachary, on the other hand, was a living, breathing, awesome guy. While I really liked Logan there was something about Zachary that just made me love him! Maybe it was the Scottish accent...

The idea of the Shift was one of the most original in any YA novel I've ever read. The idea of only a certain age group being able to see ghosts, the idea of the secret government group working against them, the Shade angle... there were so many parts to this novel that all weaved together to create a fantastic story.

This was an emotional, exciting read with plenty of twists that kept the plot moving. It had an award-winning set of characters and the ending left a lot open for the sequel. I can't wait to see where she takes the story next!

Overall: 5 out of 5 stars