Title: Shade (Shade #1)
Author: Jeri Smith-Ready
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Childrens Books
Publication Date: May 2010
Paperback: 320 pages
Genre: Paranormal
Young Adult
Reviewed by Laura
RATING: 7/10 – Very good, would definitely recommend
BOOK COVER SUMMARY:
Like everyone born after The Shift, sixteen year-old Aura can see and talk to ghosts. She’s always found this mysterious ability pretty annoying, wishing only that she could reverse it and have some peace. But when her boyfriend, Logan, dies unexpectedly, Aura is forced to reconsider her connections to the dead…
Devastated by Logan’s sudden death, Aura realises that her ability to see ghosts might actually be a blessing. Surely a violet-hued spirit Logan is better than no Logan at all? But just when Aura is coming to terms with having a ghost as a boyfriend, she starts developing feelings for her new friend Zachary, who is understanding, supportive and, most of all, alive. Each boy holds a piece of her heart – as well as vital cues to the secret of the Shift – and it’s time for Aura to choose between loving the living, or embracing the dead…
REVIEW:
Nearly sixteen years ago the ‘Shift’ happened. And every child that has been born since can see and communicate with ghosts. The world is divided into two sub sets, post and pre shifters, those who can see & those who can’t.
The Shift has changed everything. Ghosts can now testify in their own murder cases. Certain building & rooms in your house have to be ‘black boxed’ so that ghosts cannot go into them. Red has become the all prevailing fashion statement of the under sixteens. A colour ghosts cannot abide.
Most ghosts are harmless, if not persistently irritating. But there are the ghosts that become Shades – dark, malevolent spirits.
At nearly sixteen years old, Aura is a post-shifter. She’s spent her life being able to see, talk to, and wherever possible ignore ghosts. She has an amazing boyfriend – Logan. The night of his seventeenth birthday is supposed to be perfect. That is until it all goes horribly wrong and he tragically dies. Suddenly being able to talk to ghosts takes on a whole new meaning and she prays that Logan will come back to haunt her.
But, as Aura struggles to come to terms with her grief she becomes friends with a new transfer student from Scotland: Zachary. Zachary is kind, understanding and has a rather sexy accent. As her friendship with Zachary grows, she realises that she has to make an impossible decision between the two men in her life. One dead, one alive.
I expected this book to merely be a tragic & haunting, in more ways than one, coming of age love story. But it was more than that and in the final third of the story, the pace changes as we realise a few of the characters have some secrets they haven’t been sharing.
I loved the originality of the book, this new ghost ridden world that only children and teens can see was imaginative and interesting. I was intrigued by the mystery of the Shift and what caused it. While we begin to explore the mystery, the story barely scratches the surface so I look forward to discovering more as the series progresses.
This was a surprisingly easy read, and while it was sad and moving, it was written in a way that wasn’t over wrought.
VERDICT:
A refreshingly different young adult novel, that is sad and at times intense, but never the less enjoyable. The storyline was developed slowly and the second half certainly has more pace than the first. We’re given just a few hints of what is to come in the subsequent books. It doesn’t reveal much, but what it does give is just enough to leave you wanting more.
SOURCE: Thanks to Simon & Schuster for sending BCC this book for review.
Please come back later today for a guest post by the author herself and a fab ‘Shade’ giveaway!
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3 Comments
I liked this book..especially the second half. I can't wait for the next one!!
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This does sound good, thanks for reviewing it for me, I'm glad you enjoyed it
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@Mandi yes the second half was better, less weepy lol! But I enjoyed it too
@BookChickCity you're welcome
It is a good one.
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