Shade (Shade, Book 1) [Paperback]

Jeri Smith-Ready (Author)

Book Description

Release date: April 5, 2011

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.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Gr 7 Up–Aura is planning to give her boyfriend, Logan, the perfect 17th birthday present—an intimate night together after his band concert—in this novel (Simon Pulse, 2010) by Jeri Smith-Ready. But things go terribly wrong, and Logan dies. Aura realizes it immediately because she was born after the Shift and can see ghosts. Not only can she see them, she can help them "pass over." Aura works for the court and "interprets" ghost testimony. She's attracted to Zachary, the new boy in town who was born just before the Shift, but Logan is still very much in her life. The plot is complicated, with a trial to determine the role of a record company in Logan's death, the mysteries of a gathering place where Aura's deceased mother spent some time, and the role of government officials who want to control the ghosts and simplify society. While the Shift is referred to often, it is never fully explained. Khristine Hvam assumes the role of a young, uncertain teenager when relating Aura's thoughts and feelings, and she switches easily into the Scottish accent of a more self-assured Zachary. She also captures Logan's initial arrogance and then his fear and uncertainty, and the anguish of the many ghosts who come in and out of Aura's life.Edith Ching, Washington Latin Public Charter School, DC
© Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. --This text refers to the Audio CD edition.

Review

"[SHADE IS] a fully satisfying read, with well-developed, believable characters. Smith-Ready changes the world completely by simply changing our ability to see."

--STARRED REVIEW from Publishers Weekly

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: Simon Pulse; Reprint edition (April 5, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1416994076
• ISBN-13: 978-1416994077
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.6 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.9 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (133 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #258,917 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Jeri Smith-Ready has been writing fiction since the night she had her first double espresso. She holds a master's degree in environmental policy and lives in Maryland with her husband, two cats, and the world's goofiest greyhound.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Thrilling and romantic May 2, 2010

By The Compulsive Reader VINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover

Aura is a part of the first generation born after the Shift, which gave everyone born into the world the ability to see and speak with ghosts. She's never liked her ability, but can't deny being curious about what caused the Shift to occur, and harbors hopes that one day it can be undone. But when her boyfriend Logan dies unexpectedly and Aura is beside herself. Her ability is the only thing that gives her comfort, and allows her to still communicate with Logan. Then she meets Zachary, a mysterious boy with more than a few secrets that Aura is dying to know about, and together they find that their pasts have far too many common factors to be written off as coincidence...bringing Aura closer than she can imagine to the truth about the Shift.

Shade is an unconventional and tension-filled read. Smith-Ready's fascinating world in which everyone under the age of seventeen can see and hear ghosts will draw readers in, and Aura's strong voice and her conflicting feelings over Logan and Zachary will have them falling in love with Shade. The concept of the Shift is inventive and perhaps the most appealing aspect of the book, though Aura's personable and realistic voice is very well written, from her anguish over Logan's death and her intense curiosity over the truth about the Shift to her growing feelings for Zachary. Smith-Ready steadily builds suspense throughout the book as Zachary and Aura search for answers and confront the obstacles that stand in their way. However, partway through the book, it feels as if the momentum of their search is thrown off track as Aura becomes involved in finding a way to help Logan move on to the afterlife. This detour is not completely unwelcome though; plenty of romantic tension is built, Aura must face some tough decisions, and evens appear to develop some interesting new abilities in her pursuit to keep Logan from turning shade.

Shade has a very open ending that demands a sequel, in which we hopefully will learn more about Aura's past, the specifics of turning "shade", and how she and Zachary and Logan are involved in the Shift. Shade is a smart, and even at times philosophical, paranormal read that is as thrilling as it is romantic.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars a character driven ghost story with emotional resonance and bittersweet romance May 19, 2010

By Abigail TOP 1000 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover

SHADE is a character driven ghost story with all the emotional resonance and bittersweet romance to make this impressive YA debut a must read for book lovers of all ages. In a lot of ways SHADE feels like two separate yet complimentary stories. The first is about Aura and her tragic love story with her long time love Logan both before and after his death. How can she love a ghost when he will never change, never touch, and never let her go? But how can she let him go, when she knows that doing so could destroy him?

The second story is about Aura, Scottish exchange student Zachary and their dangerous quest to unravel the mystery of the Shift before the authorities can stop them. The two stories are woven together and will be sure to keep you turning pages long into the night. And I can already see the Team Logan/Team Zachary feud beginning.

SHADE has managed to tell a heart achingly beautiful story. The supernatural elements are incorporated so fluidly that it was easy to forget that we don't all live in the post Shift world with Aura. The sequel, Shift, will be released May 2011. I cannot wait!

Sexual Content: Kissing. References to sex. Scene of sensuality.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful

2.0 out of 5 stars Mystical Mayhem June 19, 2011

By Dark Faerie Tales

Format:Kindle Edition

Quick & Dirty: Unfortunately, Shade is mired with clichéd characters and lackluster worldbuilding. The unique and intriguing premise will string you along, but the book isn't complete on its own.

Opening Sentence: "You can hear me, can't you?"

Excerpt: Chapters 1-7

The Review:

The Shift is a complicated event that no one can seem to explain. Because of The Shift, everyone under sixteen can see and communicate with ghosts. Unfortunately for Aura, she falls into that category. With her rocker boyfriend, Logan, on the brink of stardom, Aura is feeling the heat. Knowing that Logan battles skanks day in and day out, Aura wants to solidify her place in his life. It's settled -- the couple plans a day to finally get in some much desired sexy time. Naturally, Logan blows his big moment. After indulging in alcohol, Logan finds himself unable to rise to the challenge. Trying to remedy this situation, Logan accidentally kills himself. Now that Logan has died, he's a ghost. Aura must help him pass on to the other side or Logan is in danger of turning Shade. Some ghosts turn Shade if they can't accept their fate and gain closure. In this world, becoming a malevolent ghost is really bad news. Enter most commonly used YA trope, Zach, the new boy at school. As the story progresses, Aura soon finds herself torn between her ghost boyfriend and the hot Scottish boy, Zach.

Several of my friends have read this book and loved it, but after reading Shade, I can honestly say that I don't feel the same way. On the surface, I can see why some might be enamored by this ghostly tale. The premise is actually quite original and pretty interesting. The problem is that the worldbuilding is sorely lacking. This is such a missed opportunity because the most interesting aspects of the story surround an event known as The Shift. Another major point of contention is our protagonist, Aura.

Aura easily rises to the top of my most hated protagonists list. Most of the time, Aura behaved like a petulant child. As a reader, Aura's sexual exploration felt exploited. Nothing felt authentic about her erratic behavior. It's so patently clear that Aura isn't ready for a more serious and sexual relationship with Logan or anyone else for that matter. Aura isn't mature enough emotionally or mentally, yet the undercurrent of her sexual games plays persistently throughout the story. I'm not sure if it was an attempt to make the story edgy, but it failed miserably. I don't have an issue with the portrayal of drug use, drinking or masturbating in this novel, but for some reason the way in which Aura passive aggressively uses her sexuality really disgusted me. To say that Aura is a tease is an understatement. Aura isn't remotely sympathetic or likable.

Just about every character in this book falls into clichéd territory. Logan's character had a lot of potential for depth and growth, but those two things never materialized. I wasn't able to form a particularly good impression of Logan. He came off as a bit of a douche. I really liked Zach's character despite his inconsistent portrayals. There's a lot of mystery surrounding his background. In the beginning Zach started out sounding like an authentic teenage boy, but he quickly descended into a neutered chickification male. You know the kind - perfectly portrayed from the female perspective no matter the circumstance, when in reality you know your perspective suitor would tell you to piss off and easily find someone who actually gave a damn about him, his needs and feelings. I don't understand the desire for some female writers to craft this chickification of boys. It's not all sweetness and light or puppy dogs and ice cream, especially with the head games that Aura plays.

Fundamentally, Shade lacks real conflict. I was never really immersed in the story. While reading Shade, I kept thinking, where is the REAL conflict?! When will the story actually focus on details relating to The Shift? I had a hard time buying into the trumped up teenage angst. Character goals, motivations and conflicts just fell flat. Aura finds herself in what she considers complicated situations, all the while refusing to realize that it's because of her ridiculous actions that she finds herself all out of sorts. Trust me, this gets old real quick. I had a hard time believing many of Aura's choices.

Overall, I think Shade is just a so-so read. The premise is very interesting, but nothing significant happens. The heroine is an annoying narrator, making it nearly impossible for me at least to become truly invested in the story.

The Shade Series:

1. Shade

2. Shift

3. Shine

FTC Advisory: Simon & Schuster provided me with a copy of Shade . No goody bags, sponsorships, "material connections," or bribes were exchanged for my review. In addition, I don't receive affiliate fees for anything purchased via links from my site.