Customer Reviews

Shade

5 star:		(60)
4 star:		(29)
3 star:		(12)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

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.

Review courtesy of [...]

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.

Author words:

16-year-old Aura can see ghosts. Then again, so can everyone around the world who was born after her. In fact, they have a word for the moment of her birth: the Shift. Aura suspects that the Shift might be connected to her missing mystery dad and an event that happened at Newgrange tomb in Ireland a year before her birth. Ghosts can be annoying at their best. At their worst, as dark, powerful "shades," they can be deadly. So Aura's major goal in life is to undo the Shift and make the ghosts go away. And then, her boyfriend dies and becomes a ghost. -Jeri Smith-Ready

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!

YA Warning: Pervasive profanity. Pervasive alcohol consumption. Drug abuse. Drug overdose.

Sexual Content: (YA titles receive a more thorough breakdown) Kissing. References to sex. Scene of sensuality. Mutual masturbation.

Shade is hands down one the best books of the year!

From a sexy love triangle between Aura and two utterly charming boys to an action packed plot to an enticing premise were some of the main aspects that make Shade the excellent and heart-racing book that it was destined to be.

Aura was a likable character with a compelling voice from the instant I started her story. I really liked how Jeri crafted her character in a way that she never got too mopey and suicidal over the death of her boyfriend, but instead made the best of the situation, even if it did hurt at times. Also, I loved reading her interactions with Logan, her long-time boyfriend and sexy lead singer of the Keeley Brothers', and Zachary, the sweet Irish boy. If I was her, I'd have no clue of who to pick.

As mentioned before, the plot in Shade was an action packed story that only gave you one choice. That choice? Rush right through it, of course, because it was just that addicting and amazing! I loved reading about the Shift and am looking forward to seeing more of it and the mystery around it in the sequel coming in '11 titled Shift. Also, I can't go without mentioning in this review how much I enjoyed Jeri Smith-Ready's writing. I can definitely see her being something really big in YA a few years from now.

In all, Shade is a book that I not only highly recommend you buy, but insist that you do so; since I assure you that you will definitely not be disappointed in this one! Though, word of warning, you'll be dying to read the sequel as soon as you read the last word like I am now.

Grade: A+

Logan had everything going for him: a budding music career, and a great girlfriend. Until he accidentally dies on his birthday. Now he's a ghost who can communicate with anyone under the age of 16 because they were born after The Shift. His girlfriend Aura is one of those people. She is torn between wanting Logan to be with her, and finding the cause of The Shift so she can undo it.

I only managed to get 25% of the way through this before I gave up. I couldn't stand Aura. She was a whiny annoying girl who seemed way younger than her sixteen years. I just couldn't handle her any more.

I did listen to this as an audiobook, so the narration probably played a part. But the narration did seem to find the words and character of Aura. So that was a success, but I just couldn't stand her.

The concept and storyline of the book seemed interesting and intriguing, and maybe it would make a great read, but it just wasn't for me.

Shade is an unusual YA paranormal. I liked the ideas the author introduced and found the ghosts interesting. However, the story seemed to move in slow motion and the author didn't seem to clearly define the background of the story from the beginning so I didn't really understand what I felt were essential facts/history to understanding the characters and the story until 2/3 through the book.

Shade is about Aura, a young girl who was born post Shift. Which means she can see ghosts. These post Shift children are valued and the government is trying to recruit them. However it is annoying for more post-shifter born because who wants to have ghosts always bothering them? Plus the bad thing is that the ghosts can go bad and cecome dangerous and unstable shades. But tragedy soon occurs to Aura's rocker boyfriend, Logan. Logan ODs on cocaine and becomes a ghost. He visits her at night and Aura doesn't want him to leave her but if her doesn't' he is in danger of becoming a shade. If this happens he has no hope of going to heaven and finding peace. Plus his family wants him to stay to testify as a ghost because they want to sue the record company for his death. Aura loves Logan but feels guilty because she is becoming attracted to her new partner at school, Zachary.

This was an intriguing book. I liked the ideas behind the book but I felt generally unsatisfied like someone offered me a cake but wouldn't let me have the entire piece. I think it would have been nice to have an explanatory introduction or prologue in the beginning of the story about the Shift. What exactly a Shade was and what the Shift was exactly never seemed really clearly defined. I understand the author wanting to keep secrets for next book but it made this book really vague feeling. And the ending was pretty unresolved. I have read this author's books before and she excels at writing characters you care for and 'get inside their heads' but in this case I felt the character weren't as likeable or as interesting and I was disappointed. This felt like a very light version of her prior books I don't know if this is because it is meant for the YA audience but I was sort of let down.

The book has a sort of unfinished feeling and lacks the fullness/richness of the author's other novels.

I would describe this book in a few words as: Tear jerker

Character development is good and right at the start I could really sympathise with the female protagonist for the pain she was going through. And anger for her that it ever happened. The author gives us characters who lingers in my head long after I finished reading the book... The author also weaves a very convincing world where ghosts feels so real to the reader. I would give the "suspension of disbelief" a 4.5 out of 5. The story itself though does not seem to have any clear structure where there is a central conflict and a climax. The story? I'd give it a 1.5 out of 5. The book feels like a simple retelling of events. I didn't want a history class, I want a story with a beginning, a middle and an end. The end therefore did not sufficiently close the story because there was not much of a story dilemma to close with. And it was sort of a cliffhanger, I would give the ending a 2 out of 5. The whole book reads like it is a first chapter of a bigger book.

The author knows how to play emotional manipulation with the reader though and I cried at about the last three quarters of the book. But this does not compensate for the fact that the story lacks a strong dilemma centrepoint. I would give the story-telling quality a 3.5 out of 5. I found this book to be a quick read and the pace to be nice and steady until you get towards the end where it gets quicker and quicker, which I like and is a definite plus. I enjoyed this book and would say the book has an overall entertainment value of 3.5 out of 5.

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.

SHADE possesses fantastic action scenes and rich scenery around what happens when ghosts hang around teens who can see them. But the story wasn't fantastic. Unless I missed something, I couldn't see the big deal about becoming a shade, or, specifically what shades do. That could have been developed more. That Aura and her LIVE "friend" were born minutes apart is interesting because of their connection as a result of it, but it would have been helpful to learn more about the shift.(I assume that's been left for the next/another book.)

The Shift occurred seventeen years ago. Everyone born after the Shift can see and talk to ghosts. Aura Salvatore lives in Maryland with her aunt, Gina. Born one minute after the Shift, Aura was one of the first with the paranormal ability. Aunt Gina helps ghosts find peace and cross-over by helping them find vengeance/closure via law suits. Many post-Shifters work as court translators for this reason. But some ghosts allow bitterness to warp their souls. These rare ones are called Shades. They are dark, powerful, and dangerous. Once a ghost transforms into a shade, they can never cross-over. Leaders around the world created special government agencies to protect the post-Shifters. America's federal version is the Department of Metaphysical Purity "DMP". They even have their own highly trained Special Forces unit. These agents are called Obsidians. The Obsidians mainly hunt shades and lock them away forever in a Black Box.

Logan Keeley is Aura's boyfriend. He and his siblings have a band, The Keeley Brothers. Logan is excited because two recording companies want to sign them up. Aura is turning seventeen. As a birthday present to herself, Aura has decided she is finally ready to let her romance with Logan become physical. After Logan's crucial gig, during the after-party, Aura and Logan slip away for their first intimate time together. Instead, Logan overdoses and dies. He may no longer be alive, but Logan's ghost remains. His parents hope to help Logan cross-over by suing the recording company that gave him the drugs.

Then there is the new Scottish student, Zachary "Zach" Moore. He is assigned to help Aura with her ancient astronomy thesis project. Though she still grieves for Logan and talks to his ghost most nights, she finds herself attracted to the living Scot. It does not help that Zach is understanding or infuriatingly patient. As Aura's relationships with the dead and the living grow ever more complicated, she realizes that the DMP has taken a special interest in her. Worse, Zach is somehow involved.

**** FOUR STARS! Let me warn readers that this story has a major cliff-hanger ending. Little is actually resolved and now I find myself frustrated at having to wait. (Personally, I hate books with cliff-hanger endings so I probably will not bother reading any more of this series.) The author has done a good job in setting up the main characters' backgrounds. Understanding the nuances involving what post-Shifters have to deal with came slowly, as well as understanding the Obsidians and their Black Box, but I believe the author did very well in handling it all. It is a lot of information and it does not come across as if the details were being crammed into my head or thrown at me too fast. I believe any teenager who loves the paranormal mixed in with a bit of (a complex) romance will thoroughly enjoy this story. Stellar! ****

Reviewed by Detra Fitch of Huntress Reviews.

Sixteen-year-old Aura's world looks much like ours--except that everyone born after the Shift, which happened sixteen and a half years ago, can see, hear, and talk to ghosts. Aura has always disliked this ability, to the point that she's been researching the Shift secretly for some time to discover why it occurred in order to somehow find a way to end it. Then her boyfriend Logan dies on his seventeenth birthday from a lethal combination of cocaine and alcohol, and suddenly what had seemed like a curse has become a blessing. Though she can never touch Logan again, she hasn't truly lost him and their love since his ghost is still with her.

I could hardly put this book down once I began reading it. The writing is excellent, the characters are strong, and the love story between Aura and Logan is intense. It is complicated in a poignant way, as well, by the fact that a love triangle springs up when Aura develops a strong emotional connection to Zachary, a handsome, charismatic Scot who was born exactly one minute before her. He's the last person born pre-Shift, and she's the first one born after.

This book marks a great start for a new urban-fantasy series. The fantasy aspect with the ghosts is intriguing and unique. There is plenty of romantic conflict with two fascinating male love interests. And there is a growing external threat from shadowy government figures stalking Aura, Zachary and even Logan, due to the technology they've created to "tag" ghosts.

I can't wait to read the next installment!