REVIEW: Shade by Jeri Smith-Ready

Pub. Date: May 4th 2010
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Pages: 309
Readership: Young adult
Genres: paranormal, ghosts
Rating: ★★★★★ 

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.

So. Good. So very good. I was gifted the first in the series by the awesome girls over at Kilt and Keeley from their twitter party. I wanted to read it so bad but I couldn't find it anywhere near, I assume because it was around end of March and the stores were just waiting until the new paperbacks were released. So thanks again, girls!

Shade was one of those books that keeps you up until 4am reading until you can't possibly keep your heavy eyelids open. It's also one of those series that will bring the fangirl out of you; I know it got me hook line and sinker early on. It was nail biting, page turning and oh my god, oh my god worthy.

Aura Salvatore is a great leading lady. Part of the reason I loved Shade so much was that it felt so real to the life of teenagers as some other YA paranormal novels out there even though the premise is so supernatural. Even though the story revolved around ghosts, the Shift and other mysteries it was still true to life. Aura is in every way a normal teenager. Shade doesn't skitter around the subject of sex. In fact, it tackles it right on and makes the reality of how scared girls are to give up their virginity even with the boy they love a forefront in the story. You just don't see that in a lot of the YA books out there, even though it's very much a part of teenage life. Aura is very, very real. We probably all know an Aura in our lives, or knew, or knew of one. She's sensible but insecure. Snarky and sarcastic but kind. She knows who she is and has a good head on her shoulders. I just loved Aura to bits.

Then there is Logan. (For some reason I pictured him as a young Tyson Ritter - but blonde, obviously - but that is neither here nor there - I just had to mention it!) Sweet, kind, diva streaking... dead Logan. Logan is an ambitious rocker with big dreams. Music is his life, but so is Aura. Their relationship is so genuine; it is far from perfect but they make it work and are so in love. Even after his death, their love is still there, even if it's killing Aura, and re-killing Logan.

In comes Zachary. Can I have my own Zachary? I would like my own Zachary. I love both boys but nine times out of ten, the accent will win me over. He's a Scottish sweetheart. He has his secrets and he's guarded but him and Aura immediately hit it off. He fell for Aura and she likes him too but with the issues of ghost!Logan, he's willing to step back and wait (even if he's "no' a bloody saint").

Besides the amazing characters, this story is very original. A phenomenon known as the Shift happened. People born after the shift can see ghosts of the dead but people born before the Shift cannot. How cool is that? Cool and freaky. I don't know if I would be able to handle seeing ghosts all the time, even if there are ways to deter them. Jeri Smith-Ready wove an original and haunting tale. I need to devour the rest of the series soon.