Book Review - Shade

I'm beginning to worry that I'm inundating you poor folk with all these reviews and since I'm sure the quality is varying wildly I do apologise - it's taking a bit of getting used to and what I mention is mainly what stood out when I read it and I'm pretty crap with the whole critical analysis stuff. But I'll do my best to make *some* sense.

Title: Shade
Author: Jeri Smith-Ready
Date: 16/1/2011 PM
Source: Borrowed from Library
Description: 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. (Description taken from Goodreads)

My Review

I'd been a bit on the fence about buying a copy of this since I worry slightly about how much YA Paranormal fiction I read. I don't wanna reach a saturation point where I've basically seen almost every plot type, creature or relationship setup. But I was intrigued enough about the concept of a whole generation that can suddenly see ghosts, to pick this book up from my local library. (It's getting pretty good in the Teen section)

Aura was a pretty cool gal who had a hell of a lot of stress to deal with after Logan her boyfriend dies. It has to be incredibly hard to move on from the guy you loved when he has the ability to pop into your bedroom like a perverted purple glowstick whenever he likes. To be honest I think Logan was a bit of a prat, when you know that your girlfriend wants to hand over her v-card to you after the most rocking night of your life it is *really* bloody stupid to get blindingly drunk because how the hell are you even gonna manage getting upstairs let alone doing the deed? And to top off a particularly brainless evening by actually taking drugs... *doh!* Logan my friend you are a plonker of epic proportions. Aura I reckon you're better off.

Now this is where I could ramble on, as soon as I read "Scottish exchange student" my attention was firmly fixed onto Mr Zachary Moore. Now I don't know how weird this makes me but whenever Zach was speaking I felt the need to read aloud in my somewhat-passable Scottish accent. I am sure people will understand how heart-meltingly lovely a Scot can sound (Particularly if he happens to be David Tennant *swoon*) so who wouldn't want to listen to them talking? But anyway Zach is so sweet and deliciously flirtatious that you can't blame Aura one bit for getting a bit flustered around him. He's also such an enigma that you really wanna know how he, Aura and the Shift are linked.

I really liked the idea of the Post-Shifter children being able to help out in legal cases because they can see and hear the ghosts who may have been murdered or just need justice for some reason or other. It is a very cool concept that as this generation of children come of age that a whole new type of job sector opens up- one that specialises in dealing with ghosts. Although as is apparent in the book there is massive potential for these children to be exploited by adults who don't know fully what they're dealing with.

Despite the title being Shade (as in the rather scary beings that normal ghosts can turn into) there is not a whole lot of them to be seen in this book and we don't really know why some people who seem good can turn Shady. What's even more puzzling is the significance of Aura in relation to the Shades. But the biggest mystery that we all want the answer to is what the fandazzle caused the Shift? All the cool stuff about the megaliths and ancient astronomy was really interesting and dang it if I wouldn't love to be out in an empty field stargazing with yummy scotty Zach!

This was a really enjoyable read and while it ends with some closure to the main plot arcs there is massive "Qu'est-ce que fook?" moment on the last page which makes me really ruddy anxious to find out what happens next and how the hell it even happened at all! Jeri Smith-Ready you are messing with my mind!

I foresee things getting vair complicated in Shift...

My Rating: 4 out 5 Stars

The second book in this series SHIFT is coming out in the UK on the 9th June 2011 and I might just have to buy myself a copy when it comes out although I'm sorry but it'll have to be the US edition as the cover on the UK one is fecking dire I mean look at it yeesh it's hideous!

But anyway I'll now leave you to thoughts of bonnie Scottish lads :P

LadyV