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gatoraly's review against another edition
3.0
I have read a lot of ghost YA books but Shade was far different from any. For me it was a little more dark, not that that is a bad thing though. I do like that it was based on music but what I didn't like was that the titlebpretty much gives away the story. A little to predictable but still a good read. I will definitely be getting my hands on shift pretty soon.
halynah's review against another edition
4.0
Great book, but you need to be patient with it. Don't expect, that it'll sweep you off your feet.At first it was difficult for me to connect with the characters, but the further I read, the better it became, and then I really liked it! The strong points of the book are unique plot, unexpectedness of events, some of the characters are really nice (I liked Dylan and Megan most of all). The main characters make both positive and negative impressions: Aura is brave and strong, but she lacks warmth, Logan is interesting and loving, but he often behaves as a brat, Zack is charismatic and supportive, but not enough - he easily and gladly gives Aura space and time instead of being near her, when she needs support most of all. The scene in the court was very touching and heartbreaking, the end was promising and exciting, so I hope I'll like the next book even more!
willow_axolotl376's review against another edition
2.0
I sort of like this book but it was so slow, by the time I finished it I didn't feel like I had read a whole book I felt like I was getting to the middle where things were starting to happen. Does that make sense? Not entirely sure what was going on either but there are pre-shifters and post-shifters and one of them can see ghosts. The ghosts happen if a person dies suddenly and they stick around and finish their business. The ghosts are bright violet, they can only go places they have been when they were alive. There are things that can frighten the ghosts away like a blackbox which is a room that goes completely black when you shut the door (I think), also red things hurt them so younger people wear red so ghosts don't come near them.
There are a lot of things I don't yet understand but I am going to read the rest of the series so hopefully it will click in my head, its a little odd because I normally pick up quite quickly all the terminology in a book but I didn't this time. The overall story was good, Aura is in love with Logan he bags a record deal (he is in a band) and everyone gets drunk, they go to have sex but he "cant get it up" so he sneaks off to snort some coke and dies. The rest of the story focus's around Aura and Logan hanging out on a night time but then she starts a research project with Zachery (a guy from school) and starts to love him.
It wasn't too bad honestly! The second book was better though.
There are a lot of things I don't yet understand but I am going to read the rest of the series so hopefully it will click in my head, its a little odd because I normally pick up quite quickly all the terminology in a book but I didn't this time. The overall story was good, Aura is in love with Logan he bags a record deal (he is in a band) and everyone gets drunk, they go to have sex but he "cant get it up" so he sneaks off to snort some coke and dies. The rest of the story focus's around Aura and Logan hanging out on a night time but then she starts a research project with Zachery (a guy from school) and starts to love him.
It wasn't too bad honestly! The second book was better though.
klaragon73's review against another edition
5.0
I'm not even sure where to begin with Shade. I spent most of the book in tears. It has been so long that I have read any book that truly took my breath away, I almost didn't know what to do. Two words to describe Shade - Heart-Achingly Beautiful. The prose is both poignant and eloquent. Every word written is important in one way or another. I tend to skim over paragraphs that I deem unimportant in a book. I can honestly say there is not a single word I did not read with utter interest. The characters were just...wow. Each of them with a dynamic and significant place in this alluringly woven love story.
Aura Salvatore was born post-shift, meaning she can see and talk to ghosts who have not passed on after their sudden deaths. By day she works with her Aunt Gina, by night she is a supportive and loving girlfriend of a soon-to-be rockstar.
Logan Keeley is the rockstar boyfriend. He enjoys being in the spotlight as much as he loves Aura. He just needs to prove this to her. The boy loves a party...too much. His life is about to change in ways he never imagined.
Mickey Keeley is the oldest of the Keeley Brothers and the second half of this made-for-stardom duo. Mickey is a little more level-headed than Logan, also more brooding.
Megan is Aura's best friend and Mickey's girlfriend. Megan is self-sacrificing with her feelings in order to support Aura and Mickey which causes her to have some resentment toward her friends.
Siobhan Keeley is Mickey's twin sister and plays the fiddle as a part of the Keeley Brother's band. She loves her music but knows there are things that are more important in life.
Dylan Keeley happens to be the youngest of the siblings and not musically inclined. He is the "geek" who collects action figures and plays video games.
Zachary Moore...oh, Zach. How many ways do we love you? As a newbie in the States and at Aura's school, he is both mysterious and sensuous. Aura finds herself drawn to this sexy Scottish boy in ways she knows she shouldn't be. As the last person born before the shift, he holds a completely different set of powers from Aura. Maybe a compliment to her ghost-seeing abilities, maybe a cure?
Aunt Gina has been a mother to Aura since her mother died when she was three. Gina is someone I grew to truly respect as a person and a mother-figure. She is empathetic, compassionate, but unafraid to take a stand.
Shade is like any other book I fell completely in love with...I glanced at it in the store and thought a ghost story...nope, don't think so. Then I began reading review after review of how amazing this book was and thought, okay, maybe I should give it a chance. I was already in love with the covers so I decided I had to own both Shade and Shift even if I didn't like them. Well...after the first chapter, I knew I that not liking them was completely out of the question. After the second chapter - I was in love. The third - completely addicted.
This is a tragic love story with a complete different twist. I warn - it is not for the faint of heart. Actions cause consequences - always. Some consequences just aren't worth the actions. The lessons to be learned in this book are very real and should never be underestimated. I was literally torn to pieces a few times. I appreciated Aura's strength in recognizing that things had to change and I equally appreciated that it was tremendously difficult for her to make those much needed changes. Both of these things added to the reality of the love portrayed in the story.
Jeri pulls you so smoothly into the Keeley's world of music and partying that I felt like I was right there with the characters; experiencing their excitement, their misery, their heartache, and their accomplishments. I was drawn into the mystery surrounding the Shift and it's lore. Drawn into all that was Logan, all that was Aura, and all that was Zachary.
Even though I completely adore Zachary, there were a few times I wanted to jump into the book and hit him in the head. I wanted to yell at him as bad as Aura did. Fight for her man...come on.
A couple examples of completely amazing writing...
Aura Salvatore was born post-shift, meaning she can see and talk to ghosts who have not passed on after their sudden deaths. By day she works with her Aunt Gina, by night she is a supportive and loving girlfriend of a soon-to-be rockstar.
Logan Keeley is the rockstar boyfriend. He enjoys being in the spotlight as much as he loves Aura. He just needs to prove this to her. The boy loves a party...too much. His life is about to change in ways he never imagined.
Mickey Keeley is the oldest of the Keeley Brothers and the second half of this made-for-stardom duo. Mickey is a little more level-headed than Logan, also more brooding.
Megan is Aura's best friend and Mickey's girlfriend. Megan is self-sacrificing with her feelings in order to support Aura and Mickey which causes her to have some resentment toward her friends.
Siobhan Keeley is Mickey's twin sister and plays the fiddle as a part of the Keeley Brother's band. She loves her music but knows there are things that are more important in life.
Dylan Keeley happens to be the youngest of the siblings and not musically inclined. He is the "geek" who collects action figures and plays video games.
Zachary Moore...oh, Zach. How many ways do we love you? As a newbie in the States and at Aura's school, he is both mysterious and sensuous. Aura finds herself drawn to this sexy Scottish boy in ways she knows she shouldn't be. As the last person born before the shift, he holds a completely different set of powers from Aura. Maybe a compliment to her ghost-seeing abilities, maybe a cure?
Aunt Gina has been a mother to Aura since her mother died when she was three. Gina is someone I grew to truly respect as a person and a mother-figure. She is empathetic, compassionate, but unafraid to take a stand.
Shade is like any other book I fell completely in love with...I glanced at it in the store and thought a ghost story...nope, don't think so. Then I began reading review after review of how amazing this book was and thought, okay, maybe I should give it a chance. I was already in love with the covers so I decided I had to own both Shade and Shift even if I didn't like them. Well...after the first chapter, I knew I that not liking them was completely out of the question. After the second chapter - I was in love. The third - completely addicted.
This is a tragic love story with a complete different twist. I warn - it is not for the faint of heart. Actions cause consequences - always. Some consequences just aren't worth the actions. The lessons to be learned in this book are very real and should never be underestimated. I was literally torn to pieces a few times. I appreciated Aura's strength in recognizing that things had to change and I equally appreciated that it was tremendously difficult for her to make those much needed changes. Both of these things added to the reality of the love portrayed in the story.
Jeri pulls you so smoothly into the Keeley's world of music and partying that I felt like I was right there with the characters; experiencing their excitement, their misery, their heartache, and their accomplishments. I was drawn into the mystery surrounding the Shift and it's lore. Drawn into all that was Logan, all that was Aura, and all that was Zachary.
Even though I completely adore Zachary, there were a few times I wanted to jump into the book and hit him in the head. I wanted to yell at him as bad as Aura did. Fight for her man...come on.
A couple examples of completely amazing writing...
I looked past her at my bed, remembering the day Logan lay there with me. The afternoon sun had slanted through the blinds, glowing golden against his bare skin. The light had seemed so much a part of him, I'd imagined it shining from within his body and streaming out the window instead of in. - Page 121
A hole opened up inside me, so raw I had to curl up on my side away from his light, pulling my good knee to my chest to ease the ache. The hole gaped so big it seemed like I could crawl inside, let the darkness swallow all thoughts of the future that once stretched before us. - Page 281
stephxsu's review against another edition
4.0
Some adult authors’ attempts to write a YA novel end disastrously, with dumbed-down characters, childish writing, and overdramatization. Thankfully, Jeri Smith-Ready is not one of them. With SHADE, Jeri proves that her smart writing transcends age boundaries, and that she is capable of creating incredibly detailed worlds of tension, action, mystery, and romance.
Aura is a wonderfully strong and passionate heroine. She is not afraid to talk back and speak her mind, much to the delight of readers who love themselves a great big dose of flirtacious verbal jousting. It is this passion, her temper and self-confidence and desires, that make her torn romantic feelings so believable. Love triangles are difficult to write well, but Jeri Smith-Ready makes it look easy. Zach’s assertiveness (and accent—come on, let’s admit it, how can you not think of Oliver Wood when reading this book?) is hot, and so is his determination to help Aura, even when she doesn’t realize she wants his help. And one would think that a dead person is static, but Logan’s character actually grows more and more well-rounded as the story progresses in his ghost state.
But even the best of love triangles alone won’t make a book truly great, which is why the complexity of the world in SHADE is so astonishing and admirable. Jeri Smith-Ready deftly weaves together details to portray for us an urban fantasy world that could easily be our own. The Shift, the presence of the ghosts, the Shades, the disturbingly powerful government division in charge of regulating paranormal activity, the mystery involving real-life enigmas—all of these are written into the book in a way that doesn’t make them glaringly obvious, with a neon arrow next to them saying, “LOOK HERE IMPORTANT WORLD-BUILDING POINT”; instead, we easily and gladly accept the unique things about Aura’s world as fact, and never have to question their presence and placement in the story.
SHADE has a great balance between the larger, political plot involving the “ghost police” and possible ramifications of revelations of the Shift, and the more personal sentimental emotional plot of Logan’s death and Aura’s torn romantic feelings between the two guys. For an oversaturated YA paranormal market, I doubt you can find a smarter, snappier book, and for a smart read, it’s exhilaratingly entertaining. If you’re a fan of paranormal lit, love triangles, and/or stories with a dash of political conspiracy and larger-world stakes, you absolutely cannot miss this one. Your brain will thank you.
Aura is a wonderfully strong and passionate heroine. She is not afraid to talk back and speak her mind, much to the delight of readers who love themselves a great big dose of flirtacious verbal jousting. It is this passion, her temper and self-confidence and desires, that make her torn romantic feelings so believable. Love triangles are difficult to write well, but Jeri Smith-Ready makes it look easy. Zach’s assertiveness (and accent—come on, let’s admit it, how can you not think of Oliver Wood when reading this book?) is hot, and so is his determination to help Aura, even when she doesn’t realize she wants his help. And one would think that a dead person is static, but Logan’s character actually grows more and more well-rounded as the story progresses in his ghost state.
But even the best of love triangles alone won’t make a book truly great, which is why the complexity of the world in SHADE is so astonishing and admirable. Jeri Smith-Ready deftly weaves together details to portray for us an urban fantasy world that could easily be our own. The Shift, the presence of the ghosts, the Shades, the disturbingly powerful government division in charge of regulating paranormal activity, the mystery involving real-life enigmas—all of these are written into the book in a way that doesn’t make them glaringly obvious, with a neon arrow next to them saying, “LOOK HERE IMPORTANT WORLD-BUILDING POINT”; instead, we easily and gladly accept the unique things about Aura’s world as fact, and never have to question their presence and placement in the story.
SHADE has a great balance between the larger, political plot involving the “ghost police” and possible ramifications of revelations of the Shift, and the more personal sentimental emotional plot of Logan’s death and Aura’s torn romantic feelings between the two guys. For an oversaturated YA paranormal market, I doubt you can find a smarter, snappier book, and for a smart read, it’s exhilaratingly entertaining. If you’re a fan of paranormal lit, love triangles, and/or stories with a dash of political conspiracy and larger-world stakes, you absolutely cannot miss this one. Your brain will thank you.
seiraaa's review against another edition
4.0
Nice concept, nice hero(assuming it's Zach, since he's WAAAAAY cooler than Logan) but it had my pet peeve : relationship with a ghost. Expecting Shift to be better.. Not that this was bad! :) Overall nice book. 3.75 stars.
onceuponthesewords's review against another edition
5.0
“Obsessed” doesn’t even begin to cover how I feel about this book right now.
Aura, along with the many other people who were born post-Shift, can see and talk to ghosts. On the night of his 17th birthday, Logan, Aura’s boyfriend, dies unexpectedly, and Aura can still see him… but not in the way she wants to. Now she’s stuck between wanting him to be at peace but also wanting him to stay with her forever…
I had this book on my bookshelf for over 12 years, and when I went to unhaul some books, I came across this one and was intrigued.
It was definitely an easy read (read it in less than a day), and I love that it’s fantasy/paranormal. I was literally so engrossed in this story that I forgot I was reading. I felt like I was actually in the story, witnessing everything firsthand. My heart felt everything the characters felt, and I cried no less than 10 times while reading this.
I’m not a fan of love triangles, but I thought this one was done semi-well (Aura did make me mad with how fast she got over the death of her boyfriend, though).
I honestly can’t believe I didn’t read this book any sooner, since I bought it back when I was in high school. I’m going to need book 2… immediately.
Favorite quote: “I have to let you go, so that one of us can live.”
Aura, along with the many other people who were born post-Shift, can see and talk to ghosts. On the night of his 17th birthday, Logan, Aura’s boyfriend, dies unexpectedly, and Aura can still see him… but not in the way she wants to. Now she’s stuck between wanting him to be at peace but also wanting him to stay with her forever…
I had this book on my bookshelf for over 12 years, and when I went to unhaul some books, I came across this one and was intrigued.
It was definitely an easy read (read it in less than a day), and I love that it’s fantasy/paranormal. I was literally so engrossed in this story that I forgot I was reading. I felt like I was actually in the story, witnessing everything firsthand. My heart felt everything the characters felt, and I cried no less than 10 times while reading this.
I’m not a fan of love triangles, but I thought this one was done semi-well (Aura did make me mad with how fast she got over the death of her boyfriend, though).
I honestly can’t believe I didn’t read this book any sooner, since I bought it back when I was in high school. I’m going to need book 2… immediately.
Favorite quote: “I have to let you go, so that one of us can live.”
charms1976's review against another edition
4.0
Where do I even begin with this review? It is so hard to put my feelings into words and that is how you know you have found a book that blows you away. When this book first came out, I was not as excited as everyone else. For some reason or another, I kept putting it off and it got buried on my list of books to read. Now that book three has finally arrived -- and the hype for the series is once again high -- I finally caved and decided to give the series a chance. Again, I am having trouble getting my thoughts together for this review, so please be patient in reading this one.
When I first started reading Shade, I wasn't a huge fan of Aura. I am still on the fence about her character. She can't make a decision and keep it which really aggravated me. Here she has this great boyfriend -- who yes, at times likes to be in the spotlight -- and she is trying to decide if she should stay with him because of her doubts. Yet, once he hits it big one night with his band, she decides she wants to be with him. She decides that they should finally give their relationship another chance at taking it to the next level. The only problem is Logan parties a little too hard that night and gets drunk. He has a problem with "performing" intimately and decides to take some drugs he was give by some talent scouts to wake him up. He ends up dying from the lethal combination of alcohol and drugs. Since this happens after the world has discovered ghosts, some people can see him and Aura is one of them. She is considered a post-shift meaning she was born after The Shift happened. If you are post-shift you see ghosts in violet. If your are pre-shift -- born before The Shift -- you are unable to see ghosts at all.
This was a part that was confusing to me with all of the references to the pre-shift and post-shift with the characters. I had to keep remembering who was born before and after the Shift event. Eventually it finally clicked in place for me, but it was a little overwhelming at first for me. Aura now has to deal with seeing Logan as a ghost and not being able to touch him. It is hard enough dealing with the death of a loved one, but Aura has to also mourn the loss of a 'true' relationship with him. While others in the book deal with the death of Logan and not being able to communicate with him, others are dealing with seeing him around still and realizing that Logan will never truly be the same guy he was in life. Ghosts also can turn into Shades or ghosts who are dark and miserable. There is a paranormal group who captures ghost if they show signs of going Shade and they are determined to catch Logan when he starts to show signs of it.
Enter Zachary. Holy goodness I am in love with this Scottish guy! Not only did the author write him beautifully, but she also made sure to write in his Scottish accent. Every time his character spoke in the book, I melted. Of course this causes a triangle of sorts for Aura. She is now having to work with Zachary on a school assignment and split her time between him and Logan. She also starts to fall for Zachary and deals with guilt in doing so because of Logan being around still. Zachary has secrets of his own that involve Aura. Together they are trying to figure out what happened during The Shift and what it all means.
I will say that this book left me with a lot of unanswered questions. This was a book which is better described as the set-up book with some bare bones structured throughout. Not many things get answered, but what you do read sets up the series and gets you so invested in the plot and characters that you find it impossible not to follow up with the other books. I am hooked. I am torn between Logan and Zach. I am intrigued and curious to know more of the world created. I am a new fan of the author -- even if she did leave us with a climatic ending that had me pulling my hair out in frustration.
When I first started reading Shade, I wasn't a huge fan of Aura. I am still on the fence about her character. She can't make a decision and keep it which really aggravated me. Here she has this great boyfriend -- who yes, at times likes to be in the spotlight -- and she is trying to decide if she should stay with him because of her doubts. Yet, once he hits it big one night with his band, she decides she wants to be with him. She decides that they should finally give their relationship another chance at taking it to the next level. The only problem is Logan parties a little too hard that night and gets drunk. He has a problem with "performing" intimately and decides to take some drugs he was give by some talent scouts to wake him up. He ends up dying from the lethal combination of alcohol and drugs. Since this happens after the world has discovered ghosts, some people can see him and Aura is one of them. She is considered a post-shift meaning she was born after The Shift happened. If you are post-shift you see ghosts in violet. If your are pre-shift -- born before The Shift -- you are unable to see ghosts at all.
This was a part that was confusing to me with all of the references to the pre-shift and post-shift with the characters. I had to keep remembering who was born before and after the Shift event. Eventually it finally clicked in place for me, but it was a little overwhelming at first for me. Aura now has to deal with seeing Logan as a ghost and not being able to touch him. It is hard enough dealing with the death of a loved one, but Aura has to also mourn the loss of a 'true' relationship with him. While others in the book deal with the death of Logan and not being able to communicate with him, others are dealing with seeing him around still and realizing that Logan will never truly be the same guy he was in life. Ghosts also can turn into Shades or ghosts who are dark and miserable. There is a paranormal group who captures ghost if they show signs of going Shade and they are determined to catch Logan when he starts to show signs of it.
Enter Zachary. Holy goodness I am in love with this Scottish guy! Not only did the author write him beautifully, but she also made sure to write in his Scottish accent. Every time his character spoke in the book, I melted. Of course this causes a triangle of sorts for Aura. She is now having to work with Zachary on a school assignment and split her time between him and Logan. She also starts to fall for Zachary and deals with guilt in doing so because of Logan being around still. Zachary has secrets of his own that involve Aura. Together they are trying to figure out what happened during The Shift and what it all means.
I will say that this book left me with a lot of unanswered questions. This was a book which is better described as the set-up book with some bare bones structured throughout. Not many things get answered, but what you do read sets up the series and gets you so invested in the plot and characters that you find it impossible not to follow up with the other books. I am hooked. I am torn between Logan and Zach. I am intrigued and curious to know more of the world created. I am a new fan of the author -- even if she did leave us with a climatic ending that had me pulling my hair out in frustration.
chey0113's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
nicholeb84's review against another edition
3.0
A good start to what I think will be an interesting take on the whole ghost/paranormal romance genera. A solid 3.2 out of 5 - get it from the library.