Scan barcode
A review by hollyollyoxenfree
Shade by Jeri Smith-Ready
5.0
I picked up Shade completely on a whim. I spend a lot of time at the library, and I remember seeing Shine on a shelf after it was newly released, so I looked into the series, and discovered Shade was the first book, and the concept sounded intriguing enough that I thought oh why not! And I am so happy I went for it.
I'm not sure what exactly I was expecting from this book when I picked it up, but whatever it was, it certainly wasn't what I got. Jeri Smith-Ready creates a world so fascinating, and so unique, I couldn't help but be sucked in. The youngest generation of teenagers and children can all see ghosts. But these are not the regular ghosts we are used to - they are violet energy, preserved to look as they did in their happiest moment. So that was the first unique aspect for me - often ghosts are preserved as they are at their death, and they are typically in technicolor. So I was like, okay, that's different, I like that. Then there are the Shades. I don't want to ruin this bit of uniqueness for everyone, but I absolutely loved this concept because it's something I haven't really experienced in other ghost books.
Another thing I wasn't expecting was the emotion of this book. Oh the FEELINGS!!! I was expecting Logan's death, it's on the back cover as well as in the description here, but oh dear! The emotion that went into writing it makes the tragedy almost tangible. You can feel how deeply it tears everyone apart. Jeri Smith-Ready does such a good job of making the reader feel every little pain that Aura and the family feels, you can't help but be overwhelmed. The story is so tragically heart-wrenching, you can feel the pain in your soul. I found myself growing so attached to all of the characters in such a short amount of time, I couldn't bear their pain.
Which brings me to the characters. Aura is an interesting protagonist. She is flawed, as are we all, but it makes her so very human. And so very relatable. Often times the heroines are so annoying, or whiny, or any number of obnoxious adjectives that frustrate me to no end, but Aura was none of these. She was grief-stricken, but appropriately so. She really tried to make the best of the situation as she could. I really enjoyed her so much. Logan on the other hand, and I may be shot for saying this, irritated me. He is rather cocky, and acts so stupid most of the time, but he also has a vulnerable side that pulls on the heart strings. I liked his character, he was an excellent contrast to others in the story, but he was not my favorite by a long shot. However, everything leading up to and after his death are completely believable for his situation, which helped the story feel that much more realistic. Zachary. Oh Zachary. Who doesn't love a Scottish accent? I love Zach's character - he is sweet and sensitive, and so very patient. And I love him. I again don't want to give too much away, but I felt his actions and attitude toward the events in this book were also quite realistic given the circumstances. The supporting characters rounded out this book nicely - I especially liked Megan and Dylan, and Mickey and Siobhan. Normally the supporting characters either don't interact much or are just one-dimensional fluff characters, but I felt all of them had substance, and depicted the many stages of grief very well.
Jeri Smith-Ready is a beautiful writer. The way she crafts her descriptions, and the depth of emotion, not only makes you feel like you're part of the story, but it makes you feel like you know all of these characters personally. She draws you into her world and traps you there, and you don't even realize you're not part of it until suddenly you reach the end of the book. The love you can feel between Logan and Aura is so real, and the way it is written is so beautiful, you can't help but feel it too.
Jeri Smith-Ready's descriptions are so profound, and so complete, you can feel them in your soul. It was overwhelming at times, the beauty that she created with her words.
Wow. Just wow. After I read that I just sat for a bit to contemplate what she was saying. I was speechless. It's so beautiful. So profound. Perfection.
Jeri Smith-Ready really knew what she was doing when she wrote Shade . I am in awe of the beauty of the story, the beauty of her writing, and the beauty in her characters. I felt this book was fairly close to flawless - it was a world in which I would be happy to live, and it was so amazingly unique to anything else I had ever read. The characters were so well crafted, and the story was kept moving enough to keep me reading, that it most certainly deserved every single one of the five stars I gave it. I highly, highly recommend you read this book, because not only will it entertain you, it will touch your soul.
**Side note: After reading this book I couldn't get Flogging Molly's song, Devil's Dance Floor out of my head. So I listened to it on repeat while writing this review, as an homage to the Keeley Brothers' last concert.
I'm not sure what exactly I was expecting from this book when I picked it up, but whatever it was, it certainly wasn't what I got. Jeri Smith-Ready creates a world so fascinating, and so unique, I couldn't help but be sucked in. The youngest generation of teenagers and children can all see ghosts. But these are not the regular ghosts we are used to - they are violet energy, preserved to look as they did in their happiest moment. So that was the first unique aspect for me - often ghosts are preserved as they are at their death, and they are typically in technicolor. So I was like, okay, that's different, I like that. Then there are the Shades. I don't want to ruin this bit of uniqueness for everyone, but I absolutely loved this concept because it's something I haven't really experienced in other ghost books.
Another thing I wasn't expecting was the emotion of this book. Oh the FEELINGS!!! I was expecting Logan's death, it's on the back cover as well as in the description here, but oh dear! The emotion that went into writing it makes the tragedy almost tangible. You can feel how deeply it tears everyone apart. Jeri Smith-Ready does such a good job of making the reader feel every little pain that Aura and the family feels, you can't help but be overwhelmed. The story is so tragically heart-wrenching, you can feel the pain in your soul. I found myself growing so attached to all of the characters in such a short amount of time, I couldn't bear their pain.
Which brings me to the characters. Aura is an interesting protagonist. She is flawed, as are we all, but it makes her so very human. And so very relatable. Often times the heroines are so annoying, or whiny, or any number of obnoxious adjectives that frustrate me to no end, but Aura was none of these. She was grief-stricken, but appropriately so. She really tried to make the best of the situation as she could. I really enjoyed her so much. Logan on the other hand, and I may be shot for saying this, irritated me. He is rather cocky, and acts so stupid most of the time, but he also has a vulnerable side that pulls on the heart strings. I liked his character, he was an excellent contrast to others in the story, but he was not my favorite by a long shot. However, everything leading up to and after his death are completely believable for his situation, which helped the story feel that much more realistic. Zachary. Oh Zachary. Who doesn't love a Scottish accent? I love Zach's character - he is sweet and sensitive, and so very patient. And I love him. I again don't want to give too much away, but I felt his actions and attitude toward the events in this book were also quite realistic given the circumstances. The supporting characters rounded out this book nicely - I especially liked Megan and Dylan, and Mickey and Siobhan. Normally the supporting characters either don't interact much or are just one-dimensional fluff characters, but I felt all of them had substance, and depicted the many stages of grief very well.
Jeri Smith-Ready is a beautiful writer. The way she crafts her descriptions, and the depth of emotion, not only makes you feel like you're part of the story, but it makes you feel like you know all of these characters personally. She draws you into her world and traps you there, and you don't even realize you're not part of it until suddenly you reach the end of the book. The love you can feel between Logan and Aura is so real, and the way it is written is so beautiful, you can't help but feel it too.
All I know is that I was ecstatically, painfully in love with him, waiting for him to slip away, leaving me with my palms singed from clutching a blue-hot star.
Jeri Smith-Ready's descriptions are so profound, and so complete, you can feel them in your soul. It was overwhelming at times, the beauty that she created with her words.
We were whispering now, because even the crickets had gone to bed. "I haven't seen a single ghost all night." Except Logan, I added mentally.
"That's not true. Look at the Milky Way." Zachary leaned back on one hand and swept his other over his head. "Some of those stars are already dead. In the thousands of years it takes their light to reach us, they could've exploded or burned out."
I gazed up at the long, blurry stretch of silver that could've been mistaken for a high cloud. "So we're seeing them as they were, not the way they are now."
We sat for a few more minutes in silence, and I began to understand why Eowyn was making us do this exercise. Three thousand years ago, people probably couldn't imagine the birth and death of stars. Those points of light were constant, dependable, eternal. Must have been comforting.
We packed up my car and drove home, under a sky full of ghosts.
Wow. Just wow. After I read that I just sat for a bit to contemplate what she was saying. I was speechless. It's so beautiful. So profound. Perfection.
Jeri Smith-Ready really knew what she was doing when she wrote Shade . I am in awe of the beauty of the story, the beauty of her writing, and the beauty in her characters. I felt this book was fairly close to flawless - it was a world in which I would be happy to live, and it was so amazingly unique to anything else I had ever read. The characters were so well crafted, and the story was kept moving enough to keep me reading, that it most certainly deserved every single one of the five stars I gave it. I highly, highly recommend you read this book, because not only will it entertain you, it will touch your soul.
**Side note: After reading this book I couldn't get Flogging Molly's song, Devil's Dance Floor out of my head. So I listened to it on repeat while writing this review, as an homage to the Keeley Brothers' last concert.