REVIEW: Shade (Shade,#1) by Jeri Smith-Ready

Shade by Jeri Smith-Ready

Publication Date: September 2nd 2010

Publisher: Simon&Schuster Children's

Paperback, 320 pages

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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.

I really don't know what I have been thinking so long,having Shade just sitting there on my shelf...A good friend of mine gave me a copy,absolutely certain that I would love it.I, on the other hand was a bit apprehensive,though why,I can't really say.And once more, she was right suggesting this book to me,so yet again :Thanks Giota,not only for lending me a copy of Shade,but for insisting that I should read it as soon as possible!".

After my very long prologue,let's get to the point!And the point is that Shade is one of the best books I've read this year!It's that good!The story of this book is so unique and so incredibly well written that it will stick to my mind for quite some time!Jerry Smith-Ready is a very talented wrietr,one that not just tells a story in a beautiful way, but the kind of writer that is able to stir such feelings to her readers,that believe me, you'll feel amazed the whole time while reading her book!

Up to the first half of Shade,I already knew that I would end up liking it,but I have to admit, never could I have imagined just how much!I mean, the first half was really good,but after a certain point.this book becomes incredible!

The plot as I already said is unique.I've read other bookswith ghosts but nothing remotely close to the storyline of Shade,which by the way,I'm guessing will become even better in the next book.Cause when Shade reaches its end,although you aren't left unsatisfied by any means,most of the basic answers to the universe Smith-Ready created aren't given,and that's partly the reason I can't wait to start reading Shift!

The characters are incredibly well created and not just the basic,but the secondary ones as well.Their reactions to situations, the way they handle things and even the way they feel towards certain facts is believable and in order to the way the writer intended them to be.

Needless to say that my favorite character in this book is by far Aura...And not just because I could relate to her totally but because she's a down to earth girl,with many prons and con's in her character that you can't help yourself but like her immediately!The way she handles Logan's death,how she tries to stick to whatever has left of him,even if he's dead and her loyalty are plainly incredible,not to mention described in such a way that, at least personally, felt like myself living with her choices.And maybe a huge part in my loving so much this book is precisely that ability of Smith-Ready to make her readers "feel" her characters.

All in all,Shade is an incredible book,one that I totally recommend to anyone and one I positively can't wait to read its sequel!