Review: Shade (Shade #1)

Title: Shade (Shade #1)
Author: Jeri Smith-Ready
Rating: 4/5 stars

Goodreads Summary:
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.



My Review:
I really, really, really liked this book. I even labeled it as one of my favorites. With that ending -how could I not want to read on? Impossible. Especially since my book came with the first chapter of the next book, which it's always a bad idea to read only the first chapter because you always expect to die where it lets off and of course I did!

Completely original story as far as I'm concerned. People below a certain ago who see ghosts? That's pretty cool. I didn't read the back of the book before I read and I have to say Logan dying was a HUGE shock for me. I was like 'Wow, this is going to be an emotional rollercoaster'. And I was right.

 Through parts of the book I just want to scream at Aura and tell her to let Logan pass. It's obviously killing her to live without him how she wants. But when certain things happen (not giving away anything) things seem ok. Though, some interactions Aura and Logan had I was like 'THIS IS YA?!' I was completely shocked they let a certain part slide in this book.

 And Zach, oh Zachary. The scottish boy who's overly helpful and gentlemanly in every way. He stole my heart :)

 In all honesty to me, the love triangle isn't working. I love both boys. But Aura's feelings towards Zahary, and especially his feelings towards her, don't seem to hold any real substance in the beginning. It's like romance was just created for the sole purpose of the story. I didn't see any huge attraction happening so fast that they were into each other too quickly.

 The ending ticked me off, because I felt like the author might just be keeping someone around for the story. I understand that the person (not saying who beause I don't want to give away spoilers) had isues and couldn't pass, but I just think they are hanging around longer than necessary.

One thing I did love was that we are kept a little in the dark about Aura's and Zachary's lives. Specifically, what Aura is so eager to find in the stars. I'm really looking forward to how this who star gazing thing plays out because I think it will work nicely.

 One of my favorite series already, I can tell. And I'm just about dying to get Shift in the mail!




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