REVIEW: Shine (Shade #3)

Shine (Shade #3), by Jeri Smith-Ready
Published May 1, 2012
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Format: audiobook, purchased from Audible
Genre:  young adult paranormal romance
To Buy: Amazon * Barnes & Noble
Rating:  5 STARS

(From Goodreads) Life can change in an instant, and no one understands that better than Aura. It’s been almost a year since her boyfriend tragically died. She’s finally letting go of Logan’s violet-hued ghost, but not her search to uncover the truth about her past.

As the first in a generation that can see ghosts, Aura is convinced she has a connection to the Shift. She’s trusted Zachary, ever patient and ever by her side, with all that she knows. But when the government threatens his life in an attempt to learn Aura’s secrets, she will stop at nothing to protect herself and the one she loves...even if that means betraying her own heart.

I just can't even begin to tell you how much I adore Jeri Smith-Ready's Shade series. I'm talking total and complete squealie fan-girl LOVE. It's a rare and wonderful thing when you discover a series that you can't help but bestow 5 huge bedazzled stars on each and every book. Once I reached the end of Shine, I knew that this was one of those times.

Shine starts off with a big, emotional bang when Aura has to send Zachary off at the airport since he's essentially been deported back to Scotland with his parents. She soon learns that his travel plans didn't go off like they were supposed to, and now they both are in some serious trouble as the DMP and other interest groups have their sights set on preventing them from learning more about the Shift.

Shine was different from Shade and Shift. Aura and Zachary have been through so much by this time, both individually and together as a couple. Not much of the story is set in their high school for a change, although much of the story spans Aura's senior year. The school parts are glossed over in favor of focusing on the drama surrounding Zachary's attempted return home and his and Aura's attempts to try and figure out her mom's motives for going to Ireland originally in the hopes that it could lead to them ending the Shift.

Shine is definitely the heaviest book in the trilogy. That much is apparent from the very beginning when a major tragedy occurs that rocks Aura and her whole community (the entire country, actually) to the core. Aura and Zachary are faced with some serious challenges to their relationship too, and not just whether or not Aura may still be in love with Logan. This time around they have to battle thousands of miles of distance, government agencies threatening their freedoms and lives, and friendships and relationships crumbling around them.

The best part about Shine is that despite all the craziness going on around them, Aura and Zachary have finally - at LONG last - come to a good place in their relationship, and it's the shiny happy good thing that the reader has to hold on to as we get through all the bad stuff. Zachary is at his absolute best. Please tell me that guys like him really exist out there. Because, he is so utterly amazing. He's protective of Aura and supportive and so so in love with her. He's still awkward at times, doesn't always say and do the right things. But, when it really counts, you just know he will do what needs to be done.

And Aura - I have to tell you. She bugged the crap out of me in Shade. Her back and forth between Logan and Zachary drove me up a wall. She was unsure of herself and kinda mean at times and I hated that about her. Finally in Shine she has found her place and stays there. It's certainly not easy - hell, it's downright dangerous at times. But, she never wavers, and that absolutely rocks.

Shine was dangerous and exciting and frustrating and heartbreakingly romantic. Aura and Zachary are one of my favorite bookish couples of all time. They are sweet and funny and completely solid. Jeri Smith-Ready's knowledge of Irish and Scottish mythology, dialects and customs once again is so apparent, and it adds so much richness to the story. She's an amazing writer, and definitely one of my favorites.

Once again, I listened to the audio version of Shine, even though I own a signed hard copy, mainly because Kristine Hvam does an absolutely OUTSTANDING job narrating. If you've never tried audiobooks before, the Shade series is a great one to start with. Hell - even if you have, just please. Go out and read this series. It is so incredible. 

REVIEW: Shift (Shade #2)

Shift (Shade #2), by Jeri Smith-Ready
Published May 3, 2011
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Format: audiobook, I purchased
Genre: YA paranormal romance
To Buy:  Amazon * Barnes & Noble

Rating:  5 STARS

(From Goodreads) Aura’s life is anything but easy. Her boyfriend, Logan, died, and his slides between ghost and shade have left her reeling. Aura knows he needs her now more than ever. She loves Logan, but she can’t deny her connection with the totally supportive, totally gorgeous Zachary. And she’s not sure that she wants to.

Logan and Zachary will fight to be the one by her side, but Aura needs them both to uncover the mystery of her past—the mystery of the Shift. 

As Aura’s search uncovers new truths, she must decide whom to trust with her secrets…and her heart.

You know how some middle series books slow down as they set the stage for the final one? Yeeeeah... That's so not the case with Shift. I mean, yes - it IS the middle book. And, yes, it did certainly set the stage for the final book. But, the slowing down part? Not. Even. Close.

Aura is sad and lonely after Logan turned into a Shade. Until she calls to him on the Spring Equinox and she is able to turn him back to a ghost. Then, a solid person again. Temporarily, anyway. While she doesn't know what this means, she soon realizes the repercussions it could have on her budding relationship with Zachary. While they try and work it all out, the DMP is now going to drastic measures to keep both Aura, Zach and Logan under their thumbs.

I felt so much for Aura in Shift. I can imagine that it's tough to get over the death of a loved one when you can see and talk to their ghost pretty much whenever you want to. The lines get blurred even more when you can feel them and hug them and kiss them for 17 minutes each quarter. How do you ever move on from something like that? And, yet, Aura tries - not without a small measure of confusion, though. And, how could you blame her?

Zachary is one of the best male characters I've ever read about in YA fiction. He's kind of a geek. He's awkward and shy at times. Yet, when he needs it, he draws this manly bravery out from his depths and uses it to help those he loves. And, make no mistake - this boy loves Aura. How many times have book boyfriends recited these eloquent swoony speeches to the girls they love, and you sit there and think, "Huh. That sounds like an author wrote that."? Not so here. Zach doesn't always have the right words. He totally makes crap decisions (over and over and OVER again in Shift). And, he is one of the most perfect male YA characters ever. BECAUSE of those things. 

Believe it or not, the most growth seen in this book comes from Logan. He moves from party boy who thinks about himself to a quasi-adult who starts thinking about everyone else around him and how his presence affects them. I loved seeing his character grow and change. I'm glad Jeri Smith-Ready didn't make it easy for him, either. He still loves Aura and doesn't want her with anyone else. Yet, Logan also recognizes that his hanging on causes her to stall too. And, how could he love her if he didn't let her go? But, he positively agonizes over it, and it takes him a long time to reach a mature place.

One of the best things about this series is that the paranormal elements are steeped in reality. There's a lot of Irish and Celtic mythology in play here with real places and legends not only referenced, but taking a major role in the post-Shift world that Jeri Smith-Ready has created. The author has done her homework and then some. The reality is intertwined so seamlessly with the make-believe that the make-believe seems totally real. Jeri has done her job well.

The action is plentiful. The frustration for the reader is completely ridiculous. And, by ridiculous, I mean AWESOME. Both Aura and Zach do colossally stupid things in Shift that made me yell and rage. And, somehow, they manage to find common ground and get over all the mistakes and regrets. And, in the end, I  found myself bawling over the steering wheel in my car. The ending was amazing and set things up so well for the final book.

A word about the audio version of Shift - Kristine Hvam is now on my list of Favorite Audiobook Narrators. She did an incredible job with the dialects and the male/female inflections. I loved it.

Even if ghost stories aren't really your thing (they aren't really my thing), know that the Shade series isn't just a "ghost series." It's about love and loss and defining what freedom really is in all manners of the term.

REVIEW: Shade (Shade #1)

Shade (Shade #1), by Jeri Smith-Ready
Published May 4, 2010
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Format: audiobook, borrowed from the library
Genre:  young adult paranormal romance
To Buy: Amazon * Barnes & Noble

Rating:  5 STARS

(From Goodreads) 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.

Yeah - ghost books usually aren't my thing. Let's face it - relationships with non-corporeal beings are doomed for failure. No kissing, no touching, no sharing a dessert... it takes all the fun out of it, right? So, I approached Shade with a measure of trepidation. 

As it turns out, I really had nothing to worry about. Not only does Shade include a heroine with tons of moxie (my favorite kind), but it also includes a hot... SCOTTISH... boy. Who is completely alive. And, did I mention hot? Bottom line - I freaking loved this ghost book!

Honestly though, hot Scottish boy aside, one of the best parts of Shade is the paranormal mythology that is all Jeri Smith-Ready. This is some completely unique stuff here, and the way she explained it was so perfect. See, people couldn't see or talk to ghosts until one second... they could. The people born before that second (which has come to be known as "the shift") can't see the ghosts, and the people born after that second can. Aura was born on that second - she was the first. Zachary was born one second before Aura. He was the last. 

I loved how Jeri Smith-Ready created a world around the idea that some people (in this case, no one older than 17) can see ghosts and some can't. Ghosts can testify in their own murder cases. They can be waitresses and rock stars. There's a policing agency designed to keep them in line. And, if ghosts go bad - or, shade - they go to a prison of sorts. This was an amazing concept, and Jeri Smith-Ready sold it marvelously. 

Aura is so cool. She's fun and funny and totally in love with her boyfriend Logan, a local rock band front man. And, when Logan accidentally dies, she understandably struggles. Her devastation is confused by two things - first, she can still see and speak to Logan. And, she does frequently. Second, she befriends Zachary and finds many things to love about him, not least of which is, she can actually touch him. Can you imagine mourning a loss like that when you still can see the person you're mourning? For a teenager, she handles things like a grown-up. 

Zachary is, obviously, my favorite part. He's sweet, charming, smart and he has a really sexy accent. Better than all that, he really cares about Aura and wants to help her, even if that means letting her go. That right there is a keeper. Aura should take note. 

The mystery is so great. Although we know there's a connection between Zachary and Aura - being that they're the last and the first - we don't know what it is, exactly, yet .We also think it has something to do with Zachary's dad and Aura's dead mother. But, we don't know what that is yet, either. And, we know that Zachary and Aura both have some extra powers, but we don't understand the extent of them all yet or the implications on the rest of the world because of them. So, there's plenty of fodder for the next book, which I cannot wait to get into. 

I listened to the audio version of Shade, and the narrator, Khristine Hvam, did a fantastic job. Her accents were spot on, and her reading made the story absolutely come to life. She was wonderful!

I'm so excited to see Jeri Smith-Ready at the Celebrate the Book festival in Carlisle, Pennsylvania on October 19. I can't wait to talk to her about the Shade series and pick her brain. She's an incredible author.