Shade by Jeri Smith-Ready

Title: Shade
Author: Jeri Smith-Ready
Pages: 320
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Publication Date: May 4, 2010
Source: Publisher & Author

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.

Shade is an exciting paranormal read that'll sweep readers off their feet with a heated love triangle with a chilling--although sometimes confusing--plot. The characters are relatable without being generic. Smith-Ready provides readers with a winding road of twists and turns that satisfies the readers' hunger for a thrilling mystery.

The world that Shade happens in, is completely different to what we are used to. There, many things that are impossible for us are made believable in Shade's setting. Readers are introduced to the concept of 'defying gravity' and inevitably believes this convincing setting.

The romance of the love triangle is enough to make readers have a hard time deciding which side they're on. But as the book progresses, readers will make that decision and go through what Aura has to deal with; liking a living person, and loving a dead one. The characters in Shade are mature to start with, and only get even more knowlegable without being sticklers. They learn to death with grief, love, and difficult choices...things that we also have to deal with today.

Shade is a suspense-filled, heart-stopping novel that has everything you'd want; sexy characters, drama (both living and dead), and major conflict. The only thing I'd say I was annoyed about was the cliff-hanger at the end. *hint hint*

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*Review also for International Book Tours