Reviewed by Amanda on
The world that Jeri Smith-Ready has built in this series is what most drew me into Shade. We learn some information about the Shift, and the Aura is attempting to learn more. We are introduced to ghosts and how they can shade if they do not pass on. But I don’t know that I was satisfied enough with how much I learned — though I was dissatisfied more in a *finishes book one, then picks up the next book to read* kind of way. There is a lot of promise in this series.
Yes, there was a love triangle. And I still am sick and tired of love triangles. But I can tolerate this love triangle better than some other series. It makes sense, and clearly one choice is far more viable than the other, even if it’s not the choice Aura’s heart wants to make (or does her heart want to make it?). I was not a fan of Logan’s character, though. He seemed to be one of those people who are extremely charming but have no concept of other people. Zachary seems to be the polar opposite, and I very much like him.
There are far more references to sex, alcohol, and drugs in Shade than I have seen in other YA novels. You could attribute this to the fact that the main characters are seventeen and therefore older, but I suspect that it’s more of an accurate representation of what actually goes on with high school students. I actually appreciated that these things were addressed because it made the characters far more real.
Shade was a good start (with an ending that could be classified as a cliffhanger), and I am definitely looking forward to Shift.
Reading updates
- Started reading
- 5 September, 2011: Finished reading
- 5 September, 2011: Reviewed