Book Review: Shade by Jeri Smith-Ready

What a beautifully sad book!

Death is a sad phenomenon most of the time. This book emphasized that while incorporating love, grief, and hope in the entire story. At first, I was really prejudiced because I'm not a big fan of ghosts. They scare me, therefore, I didn't really want to read about them. This feeling caused me to feel that the book started slow. I'm not sure if it really did or if it was just me. However, after I finally focused in the story, I started enjoying it and went on to finish it. It was sad but not sad enough to make me cry. It also wasn't scary!! :)

SPOILER ALERT!!!!

Aura was the main character of the story. She was a Post-Shifter which meant she was born after the Shift. I still don't know what Shift means. If you haven't read this book, Post-Shifters could see and communicate with ghosts. It was such a phenomenon that the government started an entire agency dedicated to ghosts, kind of like the FBI of ghosts.

Logan was Aura's boyfriend. They were a typical young couple who had a goal of having sex with each other at a certain time, drink a lot, party, etc. Logan was a part of the band Keeley's Brothers. Everything was going well until he did something stupid and killed himself. His passing was hard for everyone, especially for Aura. It was hard for her to let him go and vice versa. They really did love each other.

Zachary was the new Scottish exchange student at Aura's school. He was so charming and just criminally adorable. He was also in love with Aura. Throughout the book, he expressed how patient he was and that he would wait for Aura to be ready, no matter how long it took. Well, at least, until it was time for him to go back to Scotland. Did I mention, he was also the last of the Pre-Shifters? As the Last, he had some kind of special powers. As Logan described it, he was so bright and red. No wonder he repels ghosts.

Logan's family sued the record company who gave him the cocaine that killed him. The description of the court chapter was so sad. Anyway, he was supposed to move on but instead, he turned Shade. Shade meant that the ghost was no longer violet, instead, he was black with specks of violet. They were also very harmful to living people. Despite turning Shade, however, Aura believed in Logan coming back. Something about her believing brought him back in the end. Woah.

Check out these awesome quotes/scenes :D

Zachary: "The pieces of you are complete shite today, the bloated eyelids and splotchy skin and your hair all, you know, and all together you should look pure hackit, but somehow, you're more bonnie than ever. (insert Aura's response) I'm no' flirting with you, not with your boyfriend just passing. I'm only making an observation."

Zachary: "I won't believe a word. In fact, I'll just give them blank looks and say--" He uttered a series of guttural Gaelic syllables. All I could make out was something that sounded like byorla.
Aura: "What's that mean?"
Zachary: "I don't speak bloody English."

"Aura."
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Zachary's hand near my face. Slowly he brushed back my hair, sliding it behind my shoulder. His fingertip grazed my bare neck right under my ear.
My entire body tensed. I held my breath to keep from gasping.
"Sorry." He quickly tucked the ends of my hair inside my hood. "It was in the way. I couldn't see."
(omitted scenes here)
"Your turn to draw." I tossed the pencil at his chest.
"At least my hair won't block your view."
"No, but your big head might." I crawled behind him so he could take my place in front of the chart.
"I'll have you know, my head is perfectly average size." He spread his fingers. "My hands, though, are enormous, and you know what they say--"
"Shut up and draw, lad," I said in my best attempt at a Scottish accent.

Z: "Aura."
A: "Hmm?"
Z: "Your, uh, your chest is humming."

Z: "The man at the flower shop said that yellow was for friendship and red was for, well, more than friendship."
A: "Does this mean we're both?"
Z: "It means I don't know which we are....I know I want to be with you. But not if you're in love with someone else."
A: "I'm not."
Z: "I could hear it in your voice--it hurts you just to say his name. And I can see it in your eyes right now. You're not over him."
A: "I'm working on it."
Z: "Aura, I'm really patient, but I'm not a bloody saint."
(omitted scenes)
A: "I'm ready to move on."
Z: "Moving on doesn't mean moving on to me. I don't want you to want me just because I'm here and alive."

 So, have you read this book? Can you tell I'm a bit obsessed with Zachary? Isn't he just too awesome? Talk to me in the comments :)