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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.
Chapter One
I held my breath as it began, the last verse of the last song. Logan’s last playlist.
He’d left behind four years’ worth of musical messages. Like the ballad mix, Missing the Shit out of You, the punk/hip-hop compilation, Songs for Breaking Stuff, and the geek-rock study aid, How to Not Hate Calculus.
Some lived in the CDs stacked on my bookshelf, blue plastic jewel cases perfectly aligned. Others lived in the MP3 player crooning softly on my nightstand.
The one Logan created after he died, Sucks to Be a Ghost (Sometimes), was ending now, with a hushed acoustic tune. One voice, one guitar, the way he’d played for me so many times. The song was a bonus track—an afterthought for the artist, but a thread of hope for us.
I’d played all of Logan’s mixes, one each night for the last ten weeks. Waiting here at my open window, I’d listened to every note. Called his name. Watched my breath turn to steam in the bitter winter air.
They said he’d never come back. Once a soul transforms from a bright violet ghost—with all the thoughts and hopes of a living person—into a dark, raging shade, it’s over.
No hanging out with humans, except to make them sick and dizzy.
No settling scores or righting wrongs.
No passing on and finding peace. Ever.
Shading is a one-way trip to hell.
But what “they” didn’t know was this: Logan had already made that round-trip—from ghost to shade and back to ghost—right there in my front yard.
If he’d done it once, he could do it again. I just had to believe. And wait.
It was easy at first, when he’d been gone a day, a week, a month. I held on to the memories of his ghostly light: Logan in the confession booth, telling me how it felt to die. Logan on the witness stand, saying all he’d ever wanted was me. Logan in my bed, his violet glow illuminating my bare skin.
But as the icy winter slouched toward a slushy spring, the nightmarish memories took over. Logan sulking over my friendship with Zachary. Logan raving when I broke up with him. Logan turning shade when he tried to pass on to eternal peace.
My chest ached even now, remembering that night in the Green Derby pub. He’d said good-bye to those he loved—first with words, and then with music, singing “The Parting Glass” while his brother and sister played guitar and fiddle. The perfect finale before leaving this world forever.
But just as the golden-white light of peace pulsed within him, something went wrong. Darkness devoured Logan’s form, turning him into a shade before our eyes. He fled in shame and sorrow. No one had seen him since.
I tightened my grip on the windowsill as the singer whispered his last plea, striking a final soft chord. The silence was filled by the sounds of Baltimore at midnight—the hiss of a flickering streetlight, the rustle of a breeze in the trees, the wail of a distant siren.
I had no more music to lure him. Only words.
“Logan, where are you?” I ran my thumb over the spot under the sill where he’d carved our initials. It gave me the strength to steady my voice. “I know you don’t want to be like this. I know you want to come back. So please come back.”
Doubt and fear began to choke me. What if he didn’t want to come back, not even for me? I had to know for sure, no matter how much it hurt.
“Are you happy this way? Do you want to stay a shade? If you want me to give up on you, just say so. Show me a sign.” I closed my eyes, ready to wait one last time.
A soul-shredding shriek filled my brain. I wanted to cover my ears, but couldn’t pull my hands off the windowsill. I needed an anchor to keep from falling, keep my body and mind from flying apart in the face of Logan’s desperate wrath.
He surged through my window—surged through me—in a burst of black energy that stole my strength. I collapsed on the floor, quaking and retching.
“AURA!! I TOLD YOU NOT TO WAIT!!”
“I don’t—listen—to shades.” I forced out the words while I could still remember how to speak.
He screamed again, turning my world into a runaway roller coaster hurtling off its tracks. I clung to the edge of my bedroom rug, fighting to stay conscious.
As Logan keened, my mind seized on an image of him as he was five months ago, performing with his band hours before he died: his bleached-blond hair glowing in the stage lights, his sky blue eyes full of fire. My shooting star.
“You can’t fool me,” I spat through gritted teeth. “You burn too bright for this.”
Silence fell, as if a shroud had been dropped over the entire world.
He was gone.
I squeezed my eyes shut tighter, dreading the sight of my empty room. The whirl of vertigo and the weight of sorrow pinned me to the floor. I wanted to stay there forever.
But then a glow appeared, so bright I could see it through my lids. I gasped and opened my eyes.
“Wow.”
Logan’s soft whisper halted my heart. I looked up, past his high-top Vans, gleaming violet in the dark.
Up past his shirt, hanging open like on the night he died.
Up into his astonished face.
“Aura, it worked!” Logan examined his violet arm like he’d never seen it before, then looked down at me. “Oh my God, are you okay?” He dropped to his knees, then reached for me the way he had a hundred times, in and after life. “Did I hurt you? Did you hit your head? Should I get help?”
I shook my head and sat up, fighting the fading dizziness. My mouth opened, but tears thickened my throat so that I couldn’t say his name.
“Hey, hey, don’t do that.” Logan caressed my cheek with a hand only my heart could feel. “You know I hate to see you cry.”
My eyes raked his ghostly form. He was back the way I remembered him—the voice, the smile, the shimmer that seemed brighter than any other ghost’s.
It was really, really Logan.
My breath burst out, mixing a sob with a laugh. “I thought I’d never see you again.”
“You didn’t think that for a second. You believed in me.” He spoke in a soft, awed whisper. “I love you.”
“I love you, too.” I wiped the tears soaking my face, even as new ones flowed.
“I can’t believe I’m here. Let me look at you.” Logan’s hands shook as they carved out the space around me, as if making sure I was here, too. When his gaze returned to my face, his forehead crinkled in concern. “Aura, have you been sleeping enough?”
I rubbed my eyes, aware of the dark circles underneath. “I’ve been so worried.” I whispered so I wouldn’t wake Aunt Gina in the next room. “What happened to you?”
He let out a groan and dragged his palms over his temples. “I don’t even know where to start. My head still feels like a hurricane.”
“Take your time.” I patted the floor, for some reason fearing that if he didn’t stay put, he’d disappear again. “Start at the beginning. Why did you turn shade?”
He sat cross-legged in front of me, shoulders sagging as if from exhaustion. “I was going to pass on that night after the trial. That was the whole point of it, right?”
“Supposedly.” My aunt’s law firm specializes in wrongful death cases, on the “peace through justice” theory that winning a lawsuit helps a ghost leave this world, content and satisfied.
“I felt phenomenal after we won.” Logan smoothed the legs of his cargo shorts. “At peace, you know? Like I’d said everything I needed to say.” He clenched the pocket seams. “But by the time we were at the Green Derby for our farewell concert, I wasn’t so sure.”
“Dylan told me you felt tainted.” I cringed at the memory of the guilt on Logan’s younger brother’s face. “He blames himself for letting you try to pass on.”
“No! It was my fault. I was tainted, from that other time I shaded, even though it was just for a few seconds. And from all the crazy shit I was still feeling—about dying, about my family’s court case putting you through all that pain.” He looked away. “About losing you.”
I twisted a lock of my dark, wavy hair around my finger, fighting that familiar guilt. “But you seemed so happy when we said good-bye.”
“I wanted to be happy. I wanted to let go of you and my whole life here. I guess I wasn’t ready.”
It hurt that he had been able to share his doubts with Dylan and not with me. Logan must have known how much I wanted to move on myself.
“If you weren’t ready, why not wait?”
“I couldn’t let everyone down. That huge crowd had come out to watch me find peace. And my family—I’d hurt them so bad by dying. Passing on was the only way to make it better.” He put his face in his hands, fingertips creasing his cheeks. “Instead I made it worse.”
I felt sick watching him relive those moments. But I had to know. “What happened?”
Logan dropped his hands and seared me with his mournful gaze. “I was almost there, Aura. I could see heaven. The door was open, the light was on, there was music so gorgeous you’d die just to hear it. And then—bam!” He punched a soundless fist into his palm. “The door slammed in my face. Having that light ripped away from me was like dying a hundred times in one second.” He ran both hands through his hair, gripping the pale spikes. “I freaked. Ricocheted into shading, I guess. I’m so sorry.”
“You’re a ghost again now, that’s all that matters.” I fidgeted with the bottom button of my purple silk nightshirt, longing to soothe his agony with a touch. But that was still impossible. “What happened after you turned shade? Where were you all this time?”
“All what time?” He jerked his head to look around my room. “What day is it?”
“March twentieth.” I checked the clock on my nightstand, which glowed 12:08 in pale blue digits. “March twenty-first.”
“Holy shit, almost three months.” He took a moment to absorb this. “I couldn’t see day or night. All I knew was I had to stay away from the living.” He pulled his bare knees to his chest, folding in on himself. “I didn’t want to cause any more pain.”
Logan had shown more restraint than most shades. The mere presence of those bitter spirits can debilitate anyone who sees ghosts, which includes me and everyone younger.
Even though shades were still rare—I’d seen four in my life, including Logan—they were becoming more common. And after three kids died a few years ago from a shade-induced fall from a balcony, the Department of Metaphysical Purity created a special forces unit—the Obsidian Corps. While the rest of the DMP focuses on research and technology (supposedly), the Obsidians have one mission: eradicating shades.
But since shades can’t be captured or contained, the Obsidians try to prevent them by detaining “at-risk” ghosts who seem on the verge of shading. Unfortunately, detainment involves a one-way trip inside a little black box lined with obsidian to prevent the ghost’s escape. A lot of innocent ghosts get captured in the process—ghosts who need help, not punishment. Not a fate I wanted for Logan.
“How did you turn back into a ghost?”
“You called me, I came,” he said as if it were obvious. “You made it happen, Aura.”
I squinted at him, confused. “But I’ve been calling you every night since you shaded.”
“I couldn’t hear you until a few minutes ago. There was so much noise.” He put his hands to his ears. “It sounded like feedback from a million amps.”
“God, it must have been torture.”
“It was.” His voice shook. “Hell is real, Aura. I was there, and I’m never going back.”
“I won’t let you.” I swept my hand through his, wishing again that I could hold him close and keep him with me in this world. But he couldn’t stay forever. “Can you pass on now?”
“I don’t think so, not yet.” He massaged the hollow of his throat. “Too many shady vibes. I’ve gotta make some changes. I spent my whole two and a half months as a ghost either feeling sorry for myself or trying to get attention.”
“News flash—all ghosts are like that. And no wonder. You can’t go anywhere you never went when you were alive. You can’t even see other dead people.” The extreme suckage of being a ghost is why most of them pass on right away, unless they have something—or someone—to stick around for. “So what else could you do?”
“I can do lots of things. Get this.” Logan dropped his knees into a cross-legged position again, scooting closer in excitement. “When I was a shade, I held on to three hopes to keep my soul from ripping apart.” He extended his thumb. “Number one. Remember when I said I wanted to make a difference? I can make the hugest difference, now that I’ve turned from a shade back to a ghost. This has never happened before, right?”
“As far as people know.”
“Tons of witnesses saw me shade out at the Green Derby that night. If the world finds out it’s not permanent, maybe the Obsidians will stop locking up shady ghosts and find some way to help them.” He gestured between us with his thumb. “Maybe together we can figure out how.”
“Sure.” My stomach fluttered at the thought of another media circus. But it was time to stop forgetting the world—and time to start changing it. “By the way, they don’t call them ‘shady’ ghosts anymore. They call them at-risk ghosts. ARGs for short.”
“Since when?”
“Since you. The press totally skewered those Obsidian agents who tried to capture you.”
“Good. Especially after the way they roughed up you and Dylan. Were you hurt?”
“Just some bruises.” I rubbed my wrist, which had already been sprained before I’d hurled myself at the agent.
Logan cocked his head. “So I’m famous now?”
He looked way too pleased with himself, so I changed the subject. “What was your second hope?”
Logan’s face lit up, literally glowing brighter. “I want to make music again.”
“But Mickey and Siobhan are too old to hear ghosts.” His brother and sister were eighteen—twins, in fact—born before the Shift.
“I’ll sing with post-Shifters. It’ll be easier to rehearse if I can communicate with my bandmates.”
“What about the audience?”
“You’ll hear me, and so will everyone younger than you.” He grinned. “Prime market, right? We’ll be the first band that was made for you guys. The labels’ll be lining up to sign us.”
I stared at him in disbelief. The promise of a recording label contract was what got Logan killed in the first place. To woo him into signing, the A and R rep from Warrant Records had given him cocaine, which, mixed with copious amounts of alcohol, had stopped his heart forever.
The old Logan was back, and only a little wiser. I hoped a little was enough.
“I’ve been writing more songs in my head,” he said, “about being a ghost and a shade.” His face turned smooth and solemn. “How I’d die all over again just to touch you.”
He swept his ethereal hand over my solid one, and I thought I felt the motion of air against my skin. But it was just my imagination, juiced up by wishful thinking.
“Aura, you were my third reason. The only one that matters.”
My lungs tightened. Logan had come back for me, but was I still in the same place? The night he shaded, I’d pressed the pause button on my life.
But with the spring thaw, I’d lurched into slow-mo: a night out clubbing with my best friend, Megan, a shopping trip with Aunt Gina. An afternoon at Zachary’s intramural soccer game (I hated watching soccer, but I liked watching him, more than I wanted to admit).
Now that Logan was here again, I could hit the play button, move at the speed of life. But in which direction?
“I don’t know if I can do this.”
“Do what?” He kept smiling, but his voice cracked a little.
“Be with you that way.” The words seemed to shred my throat on their way out. “Like before.”
His smile vanished. His lips parted, then closed, then parted again. “Aura, I—” Logan stood up fast, radiating nervous energy. “I came back for you.”
“Not just for me. You had to save yourself.”
“You saved me.” He pointed at me. “You had the power.”
“We don’t know that. Besides, you told me not to wait for you, remember?”
“Well—yeah. But that was when I was a shade. And now I’m not.”
“We said good-bye before you ever shaded.”
“And all this time you’ve been trying to get me back.” He lifted his palms. “Doesn’t that mean something?”
“I didn’t call for you so you could be my boyfriend. I did it because you were suffering. I did it because I love you.”
“But if you love me—” He took a step back, then another. “Is there someone else now? Are you with that Scottish guy?”
“I’m not with anyone. But yeah, I care about Zachary.” I noticed I looked away when I said his name, just as I had once been unable to meet Zachary’s eyes when I spoke the word “Logan.”
“‘Care about’? You care about music, you care about football, you care about freaking awesome cookies.” Logan quieted. “What does that mean when it comes to him?”
“We’re friends.” A cold breeze swept my bare arms. My window was still open.
“And?”
“And we’re going out tomorrow night.” I rose on shaky legs and went to the window. “There’s an ancient-astronomy exhibit opening at the Maryland Science Center.”
“So it’s for school,” he said with relief. “That paper you’re doing?”
“Our adviser got us into this special preview reception. It’s kind of a big deal.” I slid the window shut, my fingers almost slipping. “We’re going out to dinner first.”
“With your adviser.”
I fastened the latch. “No.”
Behind me, Logan fell so silent, I would’ve thought he’d disappeared if it weren’t for his violet reflection in the window.
“Who’s taking you to the prom?” he said finally.
“No one’s asked.” No one I liked, at least.
“I asked you the day after Homecoming, remember?” He came to stand beside me. “Let’s go together.”
The idea should’ve made me laugh, but instead I wanted to cry at the memory of Homecoming. We thought we had all the time in the world together. Less than a week later, he was dead.
“Ghosts can’t get into my school.” I turned to face him. “Ridgewood is totally BlackBoxed.”
“Then we’ll dance together outside. It’ll be warm enough by May. Everyone’ll join us, and it’ll be a big—”
“Logan, you’re dead.”
He jerked back as if I’d slapped him. Then his face twisted into jagged lines. “You didn’t mind before. You didn’t mind me lying in your bed every night. You didn’t mind me whispering in your ear while you touched yourself.”
My breath froze in my lungs. Logan slowly covered his mouth, his eyes turning round and wide.
He staggered back. “Oh God. Aura, I’m so sorry. I can’t believe I said that.”
I covered my burning face with my hands. The old Logan would’ve never been so harsh. What had shading done to him? “That was as much for you as it was for me.”
“I know, and I loved it. I loved you. I still love you so much.” He stepped forward, his glow shining through the cracks between my fingers. “I know we can’t have the future we wanted, but we can have now, right?”
“I can’t do this anymore.” My hands muffled my words. “Promise me we’ll just be friends, or leave me forever.”
“Fine. Friends. Whatever you want.” His voice shook with fear. “You know I mean it. Ghosts can’t lie. Aura, look at me.”
I lowered my hands. Logan was leaning over, eyes level with mine. With his shirt fallen open, I could see the planes of his violet chest—and my name tattooed over his heart. It would be there forever.
“Promise me,” I said.
“Better yet.” He lifted his left hand, palm down, fingers spread. “Spider-swear.”
I finally laughed. We’d invented the secret handshake, as serious as a blood oath, when we were six years old. Spider-swear had never been broken.
I spread my own fingers and slid them between his. We folded our palms down, extended our thumbs for the spider’s antennas, and wiggled our fingers for the eight legs.
“Spider-swear,” we said together, eyes locked, as solemnly as when we were kids.
A sudden heat gripped my hand. I ripped my gaze from his face, to the place where we had joined.
Logan’s whisper cut the shocked silence. “Whoa.”
My mouth opened but no sound came out. Impossible.
I could feel him.
A warm palm pressed against mine, the webbing of our fingers locked together. It couldn’t be real.
“Don’t move,” he breathed, softer than ever. Logan slowly wrapped his fingers around my hand.
Tears spilled down my cheeks as I realized it had to be a dream. Logan hadn’t come back to me. He was still a shade, roaming the world alone, poisoning post-Shifters with his bitterness.
He was still in hell.
I closed my eyes. “I don’t want to wake up. Please, God, don’t make me wake up.”
A gentle hand touched my face. I flinched away, expecting Aunt Gina, who would shake me out of sleep and offer comfort food.
The hand touched my cheek again. It wasn’t soft and cool like Gina’s. It was warm, with calloused fingertips like those of. . .
. . . a guitar player.
“Aura,” Logan whispered, “it’s not a dream.”
I opened my eyes. He was touching my face.
Logan. Touching.
My other hand brushed aside the edge of his soft cotton shirt and met the smooth flesh of his chest. Flesh that was no longer violet, but instead looked as it had when he was alive.
My heart pounded when its counterpart thumped beneath his skin. “How?”
“I don’t care,” he said, and kissed me.
© 2011 Jeri Smith-Ready
sissy4butler
Posted May 24, 2011
I finished it! It was really good, but I can tell you this, it was great, I mean, Logan came back to life! For a little while at least.... this book is amazing! Zach and Logan fight over her! That's what I love about it. I think it's a great book! I cried to when I found out what Logan did. I don't want to give much away beside that its a great book. Once you read the first one, you'll want more and more and more! Right when I got done with the first book, I jumped to the second. If your a young person, this probally isn't the best book for you. It does have some sexual things in it. But it's a great love story! I mean, who wounldn't love a story where the girl has to choose between her futuer and her past. So she could move on, or stay behind in the past? Which would you choose, and which do you think is best for Aura?
4 out of 4 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted March 28, 2013
This was an achingly beautiful book with such a passionate bond between the living and the dead. I am absolutely addicted to this series!
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Posted August 18, 2012
Cant stop reading it so amazing
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted June 22, 2012
Where the med, aprentice, and sick cats sleep.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted November 6, 2011
I've read the first two books in the Shift series and I could not hold back my tears both times! I am not a 'girly girl', I am not usually emotional enough to cry over a book. But these books managed to melt me. I abosulutely love the characters, the themes of learning to love and letting go and the suspenseful fantasy/paranormal backdrop. Smith-Ready is truly talented.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.9786518
Posted October 15, 2011
Come on guys write stuff
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.I really enjoyed Shift and can't wait for Shine. This trilogy has thus far blown me out of the water. I'm so glad I won it and read it!!
All the characters I fell in love with are back, and they are still amazing. I do have to say that both Zachary and Logan pulled some things that made me angry and want to hit them, but I think that it worked out okay enough in the end.
Some of my questions (and Aura's) were answered, but there is still a lot that I want to know and can't wait to find out how the answers come to her.
My Review:
I ADORED this book!! Everything about this book is written simply perfectly. I loved the way that the story progressed from the first novel. There was so much heart and emotion written into this one.
I liked how Aura had matured from the first book. She is so much more confident and sure about what she wanted in this book, although that doesn't mean that there weren't issues with Aura's lingering feelings for Logan, because there definitely were. My heart broke for her in this one. She knows that she wants Zach, but Logan is still a presence in her life which means that he maintains a corner of her heart. It's a no win situation for her, but I loved that she did maintain her honesty about those feelings with Zach at all times. I really respected her character for that. It would have been so easy to mislead and misrepresent her feelings so that she could have Zach, but she didn't do that.
In the same way, Zach had so much more to his personality in this one. His patience has been stretched to the absolute limit. He wants Aura, but doesn't know how to fight for her anymore. It's so hard to compete against a ghost, but he honestly does it brilliantly in this book. Almost everything that he did in this book made him capture one more piece of my heart as the reader. Add to that, the incredible mystery of the Shift. It's obvious that both Zach & Aura are significant to its occurring and Zach is worried that their actions might affect the outcome of the world. That's a lot of weight to shoulder.
Then there's Logan. It was wonderful to see him finally show some maturity. He reacts so brilliantly to almost all of his trials in this book. I can finally look at him as truly a good guy (which I had issues with in the first book.) I even fell a little bit in love with Dylan (Logan's younger brother) in this book. I think that I could have been convinced after the prom...
Everything is good about this one. The characters. The story line. The suspense. There is still heartbreak, but it adds so much depth and dimension to the book. I am dying to know more about how Zach & Aura fit into the whole Shift story and cannot wait for book #3, Shine.
JillyU
Posted August 28, 2011
I must say this series took me by suprise! I had heard of these books from a site where there was a pick you favorite YA males and I had read a lot about Zachary so I figured I would give the books a try. I really enjoyed them both! I really like that they are different (not another vampire or shape shifter story....not that I don't love those also). The story line is addicting, I didn't want to put it down. It is a little risky on some of the love scenes for a YA novel but realistic as far as the struggles teens have with the I want to but I'm not ready feelings. The love triangle is very touching you really do struggle with Aura as she tries to move on from Logan even though she still loves him. Shift even throws another twist in the love story that I wish would've gone a little further with Dylan. I love love love Zachary....even though he can be a little hard headed about things sometimes. I think its just a rule that you have to love a man with an accent!!! I think I will die from anticipation waiting for Shine to come out....summer 2012 is too far away!!!!!
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted August 20, 2011
I read the first book a few monthes ago and feel head over heals in love with it logan aura and zach are all great characters
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.9287850
Posted August 16, 2011
I just finished shade!! It was my fave book EVER and i have a dresser of books!!
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.In most cases the Sequel just kind of falls short, rest assured though that this is not the case! This book was so wonderfully done that I was in tears by the end! Truly, not only are these books out-of-the-box and should be admired for being so, but the characters are so easily to get attached to. A fantastic romance with some thrills and witty comedy in between! An absolute must read!
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.I was eager to read this book after finally reading Shade. This did not disappoint me at all. It's an excellent 2nd book in the series (something I don't get to say very often).
I was not surprised by the events that happen immediately after Logan reappears in Aura's life. As much as she would like to be fully over Logan, his death, and the events afterwards, she isn't. But, I was happy to see her realize that a life with Logan as a ghost really isn't a life. It's more like a constant reminder of what should have been. I can't imagine how hard it would be to get over someone who gone but not really gone. At the same time I really admired her for her determination to do all she could to help Logan fully move on. I think it was a way to help herself move forward and to maybe get a better grasp of what really happened with the Shift. I think she was also really wanting to help Shades/ghosts get the proper treatment they deserved from those who can't see them.
I was a little surprised at both Logan and Zachary's actions for part of this book. Logan seems to be stuck in the way he was when he died, almost like he's never gone to be capable of learning from his mistakes. Sometimes, he entirely too selfish. He says the he came back for Aura, but I think that's connected to his own reasoning. I also felt that Zachary was a little hard on Aura. I know he's been patient with her and letting her move on at her own pace. I expected more from him though. I also thought he was a typical a**hole during the whole prom scene and the weeks afterwards. I did forgive him a little when he divulged his own reasoning for not wanting to compete with Logan. And he completely redeemed himself in the end.
I enjoyed the chain of events outside of the relationship drama. I liked learning about the personal connections and events that happened that winter solstice so long ago. I feel like things are finally coming to light even if they don't make complete sense at this point. I'm curious as to how it all plays out in the end. Way to long to wait for the final book in this series!
*There was one little tidbit with dates that really bugged me. I'm sure no one else noticed and wondering if it was fixed in the final copy. I only noticed because my daughter was born on the winter solstice. The dates don't work for Aura to be conceived on the spring solstice and born prematurely on the winter solstice.
3081347
Posted June 17, 2011
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Shift is the second book in the Shade Trilogy and it does not fall into that sophomore slump category by any means. Shift is everything that Shade was, then 9938832x more. It has action still, - DMP agents do not seem like nice people - emotional turmoil, - ghosts=death=sadness - and it has romance - I cannot tell you how much I love Zachary. And even Logan. And I loved seeing more of Dylan.
When Shade left off, Logan just returned from shading, something that's not supposed to be possible. In Shift, he goes on to become solid again. Also, not supposed to happen. Aura feelings become more and more conflicted because she loves Logan, but she has really strong feelings for Zach. The girl is torn and screwed up and definitely flawed in her actions. But that's why I love her. She's the farthest thing from perfect, letting her emotions get the best of her and doing things she shouldn't do. And she knows it.
Aura's love life is far from the main issue here though. Logan's reappearance and his appearance in solid form are not normal, even for ghost standards. Aura and Zach continue their research into Megaliths and how they, particularly the one at Newgrange where both Aura's mother and Zach's father traveled before they were born, tie into the Shift. More questions are brought up than answers and I'm dying to read the closing book.
Jeri Smith-Ready is a goddess at writing dark, yet fun, interesting, and sexy as hell stories. Shade hooked me, Shift destroyed me (in a good way), and I'm drooling for Shine. Shift made me run the gamut of emotions. One minute I was happy for the characters, the next I was sad and nearly in tears, two pages later I would be ready to throw the book across the room. All because of Smith-Ready's spectacular emotional hold on me as a reader. If I had Shine in my hands right now, nothing else would matter because I am that eager to figure out how it ends; and you should be too.
Reviewer: Bri
Shift is a sequel...a true sequel from what I can tell of Shade. As in, it starts from where the previous book left off. I had not had the opportunity to read Shade prior to Shift and with a short deadline knew I wouldn't. Therefore, for the first time ever I read the sequel first. All I can say is it motivated me to go get Shift now too.
Aura is a dynamic but believable character, facing all the normal difficulties a teenage girl faces like Algebra, while also dealing with ghosts. One ghost in particular is Logan, her ex-boyfriend she still loves. Throw in Zachary a young man who she is literally destined for and you have yourself a love triangle of paranormal proportions creating a suspenseful fun read.
Those that read this blog know I am a character-oriented person and Shift delivered. The cast of secondaries were great. However, I think I would have loved them more if I had read Shade first. Therefore, while Shift is amazing, it's even better with Shade.
Patricia-TwoChicksOnBooks
Posted May 18, 2011
There's so much I want to say about this book but since I hate long reviews I will try to make this short and sweet.
YOU MUST READ THIS BOOK!! THIS SERIES!!
Okay, I guess I have to say a bit more. (heehee)
So I have to say the I totally enjoyed the first book in this trilogy, Shade. It was an awesome read and I had high expectations for this second book. Jeri certainly did not disappoint.
Right off the bat we start by witnessing something that we didn't think was possible. But I WILL NOT spoil it for you. I didn't think that I would like a series about ghosts but Jeri just knocks it out of the ballpark. What a great concept and plot this is. It's so interesting to see the generational divide between pre-shifters (those over 18) and post-shifters (those under 18).
We also get to know Zachary and Logan a bit more. I, of course, am Team Zach but I have to say that after reading this one I have a wee bit more sympathy for Logan.
Zachary is sweet, patient and totally H-O-T.!!! I haven't had this big a crush on a literally character since Ash from The Iron Fey Series. I love his accent. When I'm reading his lines I totally read them in a Scottish accent, well, I try to. Though I'm sure I don't do him justice. I don't care what he says, the accent does make him sexier.
Aww, Logan...what can I say about him? Hmm, well he's come a long way and I really feel like he's growing up. One thing that he totally has going for him though is that wonderful journal entry in the book. That really made me waver a bit. What journal entry you say? Well, you'll just have to pick up the book to find out.
How can I not mention Dylan, Logan's little brother. I just adore him. I hope that my sons turn out to be as brave and good hearted as him. We see a completely different side to him which is fun and exciting and endearing.
Aura is such a believable character. Sometimes when I'm reading her I think: "That's exactly how I would feel". I am a big fan of heroines who stand up for themselves, who make mistakes and learn from them and Aura definitely does this justice.
I am really looking forward to reading Shine, the conclusion of this trilogy. The only thing that I'm sad about is that the wait is going to be total torture.
Ms. Ready, you totally rock my world! This book is beyond awesome! The plot, the characters and the way it was written had me gripping my poor kobo hard.
What I liked most about this book is the storyline. If you have not read the first one, I strongly suggest you do. Where the first book left you with questions, this one gave you answers and even more questions! The secrets that were exposed were beyond anything I could imagine but also made sense.
The mysterious of the shift is detailed more in this book. I love how Ms. Ready lead the reader clue by clue until it was all revealed. I like it very much when the author can lead you like that. It makes you feel more in the story, like you are the characters searching for answers. Ms. Ready brought all her characters to life straight from words to your mind.
There wasn't so much as a love interest in this book. It was more of a confused girl who had too much on her mind to make up her mind about boys. Aura just couldn't get her head straight and it made her look bad. I was upset at her and how she acted. And I'm sorry, but she did deserve it.
Over all, Shift is a great sequel to Shade! The book had lots of secrets revealed and more answers wanted. Ms. Ready wrote a fantastic book that I could not get enough of. It is very addicting and had you turning the pages faster and faster! I can't wait to read the next book. Plus there is always Zachary, who accent makes my knees melt!
There was some cursing and lots of talk about sex*
If you've read Shade, Shift's predecessor, then you know what's going on. You know that (*SPOLIER*) Logan is dealing with shading-out and basically becoming a not-so-nice ghost at some points. You know that Aura, the MC, is dealing with her feelings for losing her first love and best friend, and now the arrival of a certain Scotsman. And you know that, while Aura is the suspected start of this whole ghost-seeing phenomenon, Zachary (the Scottish dude who sometimes wears kilts) is the suspected end of said phenomenon. They're complete opposites, and hell, when you get a little over a hundred pages in, you'll understand what I mean. (*END SPOILER*)
I don't want to spoil the book for anyone, so I'll make this as vague as I can! (I'll mark all spoilers-if there are any-so please, tread at your own risk!)
I really, really, enjoyed Shift. Maybe even more than Shade, since we don't have to learn all about the ghosts and the shading and all that jazz. We get to see Aura being Aura, Logan being Logan, and of course (my favorite!), Zachary being his cute Zachary-self.
My only real complaint about the sequel is that we, again, must hear Aura whine. I know, I know, I would be just like her too if my first love up and died and came back and.haunted me. (But it's not really haunting, is it, with the haunter whispering I love yous at every chance he gets, now is it?) Anyways, I was sick of hearing about how she missed him in this case, and then was all over Zach in the next instance.
Aura's also super-forgiving. (It gets annoying, when she does it for like, everything.) I don't know, maybe this is her fatal flaw? Sometimes, I wanted to close the book and be done with it. But, my love for Shade made me continue.
*SPOILER* If you're reading this, it's because you want to know something secret, aye? Well, another thing that kinda grossed me out was...Aura's prom date (ah-ha, and you thought I'd mention him!) and what she did with him. (Dude, get your mind out of the gutter...it's not nearly as bad as it sounds!). Oh, and even though I like Zach dearly, he was a total jerk at times, and I definitely wanted to hit him with a book. *END SPOILER*
As always, I enjoy the author's insight on music. Her adult series is the same way, and being the obsessive music junkie that I am, I always appreciate someone who appreciates music like Jeri Smith-Ready does. I know I saw mention of some of today's hottest new artists, and this author definitely gets cool points from me because of it.
All in all, Shade was a fabulous book, despite my complaints. I really hope that the author DOES NOT write another book because of the ending of this one. It was perfect and bittersweet, and I was smiling a little (the last line is so perfect...really) as the pages got smaller and smaller.
I would definitely recommend this to fans of Shade, anyone who likes a good mystery/ghost story/romance-on-the-rise, or just anyone who likes YA! Really, if you are picking this up without having read Shade, I don't suggest it. There are very few cases when Aura "remembers" from the other book, and you'll definitely be left wondering. This also isn't really a "light read" at little under 400 pages, there's a lot of stuff going on.
One more spoiler to end this with: (*SPOILER*) Ahh, I loved Zach again at the end! But the kilt...definitely brightened my day! (*END SPOLIER*) Okay, that's it. I promise.
Lostnthestax
Posted April 25, 2011
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Aura wants to help her dead boyfriend, Logan, from becoming a shade. She struggles with saying goodbye even though she wants him to move on peacefully and with his heart in the right place. She will always love him but she has a real live guy around who wants to have a future with her. Zachary has been patient but how long will he wait for Aura to get past Logan? Maybe it is time for him to move on, too.
As Aura continues her search for the answers to the Shift's origin she finds that her mother's journal is more important than she could have ever imagined. It's the key to her past and more importantly, her future. If she could just find the missing pages it would all fall into place.
The first chapter of this sequel to Shade will make your jaw drop! The best part is that it just keeps getting better and better after that. The chemistry between Aura and Zachary is so magnetizing. Their relationship doesn't come easily and they have to fight for each other every step of the way. It makes the moments they have together that much more special.
ARC courtesy of S&S GalleyGrab
Overview
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 ...