Audio Review: Shift

Shift
Jeri Smith-Ready
Young Adult Fantasy
Shade Trilogy/Book 2
Simon Pulse/May 3, 2011

*Spoilers for Book 1*

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.

Even though I put "Audio Review" in the title I actually both listened and read the book. Sometimes when listening I get impatient with the speed and in this case I also had the book so I switched between the two, reading when I could and listening when I was driving since reading is frowned upon when driving.

In the first book, Shade, we learn about the Shift that gave the younger generation the ability to see and hear ghosts. Aura was the first born after the shift and she not only sees ghosts, she talks to them and translates for them to those who can not see or hear them. After Aura's boyfriend Logan died he comes back as a ghost instead of crossing over to the other side. Aura is torn over her grief of Logan's death but still likes having him around, even if it's only in a ghostly form.

It's been 10 weeks since Aura last saw Logan, since he changed from ghost to a shade. She's the only one that has any hope that he'll change back to a ghost - being a shade is like turning to the darkside, you're not suppose to come back.

But Aura still waits for Logan. Aura is not in an enviable position. She loves Logan, will always love Logan, but he's dead and you can't really plan a future with a ghost. Zachary is very much alive and very much interested in Aura. The way it's written you would think Aura has to choose between the two but there isn't any real choice, it's more a matter of letting Logan go, and of course, Logan actually going. That's the sticking point.

Aura and Zachary find themselves together not only in school but outside of it. The time they spend together only creates a closer bond, showing how strong their feeling are becoming. As the story progresses, I couldn't help but feel that Aura and Zach make a good couple. Then Logan would reappear and throw the whole teenage love cycle out of whack. The reality is, Zach can't compete with a ghost and Aura can't continue to date a ghost. Something or someone has to give and Aura really shows her maturity when she makes some tough decisions.

I like how the trilogy is moving forward and how Aura's relationship with Zachary is developing. Both Aura and Zachary have reasons to discover what happened in the past and what caused them to be the ones born right before (Zach) and right after (Aura) the shift. They also have some typical teen drama to deal with in addition to ghostly boyfriends. Smith-Ready brings a lot of emotions into play without turning it into a teen soap opera. The intricacies of the world building are coming together and we learn more about Aura and Zachary's uniqueness but there are still some mysteries for the final installment.

If you haven't picked this trilogy up or if you like Ms. Smith-Ready's adult novels, you should give this a try.

Rating: A-

Books in the Trilogy ~

Shade
Shift
Shine (summer 2012)