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)

Review: Shade

Shade
Jeri Smith-Ready
Young Adult/Urban Fatansy
Shade series/Book 1
Simon Pulse/May 2010

From the inside cover ~

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.

There are a few of Ms. Smith-Ready's adult novels on my tbr pile but when I saw this one at the library I had to get it. I had planned to get it when it came out but, it got lost in the shuffle. It's not that I need to start yet another series, believe me I don't. It's not that I'm heavy into young adult novels or getting them for the teen. In fact, she hasn't read this one yet, she's re-reading her Mercedes Lackey books, again. I simply love Smith-Ready's writing and the premise of the story intrigued me.

In a world where kids can see and hear the dead, it maybe be cool at first but can become annoying fairly quickly. For Aura, it's been annoying for a while. She works for her Aunt Gina who provides legal counsel for the dead. Since Aura can see and speak with the dead, she acts as a translator. Aura isn't all work, she's a high school student with a boyfriend who's in a band. She's busy with her friends and school. Just a regular teenager. It's when things go horribly wrong that Aura begins to realize that she may not be just a regular teenager. She was the first one born after the Shift and the significance of that will play into Aura's future.

Wouldn't it be weird if teens has this power to see what adults couldn't? It puts them in a unique position. But there's more to it than just seeing ghosts. Aura is determined to find out why the Shift happened. She teams up with the new guy at school, Zachary, to work on her research of what caused the Shift. She doesn't tell anyone, afraid they'll think she's crazy, but Zach figures it out. But Aura isn't the only one keeping secrets. Zach is keeping some pretty big ones too.

Since Aura grew up after the Shift seeing ghosts has always been part of her life. But when that ghost is your dead boyfriend, that makes it odd in a way she wouldn't have imagined. After Logan dies, he visits Aura and she's happy he's there but she knows he needs to move on. The problem is that the circumstances of Logan's death are not cut and dry and Aura finds herself in the middle of the conflict. Aside from typical teen issues, Aura certainly has some unique ones. Her boyfriend is dead and is now a ghost and there's the new boy at school that she finds herself attracted too. Nothing like a little love triangle, no matter how odd, to add drama to a teens' life.

The world building is first rate with ghosts part of society. The government, of course, is involved and not always on the side of the innocent. I liked how Smith-Ready incorporated the various government entities into this world that now includes ghosts and the more darker Shades. The Shades are the ghosts that basically turn mean. They are not bound by the elemental laws that govern the standard ghost. The Shades are powerful and dangerous, something to fear. Loved that twist that made this so much more than just a simple ghost story.

So, it's another YA series I'll be adding to my reading list. I enjoyed this different take on ghosts and Aura's world. I'm curious to see where Aura is heading and hope the next book, Shift, (May 3, 2011) will answer some of the questions that Shade left us with.

Rating: A-

Cover Love ~ Bring On the Night...

Cover for the next release, book 3 from Jeri Smith-Ready's WVMP Radio series. That is one big, shiny blade. I wonder why we never get to see Ciara's whole face? Anyway, this is a fun series. You can read my review of Wicked Game, book 1. No reveiw yet for Bad to the Bone, book 2. It's on Mt. TBR Pile. Here's the blurb from the author's website. ~

What's Blood Got to Do With It?

Recovering con artist Ciara Griffin seems to finally have it all. A steady job at WVMP, the Lifeblood of Rock 'n' Roll. A loving relationship with the idiosyncratic but eternally hot DJ Shane McAllister. A vampire dog who never needs shots or a pooper-scooper. And after nine years, it looks as if she might actually finish her bachelor's degree!

But fate has other plans for Ciara. First she must fulfill her Faustian bargain with the Control, the paranormal paramilitary agency that does its best to keep vampires in line. Turns out the Control wants her for something other than her (nonexistent) ability to kick undead ass. Her anti-holy blood, perhaps?

Ciara's suspicions are confirmed when she's assigned to a special-ops division known as the Immanence Corps, run by the Control's oldest vampire and filled with humans who claim to have special powers. To a confirmed skeptic like Ciara, it sounds like a freak fest. But when a mysterious, fatal virus spreads through Sherwood—and corpses begin to rise from their graves—Ciara will not only get a crash course in zombie-killing, but will be forced to put her faith, and her life itself, in the hands of magic.

Release date for Bring on the Night is July 27.

Cover Love ~ Bad to the Bone

Jeri Smith-Ready has posted her cover for Bad to the Bone, the sequel to Wicked Game.

Here's the back cover blurb:

Turn On. Tune In. Drop Dead.

If you’re just joining us, welcome to radio station WVMP, “The Lifeblood of Rock ’n’ Roll.” Con-artist-turned-station-owner Ciara Griffin manages an on-air staff of off-the-wall DJs—including her new boyfriend Shane McAllister—who really sink their teeth into the music of their ‘Life Time” (the era in which they became vampires). It’s Ciara’s job to keep the undead rocking, the ratings rolling, and the fan base alive—without missing a beat.

For Halloween, WVMP is throwing a bash sure to raise the dead. They’ve got cool tunes, hot costumes, killer cocktails—what could go wrong? Well, for starters, a religious firebrand ranting against the evils of the occult preempts the station’s midnight broadcast. Then, when Ciara tracks down the illegal transmission, the broadcast tower is guarded by what appears to be…a canine vampire? And behind it all is a group of self-righteous radicals who think vampires suck (and are willing to stake their lives on it).

Now Ciara must protect the station while struggling with her own murky relationship issues, her best friend’s unlikely romance with a fledgling vampire, and the nature of her mysterious anti-holy powers. To make it to New Year’s in one piece, she’ll need to learn a few new tricks…

A puppy vamp folks. How cool is that? I like the colors on the cover and the pup... well, he definitely looks like he could pull off some major vamp-a-tude. If that doesn't grab your interest Smith-Ready has posted the first chapter of Bad to the Bone on her site. Yep, I'll be reading this one. Love those vamp DJs! Release date of May 19.

And if you haven't read the first book, Wicked Game, you can read my review of it here. Smith-Ready is also the very talented author of the Aspects of Crow trilogy (which I still need to read) as well as the novel Requiem for the Devil which I haven't read either but has been on my Amazon wish list for some time.

Review: Wicked Game

Title: Wicked Game

Author: Jeri Smith-Ready

Genre: Urban Fantasy

Published: May 2008

Ciara Griffin needs a job, fast. She interviews as a marketing intern for local radio station WMMP. After accepting the job she is given some books to read to get her up to speed on station policies etc. What she learns in one of the books is that this is no ordinary radio station. The DJs are, in fact, from the time period of the music they play. Because the DJs are vampires. Now she must decided what to do. Does she leave and try to find another job or work with people who could literally drain the life out of her?

Another new author for me. Dang, but this is becoming a trend, a good one. I first heard about Jeri Smith-Ready when some friends were reading and praising her Aspect of Crow series. I do have that series on my TBR pile but decided to read Wicked Game first after reading an interview between Ciara and Dante Baptiste a character from Adrian Phoenix's book A Rush of Wings. I can understand their praise if her writing in the Aspect of Crow series is anything like it is in Wicked Game. The set up is unique, vamps working at a radio station ~ think WKRP only cooler and undead. Then there are all the songs that are mentioned. Smith-Ready even has a play list included in the book and one on her website you can give a listen to. A very eclectic group of songs representing the different eras of music each vampire plays on the radio.

Ciara decides to stay at the radio station. She is a con artist by trade but needs the internship to graduate college. So she takes on the job of helping increase ratings and revenue so the owner doesn't sell the station to Skywave, a big corporation. If that were to happen the vampires would be out of jobs but worse, they would "fade" and possibly go crazy if they are forced to live in the here and now instead of their own "Life Time".

Ciara, even with her con artist background, is someone that I came to like. She is a smartass at times but I liked that. I totally get that. That's how she deals with stress and she has a lot with her job at WMMP, which she renames WVMP. She uses the fact that the DJs are vampires as a publicity stunt to boost the ratings and drawn in more advertisers. She also gets close with one of the DJs.

Shane McAllister is one of the younger vamps and looks the most human. When he first meets Ciara he plays it cool and doesn't show much interest in her or her ideas for the station. Ciara is able to break through to Shane and their attraction grows until they can't keep their hands off each other. The love scenes were engaging with the added bonus of Shane's musical selections. Their relationship was well developed and came across as genuine. The fact that Shane was a vamp did cause a few problems as you can imagine but overall I could see them as a couple. They were good for each other.

There were some dark parts in the book. There is a group of very old vampires who don't like what Ciara and WVMP are doing. They want the marketing ploy of vampire DJs to stop and will go to extreme length to get it to stop. But the lighter parts offset the dark scenes and I found myself laughing quite a few times.

The other DJs and humans in the story were interesting characters and certainly played a role in the overall story. It was fun to read Ciara interacting with each vampire DJ. They all had unique personalities that were brought out by the music they played. The vampires did have super human strength and speed but they weren't these super alpha, over the top giants that we seem to get in paranormals. These vamps looked the same as they had were they were human. As they aged they began to look more than just human, more beautiful.

Would I recommend this book? Definitely. I loved the twist Smith-Ready puts on the vampires, having them as DJs with distinct characteristics of their time period. This book could be read as a stand alone but there is another book coming out in May called Bad to the Bone. There are also three free tie-in short stories about three of the DJs. And for those that have read her Aspect of Crow series she has two tie-in short stories. All can be found on her website.

Rating: A