The Cat's Meow: Shine Series

 

This is my second series read of 2014! Sadly I'm getting so drawn into the new releasing books and I've gotten a couple ARCs.

Jeri's Shade series have been sitting in my TBR pile since early 2012, I can't recall how I came across hearing about her books or if someone recommended the books to me. I know I wasn't on twitter(at least I think) But I had gotten a chance to meet her . . . Way back in May 2013, I can't believe a whole year has gone by!

Jeri became my second official Author that I have met, I've met Andrea Cremer multiple times but it was nice to finally get to meet someone new.

SO onto about her Shade series, Shade was focused around where people that were born after the "SHIFT" could see and talk to ghost, and then there were others that was born before the "SHIFT" and were called Pre-Shift, not always able to communicate with the ghosts or see them.

Aura was one of those that could see and talk to ghosts, most time she chose to ignore it until they start screaming at her in the face and while she is trying to live as much of a normal life as she can, but Aura wanted so badly to not speak or see ghosts until . . . her boyfriend dies. Then it seems that she didn't lose him entirely but it was getting harder to face what was real and what wasn't real.

Aura's boyfriend Logan was the most cliche boyfriend I have ever read, the musician boyfriend . .. The pressure of becoming famous. Then it became hard for Aura to let go of Logan and facing the reality of real life and Zachary.

Did I mention that this is taken in Baltimore? No . . . Maybe? Well here are some photos I have from my trip to Baltimore.

Some of my Favorite scenes and passages,

SHADE

I love the day Zach and Aura spent together at the pier, it took me right back to my trip I had in Summer 2013 and I even did a tour of historical ships, the only one I miss was the lighthouse but we started getting some bad weather. I even love the part where they run and hide from the DWP and they share their first kiss only to get caught by Zach's dad.

SHIFT

Running from the DWP in the woods all by themselves, those scenes were sweet but also adventurous the very first time they ever spent alone for one night.

I love and hate the prom passage, first it was the most sweetest thing and then it became the most worst thing. First Aura couldn't decide if she could go to prom with Zachary when she still had envision going with Logan until he die. Of course Zach is heart broken, feeling that he's competing against a dead guy. Then aura wants to go to prom with Zach but is rejected and Zachary prom date was the girl Aura always had been bullied by and Zach's date had other plans and thought it would be nice to try and rubbed it in her face via phone dialing.

SHINE

Everything of their alone time in a castle bed & breakfast, and touring Ireland was my highlight of the book. I love when characters are sent to other places in the world and that makes it more intriguing to make me travel to those places like Ireland.

I love when Aura finally learns about her father since he was a missing piece of her and a missing piece to her mother. It gave Aura a peace of mind knowing who he is and what he was, realizing that he was the key to what made the SHIFT happens.

Overall thought on the series?

I like it because it was different, it didn't fall under the norm of what YA been bringing and I hope that more author might be interested in writing more YA ghost/paranormal/Spirits aspect. I think there could be more expansion of where ghosts and spirits can become YA or even NA. Can you imagine reading Aura and Zach in an NA genre? Would the theme and pace be different or would it ruin the whole innocence of the characters? 

Book Review: Shift

 Shift (Shade #2) By Jeri Smith-Ready

In the second book of the Shade trilogy from Jeri Smith-Ready, Aura is torn between the two boys who hold her heart and determined to unravel the secrets of the Shift.

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 at her side, but Aura needs them both to uncover the mystery of her past; the mystery of the Shift. She not the only one seeking answers, though, and danger grows as she discovers new truths. Who can Aura trust with her secrets? And to whom will she give her heart?

Paperback, 400 pages

Published May 1st 2012 by Simon Pulse (first published April 28th 2011)

Review

The sequel to the Shade series was filled with unexpected possibilities, after Logan went all Shade he's gone for months until one night he finally return but not in the way Aura would thought. Things starts to unravel when Aura and Zach's project continues to grow, but there are secrets that even Aura doesn't know that may impact her life.

The more digging Aura does, the more DMP becomes even more so curious about who she is and what's she is. Ewoyn contains the hidden secrets and soon she has to trust Aura and Zach to protect the secrets that could mean everything to Aura.

Aura still struggles with giving her all for Zach when Logan still lurks but just how far is Aura willing to go to either be with Zach or can she finally let go of Logan?

I give squel to Shade an 5 Cat's Tails Up, I love every moments that were between Zack and Aura but as well the secrets that lies in Aura's mom journal are soon to be reveal. 

MEOW . . . MEOW . . . MEOW

Wow I knew that shade wasn't going to be the end of Logan but what I didn't expect was him to be fully solid on the night he shows up after so many months, Aura took those precious moments. But then Logan turns back into a ghost, no explanation to why he was able to become solid and how is it possible that a ghost that went Shade can turn back into a ghost.

Zach and Aura are hitting it off, but Zach is still somewhat jealous that Aura is still holding on to Logan and when Zach asks Aura to prom somehow that whole idea got screwed up either because Zach was mad that Aura couldn't move on from Logan or because Logan couldn't move on.

Their project was still going on learning but then suddenly Ewoyn has to take off once she gave Aura's parts of her mom's journals . . . the missing pages. To Aura that is the key to finding out who her father was and who her mom was as well since she died when she was very young.

DMP takes Aura and Zach into custody for unknown reasons but luckily Zach and Aura breaks free and  run into the unknown woods. Now I like scenes where character runs into the woods, I'm not sure why but it always intrigue me when they're on the run from something and the woods take reality away.

Now Aura and Zach go to prom, oh how I remember my proms days however when Zach goes to Prom with Becca she has her own wicked games the oops-I-hit-the-dial button by mistake. Aura is torn to feeling hurt and embarrassed. It was awkward for a while but Zach made it to a point to Aura that he wants her and only her.

The ending was my second favorite thing, Zach purchase plane tickets + room at a castle = for a couple days in Ireland. Zach couldn't be anymore perfect :-)

Book Review: Shade

Shade (Shade #1) By Jeri Smith-Ready

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.

Paperback, 309 pages

Published (first published May 4th 2010)

Review

Aura has a gift but are times that she's sees it as a curse, she was born one minutes after the SHIFT and now because of that she can communicates with ghosts whether she wants to or not.

But when her rock star boyfriend dies, she thought it was the end of the world until she sees his ghost, now she looks at this like a second chance with him but how can she be with him if he's dead?

Then comes along Zachary, Aura's research partner and suddenly she might have a chance of a normal life until it's reveal that they share the same birthdays but Zachary was born one minutes before the Shift.

Will Aura be able to move on with her life after the passing of Logan or will she still hold on to Logan for as long he's around?

Shade gave me a fresh new read for once where it's not all paranormal or supernatural(s) it's a simple of having the ability to see ghosts or not to see ghosts. I'm giving this Four and a half Cat's Tails UP for the start of a new book series to read.

MEOW . . . MEOW . . . MEOW

I'm glad I set a goal for what books I should be reading, it helps get my TBR pile shorter (HA! In my dreams) that list will never stop growing but I can now finally say I'm reading the Shade series by Jeri Smith-Ready.

Aura seems like your average girl, she has a rock star boyfriend but she also can communicate with ghosts not that she's wants to anyways. But on the night of her boyfriend Logan's concert, he just agreed to a record label but then no one expected him to do the unthinkable.

Logan's death stunned everyone and now Logan's is back as a ghost, now his family and Aura are trying to help him pass on before he becomes a Shade.

While Aura works on her research project with Zachary the new guy at school with a sexy accent, he starts becoming friends with her but soon after learning about what Aura can do, he wants to know more and to share more with her.

Aura grows into Zachary as well but she struggle with trying to move on with Logan still hanging around and she's a little confused with what she wants. She wants to be with Zach because he's here and real and not dead but she want Logan as well she wanted that one night with him before everything turns upside down and he's dead.

What I thought about Logan was the cliche type, rock star . . . fame . . . drugs . . . no goal in life and I hated that from the start but when Logan becomes a ghost, he's different. Different for himself, his family and Aura, he regret doing what he's done but he can't undo the mistake he's made.

His parents and siblings wants him to passed on as peacefully as he can but his little last show of the night on earth as a ghost turns to be something horrid and worrisome for the family when he became a Shade and disappeared.

What I thought about Zachary, how can you not like an accent? he's also smart in his own way and completely shy around Aura. When he finds out that he and Aura share the same birthday, he also shares that he can ward off ghosts around him by wearing anything red or at least that how I understood it.

Their birthday date was pretty awesome because just last summer I was in Baltimore and it took me away to figure out that the series was taken place in Baltimore. So the historic ships? yep I've been there but what's interesting is that DMP was looking for them at the time.

The scene I like the most was when Aura and Zach were hiding from the DMP on one of the historic ships and that's where they share their first kiss. But also that is when Zach's dad comes in and interrupt them, talk about AWKWARD!!!

I want to share some photos I took while in Baltimore and perhaps you'll see some of the aspects from the book :-)