Title: Shine (Shade #3)
Author: Jeri Smith-Ready
Published: May, 2012 by Simon & Schuster
Pages: 399
Rating:  
Purchase: The Book Depository

In this dramatic conclusion to the Shade trilogy, Aura and Zachary’s relationship sizzles as the secrets of the Shift are revealed.

Life can change in an instant, and no one understands that better than Aura. It’s been almost a year since her boyfriend tragically died. She’s finally letting go of Logan’s violet-hued ghost, but not her search to uncover the truth about her past.

As the first in a generation that can see ghosts, Aura is convinced she has a connection to the Shift. She’s trusted Zachary, ever patient and ever by her side, with all that she knows. But when the government threatens his life in an attempt to learn Aura’s secrets, she will stop at nothing to protect herself and the one she loves…even if that means betraying her own heart.

Final Thoughts:
With a heavy focus on Aura and Zach’s relationship, fans of that aspect of the series will eat this one up. I don’t know if too much time has passed since I read the last book, but for me, I thought we got too caught up in all of that. It started out great, with Zachary out of the picture, the stakes high, and Aura and her friends taking on the DMP, but after a while, the evil organisation plot slipped onto the backburner. Still, we did learn pretty much all of the secrets, but I could have used more of an ongoing struggle against the DMP. The ending just felt like it had been tacked on the end—like it could have been placed at any point in the second half of the book and we would have gotten the same result.

Title: Shift (Shade #2)
Author: Jeri Smith-Ready
Published: April, 2011 by Simon Pulse
Pages: 367
Rating:  
Purchase: The Book Depository

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’s 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?

Final Thoughts:
This took me AGES to get through. It just wasn’t clicking for me. I kept finding myself putting it down mid chapter, leaving it a few days, then telling myself I had to get back into it. It was just so different from the first book, and not in a positive way. With great ideas, this paranormal had heaps to offer, but unfortunately most of the plot this time around gave way for a mess of relationship drama. And with Aura playing musical beds, I really couldn’t connect with her. For me, this love triangle (and at times, square), just didn’t work.

Title: Shade (Shade #1)
Author: Jeri Smith-Ready
Published: May, 2010 by Simon & Schuster
Pages: 320
Rating:  
Purchase: The Book Depository

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.

Final Thoughts:
Ghosts visible to everyone sixteen and under, I really loved this idea. It did take me a while to get into it, though. I still enjoyed the mix of characters so it wasn’t boring per se, but nothing substantial seemed to be happening until the second half. I’d seen people raving over this for a while so I’d grabbed myself a copy without reading the blurb, but that didn’t save me. A friend of mine let me in on the world breaker after she read it. It’s probably one of the better ones I’ve seen, killing off the love interest, especially so early in the book, really sucked me in.

In My Mailbox is a meme hosted by The Story Siren, which allows bloggers to share what books they’ve received in the past week. They can be from stores, contests, tours or publishers!

• Silence by Becca Fitzpatrick (thanks to Publishers)
• After Obsession by Carrie Jones & Steven E. Wedel (thanks to Publishers)
• If I Die by Rachel Vincent (purchased)
• Being Human by Patricia Lynne (thanks to Author)
• Nightshade by Andrea Cremer (purchased)
• Wolfsbane by Andrea Cremer (purchased)
• Angel Fire by L.A. Weatherly (purchased)
• Shift by Jeri Smith-Ready (purchased)

Thanks to Simon and Schuster for Silence, I’m about to start that one today. I’m hoping to get into it tonight after Terra Nova and Ringer. A lot of my internet purchases arrived this week. Angel Fire is huge, I didn’t realise it was over 700 pages. It’s offputting, so I’ll be saving that one for when I’ve got plenty of time to spend a day on it. I’m not too fond of the UK Shift cover but I won a UK copy of Shade so I thought I’d stick to them so they’d match. I added Being Human on goodreads a while ago and Patricia emailed me to let me know I’d won her TBR giveaway, so that was a nice suprise. And finally, I’m super excited for If I Die, can’t wait to start this one.

Here’s my latest review if you want to check it out:
Duff, Hilary Elixir #2, Devoted

Link up to your mailbox and I’ll be sure to check it out!

In My Mailbox is a meme hosted by The Story Siren, which allows bloggers to share what books they’ve received in the past week. They can be from stores, contests, tours or publishers!

• Shade by Jeri Smith-Ready (won)
• Perfect Chemistry by Simone Elkeles (won)
• Darkhouse by Karina Halle (thanks to Author)
• Red Fox by Karina Halle (thanks to Author)
• Playing With Fire by Katie MacAlister (purchased)
• Eyes Like Stars by Lisa Mantchev (purchased)
• Flip by Martyn Bedford (purchased)
• The Vampire Shrink by Lynda Hilburn (thanks to Publishers)
• All These Things I’ve Done by Gabrielle Zevin (thanks to Publishers)

The only one I actually bought this week was Flip, which I picked up while at the Maria V. Snyder signing in Brisbane. It has an interesting cover, if you flip it upside down, it has the cover model with his eyes open on the back and the barcode is actually on the spine. I ordered Eyes Like Stars a couple weeks ago from Book Depository and Playing With Fire is one my mother brought home from the grocery store because she thought I might like it – Thanks Mum. Thanks to Nina from Death Books and Tea for Shade and Perfect Chemistry, I can’t wait to get into those two. Also thanks to Karina Halle for sending me her first two books, I’ll start Darkhouse soon. Plus, another thanks to the people at Pan Macmillan for sending me the last two books in the photo. I plan on reading All These Things I’ve Done this week. I actually prefer the Australian cover over the white one with the chocolate heart.

Here are my reviews from the past week:
Kate, Lauren Fallen #3, Passion

Link up to your mailbox and I’ll be sure to check it out!