Shift by Jeri Smith-Ready

Shift by Jeri Smith-Ready
Release: 3 May, 2011
Pages: 384 (hardcover)
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Source: Bought & Publicist
Summary:

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.

Sexy, mysterious, exciting and filled with surprises - Shift has it all. The story begins with Aura being a bit (okay, extremely) bummed out regarding what happened to Logan previously. It isn't until a few chapters later where the Aura that I adore comes back - her sarcastic humor never ceased to amuse me. But, there are still of troubles, whether it's with boys or even with the DMP. Smith-Ready excels at creating genuine and honest chemistry (both friendship-wise and romantic) between characters, but only one of the lovely guys who adores Aura truly fits with her the best, and I loved seeing this relationship grow. 

In between typical (and not so typical) teenage drama lies a mystery that will captivate readers entirely. The significance of Aura and Zachary's births, Aura's mother, The Shift, Stonehenge, one downright shocking secret, and so much more....the closer Aura came to discovering everything, the more hooked on the story I became.

Shade delivered compelling and realistic characters, Shift came through with plenty of seductive secrets, and I have no doubt that Jeri Smith-Ready is going to give readers something spectacular with the next novel,  Shine.

Highlights: Many of the characters grew in this installment. And Smith-Ready made a kilt sexy...which I didn't think was possible. Smith-Ready ends the story nicely, but leaves quite a few tantalizing hooks to keep readers curious for the third novel¹. All in all, these books are must-reads, so go check out the first novel if you haven't already!

Lowlights: Despite the incredible chemistry², the boy drama got to be a bit much every now and then. I wanted to shake some sense into quite a few characters! 

Rating: 4 out of 5

Other reviews in this series:
Shade (Shade #1)


1 No joke. I'm dying to know what happens next. I would consider trading my sibling for a copy of Shine, and I'm fairly sure that wouldn't be entirely legal.
2 And yes, there are plenty of super-sexy moments. And a couple might be for more mature teens.

Cover Contests End Dates Extended

If you've been checking out the blog for the past week, you might have noticed that a lot of SHIFT/SHADE giveaways have been happening in honor of SHIFT's release last week. Two of those contests are Cover Recreation Contests -- and so far, I've got one entry for each (JL, you seriously rock).

But, in the spirit of giving this entrant a bit more competition, I'm extending the cover contests for another week or so. 

It's open to US and Canada (if you live elsewhere and have someone I can send the prize to - and then they'll send it your way - feel free to enter)

For info about the prizes and rules, check out the official posts:

• SHADE Cover Contest
• SHIFT Cover Contest

So if you're feeling artsy, make a cover and enter for your chance to win prizes! Seriously, your odds of winning are pretty good considering you only have one person as competition (so far). 

Giveaway: Shade by Jeri Smith-Ready

I know it's Shift's release week, but I figured I'd give you all a chance to win the first book (which I loved).

PRIZE

• One brand new paperback copy of SHADE by Jeri Smith-Ready
• A personalized bookplate, signed by Jeri
• (and some unrelated swag/bookmarks)

RULES

• International (yes, international)
• Please read my contest policy (menu bar)
• Ends May 11th, 2011 at Midnight
• To enter, please fill out the form HERE or below

Don't forget to check out the other contests I'm currently having -- especially the Cover Contests, you can easily win either one easily 

(because no one's entered yet, lol). 

Shade Cover Contest

In honor of SHIFT's release this week, I'm hosting a few giveaways - and the first set are a pair of Cover Recreation Contests. Pick SHADE, SHIFT, or both, and make your own cover to win some prizes! 

Prizes:

• A brand new paperback copy of SHADE by Jeri Smith-Ready
• A personalized bookplate for the winner, signed by Jeri Smith-Ready.
• Bookmarks (related and unrelated to the Shade series, signed and unsigned)

Rules:

• US + Canada entrants only
• Recreate the cover for SHADE and/or SHIFT
• Link your cover recreations in the correct area 
• You may enter both SHADE and SHIFT cover contests, or only one
• Covers must be linked by May 10th, midnight May 16th
• Voting for winning covers will begin on May 17th, ends on May 19th

*Special thanks to Jeri for providing signed + personalized bookplates to whoever wins! :)

Shade by Jeri Smith-Ready

Book: Shade

Author: Jeri Smith-Ready

Release date: May 4th, 2010

Source: Author

My Summary:

When Aura’s boyfriend Logan dies after what should have been the best night of his life, she’s left feeling a bit guilty over the circumstances, not to mention heartbroken at losing him. But Logan isn’t completely gone, he’s still hanging around as a ghost. Aura can see him because she’s one of the lucky (yeah, right) people to have been born after the Shift. 

Then Zachary transfers in, and he’s like a kindred spirit. He gets her, he listens, and a killer accent doesn’t hurt either. He's there -- alive -- but Logan's still there too, and Aura isn't quite ready to give up on him yet. 

To top it all off, Aura has other things to deal with: the mystery of who her dad is, secrets about her mom's past, and even the Shift itself. 

Review: A unique ghost story filled with realistic characters and environments, Shade is astounding.

Aura is one of the more realistic characters I've come across in the past year, to the point where I can even see a few of the people I know actually sharing a lot of her qualities. She's easy to relate with, and she has an amusing sense of humor (a bit more on the passive, sarcastic side). The love interests (Zachary and Logan) are both great in different ways, but by the end I preferred one over the other. 

Shade is one of those novels where I think I know exactly what will happen, but then I find myself surprised halfway through. I think a lot of readers can find something to enjoy in Shade. 

Highlights: The best compliment I could pay this novel and it's author is the realism. Aura is very realistic, she could have been someone I knew back in high school. Not only that, but I can honestly see her way of life (with ghosts) being completely normal. The ending was incredible, and not what I was expecting. The sequel, Shift, is bound to be just as amazing. 

Lowlights: There were a few moments that seemed a bit slow, but I still thoroughly enjoyed this novel. 

Rating:   

In My Mailbox 25

IMM is hosted by The Story Siren.

This IMM is for the last few weeks...and I think I may have forgotten a few books but I'll add them in next time

For Review:

Shade by Jeri Smith Ready (arc, signed to me...thanks so much Jeri!)

Shadow Hills by Anastasia Hopcus (OMG! Thanks Anastasia/Egmont/RH)

The Gardener by S.A. Bodeen (thank you Ksenia!)

The Pack by LM Preston (Thank you Lanita!)

The Golden Spiral by Lisa Mangum (thanks so much Leigh!)

Bday Gifts (late arrivals from Amazon):

Finnikin of the Rock by Melina Marchetta (I've been reading some of this, and it's AWESOME!!)

The Iron King by Julie Kagawa

Incarceron by Catherine Fisher

Jessica's Guide to Dating on the Dark Side by Beth Fantasky

The Dead-Tossed Waves by Carrie Ryan

The Luxe by Anna Godberson (This series is so addictive)

Won from Edifying and Edgy (Thanks Karen & Julie!):

Life as We Knew It

The Dead and the Gone

This World We Live In (all by Susan Beth Pfeffer)

Won from Books out of the Bookshelves (Thanks Raila!):

The Body Finder by Kimberly Derting

And just as a note, I'm now officially off of hiatus (YAY!) and back on the blog! I'll be starting to catch up on emails for the next week or so, but expect to see a lot of reviews popping up for the next few weeks! :)

-Lea

Winner!!

All right, there were a total of 912 entries for the signed arc of SHADE by Jeri Smith-Ready contest, and the winner is.....

DENISE MADNESS!!!!

Congrats Denise! I just sent you an email, so email me back within 48 hours!!

Huge thanks to everyone who entered or posted about this contest! I'm sorry you couldn't all win, but be sure to go show Denise some love on her blog!

Lea

CONTEST: SHADE by Jeri Smith-Ready

Win a signed advanced review copy of SHADE by Jeri Smith-Ready! This contest is open internationally, and will only be open for a few days so enter quickly by filling out the form provided below!!

Here's a link to my interview with Jeri if you missed it.

ENDS on Thursday, March 25th, at Midnight. Winner will be announced on Friday.

Thanks to Jeri for the contest! :)

-Lea

Interview: Jeri Smith-Ready on SHADE

Today I have the fabulous author Jeri Smith-Ready here to discuss her new novel SHADE (release's on May 4th, 2010), her cool talents, where the name "Aura" came from, and whether or not she'd want to be able to talk to ghosts.

Tell us a bit (and by "bit, I mean "lot") about your new YA novel, SHADE. What happens to start SHADE off?

SHADE is the first in my new paranormal YA series. It's about Aura Salvatore, a sixteen-year-old girl whose birth marked an event called the Shift. Everyone born after the Shift, including Aura, can see ghosts.

SHADE starts with Aura at a crossroads with her punk rocker boyfriend Logan. They're ready to take their relationship to the next level, if you know what I mean, but she's worried that once he becomes a famous musician, he'll ditch her for a harem of groupies.

Then Logan dies and becomes a ghost.

What is your main character Aura like? How did you come up with her name?

Aura is very down-to-earth. She has a bone-dry, sarcastic sense of humor. She wants to be outrageously punk like her friends, but has a major straight-lace streak. She's pretty jaded about life, since she's spent all of her own listening to ghosts yak about their horrible deaths and the lives they regret. She misses the mom she barely remembers and the dad she never knew.

Her name, well...I'm embarrassed to admit this, but I named Aura after the new Saturn sports sedan. I didn't name her after the car, but when I saw a commercial for it, I said, "That's my main character's name!" I'd been pondering the story idea in the back of my mind for a couple of years but hadn't started writing it. Having the name really jump-started the brainstorming process.

I feel like I should buy an Aura in gratitude. ;-P

What are Logan and Zachary like? Do you have a favorite of the two?

Logan and Zachary couldn't be less alike, except that they're both nice, cute guys in love with (or at least in like with) Aura. Logan has a frenetic energy, always in motion and interacting with everyone. Life of the party, you know. He wants to be famous because he wants the whole world to love him.

Zachary is a lot like Aura--level-headed, stubborn, totally focused on his goals (his biggest one is winning Aura's heart). He's Scottish and a master flirt--the combination is absolutely deadly. He looks like he could star in a James Bond Jr. movie. He has many secrets.

Like Aura, I'm torn between the two guys. Whichever is in the scene I'm writing is my current favorite. But I bet readers will take sides--I can't wait to see what they think of them!

Do you wish you could see and talk to ghosts like Aura can?

No way! I'm a complete wuss and would probably pass out if I ever saw a ghost or experienced any kind of psychic phenomenon. With the rational part of my brain, I don't believe in ghosts, BUT like the Cowardly Lion in The Wizard of Oz, I like to hedge my bets by saying, "I do believe in ghosts, I do believe in ghosts, I do, I do, I do, I do, I DO believe in ghosts!"

What's one cool thing you can do?

I can juggle. Nothing fancy, but I can keep three balls in the air for several minutes. It's very relaxing.

I can also whistle with my tongue. It sounds like the wind howling.

Was this a fun book to write?

It was both fun and meaningful. Like Aura (and like most people), I know what it's like to lose someone who leaves a giant hole in your life. You feel like you'd do anything just to have them around again, even in another form like a ghost. I'll be honest--I cried a lot while writing it (and rewriting it, and editing it, and proofreading it). But they were good tears, not painful.

The book also has a lot of humor. Aura is pure deadpan, not consciously witty like Ciara, the heroine of my vampire books. I thought it would be hard to make their voices sound distinctive, but it turned out to be easy, because their personalities are so different. Aura may be younger than Ciara, but she definitely has an older soul.

What are you working on now?

I'm writing the sequel to SHADE, which will be called SHIFT and will come out in May 2011. Soon I'll be proofreading the pages of the third book in my adult WVMP RADIO vampire series, BRING ON THE NIGHT. That comes out this August.

Anything else you'd like to add?

I love to hear from readers, so I encourage people to come visit me at www.jerismithready.com, or even better: www.facebook.com/jerismithready or http://twitter.com/jsmithready.

Thanks for the incredible interview Jeri! And to everyone else, go check out Jeri's website or say hi to her on FB or Twitter. Don't forget to stop by Tuesday for a chance to win a signed ARC of SHADE, courtesy of Jeri herself!