Monday, January 7, 2013

Book Review: Shine by Jeri Smith-Ready

Pages: 399
Genre: YA Fantasy
Pub. Date: May 1, 2012
Source: Personal copy
Series: Shade (#1), Shift (#2)
My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Goodreads says, "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."
Aura has finally let go of Logan, which leaves her plenty of time to figure out the Shift and how she plays a role in it, along with her dreamy boyfriend, Zachary.  The DMP  (Department of Metaphysical Purity) detains Zachary for most of the book, while Aura plots how to rescue him.  Although I love the Shade series, Shine was no doubt a good conclusion to the trilogy; however, it left me feeling rather flat at times.

Zachary and Aura have an incredible relationship and a connection to the Shift. Aura, in Shine, is still trying to figure out her exact connection to the Shift and save Zachary from the DMP.  Zachary was taken by the DMP for questioning and Aura can't get a hold of him.  Naturally, she is worried about him and needs to make sure he's ok. Even though Zachary isn't present for part of Shine, their relationship still is one of my favorites and quite memorable.  

Like I said, the best part of Shine is the relationship between Zachary and Aura.  Fans won't be disappointed as there are many steamy moments in Shine.  Fans of Logan will be disappointed however, as he doesn't play a major role at the end of the Shade trilogy.  

Parts of Shine I found to be a bit boring in comparison to Shade or Shift, but it didn't last long as there's a lot of action in book three.  Most of the tedious parts where when Zachary wasn't present in the book (can you tell I'm a fan?) and Shine turned into more of an adventure/mystery.  There were a lot of subplots in this book and I must admit that I had a hard time keeping it all straight at one point.

Historically, I have a hard time with the ending of a series, but Smith-Ready does a good job bringing everything to a close.  The Shade series is one of my favorite paranormal series and I'm sad to see it come to an end, but I'm thankful that the conclusion was everything and more. The Shade series is a series that I absolutely recommend to fans of paranormal romance, especially if you want something a little bit different and not your traditional vampires and werewolves.

9 comments:

  1. I'm glad that the series had a decent ending! It's a shame it was boring at times. I really enjoyed the first two books, so I need to buy this one soon to wrap it up. Great review :)

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  2. This has always been just an ok series for me, so much so that I haven't actually read the third book. I've never been a fan of either of the boys in these books, so I'm wondering how I'll fare with this one!

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    1. I'm not sure you'll like book three too much, Leanna....especially since you aren't a big fan of the series. Thanks for visiting!

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  3. Isn't the cover model the one for Delirium/Pandemonium ?

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    1. I'm not sure! I read Delirium awhile ago, so I'll have to check that out.

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  4. I only read the first book but I definitely preferred Zachary over Logan so I am glad she ended up with him in the end. I hate it when the final book in a series isn't quite as good as you'd hoped. I'm glad you still were able to enjoy the romance though. I should get caught up on this series now that it is finished :)

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  5. I thought she did a great job bringing this series to a close as well, and I as much as I liked (and sometimes hated) Logan, I was glad this last book was mostly for Aura and Zachary alone. They deserved a little time together:) Lovely review Christina!

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  6. Glad that the author brought the series to a nice close, despite a few moments that were lacking. I keep putting this one off, just because I loved SHADE and SHIFT so much, but I'm relieved that you found it enjoyable :)

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