Shade by Jeri Smith-Ready

Here’s a brief snippet about Shade from Ms. Smith-Ready’s website: First in a young adult urban fantasy series about a world of ghosts only the young can see.

When Aura’s boyfriend meets a most untimely end, she is forced to reconsider her relationship with the living and the dead.

A sequel, Shift, will be released May 2011.

I loved this book. The characters felt so realistic and I liked them. While they didn’t always make the choices you wanted them to make, you still cared for them deeply. Ms. Smith-Ready’s dialogue feels natural, not at all forced. Her characters are frustrating, heart-warming, humorous, and loveable; all the things you expect teenagers to be. I enjoyed the references to various groups like The Pogues and Flogging Molly, great music that I love.  You could feel Aura’s struggle with releasing Logan and going on with her life. I’m sooo excited to see there’s a sequel due out in May of 2011. I wish I didn’t have to wait that long, but it will be worth the wait. I’m looking forward to seeing how Aura and Zachary’s relationship develops. I would highly recommend this book. It gets a four rose rating!

The cover is okay. I do wish a bit more of the girl’s body was visible on the cover. It cuts her off short in my opinion. I’ve noticed several covers that are similar to this as well.