Review : Shift by Jerri Smith-Ready
Summary (from Goodreads)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 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.
Personal Thoughts
After absolutely loving Jerri Smith-Ready's Shade, I was beyond excited to plunge into the sequel Shift in order to resume all adventures in the breath-taking world the author has created. As a sequel, Shift was fantastic and ended up answering many of my unanswered questions from the previous book.
After absolutely loving Jerri Smith-Ready's Shade, I was beyond excited to plunge into the sequel Shift in order to resume all adventures in the breath-taking world the author has created. As a sequel, Shift was fantastic and ended up answering many of my unanswered questions from the previous book.
In the aftermath of the events of Shade, Aura is struggling to bring back Logan, convinced that she can turn him back into a ghost from a Shade. One night while miserably calling for Logan to come back, she gets more than she bargains for. Not only does Logan change back into a ghost, but for seventeen minutes he gets his body back. This turn of events turns Aura's life upside down since she's left confused while trying to battle her feelings for both Logan and Zachary and trying to find out the truth behind the Shift.
Now, I loved the characters in Shade and I was really looking forward to meeting them all again in this installment. I thought Aura was a brave and confident girl in the previous book, but in Shift we get to see a different side of her. Most of the time, she felt desperate and utterly confused. This led her to make very stupid decisions that I didn't approve of. There's especially the whole thing with Logan's little brother that I didn't comprehend. For a minute, I actually lost all my respect for her, but later on, she stood up for herself and acted smartly to find out about the Shift. Her drive to discover the truth was what made me like her all over again. It reminded me of how Aura tried to do what was best, instead of doing what's best for her in Shade. Logan was probably one of the only characters who stayed the same. He was still the guy who wanted to have fun and live life to the fullest. He did grow emotionally especially towards the end and I got to see a somewhat more nicer and genuine side to him. Zachary had me completely exasperated in the book, but I still loved him. I think he was a little confused and hurt as to what to do with Aura, but he was an understanding guy, which is why you can't help but love him. Overall, I had hot and cold moments with the characters, but generally, I enjoyed them.
Now, I loved the characters in Shade and I was really looking forward to meeting them all again in this installment. I thought Aura was a brave and confident girl in the previous book, but in Shift we get to see a different side of her. Most of the time, she felt desperate and utterly confused. This led her to make very stupid decisions that I didn't approve of. There's especially the whole thing with Logan's little brother that I didn't comprehend. For a minute, I actually lost all my respect for her, but later on, she stood up for herself and acted smartly to find out about the Shift. Her drive to discover the truth was what made me like her all over again. It reminded me of how Aura tried to do what was best, instead of doing what's best for her in Shade. Logan was probably one of the only characters who stayed the same. He was still the guy who wanted to have fun and live life to the fullest. He did grow emotionally especially towards the end and I got to see a somewhat more nicer and genuine side to him. Zachary had me completely exasperated in the book, but I still loved him. I think he was a little confused and hurt as to what to do with Aura, but he was an understanding guy, which is why you can't help but love him. Overall, I had hot and cold moments with the characters, but generally, I enjoyed them.
A whole lot of the plot was dedicated to the romantic relationships, especially, in the beginning. To be honest, I was a little frustrated. When I started the book, all I wanted was to learn so much more about the Shift, but Aura and her band of friends kept going on about their complicated love lives and to be frank, I wasn't very interested. So, the first half of the book was a little painful to get through, but the pace of the story picked up towards the middle. There were unexpected twists and turns that were so entertaining that I was anticipating what was going to happen next. I also got to learn so much more about Aura's and Zachary's connection and I absolutely loved the second half of the book. I loved how the author managed to completely surprise me with revelations that I truly wasn't expecting. It made the whole book a lot more enjoyable and it was easy to forget about the grovelling first half. Jerri Smith-Ready has a great style. She managed to make this sequel engaging and she also knew how to portray emotions like grief, guilt, love and happiness very well.
As a sequel, Shift was mind-blowing. Although I wasn't a huge fan of the first half, I did find the book in general, satisfactory. The intricate characters, the elaborate world-building and the unpredictable zigzag of a plot left me emotionally drained, in a good way of course, and had my jaw-dropping on numerous occasions.
Rating
Cover : 4/5
Plot : 3/5
Characters : 3/5
Writing : 5/5
Plot : 3/5
Characters : 3/5
Writing : 5/5
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