Book Review: Shift by Jeri Smith-Ready.

Product details:
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Childrens Books.
Release date: June 9th 2011.
Paperback, 320 pages.
Rating: 3½ out of 5.
Ages: 14+
Series: Shade #2
Other books in series: Shade
Source: Received from publisher for review.

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.

With it’s unique premise, ghostly theme and characters infused with a love of all things rock n’ roll, Jeri Smith-Ready’s Shade was a book I totally should have loved, but while I thought it had a lot of potential it lacked that special something that makes a great read. I read this next installment with high expectations, thinking that after my shaky start, I would now surely connect with this series that is such hit with so many fans of Paranormal Romance. However, while this book did give me many of those much needed answers to the questions I had after reading the first book, I’m sorry to report that this one also failed to excite.

While I have a couple of issues with this series, I should point out that I adore Jeri Smith-Ready’s writing style. Her prose is witty and engaging, and this book is fast-paced throughout. Despite my reservations with this series, I think I’ll be reading her books for a long time to come. Even though I find this series pretty average partly in terms of plot and mostly in terms of character, I can assure you that Smith-Ready’s writing style is anything but ordinary.

My main problem with Shift, just as with Shade is that I once again, failed to connect with the characters. I thought I might have sided with one of the guys by now, but while it seems Aura is as confused as ever, I can safely say I don’t want to be on Team Logan or Team Zach. I find them both completely unappealing. Logan should be my kind of guy. A bad boy rocker who is in touch with his emotions, I should swoon. But he annoyed the hell out of me in the first book, and I can’t say he fared much better here, although he finally showed a little spark of maturity just when I was giving up hope! He definitely fared better than his rival Zach, though, who after marking as potential crush-worthy at the end of Shade, I really disliked in this book. For me, Zach’s character is exaggerated and clichéd. He’s presented to us as a patriotic and sometimes aggressive Scotsman, and I struggled to find anything appealing about him.

While I usually love books that feature a lot of romance, and I just relish a good love triangle, this one is all a little lost on me as I am having such a hard time with the guys here. If you are a fan of either Logan or Zach though, you can expect plenty of hot scenes! Smith-Ready doesn’t hold back in the romance department and she writes some scorching hot make-out scenes for you to enjoy!

While Aura is still torn between the ghost of Logan and the very real form of Zach, who she still has that strange, unexplained connection to, she is also very confused and messed up in this book, as she seeks out the truth about her parentage, her part in the Shift and her connection to Zach. While I find Aura sassy and smart, and for the most part think she’s a likeable character, I was literally screaming at her to make up her mind here. This is the love triangle that keeps going round in circles! If anything, and I don't often say this, I thought there was too much of an emphasis on Aura's love life in this book. Thankfully though, by the end of the book, Aura has finally made her choice. At least I think so, but who knows what unexpected twists are to come!

I think a lot of people will love Shift, just as they did Shade, and while I personally didn’t connect with the characters, this one still had enough in the way of unexplained mysteries and exciting plot twists to keep me entertained and invested in the series. I’m looking forward to finally unlocking the mysteries of the Shift when the third and final book Shine releases in 2012.