Review – Shine (Shade, Book 3) by Jeri Smith-Ready (4.5/5 stars)

Reading Level: Young Adult
Genre: Paranormal
Size: 416 pages
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Release Date: May 1, 2012
ISBN-13: 978-1442439450
Stand Alone or Series: 3rd book in the Shade series
Source: Gift
Rating: 4.5/5 stars

This is the third and final book in the Shade series by Smith-Ready. This book was very well-written and did a very satisfying job of wrapping up the series. I enjoyed it a lot.

Aura has finally let go of Logan and is looking forward to time with Zachary. Of course Zachary is returning home overseas…that is until his plane crashes and the government seizes him. Now with the DMP threatening Zachary’s life and the government poised to pass a draft law to force post-shifters to work at the DMP, Aura is even more convinced that she needs to figure out the tie between her, Zachary, and the Shift. With Zachary’s life in the balance and her friends’ freedom at stake she will stop at nothing to find out the truth.

This was a very well done conclusion book. It totally starts with a bang, I mean Aura finds out Zachary’s plane has crashed in the first couple pages. From there on the book just took my breath away. Things happen so fast and so much is at stake.

Aura is an excellent character; she is loyal and steadfast, smart and tough…yet she comes off as so realistic at the same time. Things really sizzle between her and Zachary; they have some wonderful scenes together. They also go through some truly heartbreaking events that had me absolutely aching for them.

I really enjoyed watching Aura and Zachary work together to piece together the mystery behind the Shift. The work they started in the second book continues into this book. The explanation behind why the Shift happened is incredibly interesting. Added to this mystery is the twisted government conspiracy entwined with the DMP. There are some great twists and turns in the story as well.

The book is very well-written, very readable, and incredibly engaging…I had a hard time putting this book down. It does a great job of summing up this story in a way that is satisfying and complete.

Overall an excellent ending to this series. The characters are well done, the story very interesting, the writing incredibly engaging, and the world is super creative. I especially recommend this to fans of paranormal books featuring ghosts. The whole series is highly recommended to fans of YA paranormal; this is one of the better YA paranormal series out there.

On a side note I absolutely hate this cover…I think it is so ugly compared to the other two in the series…

This book goes towards the following reading challenges:
– Horror and Urban Fantasy Challenge
– 150+ Books Reading Challenge