Shift

This is the continuation of the story which began with Shade. Aura is mourning for her boyfriend, Logan, a charismatic up-and-coming rock star who died from a combination of drugs and alcohol. He is now a ghost, a ghost who has become a shade and as such is deemed a danger to society. As Aura struggles to come to terms with Logan’s transformation, she finds herself increasingly drawn towards her all too human friend Zachary – but Logan needs her and her particular talents to help him pass on. Sixteen years ago the world experienced a shift. It occurred at the time of the winter solstice. Those born after it found they could see ghosts; those born before could not. Aura is the first to be born immediately after the Shift; Zachary, the last to be born before. Is this coincidence or do they have a special significance and role?

Move over vampires; make room for ghosts and shades. In this latest development in the ‘paranormal romance’, Smith-Ready provides her readers with a rich narrative. At its heart is the classic teen romantic triangle set against a high school background with all its preoccupations – good grades, the end of term prom, friendships, jealousies and making out with your boyfriend; a world readily recognisable from innumerable teen TV series, further strengthened by the dialogue which is peppered with contemporary references – films, groups, music, sport and slang. The twist to this conventional scenario is that one of the protagonists is a ghost. Which boy will Aura choose – and will Logan ‘pass on’? This plot is then combined with others, eg the mystery of Aura’s birth. Who is her father? Aura is desperate to find out but her mother died without revealing his identity. Then there is the connection between Aura and Zachary. Do they have something to do with the Shift? How can they find out? And how can they escape the attention of the DMP who want to lock Logan up? It is this thriller element that makes Shift a more compelling read that the usual teen romance. Despite the over-heated prose and plot lines, it is curiously addictive. The reader will want to know what happens next.