Shade (review)

Born one minute after the Shift, Aura can see and hear ghosts just like any other post-Shifter, but, unbeknownst to her, her status as the First makes her of special interest to the government agencies regulating spirit/human interactions. Aura, however, is busy just being a teenager, which currently involves trying to convince her rock-star boyfriend Logan that she is ready to have sex with him. Unfortunately, on the night of their proposed consummation, Logan needs a little pick-me-up after downing one too many shots and ends up overdosing on cocaine. While his return as a ghost brings some comfort to Aura and his family, Aura soon realizes that it would be in everyone's best interest for him to move on, especially when Logan's erratic behavior threatens to turn him into a Shade and her relationship with a new boy (who incidentally may also know something about her birth) heats up. The first in a proposed series, the book puts forth a succession of seemingly unconnected events and objects, including Logan's death and Stonehenge, without ever giving the reader the satisfaction of having at least one mystery solved. Even the promise of a future resolution can't stretch to compensate for the stilted dialogue and jumbled plot that mires much of this first installment. More successful, however, is the development of Aura and Logan's relationship, postmortem: as the two learn to negotiate this new set of circumstances, they mature in ways neither quite expects and their connection becomes increasingly poignant, sweet, and yes, sexy. Readers who can look past the inconsistent plot may very well find themselves wrapped up in the couple's unlikely love story.