Shade

Shade #1

by Marilyn Peake

Librarian note: an older edition of this book can be found here.

Finalist, Young Adult Fiction category, 2015 National Indie Excellence Book Awards.

Shade: Girl on a hero’s journey, going from smart-ass to badass.

Thanks to her offbeat mother, Shade’s full name is Galactic Shade Griffin. Having a name like that while being the new girl in school is pretty much catnip for bullies. The summer before Shade’s junior year of high school, her mother breaks up with yet another boyfriend and moves them once again to a new town.

This time, they move into a dilapidated old house where Shade has an entire attic bedroom to herself—at least until she discovers it’s haunted by the ghost of a teenaged boy named Brandon Yates. When Shade’s best friend goes missing, her life becomes even more complicated. With the help of Brandon who’s struggling with his own issues in the world beyond, Shade faces the question of whether or not she has what it takes to become a true hero.

Although this novel deals with a number of serious issues—drug and alcohol abuse, cutting, and disturbing world events—it's primarily a novel about a teenaged girl finding out who she really is and that she's capable of so much more than she ever thought possible.

SHADE is a YA Paranormal Mystery / YA Urban Fantasy novel.

Genres: Paranormal, Young Adult, Fantasy, Ebooks, Fiction, Urban Fantasy, Supernatural

242 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 28, 2014

About the author

USA TODAY and Wall Street Journal Bestselling Author Marilyn Peake writes Science Fiction and Fantasy. She's one of the contributing authors in Book: The Sequel, published by The Perseus Books Group, with one of her entries included in serialization at The Daily Beast. In addition, Marilyn has served as Editor for a number of anthologies. Her short stories have been published in numerous anthologies and on the literary blog, Glass Cases.

AWARDS: Silver Award, two Honorable Mentions and eight Finalist placements in the ForeWord Magazine Book of the Year Awards, two Winner and two Finalist placements in the EPPIE Awards, Winner of the Dream Realm Awards, Finalist placement in the 2015 National Indie Excellence Book Awards, Winner of "Best Horror" in the eFestival of Words Best of the Independent eBook Awards, two Semi-Finalist placements in the Young Adult category of the Kindle Book Awards, and Gold Award in the Fantasy / Science Fiction category of the eLit Book Awards.

Reviews

[Aditi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Life of a teenager is damn hard! And this book proves that too. Shade by Marilyn Peake is claimed to be a ghost story, but it’s not any ghost story, instead its purely about a high school girl, Shade, who comes to live in a new town with her alcohol-and-drug-addict mom in an old house, followed by a nerve-racking mystery, and how she actually gets on with her life.

Thanks to the author, Marilyn Peake for sending me over the book in return for an honest review.


Shade, a high-school teenager, whose life is always on the move from one town to another new town, because of her drug-addict mom's habit of changing boyfriends. Shade has an obsession with other people's names. According to her everybody has a normal name, so the first thing she observes in any other human being is their so normal name, since her full name is Galactic Shade Griffin. This time Shade and her mom comes to live in an old, dilapidated house where Shade gets her own room but that room is also home to a boy ghost, Brandon, who has a dark past. Eventually they gets close, becoming best friends, even Shade teaches Brandon how to use a cell phone with a stylus! In that new town, Shade's best friend from her school is a girl called Annie Green, who's a Goth girl living in a rich mansion. Her sudden disappearance on the night of Halloween, followed by disappearances of two more girls from Shade's high-school, one being the cheer-leader and another, a pregnant girl, opens the long-lost diary of a 2 year old human trafficking case, which is cracked by Shade and her two friends, Brandon and his ghost family along with a Psychic old woman.

The character of Shade is awesome, she is so cool, so smart, and she takes care of her mom like her own child. Of course readers will definitely love the friendship between Shade and Brandon; it’s funny as well as heart-touching. The author has written this story in such a way, the once you start reading, it’s hard to keep this book down and not to mention about the pace of the book, it has quite a fast-pace. The story becomes more and more gripping and interesting when Shade and her friends try to solve the mystery of the missing girls.
All-in-all, it’s a very entertaining book, not a single dull moment. Hats off to the author for writing such an amazingly cool teenage mystery novel with a paranormal twist.

So I recommend you to read this book, because this book will keep you entertained and scared all through its pages.

[L · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hauntingly mesmeric and mystifying this exquisite, phenomenal paranormal tale is truly breathtaking!

Spellbindingly sinister supernatural themes are interlaced within a contemporary YA story of self-discovery. With the main protagonist’s journey of growth & development full of heartfelt sincerity and profundity, I was able to connect and relate to ‘Shade’ and her story. The deftly interwoven storyline is full of nail-biting tension, suspense and twists that keep you in constant wonderment as to what may happen next. Shade (aka. Galactic Shade Griffin) is an intriguing character, whose magnetic likability and warmth instantly captured my heart and made me care about her character. Well-crafted characters pulled me into a deliciously addictive, compelling saga that was full of inspired ideas and interesting concepts. The author cleverly fuses together a diverse mix of paranormal mystery with high school/ teen drama and family drama that’s refreshing.

Unlike typical YA Fantasy novels this supremely singular story is not only set within a realistic, modern backdrop (so no other worlds or signs of Wizards and Dragons) but it also addresses many issues that teenagers can relate to. Such as for instance bullying, family, friendships, romance and most notably finding a sense of self at such a testing age/ time in life. Nostalgic thoughts were brought to the fore, as I was able to empathize with Shade and the trials that she encounters, which ultimately make her a stronger person. Marilyn Peake is an author who reaches out to her target readership and ‘gets under the skin’ of her characters, so as to leave you emotionally moved and inwardly touched by this tale.

Truth-drawing and containing thought-provoking, meaningful connotation this sensational debut novel is an impressive work of fiction. I was literally left feeling a sense of fulfillment, satisfaction and despondency as the book came to an end…with thoughts lingering on in my mind. As beautiful as the eye-catching cover ‘Shade’ is a sensational, awesome story of unforgettable premise and remarkable depth of mind-blowing epicness! Fans of YA fiction will be dazzled by this debut.

*I would like to thank the author for providing me with a copy of her book to read & write a non-biased, honest review on. *

Like a Shade lingering upon the wind…

...as something floating subconciously in your mind. A shadow or ghost?

[Sherry Fundin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Shade is a YA Paranormal mystery that includes some difficult subject matter, such as cutting and alcohol and drug abuse. More than anything it is the journey of Galactic Shade Griffin as she struggles with life and the danger and difficulties that cross her path.

A drug addict, a ghost, faeries, a troubled teen girl, her missing friend, a messed up mom, an amulet…will Shade be the hero she created in her graphic novel?

Shade has pretty much raised herself and hasn’t done too bad of a job, considering…no father and a mother who drank and drugged herself into oblivion.

Her mother moved them again, and things changed for Shade. She met Brandon Yates, a ghost that haunted their new home. When her best friend turns up missing, they band together to figure out the mystery.

More girls go missing…

I love how Shade struggles and grows to develop. I knew a girl who cut herself and I cannot stress how upset and sad I was for her. I could not understand how hurting yourself could make you feel better. Or maybe it was just so she could feel…something.

I love a good mystery and the paranormal is a nice touch. It adds an extra element I always appreciate. The danger rises and the the mystery is darker than Shade could have imagined. I have read of what can happen to girls who go missing and I fear how vulnerable the female species is…how unprepared and innocent we can be about the evil men do.

Marilyn can spin a wonderful tale that is easy to read and contains lovable characters that will wiggle their way into your heart. I would love to have Shade as my best friend too.

Amongst the dark, there is light.

In the tragic and sadness, there is hope and love.

[Isabelle Quilty · Rating 1 out of 5]

SHADE, by Marilyn Peak – A Paranormal read which is much more normal than Para

* Please note this honest review is in exchange for a free copy of the book.


WARNING: THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS AND DISCUSSION OF SELF-HARM, RAPE, VIOLENCE IN LITERATURE


Marilyn Peak’s Shade led me onto a roller coaster car, tenderly, gently, even strapping me in. Then, during my slow but eagerly awaited ascent, Shade crawled up the tracks, onto the car, and unscrewed the bolts holding the security bar together, gave me a gentle kiss on my temple, and floated off into the wind.


It was that kind of the roller coaster ride.

Shade exposes its greatest issues as soon as it starts. Lots of exposition, flat delivery and a whole lot of telling instead of showing. It begins with Shade and her skittish mother moving to a new town. The character Shade’s name is immediately lamp-shaded, presumably to target the edgy teen market with a name any teenager would revel in, but the name is memorable non-the-less. It even ties into the beginnings of Shade’s character arc and her internal conflict – her desperate need to hold onto a sense of normalcy, even making her envious of her old best-friend’s name Mary Jane Smith. I understand the utter plainness of Mary Jane Smith is meant to contrast Shade Galactic Griffin, but maybe taking a subtler approach could’ve been beneficial. It’s jarring. Mary Jane Smith is just, well, too plain.



Shade has a habit of this – of moments of characterisation that tip toe just a touch too far out of believability. What doesn’t help this, is the constant exposition that is present for the whole span of the book. The one true sin Shade is guilty of, is the constant telling instead of showing.


Chapter Two is the typical first day at high school chapter, not that the high school setting contributes much to the narrative. It still lacks in showing us who Shade is, other than another teen that doesn’t fit in.


Chapter Three however hit me like a train, committing one of the greater crimes a book (especially one aimed at teenagers) can commit. There are specifically three things that novels of all kinds should avoid out-right describing – that is not to say that they can’t contain it, of course many books contain characters who are raped, commit suicide or self-harm. However, these events happen off-page, or are heavily implied. To have an author go into detail about a character experiencing any of these three things is considered to be in poor taste, for both the quality of the book, the approach to the subject manner, and consideration of the readers.


Shade is very clearly targeted at teenagers. It is thus the author’s responsibility be aware that teenagers are very open to influence like the very negative influence of having self-harm graphically depicted. This is what put me off this book the most, the blatant disregard for one’s audience, its abhorrent handling of mental illness, (save a handful of scenes I enjoy between Shade and her mother), and some reflections between the mother’s flaws and Shade’s.


The best scene between them occurs in Chapter 11, were we see Shade walking on eggshells around her mother, trying to pick the exact right thing to say without setting her off, but as the reader we see how futile this and exhausting this relationship is. This is probably one of my greatest disappointments with Shade, the lack of a climax in the complicated relationship between the titular main character and her mother.


A key plot point is the agreement forged between Shade and the ghost Brandon, an understanding that Brandon will aid Shade find her missing friends Annie, Misty and Ursula and in return Shade will help Brandon and his family find peace.

Except, this deal never truly finds fruition. The ghosts simply point Shade in the direction of one of a stereotypical and flat psychic character, known as Gabriella Underwood. Underwood becomes a crutch that the plot relies on for the main mystery of where the girls have gone, with Shade and her friends repeatedly visiting this woman and garnering more and more clues until the mystery unravels itself. By the end of the novel, Brandon and his family move on into a white light, having somehow found peace without much of Shade’s help, the pivotal plot point left with little development and letting itself resolve.


Chapter 8 certainly deserves a deep-dive. Brandon and his backstory is spelt out here, exposited directly to the audience without leaving Shade to perhaps figure out his story. There’s also the question of how Shade can even communicate with ghosts? I presume later in the series this is explained, as I believe there are three more books, but it is very questionable why Shade doesn’t wonder why she has this ability, even if she does carry a McGuffin amulet. One of the biggest issues with the paranormal side of this novel is how very lack lustre things turn out to be. It could be so much stronger. Paranormal additions to novels can add an entire new layer of storytelling, which at first it seems Shade is meant to have, but ends up falling flat, the paranormal side is shouldered onto the psychic Gabriella Underwood and her literal crystal ball premonitions. At first, Underwood intrigued me, but quickly spiralled into being a stereotype of the mysterious fortune teller despite the backstory she happily exposited.


One of Shade’s greatest weaknesses is characters and characterisation. Shade’s character plays in the forefront of the readers mind for the first half of the book. What kind of person is she? How will she overcome the poor parent that is her mother, succeed in her dreams, balance her part time job, her new found friends and hide her paranormal abilities? The answer is, she forgets to. Just like the how the writer forgets. Small plot-threads rise to the surface throughout Shade, most of the time only to sink back into the confusing, murky waters of the psychic mystery plot.


It is also worth mentioning that Shade is an extremely disdainful, antagonist teenager for the first quarter of the book. Her sudden change, one could attribute that to character growth, or, as I saw it, the point in which Shade made the miraculous transformation from active protagonist to camera, no consistent active dialogue, just telling the reader what is happening.


The characters that surround Shade are quite shallow, with little to no characterisation beyond the fact they serve as mouth-pieces, with even plot-vital characters like Annie receiving meek characterisation in the form of, ‘She was goth, so she was probably depressed deep inside herself.’ (Page 138, Chapter 9.) The most fleshed out character aside from Shade herself, would be her mother, who’s character arc begins with her being a drunk abusive mother with bi-polar tendencies trying to turn things around and ends with her being very much the same, unhappy with Shade for turning her in.


The world-building is quite disjointed as well, with the town being this random mix of rich, poor and the in-between, all of it filled to the brim with stereotypes. One of the biggest contrasts in Shade is the large Victorian house her and her dysfunctional, alcoholic mother live in, but the constant reminders that they’re poor, or at least skating on being poor.


How are they paying to live in such a grand, fully furnished house with her mother’s habit of scarcely going to work? There are two notable moments, in both chapter 19 and 20. Shade and her friends visit Misty’s house, a notably poorer looking house than Shade’s or Annie’s. Misty’s father that answers the door is a complete and utter stereotype of the sexist, drunk, abusive father type which later attributes to nothing. In the very next chapter, the author also describes the middle-class neighbourhood as ‘normal,’ which is quite telling of how the author perceives normality – that being rich or poor is the abnormal.


Pacing and tonal whiplash are both a key issue in Shade. It begins slowly, the middle section happens incredibly quickly, and then the last third feels like a repetitive slog, with the ‘mystery’ failing to hook me in as it did initially. This tonal whiplash is apparent even early scenes, like the intial self-harm scene that suddenly transitions into the revelation that Shade inexplicably communicate and interact with ghosts.


Previously in this review, I’ve stated how Shade transforms from character to camera. This, is the true failing of Shade’s character. At about the half-way point, she eventually steps into being a character open to change when Brandon calls her out on her selfishness, yet, we are never granted another call out, or moment of self-development for Shade. Instead, we are given a character that finds no resolutions. She has no final scene with Annie, no confrontation with her mother, nor does she mourn the lives she couldn’t save from the slavery ring. But who knows, maybe Shade continues that interpersonal story in the next book.




In summation, Shade’s worst crime would be its failure to engage me. All the foundations were present, but the characters, lack of paranormal activity and uninteresting setting, left me unentertained and morbidly bemused with the lack of care in handling mental illness and mentions of sexual assault. Shade, in the end, failed in scratching that paranormal teen mystery itch.

Final Ratings:

Plot: 4/10

Characters: 2/10

Setting: 4/10

Structure: 6/10

[Chrystal · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Power of Friendship

I loved this story. Galactic Shade Griffin is a teen girl who deals with some serious issues, from bullying at various schools she's attended, to having a drug and alcohol addicted mom, to cutting herself to break through the numbness in her heart. just when she starts to feel normal and make what seems to be lasting and healthy friendships (even though one friend is a ghost!) her best friend disappears.

Shade has to find Annie and enlists the help of her two journalist friends from the high school newspaper. more girls are stolen and soon it looks like they have an even more evil plot afoot than they feared. With the help of a psychic and some otherworldly advice, maybe the budding journalist s can crack the. case. Or can they? Will Shade be a victim, or a hero?

This awesome book touched on several topics that teen girls face in today's society. The author does an excellent job of drawing the reader in and making the trials of her heroine real and relatable. I'll definitely recommend this story to other, and will be reading other books by this author for sure!

Merged review:

I loved this story. Galactic Shade Griffin is a teen girl who deals with some serious issues, from bullying at various schools she's attended, to having a drug and alcohol addicted mom, to cutting herself to break through the numbness in her heart. Just when she starts to feel normal and make what seems to be lasting and healthy friendships (even though one friend is a ghost!) her best friend disappears.

Shade has to find Annie and enlists the help of her two journalist friends from the high school newspaper. More girls are stolen and soon it looks like they have an even more evil plot afoot than they feared. With the help of a psychic and some otherworldly advice, maybe the budding journalists can crack the case. Or can they? Will Shade be a victim, or a hero?

This awesome book touched on several topics that teen girls face in today's society. The author does an excellent job of drawing the reader in and making the trials of her heroine real and relatable. I'll definitely recommend this story to others, and will be reading other books by this author for sure!

[Stephanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I just finished reading 'Shade' a couple of minutes ago and I don't quite now what to say. I'm still thinking about the ending of this book. Because I'm not one to tell what will happen, I'm not going to start now. To know how this story ends you will have to read this book for yourself.

First of all I want to start with thanking the author for sending me a copy of this book. I always enjoy reading someones work and giving my opinion on it, so here we go...

I want to start with the cover of this book. The way the cover is designed shows that this book isn't going to talk about sunshine and daisy's. I like the way the maple leaf fades out with the piercing eyes staring at you. Well designed!!! I must admit that sometimes I start reading a book I only because I like it's cover. If I would see this book in a store I might consider purchasing it just because of the cover. This cover suits with the story

In the beginning we meet shade a girl with a difficult childhood. We begin when she moves to another town to start over again. In this old house she meets Brandon, a ghost, who happened to be living in this house several years past. When I started reading this book I thought this was going to be a paranormal book. I quite love that genre. But it kind of evolved in mystery and detective as well. I didn't quite expect that part of the story. This book touches a few heavy subjects like cutting, unhappy childhoods, alcohol abuse and so on. This I think is what made me pause at the end, not knowing what to say the first minutes.

While I thought the story had a slow start, it did pick up pass and started to suck me in the story. I would say this book is definitely a must read. It makes you think and wonder about some of the things that happen in the world.

[Levian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Shade was ashamed of her full name, Galactic Shade Griffin, which always caused her to be laughed by her new classmates. following her mother who broke with another boyfriend, they moved to a new town, into an old Victorian house. she had the entire attic bedroom to herself and later discovered that it was haunted by a ghost named Brandon. in school, she became best friends with a goth girl named Annie. when Annie went missing after Halloween, Shade was broken hearted and determined to find Annie. since she was involved in the school forum and newspaper, she set out to discover the truth behind the missing girls from school together with Kailee and George.

i received a free e-book from the author in exchanged for a review. when the book first started introducing Brandon, i assumed it would be a paranormal romance novel. to my surprise, the seemingly ordinary school life soon transformed into a mystery of missing girls. the transformation along with Shade's messy relationship with her unstable mother, her awkward and lacked confidence self, were overwhelming at times. but with so many feelings, especially the cutting revealed, it was easy getting in her shoes, feeling what she was feeling while quite easily, rooted for her as well. it surprised me that such a serious and complicated mystery could proven to be such an easy read after being combined with the paranormal genre. the book was an absolute fast read, which i managed to finish in two sittings. the increased intensity near the last quarter of the book was truly quite a treat!

my review: here

[Medavis66 · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed all of the themes that were wound into such a nice package. I liked Shade and saw her grow throughout the book. I was saddened by the realistic themes in this book, as I have a teen and know some kids who have dabbled in self-harm. Kids today are facing so much and this book touched on it, but didn't dwell and make it a central part of the book. I liked how Brandon dealt with her when she would get out the bowl and knife. The strength Shade found to help resolve the case involving missing girls was admirable.

[Maria Fledgling Author Park · Rating 5 out of 5]

Girl Journalist Saves Town from Slavers

When Galactic Shade Griffin moves with her mom into her new town, she heads to school with dread. As usual, from her unusual name, to her unorthodox Mother, the kids at her school can smell out a kid that doesn't fit in.

However, after a rocky start, Shade, as she becomes known as, meets Annie Green, and George Knight who run the school newspaper and online forum. Together, they become fast friends.

Something odd is happening in Shade's house, an unseen prescence is making itself known. It turns out that her bedroom in the turret of the Victorian house has had a long time resident. Brandon, who died there, introduces himself in a scary way.

Shade, the book, is engaging, heart pounding and addresses serious issues that face today's young adults. Suicide, self-harm, substance abuse and sexual abuse are issues handled with great care.

Ultimately, Shade, and her newspaper friends are faced with solving the puzzle of a series of missing girls and some very dark secrets. Marilyn Peake manages to keep her story balanced between the humourous stuff of a teenagers daily life and the shady undercurrent of the town's secret.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading Shade, actually, I couldn't put it down! I'm looking forward to reading the next book in the series. Marilyn Peake is highly entertaining, I recommend this to anyone.

[Kelly Smith Reviews · Rating 4 out of 5]

High school is difficult for everyone, but in Shade by Marilyn Peake, high school bullies are the least of Galactic Shade Griffin's life. Having her odd name is bad enough, but she also has an alcoholic mother, absentee father, has moved countless times and new, the bedroom in her new house is haunted!
She finds solace writing on the school newspaper with three friends and working on her own graphic novel. She thinks things might be looking up until the girls from school, including her best friend, Annie, go missing without a trace.
Now Shade feels that she must help find them, and she gets done unlikely allies: the other two kids with the paper, a psychic and Brandon, the ghost in her room.
Can she put her life in order so she can save the lives of three others?

Shade was a brilliant read, mixing self-harm, depression, alcoholism, crime drama and paranormal fantasy into one quick book.
Shade is a cutter, as is another girl in school. One of the biggest moments in the book, in my opinion, is when and how she quits cutting herself. Cutting is a very difficult emotional disorder and needs to be addressed more in popular media. Having a heroine with the disorder is a great thing, not just kick-ass heroines like in popular YA books out now.
Teenage pregnancy and human trafficking are also big parts of the book, and also things that should be addressed more in novels in the light that it is here.
The ghosts are the best part, weaving paranormal activity into a story that would've worked just fine (albeit a bit more dull) without it. It's an interesting mesh of two worlds and very well thought out.

I'm giving this book only a four, however, because of two things I noticed.
One phrase, used to describe Annie, is, "She was goth, so she was probably depressed deep inside herself." I found that to be an unfair assumption. I'm Goth, and my depression has nothing to do with my clothes, music, books, TV or movie choices, whatsoever. My mother is Goth. My grandmother was Goth! I don't think an author should assume something like that or be so stereotypical, because she will offend almost any Goth who reads this sentence.
The other thing also has to do with Annie and the sentence, "Where did Annie get these? Maybe from a bad place?" They're talking about violent Japanese manga. I buy my violent manga at Barnes and Noble. That's certainly not "a bad place"! Again, it was an unfair assumption. If everyone who bought violent manga went missing, it would be like the TV show The Leftovers!

The book was great. Really, I'd read more from Ms. Peake, but I am an honest reviewer, and, personally, I feel that an author should watch what they say, when what is said could alienate an entire subculture who would otherwise love this book, as I did.

4/5--worth a read!

[Katherine Paschal · Rating 4 out of 5]

Shade has always wanted to be normal, be it have a regular name that is not Galactic Shade or just a regular family instead of her drug addicted mother who moves her around all the time. When her mother moves her yet again to a new city, Shade realizes her room is haunted by a nagging boy ghost. Shade does her best to make a new life for herself regardless of her personal obstacles. When she makes a good friend in Annie, Shade feels like she really belongs. When Annie goes missing, Shade's life spirals even further out of her control.
Wow this book was not at all what I was expecting. I thought maybe a light read with a little paranormal mystery thrown in, but that was not at all what I received. This book was very dark and hit on all kinds of depressing topics. The book spent time on things such as cutting and self mutilation, drug abuse and addiction, child abuse, neglect, death, drug dealing, human trafficking, murder, abortion, teen hazing...I am sure there were more topics, but those were just the main ones. This story is not for the weak, that is for sure.
The story was a mystery, with a dash of paranormal thrown in. Shade wants to find her missing friend, and enlists the aid of the ghost who needs to make amends to move on from purgatory. There is communication with him as well as a few other spirits, and a physic also, but the book deals predominantly with Shade nosing into a mystery and making tough decisions.
Shade is a self admitted fixer, spending most of her life taking care of her needy dependent drug addicted mother. She uses cutting herself as a release from the stress and disappointment that is her life. I like that she has to learn new coping methods as she becomes involved with other students who experience problems with themselves. Shade learned how to make healthy choices for herself and to live with the consequences.
I felt like this story was a really good twist real life mystery as well as a coming of age for Shade. I feel like yes there was paranormal here, but what I really got was a cold dose of reality with the real world problems. This was a very interesting read. I think this is a stand alone book because of the complete wrap up of plot and the uplifting ideas from Shade, which I love in a world of trilogies.
I received this book from the author in exchange for my honest review.

[Connie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for a honest review.

As if being a teenager isn't hard enough, imagine being the new girl, and imagine being the new girl name Galactic Shade Griffin. That's right. Poor Shade has to go through life with people laughing at her in her public life and an erratic drug and alcohol addicted mother in her private life. If things couldn't get any worse, there's a ghost in her bedroom and when her life starts settling down slightly, her best friend is kidnapped and she is thrown head first into a plot so dark that I did not see it coming! With the help of a psychic, a ghost and two friends, can Shade solve this sinister plot before someone else goes missing or worse, dies.

This book kind of reminded me of the Hilary Duff film The Perfect Man with her erratic mother who moves every time she breaks up with a guy, mixed with the first season of American Horror Story with the self harming teenager and the ghost in the house.

However, this book took me by surprise. At first I thought it was going to be nothing more than a love story between Shade and Brandon the ghost, but it turned out to be much more. As the book progressed, I found myself getting pulled in further and further and trying to solve the plot myself! I did guess some of the facts correctly (*proud moment*) I was expecting a supernatural reason behind it all but it turned out to send out the nerve shattering, gut wrenching fact that humans are monsters too and they can do stuff that is far more sinister than ghosts ever could.

This story will leave you hanging on every word!

[Fari · Rating 2 out of 5]

*Author Marilyn Peake was kind enough to send me a copy of this book for read and review! Thank you!*

Galatic Shade Griffin, that very name is proof that Shade's mom was unpredictable and flighty. Shade has to move once again after her mom breaks up with yet another of her boyfriends. However, this time, her move is different. Unlike the bullies that she usually attracts because of her name, she may have actual friends and be known around the school for something other than her strange name. Oh, and also, there's a Ghost that resides in her attic. However, Life doesn't like to be forgotten and decides to make another appearance. Shade's best friend is missing and it is soon found that she's not the only one. Some girls around her school start to go missing and Shade and her friends Kailee and George decide to take matters into their own hands.

I come from the world of Gods, Monsters and evil leaders who want to take over the world. But I also enjoy reading something contemporary or more serious once in a while. So what I enjoyed the most about this book, I think, is the way it weaves Fantasy and such a serious issue together. I can't say what the seious issue is because SPOILERS! but it IS serious. Brandon, the ghost, was the fantasy part of the story as well as other psychic business but the way they were both weaved into one story was excellent!

I found Shade's character relatable most of the time and it was nice to see the world through her eyes.

The book is short, fast-paced and quick and it'll just pull you in, so it can be finished in just one sitting. Good stuff here!

[Ashley · Rating 4 out of 5]

*Note: This book was given to me by the author for the purpose of reviewing.*

I must say that I don't like the cover. All in all, it gives the wrong type of mood for the book. Also, it doesn't tell me anything about the actual book. Is this a story about leaves? If so, I read the wrong thing. Either way, I have an issue with book covers like this.

Overall, the jacket did a nice job summarizing the book. The summary also matches the tone of the book perfectly.

While Shade at first seems like a ghost story, it is set up more as a mystery book with the characters racing against the clock to find the missing girls. The characters were all pretty developed and nicely rounded. The plot was very exciting, adventurous, and interesting. The ghost element of the story definitely gave a nice twist to the ordinary mystery book.

One of my only issues with the book was that some of the plot points seemed predictable. I understood what one of the clues meant a long while before the characters did. Also, I thought that Shade's friends took some of her hard-to-swallow facts very lightly. As a reader, we know she's telling the truth, but I would imagine her friends would be more skeptical.

All in all, Shade was very different than the usual mystery book. It had a nice plot and characters. The only real issue was the large trust of Shade's friends. It was a nice book that is worth reading if you have extra time.

[Wendi Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

This novel wears many hats. It's a ghost story, a detective story, and most compellingly (at least for me), a story about a teenage girl desperate to find her own way in life.

Shade (real name, Galactic Shade Griffin!) moves into a new town with her alcoholic, drug-addicted mother. Her new house is haunted by a boy with a terrible past. And this is just the least of Shade's concerns. Teenage girls are disappearing at an alarming rate, including Shade's best friend.

What I loved the most about this book was Shade's journey to self-realization. She throws herself into creative writing, and starts writing a lively comic series called Leotard Girl. I'd love to read this comic! Shade's salvation is writing and this resonates very strongly throughout the novel.

The pacing lags a little here and there, especially as Shade and her friends discover more clues about the missing girls. Just as a shocking new piece of evidence turns up, Shade returns to her normal schedule of school, writing, and home life, and the momentum flags. I also really wanted to know why Shade and her friends didn't go to the police sooner. I know I would have!

[Chloe · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book I liked the elements of mystery and uncertainty and general teenage life all mixed into one.

The book was kept tense and exciting all though to the end and had a real sense of mystery.

I received this book in a goodreads giveaway and would definitely recommend it to anyone who likes a bit of mystery solving :)

Sypnosis:
Thanks to her offbeat mother, Shade’s full name is Galactic Shade Griffin. Having a name like that while being the new girl in school is pretty much catnip for bullies. The summer before Shade’s junior year of high school, her mother breaks up with yet another boyfriend and moves them once again to a new town.

This time, they move into a dilapidated old house where Shade has an entire attic bedroom to herself—at least until she discovers it’s haunted by the ghost of a teenaged boy named Brandon Yates. When Shade’s best friend goes missing, her life becomes even more complicated. With the help of Brandon who’s struggling with his own issues in the world beyond, Shade faces the question of whether or not she has what it takes to become a true hero.

[Erin · Rating 1 out of 5]

I received a free copy of this book through the Goodreads First Reads program.

I couldn't finish this book...
Shade was an uninteresting and extremely annoying character. She was quite realistic to a middle schooler, a teenage girl, who has nothing but disdain for everything and practices self harm. The writing was that of a 13 yr old girl, and if that's the voice the author was looking for, she did well. Everything in the book was rushed and choppy, I ended up skimming through the rest of it.
All of the big things (that I actually read) that happened were taken very lightly and unrealistically (like oh a ghost is there. whoa. yeah anyways. and hey fairies are chillin there. they're jerks. cool).
There are ways to write a relatable character and make her likable as well, but this was not the case for Shade or any of the other characters I came across in this book. Relatable, yes, but in all the most annoying ways! Sad to say I really really did not enjoy anything about this book (at least, the parts I read of course)

[Brenna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Shade, by Marilyn Peake, is a great read. About a junior in high school trying to come to terms with who she is amidst dealing with an offbeat mother who changes boyfriends and moves from town to town frequently, she finds out that her new attic bedroom is haunted, her new best friend disappears, and she becomes recognized as a talented artist and journalist in her school newspaper. The author writes from the perspective of the main character, Shade and takes on some real issues that teens deal with daily without sounding condescending or preachy. Shade is a strong, intelligent, vibrant teen who has needed to grow up too soon in some areas of her life, but is looking for the comfort of just being who she is capable of being. The story and dialog move well between Shade and the other characters as they negotiate through each suspenseful and intriguing moment. An easy, enjoyable read for teens and adults alike.
***this book was received free through the Author on Goodreads.***

[Fallon Farmer · Rating 5 out of 5]

W.O.W. !!!! I must say that this book was very amazing and emotional. I swear that I could feel all of the deep emotions that each character was either going through or feeling. I have never read a book like this one. Shade was an amazing character, from my opinion in what I read.. she learned that she could help people and deal with her life. Cause so many others can have it worse. Her friendship with Brandon was great. He had alot to learn himself. I really loved this story. I thought that it was well written and planned. The plot was amazing. I can see myself reading more books from this author. I was on edge while reading this book wondering who was good and who was not. I must say the mystery in this story kept me on edge. I love books that can keep you in suspense and guessing and this one really does that. I really recommend this book to everyone. I give it a 5 Star rating. I can't wait to read more from this author!! :)

[Erin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dark subjects written in young YA voice

I want to be diplomatic with this review because I think this is a YA book that is written for younger readers than I. On the one hand it deals with cutting, alcohol & drug addiction, bad/neglectful parenting, child slavery, and forced illegal adoptions which are all intense topics. On the other hand the narration is first person perspective of an intellectually flighty teen girl who will take us on long random thought-tangents for the sake of characterization, I guess.

The plot is interesting, which kept me skimming through the narration to find out what would happen. There are ghosts, but the don't play as much of a role in the story as the teen journalists trying to solve the case of the missing girls.

[Ana · Rating 4 out of 5]

I won this book through Goodreads First Reads! Thank you Marilyn Peake!

Shade is a girl struggling through life. Then she meets Brandon, a ghost with a tragic past. During the school year a lot of mysterious events happen, not only in school but in Shade's life as well.
I really enjoyed reading about the friendship between Shade, Brandon, and their friends. I loved reading about the mysterious disappearance of girls and how Shade and her friends became heroes.

Enjoy your reading!

[Stephen Walton · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this was a unique story. Not my normal genre but I was captivated by the soy goes imaginationsnd impressed with the way she handled some of the awful problems that face out youth of today. Self harm and drugs and alcohol abuse are not easy subjects to write about but I thought the author handled the subjects with great care. A really good story, well written and enjoyable in its own way

[Sherry · Rating 5 out of 5]

This read is fantastic. The story line kept me engrossed from the beginning of the book until the last page. The main characters are very likable & totally able to relate with. The author brings into play some of the problems facing teens today. I recommend this book to everyone who enjoys the magic that is found in all of us.

[Patricia Burleson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good

This was a very good book. It was a little bit different from my normal read. It had ghosts, mystery,and friendships. It also had a wonderful story line and I loved the characters. So grab your copy and enjoy reading.

[Destiny · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received this book as a gift .Started reading it and could not put it down. I loved how it kept me guessing. Great book.

[Cassie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I won this book through FirstReads on Goodreads. I really enjoyed reading it.

[Kaila · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this story. The characters and plot were amazing. Totally different then I was expecting and a lot of deeper stuff also. Lots of dark but also lots of light. Very good

[old account (rl) · Rating 1 out of 5]

1.5 stars - Review copy provided by the author for an honest review.

I don't even know how I am supposed to start this review. What can I say really? The writing was all over the place. There's that. The characters were terribly immature. That certainly wasn't a help. The plotline? Well, that wasn't much better at all. In fact, that was all over the place too.

My main problem, however, was with the characters. Our protagonist, Galactic Shade Griffin, was meant to be a high schooler but came across as a ten year old. We start the book with her moving to a new town. At her new school she is asked to write a short story about her summer holidays so she writes about a fake trip to Ireland where she met some faeries in a castle. Yes, that's right, she honest to God believes that her class mates will believe that story. She even tells her new bestie all about this supposed trip she took, taking the time to detail the faeries' appearances to make it more "believable". I am sorry but what the heck was the author thinking? This is supposed to be about high schoolers! That means she is a minimum of thirteen. I highly doubt that eighth graders are dumb or naïve enough to believe in faeries at that age.

Also she names the superhero of her graphic novel Leotard Girl. Yes, that's right Leotard Girl! Who the hell names a supposedly kickass superhero Leotard Girl? Oh, and this superhero is a Mars-born robot whose leggings give her Martian superpowers. Yeah. That's real kickass alright. *cough, cough*

The plotline and paranormal aspects were also poorly executed. It was unbelievable how Shade and a psychic took on the mystery of the missing girls instead of the police. Even in times of danger or when they uncovered a massive clue to their possible whereabouts, they never even bothered to stop and think about contacting some sort of local authority. This wasn’t just a teen run away either. This was about young girls being kidnapped and sold into the sex industry. A pretty massive crime that needed to be handled by the police!

Also the paranormal aspect were laughable. Shade moves to a new house and a ghost speaks to her through her mobile but she doesn’t freak out? When the ghost appears to her she doesn’t even blink. She accepts that a necklace gives her the ability to contact him and that’s that. No freaking out. No questioning. No “I must be going mad” musings. Just straight out accept. Oh, once she got over daydreaming about kissing him of course.

Oh, and in with these immature characters are a set of disturbingly adult themes, and the mix just didn't sit right with me. Not only does our main character cut but there are elements of child abuse, alcohol and drug addiction, child molesting, sex rings, teen pregnancy, rape and gang rape. Now I don’t believe that kids should be censored from these things, not at all. They have to learn about it at some point but what bothered me about it was the way it was really poorly written, especially the cutting. The way the author wrote about Shade's need to cut came across as if she believed it is viable and satisfying. If you are depressed, cutting solves your problems. These sorts of messages should never, ever be written. It is inappropriate. Also I felt that the approach to teen pregnancy and molestation was a little blasé. It was glossed over a little and used to create a shock factor. Again, not an appropriate use of these sorts of issues.

The writing wasn't a help either. I think the author tried to make the writing match the tone of Shade but it came across as rather... I want to say "unprofessional" but that doesn't sound right. What I mean is it read like a twelve year old's text messages. The slang was overused and the tone was completely informal. I understand that this style might work in conveying the perspective of the main character when done well but this just wasn't handled right.

There wasn't much I liked about this and there certainly wasn't anything to praise. I wish I could be more positive but this really was a dud book that I cannot recommend.

[David Wright · Rating 5 out of 5]

Marilyn Peake has some serious guts!

It takes some nerve to create a story based around a main character who cuts themselves. This is just one of the many controversial and sensitive issues that are dealt with during the course of this very surprising book.

This starts off as a typical young adult book, but quickly becomes a whole lot more. As if the main characters name isn't bad enough, she struggles to cope with the problems faced by a lot of teenagers, and she also has to face issues at home with her mum.
Add a touch of haunting into the equation and things spiral downhill from there.

This book is both light hearted in places but also very dark too, dealing with a lot of subjects that are not mainstream. The paranormal element adds a nice lift to the story that could have been incredibly intense without this subtle diversion. I was also particularly impressed with a character using psychometry and washing her hands between handling different objects. Not many people would consider that to add to the realism (not tainting items with mixed latent energy signatures).

There is so much to praise it's a shame to add a negative. The one minor glitch is in the editing. One passage mentions shade wake up and hear her mother banging pans in the kitchen. In the following sentences, she discusses going downstairs to see if her mother is awake...Psychokinesis is not being used ;-)

This aside, I can't praise this book enough for tackling such awkward subjects in such a way and also avoiding a lot of typical stereotypes. The icing on the cake would have been links at the end of the book to sites for help with cutting / addiction etc.

A great book for anyone who isn't averse to tackling taboo subjects.

I'm looking forward to reading Shade and the Skinwalkers....

[S.B. · Rating 2 out of 5]

I felt this story started out well. I liked the portrayal of the main character although I do feel she acted a lot younger than most her age. I expected her to be around 13, & was very surprised to find her of driving age. (i.e.: at least 16, this being set in the USA).

Shade's background may give her reason to not trust police or adults. But when her best friend goes missing, thought to be kidnapped, Shade & her friends find clues which may lead to the missing girl's whereabouts and save others. It's not believable that no-one even considers taking this information to the police or a trusted adult. It's totally incongruous that Shade would instead go Christmas shopping than get help to find her friend. (She's not a "shop for therapy" type). The only adult involved actively encourages the teens to enter very dangerous situations without any adult support. Even the police, when we finally see them, aren't true to type. No minor would knowingly be allowed home without any adult supervision.
And then we add in ghosts.
I'm not averse to a good ghost story. But this is not a good ghost story. Again, I found the protagonist's reactions to discovering ghosts, especially early on, were dubious at best.

This story threw together too many important topics, like cutting, teen pregnancy, human trafficking... and put them into a grade school mystery adventure.

Despite a promising start, I gave this only 2 stars because the story was totally unbelievable. The more I read, the more incredible it became. I even questioned why I bothered to finish reading this book. I can't recommend it.