Published by: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform on April 4th 2014
Genres: Mystery, Paranormal
Pages: 286
Source: Received a paperback from the author in exchange for an honest review
Book blurb:
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.
SHADE is a Young Adult novel: Mystery with Paranormal elements.
(c) Goodreads
The book was simply a work of art, and I'm not even kidding. I was easily allured by the book because of its pretty pretty cover. And it was as gorgeous as its content. The scenes were carefully and intricately created into one beautiful story. And there weren't any romance needed! More books like this please! I am not a romance hater though. I absolutely love them! I just don't think it's necessary to have them in every book.
Aside from this book not having romantic scenes, I really adored the main characters, which I think is Shade. And Brandon. They stood out in this whole book! I was easily attached with them because the convey real feelings and personality. I've read a lot of books that has this almost-perfect character caught in between problems, and I just think they're too fictional. Shade and Brandon are like the "replicas" of every teenager. They got problems of their own, they are bullied to the point that they do rebellious things. I'm not saying that ALL teenagers are cutting themselves to death though. But I'm pretty sure that you are aware of the news?
There are bunch of good things that I can say about this book so I better list them down:
1.) The story was a combination of different genres. You won't even think it was possible to mix them in one book.
2.) I'd like to say that the book was weird, but weird doesn't sound good. I guess what I wanted to say was ...... Ughh. It was weird in the best way. I mean it was full of things. A girl with stars in her eyes, a mother who changed her name into a plant used for drugs, and a ghost that plays Angry Birds. Like what?
3.) Reading this book is like reading my own story. As I started reading this, I actually started to think that Shade's problems are my problems. I was too stressed out when I finished this book. And I sighed with relief too. Isn't that how a book should be? It was suppose to make you feel something. Marilyn Peake crafted this book in a way that we, the readers, can understand how her main character feels.
4.) And the best was, the story is real. This might not be based from one specific true story, but I guess the issue that revolved around this book happens everyday. At first I was intrigued by the dedication on the first page that says, "For all the girls who are lost throughout the world: may you soon be found. And may you soon find inner peace." But then after reading this I understood what she means. And I was sad about the cruel things that are still happening today.
I hope I didn't make it sound like this book is all cruel stuff. Because it was absolutely great. I was just drawn in the specific topic that was involved in this book. I am not sure if it's right to tell you what issue I was talking about because it can either be a spoiler, or a reason for you to think that this book is boring. But I assure you, it is not! It is lovely. Read it. Read it now.
For you to completely understand, I interviewed the author herself, Marilyn Peake. She is a very nice woman to begin with, and she's definitely a great author!
1.) (This is a very common
one but ...) What or who inspired you to create this wonderful book?
Thank you so much for
referring to SHADE as a wonderful book!
That makes me very happy and I’m deeply honored. There were a number of inspirations for this
book. Once I knew I wanted to write a YA
book, the first ideas that came to me were for a teenaged girl to be the main
character and for her to move into an old house with
a ghost who would help her in some way.
I’m a total news junkie. I follow
many news sources on Twitter, read news stories online and watch cable TV news. Once I knew who Shade, the teenaged main
character in my YA novel, would be, I outlined the entire book. I quickly came up with
the idea of Shade’s strong personality and her troubled relationship with her drug-and-alcohol-addicted mother. As the story grew, news stories that troubled
me became part of the world in which Shade found herself. She became a hero, rescuing fellow high
school students from some truly horrific situations.
2.) The book tackles this
issue (which I'm not sure if it will be okay to tell the readers) that happens
everywhere. And I can't stop wondering why you decided to add it in this book.
Was it to inform the readers? Or was there a deeper reason?
I’m not sure which issue
you’re referring to, but I’m assuming you’re referring to the most troubling
situation in the novel, the situation from which Shade rescues her best friend
Annie and other girls in her high school.
I added this to the book because it’s a story appearing on such a
regular basis on the news, it’s heartbreaking.
It’s a worldwide problem affecting a large number of people, many of
them young children and teenagers. This had
been on my mind for a long time and I’m guessing that’s why it became a part of
Shade’s journey toward becoming a true hero.
3.) How long did it take you
to conceptualize 'Shade'?
That’s a really good
question. Ideas for stories usually
percolate in my mind and after I write them, I forget how long it actually took
for the story to go from the first spark in my mind to a more cohesive,
detailed plan for the story. I’m
guessing it probably took a few weeks for me to go from knowing I wanted to
write a YA book about a heroic girl whose full name would be Galactic Shade Griffin,
nicknamed Shade by her own self, to having a more cohesive idea of the personal
difficulties she’d need to overcome and the troubling situations she would need
to solve.
4.) Who is this character in
the book that took quite a long time for you to think about?
Shade’s mom. It took a while for me to figure out who she
was, how she could be so incredibly negligent and selfish without being a totally evil person.
5.) There are a lot of
things that we can get from your book but, what do you personally want your
readers to learn in it?
I want readers to understand
and feel for Shade and others who are in trouble, and to realize why we shouldn't judge others without
knowing their life circumstances. Shade
had suffered a great deal in her life not only because she had serious family
problems, but also because others made fun of her and rejected her. She turned out to be an incredibly special
person, despite all the people who had written her off as a loser.
Last book you've read: LARKSPUR: A NECROMANCER’S ROMANCE by V. M.
Jaskiernia, followed by rereading the first, second, and third books in the
WOOL series by Hugh Howey.
A book you can't forget
about: THE POISONWOOD BIBLE by Barbara
Kingsolver.
Song that you listen to
while reading: I read in silence,
although I write to music that doesn’t have words. I listen to music from a lot of computer
games when I write.
Author that inspires you: Hugh Howey
A thing you just can't live without: Coffee
A quote that inspires you: From Maya Angelou: “I've learned that people
will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will
never forget how you made them feel.”
Favorite food: Chocolate
Favorite book: There are so many! One of my most favorite books is THE
POISONWOOD BIBLE by Barbara Kingsolver.
Favorite song: There are so many of these, too! One of my favorite songs is STAY by Rihanna.
Favorite TV Show: UTOPIA
Favorite movie: THE HUNGER GAMES: CATCHING FIRE
~ QUOTE FROM SHADE ~
Marilyn Peake's Advice on Aspiring Writers:
To just keep on writing, to never give up, if
writing is what you really want to do.
Message to Readers:
Thank you for this wonderful
experience Marilyn! And of course for trusting me with
'Shade.' We had a long journey together. I sure hope it won't end!
2nd Challenge: Christmas-syy cover
