Shade Me by Jennifer Brown
Publisher- Katherine Tegen Books
Released- Jan 19th 2015
Nikki Kill does not see the world like everyone else. In her eyes, happiness is pink, sadness is a mixture of brown and green, and lies are gray. Thanks to a rare phenomenon called synesthesia, Nikki’s senses overlap, in a way that both comforts and overwhelms her.Always an outsider, just one ‘D’ shy of flunking out, Nikki’s life is on the fast track to nowhere until the night a mysterious call lights her phone up bright orange—the color of emergencies. It’s the local hospital. They need Nikki to identify a Jane Doe who is barely hanging on to life after a horrible attack.The victim is Peyton Hollis, a popular girl from Nikki’s school who Nikki hardly knows. One thing is clear: Someone wants Peyton dead. But why? And why was Nikki’s cell the only number in Peyton’s phone?As she tries to decipher the strange kaleidoscope of clues, Nikki finds herself thrust into the dark, glittering world of the ultra-rich Hollis family, and drawn towards Peyton’s handsome, never-do-well older brother Dru. While Nikki’s colors seem to help her unravel the puzzle, what she can’t see is that she may be falling into a trap. The only truth she can be sure of is that death is a deep, pulsing crimson.My Thoughts:
Shade Me, was an interesting whodunit mystery that puts a new spin on your typical thriller. And while this may not be a favorite, it was still entertaining from start to finish.
Nikki Kill has never been able to fit in, her world isn't exactly like everyone else's. See, Nikki has a rare condition called, Synesthesia. Letters, numbers, objects and even people have a particular color around them and a particular emotion. So, granted, it was a little hard growing up and hard dealing with school and if that wasn't enough, Nikki also lost her mother when she was little and they were never able to solve her murder. So, Nikki isn't exactly miss popular in school, so why did the most popular girl in school, Peyton Hollis, call Nikki an hour before her attack? Why was she the only contact on her phone and what does this have to do with Nikki Kill?
I have a lot of mixed emotions about this book. First off, I had the hardest time connecting with Nikki. From minute one you can feel the attitude and snark dripping from the pages. I get that she's had a hard life and that her condition and her mothers death has made her into this bitter, jaded, distrusting and frustrated person, but it wasn't easy to watch her constantly push people way. However, I did admire her dedication and determination to find Peyton's attacker and I loved the fact that she can totally handle her own in a kickass and confident way. I also really missed my dose of romance, even a light one. I get this was a mystery and most of the time love takes a back seat, but I guess I just didn't care for the insta-attraction we got instead. It was way to fast and there wasn't enough time for a connection or spark between the characters besides the purple-violet-pulsing-glow between them.
Now, what I did like about this book was the concept and mystery. I thought Jennifer Brown did a great job of driving her protagonist into finding clues in coloured hints. It made it more fascinating and unique then your typical whodunit mystery. I also thought the twist was smart and very unexpected. I wasn't exactly blown away with the revelations of who the attacker was, but I was impressed with the motives behind it.
All in all, I thought Shade Me was a decent read. It was a lighter mystery but still has great edge, intriguing characters and smart writing. The ending doesn't exactly leave us hanging, but there are a few loose ends that need to be cleared up, so I might just have to pick up the sequel when it comes out. An entertaining escape!
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