#Monday Review - Shade Me by Jennifer Brown (Young Adult, Contemporary, Mystery)

Series: Nikki Kill # 1
Format: E-ARC, 448 pages
Release Date: January 19, 2016
Publisher: Katherine Tegan Books
Source: Publisher
Recommended By: 
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Mystery

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.

Shade Me is award-winning author Jennifer Brown’s first book in a thrilling suspense series about Nikki Kill.

Shade Me is the first installment in Jennifer Brown's Nikki Kill series. 18-year old Nikki Kill is a character who deals with a rare, but real life phenomenon known as Synesthesia. Synesthesia is a condition in which one sense (for example, hearing) is simultaneously perceived as if by one or more additional senses such as sight. Another form of synesthesia joins objects such as letters, shapes, numbers or people's names with a sensory perception such as smell, color or flavor. The word synesthesia literally means "joined perception."

Nikki is a realistic character who has dealt with a lifetime of ups and downs. She's been told that her condition is all in her head, and that more likely or not, she has ADHD by school counselors. Nikki's mother was murdered and her case has never been solved. Nikki is a chain smoker who is about as far away from being on the road to graduation as a person can come without totally dropping out. Then one night, Nikki gets a surprising phone call from Peyton Hollis, the queen of her high school. Why was Nikki's number in Peyton's phone?

Nikki, after seeing Peyton in the hospital and meeting her older brother Dru, decides that she is going to dig into who did this to her, and why. Nikki finds herself deeply involved in a dangerous mystery that ends up having so many twists, shocking revelations, and a Detective Chris Martinez who may or may not be on her side. You must get fully immersed in the story in order to figure out who was actually involved, and why. There are enough clues to give you an idea about why Peyton was attacked and who was involved 

Shade Me is an entertaining, fast paced, and equally impressive mystery that surrounds the life of a girl who perceives life in a whole new light. The protagonist is written as though she is a real person and not some fictitious person who we are supposed to take seriously. Especially when she takes on a powerful family and the police to uncover the truth about Peyton. Nikki has plenty of issues, but who doesn't when you're a teenager? Kind of a really sad ending though. Was hoping for a bit of a bright spot, but maybe that's to be expected with such a dark subject and situation. Good start to a promising series!

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