#shadowshaper

Shadowshaper by Daniel José Older

Genres: Urban Fantasy, Young Adult Fiction

Setting: USA (New York)

Description: Sierra Santiago was looking forward to a fun summer of making art, hanging out with her friends, and skating around Brooklyn. But then a weird zombie guy crashes the first party of the season. Sierra's near-comatose abuelo begins to say "Lo siento" over and over. And when the graffiti murals in Bed-Stuy start to weep.... Well, something stranger than the usual New York mayhem is going on…Read more on Goodreads/Storygraph

characters: i love sierra!! she was full of curiosity and frustration and conflicting emotions and i thought she was delightful. her friends were fun, her family was present, full of realistic contradictions, and key to the story, and the villain was despicable.

plot: a fast paced mystery full of magic. not very complex but it allows the reader to focus more on how the themes are relevant

relationships: my favorite relationships were the friendships in this book. it felt like a group of friends, which was nice. the romance was cute but i wasnt very invested.

writing: the writing was decent enough, and the dialogue was a little stilted sometimes but the audio really made this book shine for me. ankia noni rose has a gorgeous voice that i loved listening to.

themes: the commentary about white people feeling entitled to spaces and ideas that are for people of color and how they take advantage of those communities??? brilliant. the way it ties to the plot and worldbuilding??? brilliant. best part of the book. it ties in well with the worldbuilding too!!

Check out Shadowshaper on hoopla digital.

https://www.hoopladigital.com/title/11443515 #hoopladigital

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Wranglestone by Darren Charlton

Winter was the only season every Lake-Lander feared...

In a post-apocalyptic America, a community survives in a national park, surrounded by water that keeps the Dead at bay. But when winter comes, there's nothing to stop them from crossing the ice.

Then homebody Peter puts the camp in danger by naively allowing a stranger to come ashore and he's forced to leave the community of Wranglestone. Now he must help rancher Cooper, the boy he's always watched from afar, herd the Dead from their shores before the lake freezes over.

But as love blossoms, a dark discovery reveals the sanctuary's secret past. One that forces the pair to question everything they've ever known.

The King of Crows by Libba Bray

1920s New York

The Diviners have joined forces

The visions were all true

The dead are here

After the horrifying explosion that claimed one of their own, the Diviners find themselves wanted by the US government, and on the brink of war with the King of Crows.

While Memphis and Isaiah run for their lives from the mysterious Shadow Men, Isaiah receives a startling vision of a girl, Sarah Beth Olson, who could shift the balance in their struggle for peace. Sarah Beth says she knows how to stop the King of Crows - but she will need the Diviners' help to do it. Elsewhere, Jericho has returned after his escape from Jake Marlowe's estate, where he has learned the shocking truth behind the King of Crows' plans. Now the Diviners must travel to Bountiful, Nebraska, in hope of joining forces with Sarah Beth and stopping the King of Crows and his army of the dead forever. But as rumours of towns becoming ghost-towns and the dead developing unprecedented powers begin to surface, all hope seems lost.

In this sweeping finale, the Diviners will be forced to confront their greatest fears and learn to rely on one another if they hope to save the nation - and world - from catastrophe...

Shadowshaper Legacy (ARC) by Daniel Jose Older

(I actually ordered the hardcover and they mistakenly sent me the ARC so they gave me a full refund and I didnt need to send it back.)

A house divided

Sierra and the shadowshapers have been split apart. Juan, Anthony, and Izzy are in jail, anxiously waiting to find out what will become of them. Back in Brooklyn, the other shadowshapers have been getting threatening messages from whisper wraiths, catching strangely shaped figures stalking them, and fending off random spirits. A war is brewing among the houses, and the very magic of the shadowshapers is at stake.

The fate of the worlds

The Shadowshaper Cypher is now complete! ✨If you’re anything like us, when you finish any book you want to spend more time in that world - and the world of shadowshapers and magic in Brooklyn is no different. 

Luckily, author Daniel José Older has shared these incredible character art illustrations by artist Raven White for The Deck of Worlds from the books. 

THE DECK OF WORLDS

A mystical deck of cards that both bestows power on various participants and reflects that powery in its imagery. At any given time, there are three official Houses of the Deck: A Dominant, a Subdominant, and an Ascending. The fourth house is made up of Hierophants—über powerful entities who function like jokers, chaos agents, and enforcers of the Deck’s rules. The Dominant house is granted the most power, the subdominant second most, etc…

Each House has five suites, which vary from house to house but follow certain archetypal patterns:

The Master –– has all the powers of the House at their disposal 

The Warrior –– physical combat

The Spy –– can initiate to another house while disguising their true allegiance

The Sorcerer –– performs initiation 

The Hound –– seeker

All of this is reflected in the Almanac of the Deck of Worlds. 

The Hierophants ––  Fortress, La Contessa Araña, The Empty Man, The River, The Reaper.

Sierra Santiago Badass muralist and also the head of the shadowshapers.

Bennie Jackson Techie extraordinaire and Sierra’s best friend.

Izzy, aka King Impervious Hot fire on the mic and undefeated at ’shaping now that she’s learned to use her rhymes to fight.

Tee Dapper to death and one of the best shadowshapers out there. Also runs the local paper.

Juan Santiago Sierra’s brother. Co-founder of the salsa/thrasher band Culebra. Unstoppable on electric guitar. Somewhat stoppable as a shadowshaper, but he’s learning.

The Shadowshaper Cypher is coming to a close with Shadowshaper Legacy! Check out an excerpt of all three books below. 

SHADOWSHAPER

Shadowershaper (Sneak Peek) by I Read YA on Scribd

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Barnes & Noble 

Books-A-Million

IndieBound

 iBooks

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SHADOWHOUSE FALL

Shadowhouse Fall (Excerpt) by I Read YA on Scribd

GET THE BOOK

Amazon

Barnes & Noble

IndieBound

Books-A-Million

iBooks

GooglePlay

SHADOWSHAPER LEGACY

Shadowshaper Legacy Excerpt by I Read YA on Scribd

GET THE BOOK

Amazon

Barnes & Noble

IndieBound

Books-a-Million

iBooks