Reviews with content warning for Racism - Shadowshaper

I enjoyed this book, but not enough to continue to the sequel. I like the way the magic took shape - the ability to bring art to life. It discusses a lot of topics that are still culturally relevant and gives voice to the Afro-Latinx community through a diverse cast of characters. The discussion about anthropology, i.e. who gets to study who and why was a theme that pleasantly surprised me for the audience this is marketed to.

However, I am not the target demographic for this book; it reads on the younger side of 'young adult.' The writing lacked the complexity I look for in books. While the book was short, the pace was lightning-fast, so everything felt like it happened in between blinks. When a story happens in such a short frame of time as this one, I feel it needs to be shored up by slice-of-life scenes that fit the microcosmic scale of the narrative.

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annorabrady's review

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adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

The world and characters felt fleshed out and well-loved. The actions and reactions of each character were appropriate for the situation and their personality. The mystery was compelling and well-resolved.

I particularly like that Sierra didn't abandon her friends with the discovery of the mystery, as is often a problem in stories, especially young adult books. Sierra not only keeps her friends, she turns to them, she involves them in solving the mystery, and she still manages to keep her social life going. It makes her seem more real and makes her friendships seem as valuable as she claims they are.

There are a few times where things feel just a little too easy. And that's why I didn't give this a full 5 star review. But, for the most part, things feel properly earned.

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bluejayreads's review

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adventurous

Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.75

I didn't really have high expectations for this book. I've been in a reading slump when it comes to fiction, I only picked it because it was available immediately at the library, and I fully expected this to end up on my "this may not be a bad book but I'm not in the mood so I'll come back to it later" pile.

And then it turned out to be really, really good.

The plot is fairly straightforward. It doesn't take Sierra long to figure out who's behind the dead shadowshapers, and there aren't really any twists. The emphasis of this story is on magic and community, which are intertwined. Magic infuses the spirits of the dead into art, and shadowshaping is part of Sierra's family history and legacy. One of the things that I love so much about this book is that even though shadowshaping was kept from Sierra, she refuses to keep it a secret. Her community of family and friends is strong, and when she discovers this magic she doesn't think twice about sharing it with her friends. Shadowshaping magic is community magic, and she shares it with her community.

Also, the magic is pretty awesome. The spirits get put into art, from paintings to sculptures to music to stories, and Sierra draws and paints. When she needs help from the spirits, her artwork comes to life and helps her. The descriptions in this book are beautiful and vivid, which just makes the artwork coming alive even more awesome.

There are so many fantastic things in this book. Epic street murals, strong friendships, spirits both friendly and terrifying, a cute romance, fascinating magic, and an absolutely epic final battle. I loved the interplay between shadowshaping and community, and Sierra's strong community is pretty much the only reason she managed to do as much as she did is because she relied on her community and they were there for her.

I really enjoyed this book, despite the plot being simple and twistless. There is a trilogy of Shadowshaper books, and even though this one wrapped up completely and could be read perfectly fine as a standalone, I might pick up the next book just to spend some more time with these characters doing this magic.

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maggie_atwood's review

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adventurous emotional mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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high_lady's review

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adventurous dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

When i say i love this book and the representation, man that’s an understatement! I love the unique and diverse cast of characters! POC and LGBTQ+. I love the unique type of magic and history of the shadowshapers and how it was unique to POC but not just one ethnic group. I loved how the magic system was based on art and connected to ancestors, and paintings came alive. I love how the main character Sierra fell in love with Robby who was Haitian and dark skin even while her Tia (who was also a person of color) would discriminate against him because of his darker skin than hers. This is a real problem among POC and I’m glad that Sierra had no problem with his color and even stood up for him against her tia. I liked her cool god father who was African American and always ready for an adventure and aided her in some of her shenanigans, lol. Izzy and Tee F/F relationship was really cute and authentic. I would definitely recommend and i already bought the 2 other books and the 2 novellas.

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bookcaptivated's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious tense fast-paced

Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

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