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mattyb's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
informative
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cultural appropriation, Body shaming, and Classism
Moderate: Sexism and Grief
booksthatburn's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
SHADOWSHAPER blends real and fantastical elements, grounding it in specific locations in Brooklyn, NY. I'm unfamiliar with that city and I don't know which ones were real and which were made up for the setting. The characters share a local culture but late in the book they have a conversation about how their backgrounds differ even within this one place.
The details about the Shadowshapers as a group are revealed agonizingly slowly. It's a pace where Sierra was more stressed than I was because what I took as a slow burn, Sierra (rightfully) understood as actively being denied a piece of her culture and knowledge of a massively influential force within her family because she's a girl. She ends up feeling like an outsider in her own family, needing help from a boy who happens to know more because he was given access to this knowledge when she was kept out. I felt her frustration at the exclusion, and her determination to keep going with whatever she had.
I read this as an audiobook, and the narrator's performance helped with my immersion into the story. The ending works well, tying off this story while leaving room for more as the series continues. I'm interested in what's next for the Shadowshapers and I plan to keep reading the series.
The details about the Shadowshapers as a group are revealed agonizingly slowly. It's a pace where Sierra was more stressed than I was because what I took as a slow burn, Sierra (rightfully) understood as actively being denied a piece of her culture and knowledge of a massively influential force within her family because she's a girl. She ends up feeling like an outsider in her own family, needing help from a boy who happens to know more because he was given access to this knowledge when she was kept out. I felt her frustration at the exclusion, and her determination to keep going with whatever she had.
I read this as an audiobook, and the narrator's performance helped with my immersion into the story. The ending works well, tying off this story while leaving room for more as the series continues. I'm interested in what's next for the Shadowshapers and I plan to keep reading the series.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cultural appropriation, Dementia, Grief, Sexism, Misogyny, Gore, Gun violence, Violence, and Death
Minor: Sexual content, Ableism, Car accident, and Alcohol
bluejayreads's review
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.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Kidnapping, Death, and Blood
Moderate: Misogyny, Gore, and Racism
Minor: Grief, Police brutality, and Body shaming
maggie_atwood's review
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Grief
Minor: Cursing, Cultural appropriation, Domestic abuse, Police brutality, Racism, and Violence
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