Shadowshaper by Daniel José Older

Shadowshaper by Daniel José Older is a fantasy novel set in an urban setting about a young teenage Afro-Latino girl named Sierra who finds out that there’s a world around her in which paintings come alive and shadows or spirits can inhabit these paintings and be manipulated or influenced.

Sierra comes to find out that her grandfather was a member of a secret organization called the Shadowshapers. These are people who can take illustrations and call spirits to possess them. When the spirits come into the paintings, it strengthens them and the spirits become indebted to the Shadowshapers. Using this relationship, the Shadowshapers are able to use the spirits in whatever ways they want.

Sierra first comes across this world when she sees that some murals and paintings seem to be crying or moving. From there, she falls down a rabbit hole and learns more about the Shadowshapers. Along the way, she meets a young teenage boy named Robbie who is also a Shadowshaper.

The book also touches on lineage and ancestry. Sierra’s grandfather was a Shadowshaper and this ability has been passed down to her. The spirits that the Shadowshapers use are also sometimes ancestors.

On another level, the book tackles racism and colorism. Sierra is a Puerto Rican girl with brown skin. Her friend Robbie, who eventually becomes her boyfriend, is dark-skinned. Within the Latino community, lighter skin is more favored than darker skin. Sierra struggles with this bias, even though she is considered light-skinned. She still wishes she was lighter and she wishes her hair wasn’t as kinky.

The book also shows how this bias can come from within the community. Sierra’s grandmother is biased against dark-skinned people. She tells Sierra not to date anyone who is darker than the bottom of her foot.

Conclusion

Shadowshaper is a well-written and engaging novel that explores themes of family, identity, and culture. The characters are well-developed and the plot moves along at a good pace. I am particularly interested in the way that the book explores the themes of lineage, ancestry, and racism. I think that these are important topics to discuss.

It is a must-read for fans of fantasy and young adult fiction. I would definitely recommend Shadowshaper to others. It is a well-written and thought-provoking novel that will stay with you long after you finish reading it.