{"id":5723,"date":"2016-03-13T16:39:42","date_gmt":"2016-03-13T20:39:42","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/?p=5723"},"modified":"2024-08-09T10:17:04","modified_gmt":"2024-08-09T14:17:04","slug":"shadowshaper","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/5723","title":{"rendered":"Shadowshaper"},"content":{"rendered":"

Shadowshaper<\/a><\/em> (2015) Daniel Jos\u00e9 Older<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Shadowshaper\"<\/a>I think that Daniel Jos\u00e9 Older is now made it to my Must Buy list of authors. I have adored everything I’ve ready by him, and I also cannot WAIT to give this book to the teens in my life.<\/p>\n

Sierra Santiago wants to spend the summer painting, working on her murals, but something strange happens. A creepy man crashes a party she’s attending and chases her away from the boy she’s just met. And she notices that the other murals in the area where she is working are changing in strange ways–they are fading faster than they should, at it looks like one of the murals is crying.<\/p>\n

On top of that, her grandfather, who has been bedridden and not made any sense since his stroke, keeps apologizing to her, over and over.<\/p>\n

There is so very much to love about this book. For starters, Sierra goes to Octavia Butler High. <\/p>\n

Second, although not a woman, Daniel Older shows quite clearly what it’s like to be female.<\/p>\n

Further down Gates Ave, a couple of guys were throwing dice in front of the Coltrane Projects. \u201cWhy you frownin\u2019, girl?\u201d one of them called out as Sierra walked past. \u201cSmile for us!\u201d <\/p>\n

Sierra knew the guy. It was Little Ricky; they\u2019d played together when they were small. He\u2019d been one of those boys that all the girls were crazy about, with big dreamy eyes and a gentle way about him. A few years ago, Sierra would have been giddy with excitement to have his attention. Now he was just another stoopgoon harassing every passing skirt. <\/p>\n

\u201cI ain\u2019t in the mood, jackass,\u201d Sierra muttered, hugging herself. She was still shaky from the horrible night and she knew any sign of weakness would encourage them. <\/p>\n

The guys let out a chorus of ohs and pounded one another. \u201cI\u2019m just saying, Sarcastula,\u201d Ricky called after her. \u201cC\u2019mon back when you in the mood \u2026\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

And a minority female at that.<\/p>\n

(T)he words crept in, made a home in Sierra\u2019s mind no matter how much she fought them off. Her wild, nappy<\/em> hair. She ran her hands through her fro. She loved it the way it was, free and undaunted. She imagined it as a force field, deflecting all Rosa\u2019s stupid comments.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

But Sierra isn’t a victim to it.<\/p>\n

No matter what she did, that little voice came creeping back, persistent and unsatisfied. <\/p>\n

Not enough<\/em>. <\/p>\n

Today she looked menacingly into the mirror and said: \u201cI\u2019m Sierra Mar\u00eda Santiago. I am what I am. Enough.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Let me be clear, this isn’t sermonizing, it’s just part of the life of the characters. These bits are simply the background to events, the day-to-day stuff that teens think about, and minority teens have to live with.<\/p>\n

What I love best is the dialog, reading the back and forth between the teens.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat about him, B?\u201d <\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s a Columbia professor. Or was.\u201d <\/p>\n

\u201cHow\u2019d you find out?\u201d <\/p>\n

\u201cThis amazing thing they have now. It\u2019s a web and it\u2019s mad wide. Like, worldwide.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\u201cYou gonna show yourself or just break my window?\u201d she hissed into the darkness. <\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s me!\u201d someone whispered loudly from down below. <\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re gonna haveta be more specific than that.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\u201cImma write a book,\u201d Tee announced. \u201cIt\u2019s gonna be about white people.\u201d <\/p>\n

Izzy scowled. \u201cSeriously, Tee: Shut up. Everyone can hear you.\u201d <\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m being serious,\u201d Tee said. \u201cIf this Wick cat do all this research about Sierra\u2019s grandpa and all his Puerto Rican spirits, I don\u2019t see why I can\u2019t write a book about his people. Imma call it Hipster vs. Yuppie: A Culturalpological Study.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

These are definitely teens, being teens. But they’re not stupid, and there isn’t really much angst. Yes, Sierra has issues with her family, but they’re typical teenage girl issues.<\/p>\n

And here’s one of my favorite bits. Bennie and Sierra talk about what’s been happening while Bennie braids her hair.<\/p>\n

They sat in silence for a while, Bennie twisting and pulling away as Sierra tumbled the past two days around and around in her head like a load of laundry. \u201cOw!\u201d <\/p>\n

\u201cRelax, I\u2019m done. How you feel?\u201d <\/p>\n

\u201cLike my face is being slowly yanked around to the back of my head.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Oh yes, I know that feeling.<\/p>\n

This is an utterly marvelous book, and I highly recommend it.
\nRating: 9.5\/10<\/strong><\/p>\n

Published by Arthur A. Levine Books<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Shadowshaper (2015) Daniel Jos\u00e9 Older I think that Daniel Jos\u00e9 Older is now made it to my Must Buy list of authors. I have adored everything I’ve ready by him, and I also cannot WAIT to give this book to the teens in my life. Sierra Santiago wants to spend the summer painting, working on […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[192,13,2,48,44,148,16,34,20],"tags":[138,140],"class_list":["post-5723","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-9-5-10","category-9-10","category-fantasy","category-female","category-hispanic","category-queer","category-supernatural","category-urban-fantasy","category-young-adult","tag-daniel-jose-older","tag-shadowshaper-cypher"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/piQkW-1uj","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":6431,"url":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/6431","url_meta":{"origin":5723,"position":0},"title":"Ghost Girl in the Corner","author":"Michelle","date":"January 3, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Ghost Girl in the Corner (2016) Daniel Jos\u00e9 Older This is set after Shadowshaper. Tee has received a grant to take over the publishing of the Bed-Stuy Searchlight--the local paper that had been run by Manny. She has three other teens to help her: Mina, Rafael, and Coruscant, although the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "8.5\/10"","block_context":{"text":"8.5\/10","link":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/category\/8-5-10"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/Ghost-Girl-in-the-Corner.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":6225,"url":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/6225","url_meta":{"origin":5723,"position":1},"title":"Salsa Nocturna, Audio Book","author":"Michelle","date":"November 29, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"Salsa Nocturna, Audible Version (2012\/2014) Daniel Jos\u00e9 Older, read by the author As with his Bone Street Rumba novels, Daniel Jose Older reads his own work, and it's totally great! This short story collection was published before Half-Resurrection Blues and features not just Carlos and Riley, but one of my\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "8.5\/10"","block_context":{"text":"8.5\/10","link":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/category\/8-5-10"},"img":{"alt_text":"salsa_nocturna","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/Salsa_Nocturna.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":9311,"url":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/9311","url_meta":{"origin":5723,"position":2},"title":"Shadowhouse Fall","author":"Michelle","date":"October 4, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Shadowhouse Fall (2017) Daniel Jos\u00e9 Older This is the second book in the Shadowshaper Cypher series. Sierra is coming to terms with being the Lucera and leading a team of Shadowshapers. She's also learning that all of this is going to be far more dangerous that they could have guessed,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "8\/10"","block_context":{"text":"8\/10","link":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/category\/8-10"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/shadowhouse-fall.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":8965,"url":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/8965","url_meta":{"origin":5723,"position":3},"title":"Salsa Nocturna: A Bone Street Rumba Collection","author":"Michelle","date":"March 24, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Salsa Nocturna: A Bone Street Rumba Collection (2012) Daniel Jos\u00e9 Older I was feeling out of sorts and unsure what I was in the mood to read, so I decided to re-read Salsa Nocturna since I knew I'd enjoy it. \u201cTenderfoot\u201d published in The Innsmouth Free Press (2011) \u201cSalsa Nocturna\u201d\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "10\/10"","block_context":{"text":"10\/10","link":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/category\/10-10"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/Salsa_Nocturna.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":5276,"url":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/5276","url_meta":{"origin":5723,"position":4},"title":"Salsa Nocturna","author":"Michelle","date":"June 11, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"Salsa Nocturna (2012) Daniel Jos\u00e9 Older This is a collection of intertwined short stories. It doesn't seem quite so at the beginning, but they are are all more than just set in the same world. The characters are ghosts and ghost hunters and those who can see the dead, and\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "8.5\/10"","block_context":{"text":"8.5\/10","link":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/category\/8-5-10"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/Salsa_Nocturna.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":5998,"url":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/5998","url_meta":{"origin":5723,"position":5},"title":"Salsa Nocturna: Stories","author":"Michelle","date":"August 14, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"Salsa Nocturna: Stories (2012) Daniel Jos\u00e9 Older This is a collection of stories set in the same world as the Bone Street Rumba series, and although some of the stories were about Carlos, there are other stories as well. \u201cTenderfoot\u201d \u201cSalsa Nocturna\u201d \u201cSkin Like Porcelain Death\u201d \u201cThe Collector\u201d \u201cGraveyard Waltz\u201d\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "8.5\/10"","block_context":{"text":"8.5\/10","link":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/category\/8-5-10"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/Salsa_Nocturna.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_likes_enabled":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5723","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5723"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5723\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5723"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5723"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5723"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}