3.5 stars And my cantankerous/ambivalent streak continues. Shadowshaper had so many the elements of a book I should have really liked: an inventive, unique fantasy and magic practice, a foundation in folklore that hasn’t been done to death, a dynamic protagonist, and a diverse, reliable, realistic support system for that protagonist. Additionally, the audiobook was masterfully performed by Anika Noni Rose, making Shadowshaper a joy to listen to. But something about the book, that I can’t quite put a finger on other than having this […]
Boulevard of Half-Dead Dreams
Action! Adventure! Swashbuckling! Spectral bazookas! Star-crossed, undead lovers, and a trans pirate ghost! This book has a little something for everyone and a lot of everything to love.
A must read for urban fantasy fans
I enjoyed Older’s Half-Resurrection Blues, but adored Shadowshaper. He really brought a magical alternative Brooklyn to life with this tale. Sierra Santiago is a normal teenager excited for her summer break. She’s going to hang out with friends and spend her time painting murals around the city, until a creepy guy crashes the first party of the season and ends up chasing her. Combined with some weird occurrences like a mural weeping and her incapacitated abuelo repeating the same phrase over and over, she knows […]
Good Plot, Good Characters, Great Setting
Hey look, it’s an urban fantasy that actually takes place in a realistic urban setting. There are people of many ethnicities and the city has pockets of different cultures. These writing choices by Daniel José Older really lend the fantastical elements a heavy dose of realism. It’s refreshing. That realistic setting and Older’s imaginative world building made Half-Resurrection Blues a very enjoyable read. Carlos Delacruz isn’t really alive, but he’s not quite dead either. He’s an inbetweener, someone who lives between the world of the […]