Review:: Shadowhouse Fall by Daniel Jose Older

Shadowhouse rising

Sierra and her friends love their new lives as shadowshapers, making art and creating change with the spirits of Brooklyn. Then Sierra receives a strange card depicting a beast called the Hound of Light—an image from the enigmatic, influential Deck of Worlds. The Deck tracks the players and powers of all the magical houses in the city, and when the real Hound begins to stalk Sierra through the streets, the shadowshapers know their next battle has arrived.

Worlds in revolution

Sierra and Shadowhouse have been thrust into an ancient struggle with enemies old and new—a struggle they didn’t want, but are determined to win. Revolution is brewing in the real world as well, as the shadowshapers lead the fight against systems that oppress their community. To protect her family and friends in every sphere, Sierra must take down the Hound and master the Deck of Worlds…or else she could lose all the things that matter most. (via Goodreads)

Y’all. This book kicked my ass, and I loved it. This book was so much that I needed time to process it before I reviewed it, but it was SO. GOOD.

I previously reviewed the first book in this series, so you will want to read that first. Check it out!

Shadowhouse Fall was amazing. It had so much intrigue, so much magic, and yet was so very real. I loved how real all of the characters were, and how much more in depth we got with all of them, particularly Benny and Pulpo. I was very intrigued by the exploration of the different options for how their magics manifested, and learning about the differences in the different magical houses.

I also loved how much it focused on the kids’ school lives and the reality of the importance of the Black Lives Matter movement. Magic notwithstanding, every situation that the characters got into was so realistic and so heartbreaking.

I cannot wait to read the next book in this series and see what comes next for the shapers. You can pick up a copy for yourself at Amazon or Indiebound.

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