If you haven’t heard of Shadowshaper by Daniel Jose Older then I clearly haven’t been doing my job as an advocate. It’s a YA novel that features an Afro-Latina protagonist from Brooklyn, who finds her self, her magic and her light with the help of her curiosity, reasoning and amazingly delightful group of friends and family members.

I got the book ahead of the publish date when I attended Book Con, I even got to meet Older and get is signed (yeah, I cried) and I’ve been working in the review for a bit over a month. It’s been overwhelming. It’s impossible for me to finish my review because, like the book, I didn’t want it to end. I didn’t want to break the connection with this story, that seemed like it was written for me; a Caribbean girl who has walked through those same paths in Prospect Park, that’s felt the call of the water…I felt renewed, refreshed, and completely inspired.

I’m letting four versions of the review sit in my Google Documents after three full reads of the book. Why? Because it deserves my best writing; and that’s how I know that it’s already left a lasting impression on me, not only as a reader, but as an aspiring writer as well. I want to be proud of the review when I post it because I was proud to read it.

So, this is a quick PSA to those of you who are looking for a new book to read and haven’t been able to decide, or for those of you who haven’t had the pleasure of reading any of his prior work – Shadowshaper is a must read this summer and you’re really missing out on a wonderfully fabricated story if you miss it.

Here’s my storified reaction when I completed Shadowshaper for the first time; and was kind enough to share on his blog. *squeals in fangirl*

Shadowshaper made me cry

And when you’re done with that, be sure to get your copy of Shadowshaper and read it so we can discuss. You can purchase it here Amazon or Barnes and Noble when you’re done, @ me. I’ll be there for ya.