Shadowshaper

Sierra's summer plans are put on hold when because her grandfather wants her to finish painting a mural on an abandoned building.  Sierra loves creating art, but she's never done anything this big before.

Then some creepy guy interrupts her date.  He looks strange, and his voice is even stranger.  He is a corpuscle, a dead body that's been reanimated to do someone else's will.  And that's just the beginning.

Sierra learns that her grandfather and his friends were once Shadowshaper.  They had the power to create art and send spirits into that art to make it come alive.  The only person who seems willing to help her is Robbie, a fellow artist who Sierra's had a crush on for a while.

As Sierra uncovers more about the Shadowshapers and the coming danger, she begins to understand why her bedridden grandfather was so desperate for her to finish the mural.  She has an enemy with far more experience, and he won't stop until the power of shadowshaping consumes him and everyone else who gets in the way.

This is a pitch-perfect urban fantasy from Daniel Jose Older.  The pacing and atmosphere are spot on--Cassandra Clare fans will love it!  Older's neighborhoods full of Haitian and Puerto Rican immigrants are colorful and lively, and the underlying messages about preserving culture and embracing your appearance and ancestry are wonderful.  This is what diversity should look like in literature!  Also, that cover...amazing!  Highly recommended for grades 8 and up!