As forces of gentrification invade their community and a mysterious being who appropriates their magic begins to hunt the aging shadowshapers, Sierra must learn about her artistic and spiritual heritage to foil the killer.

[1] As her summer vacation from Octavia Butler High School starts, Sierra Santiago begins work on a mural of a dragon on a building.

A walking corpse, or corpuscule, of a missing neighborhood man and shadowshaper, Vernon Chandler, interrupts the party and chases Sierra through the streets.

Using the knowledge of her neighborhood, family, and mixed heritages, Sierra starts to pursue information about the mysterious shadowshapers, the force that is hunting them, and the spirit Lucera.

"[5] Ebony Elizabeth Thomas of LA Times said Older's characters, "masterfully navigating the tightropes of coming of age while wrestling with myriad identities, the spectacular central figures of their own fantastic stories.

"[8] Publishers Weekly gave a starred review: "a well-executed plot of the exceptional child with a mysterious history standing forth to save her world, aided by a similarly gifted romantic interest.

"[10] Amal Al-Mohtar of NPR said that while the book was "joyful and assertive and proud," its flaw was that "the plot unfolds in fits and starts; revelations occur haphazardly, awkwardly delayed and then in a rush.