Fantasy Novella Review: Ghost Girl in the Corner by Daniel Jose Older

Ghost Girl in the Corner by Daniel Jose Older

Ghost Girl in the Corner is the first novella written by Daniel Jose Older in his Shadowshaper universe - his YA urban fantasy series featuring afro-latinx protagonists in Brooklyn, where they deal with real world issues like gentrification and police violence while also figuring out the magic that comes from their heritage (I make it sound a lot lamer than it is, it's really done pretty well!).  This novella is essentially a side story and sequel to the first Shadowshaper novel ("Shadowshaper"), with the story focusing not on the main novels' protagonist Sierra, but upon her two friends: Tee and Izzy.  Tee and Izzy were great and unusual characters for the main novels - the only duo in the novels with a clear loving relationship, with each having their own personality, especially the brash freestyle rapping Izzy.

This novella splits its story into the pair's perspectives at a time when Tee is finding her unsure of herself and her relationships, just as she's beginning to see the new magical powers she was just gifted.  Naturally, there's both a fantasy and real political atmosphere to the plot as well, as the two girls try to figure out how to get through this time, and Older does a really credible job with it.  It's still not a story that will get you into the series - new readers should start with the novels - but it's a far better and more interesting side story than the other novella, so worth your time if you have read the novels.


Plot Summary:  After the events of Shadowshaper, Tee is feeling a bit out of it but she can't put her finger on why.  She's undertaken the project of getting the local newspaper, run by their late friend Manny, back running, but that's not the root cause of her insecurity, but she doesn't quite know what is.  Meanwhile, Tee's insecurity is obvious to her girlfriend Izzy, who is desperate to get Tee back to loving her, but can't seem to figure out how.  But when a spirit - the ghost of a girl - appears only to Tee and begs for help in the corner of Manny's old printing area, the two will find themselves independently and together trying to solve a mystery that has plagued Brooklyn for a few years, and the result will either make their relationship grow stronger....or kill them.

Thoughts:  This novella focuses upon two of the side characters from the Shadowshaper novels, Izzy and Tee, who are very often off-page in the novels as they focus upon Sierra (especially in the first novel - the second novel has more of the pair).  Izzy is the absolutely brash rapper, outspoken as can be and not afraid to say her mind, while Tee is a little bit more soft spoken, but the two in the novels have always been together.  But of course, relationships aren't so easy, and this novella does a great job showing a rocky moment in that relationship - one that isn't necessarily caused by anything either of the pair did, but just due to well the natural flow and tide of life (and well, teenage life in particular.).  Add into all of that a plot that features another nice mixture of shadowshaping magic and real world issues facing people of color - particularly in this case, the plight of POC who find themselves missing (as opposed to white kids) and the lack of support from institutions like police at finding them - and you have a real winner of a novella.

Readers new to the Shadowshaper universe should not start here, but unlike the other later novella in this universe - which was solid but kind of just for diehards - this on is a really well worth your time read if you enjoyed Shadowshaper at all.