The Monsters We Defy by Leslye Penelope

A woman able to communicate with spirits must assemble a ragtag crew to pull off a daring heist to save her community in this timely and dazzling historical fantasy that weaves together African American folk magic, history, and romance.

Washington D. C., 1925

Clara Johnson talks to spirits, a gift that saved her during her darkest moments in a Washington D. C. jail. Now a curse that’s left her indebted to the cunning spirit world. So, when the Empress, the powerful spirit who holds her debt, offers her an opportunity to gain her freedom, a desperate Clara seizes the chance. The task: steal a magical ring from the wealthiest woman in the District.

Clara can’t pull off this daring heist alone. She’ll need help from an unlikely team, from a jazz musician capable of hypnotizing with a melody to an aging vaudeville actor who can change his face, to pull off the impossible. But as they encounter increasingly difficult obstacles, a dangerous spirit interferes at every turn. Conflict in the spirit world is leaking into the human one and along D.C’.s legendary Black Broadway, a mystery unfolds—one that not only has repercussions for Clara but all of the city’s residents.

General Impressions

Reader, I went into "The Monsters We Defy" without any expectations and it cured me of a reading slump, discovered a new fave author and a story that I will not soon forget. Go read this book and you can thank me later!

I did request this book from the publisher after reading its synopsis but by the time I got it I had forgotten everything about it and went into it completely blind. With full honesty: this was not a book I went into with a lot of expectations or even believed I would finish. If you have read any of my other reviews you know I'm a slave to covers and this was not one that called to me immediately (it did grow on me and now I love it and think it perfectly complements the story). Adding to that the fact I had never read anything by Leslye Penelope and anything that involves spirits is more often a miss than a hit with me. And yet I don't think it took me more than a chapter to throw every reservation I had out the window and embark head first into this world and I don't regret this one inch.

Unlike what I was dreading, this is not a book focusing on people's powers with a sidequest of heists that they easily accomplish thanks to their abilities and a crew of borderline interesting quirky characters sprinkled with straight romance. If that is your cup of tea, do not despair: those tropes are all present and really well done but everything pales when you consider the effect that 1920s segregated Washington and USA has on this fully black cast.

If you are looking for an incredibly well-researched, diverse, own voices story, grab this one with both hands. This was such a historically accurate work from KKK marches, segregation, colourism, sexism and so many other details that the author tackles not once but makes sure the reader understands their insidiousness in every aspect of these character's lives and the options they have and haven't at every turn because of them. If you need one, this book is another proof of why we need stories written by authors from all walks of life because no one else other than Leslye herself would be able to accomplish in this story what she and her characters did.

The plot itself was also as tight as could be and the characters no matter how secondary were completely fleshed out and believable in their stances. I did at times wish that Clara was less of a goody two shoes but I ultimately enjoyed that about her, someone that was given a bad hand at every turn and actively chose to be and do good and was balanced by other characters that indulged in choosing not to ignore every insult and slight.

I can't recommend this book enough and I hope to get the chance to read and praise many more books like this one written by Leslye herself and others. May "The Monsters We Defy" inspire and open doors to other stories to be told because we will all be better for it.

Thank you so much to little Brown Books and Orbit UK for gifting me a copy.

Rating: 4.5/5