The Monsters We Defy

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.
"Never make a deal with shadows at night, especially ones that know your name.”
Washington D. C., 1925: Clara Johnson can talk to spirits—a gift that saved her during her darkest moments, now a curse that’s left her indebted to the cunning spirit world. So when a powerful spirit offers her an opportunity to gain her freedom, Clara seizes the chance, no questions asked. 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 the help of an unlikely team, from a handsome jazz musician able to hypnotize with a melody to an aging actor who can change his face, to pull off the impossible. But as they race along DC’s legendary Black Broadway, conflict in the spirit world begins to leak into the human one—an insidious mystery is unfolding, one that could cost Clara her life and change the fate of an entire city.
Praise for The Monsters We Defy:
"Full of mesmerizing magic, The Monsters We Defy weaves together threads of real history with bits of the utterly fantastic." ―P. Djèli Clark, author of A Master of Djinn
"Masterfully crafted, with gorgeous prose, colourful characters, and a compelling plot. This smart and entertaining, magical heist novel hits all the right notes!" ―T.L. Huchu, author of The Library of the Dead
"Leslye Penelope blends magic, mystery, and mayhem in this deliciously complex historical fantasy.” —Veronica Henry, author of Bacchanal 

I love it when books have a mix of genres. The Monsters We Defy is such a great mix of historical fiction and fantasy. Set in the 1920s in Washington DC, some characters and events in the book were actually inspired by real life. I’m not at all familiar with what happened in DC around this time, and while a fictional book isn’t the best source, learning about it was still really cool!

Clara Johnson has the ability to talk to spirits and must pull off a heist to save her community. The task? Steal a powerful ring from the wealthiest woman in the District. Clara assembles a ragtag crew of a jazz musician who can hypnotize with his music, an actor who can change his appearance, a war veteran who can alter memories, and her roommate with a circus background. I loved the characters’ interactions with each other and I love how each of their motivations felt real to me. While their abilities may be incredible, there is also a trick attached to it – consequences that have impacted each character deeply.

I love heist stories and I’d be lying if I didn’t say that was the biggest pull this book had on me. As far as pacing goes, I think my expectations were quite different. I was looking for something a bit more fast paced but while the novel slowed in parts, I still liked it. There’s African American folk magic, mystery, found family, history, deals with spirits, clairvoyants, ghosts, and a heartwarming romance that make this book an enjoyable ride.

Thanks to the team at Orbit for sending me an eARC for review! All opinions are my own.