OCTOBER 2022 - AudioFile
In this dazzling fantasy set in 1920s Washington, DC, narrator Shayna Small imbues her voice with the power of spirits and the determination of a Black woman with the power to talk to them. Clara’s gift saved her once, but it left her with a terrible debt. So when a spirit offers her freedom in exchange for pulling off a dangerous heist, she accepts. Small pulls off a feat herself, shape-shifting through the many colorful characters in Clara’s crew. Each one comes alive with a unique voice—from the smooth, charming lilt of a talented man who can hypnotize people with music to the sharp, no-nonsense staccato of a woman who was raised in the circus. Small’s emotional delivery will draw listeners into Clara’s world of African American folklore and magic. L.S. 2023 Audies Winner © AudioFile 2022, Portland, Maine
Publishers Weekly
★ 05/30/2022
African American folk magic weaves through the alternate 1925 Washington, D.C., setting of this gorgeous fantasy from Penelope (the Earthsinger Chronicles series), in which magic-practicing humans choose to become indebted to powerful spirits—one of whom schemes to rule the human realm. Clara Johnson, herself indebted to a mysterious figure called the Empress, works as a typist while helping other Black folks with magic-related dilemmas on the side. A significant number of D.C.’s poor are coming down with a strange affliction and disappearing, but before Clara can investigate, the Empress cashes in a favor, tasking her with stealing an ancient ring from a wealthy opera singer. Clara reluctantly accepts, assembling a colorful crew to help pull off the heist: Zelda, her albino ex-circus performer roommate; Aristotle, a shape-shifting vaudeville actor; Israel, one of the hottest jazz musicians on Black Broadway; and Jesse Lee, Israel’s memory-altering, war veteran cousin. As threats grow from all sides, the group finds strength and answers in stories of their ancestors while coming to terms with how their pasts shape the future. Penelope’s blend of fantasy and history is pitch perfect, with wit, romance, and a lovable found family thrown in for good measure. Readers will be wowed. Agent: Sara Megibow, KT Literary. (Aug.)
From the Publisher
"Leslye Penelope has created a rich and immersive world, set in an enchanting 1920s Washington DC full of jazz musicians, elite Black social organizations, fairy balls, bootleggers, lady gangster bosses, and mesmerizing magic! It's a story that weaves together threads of real history with bits of the utterly fantastic. The Monsters We Defy will keep you turning the pages and wanting more!” —P. Djèli Clark, author of A Master of Djinn
"Penelope’s blend of fantasy and history is pitch perfect, with wit, romance, and a lovable found family thrown in for good measure. Readers will be wowed."—Publishers Weekly (starred)
"Leslye Penelope’s latest is a genre-bending mashup that delights as much as it intrigues...Clara Johnson, the novel’s protagonist, is one of the most inventive characters in fantasy."—NPR, "Best Books of 2022"
"A gritty heroine and crew that commune with trickster spirits. A heist that pits them against a powerful member of the city's elite. In The Monsters We Defy, Leslye Penelope blends magic, mystery, and mayhem in this deliciously complex historical fantasy."—Veronica Henry, author of Bacchanal
"An enchanting adventure that weaves a spell while spotlighting Black culture in the 1920s."—Justina Ireland, New York Times bestselling author
"Masterfully crafted, with gorgeous prose, colourful characters, and a compelling plot. This smart and entertaining, magical heist novel hits all the right notes and leaves the reader wanting more."—T. L. Huchu, author of The Library of the Dead
"Penelope ... entwines African American folk magic with a caper, historical fiction, and romance to equally enchanting effect."—Booklist (starred)
"What a thrilling gem of a book! Clara is a heroine for the ages and her 1920s Black Washington society, both the glamour and the grit, is so compellingly evoked it's as though Penelope has given us a peek behind the veil to hear the tales of our ancestors. Highly recommended." —Alaya Dawn Johnson, World Fantasy Award-winning author of Trouble the Saints
"The 1920s have a great deal to say to the 2020s about justice and whose lives are seen as being worth more than others. Stolen destinies, dubious bargains, and unlikely groups of allies, all in a city whose history deserves more fame: this is a fresh and engaging take on historical fantasy!"—Marie Brennan, author of The Lady Trent Memoirs
"The Monsters We Defy is a fascinating blend of the real and imagined...both a well-crafted fantasy romp (with a healthy dose of happily-ever-after romance) and a work of revisionist fiction that elevates a vital, oft-overlooked slice of history." —BookPage
"A spellbinding adventure story that blends Black folk magic, history, and romance."—Apartment Therapy
"Brightly painted with hues and shades of magic, set against a backdrop of jazz music and drag balls, Penelope has taken a specific historical place and moment and made them feel vibrantly alive. She expertly weaves threads of folklore, mythology, and Bible stories into the tapestry of the setting, creating a texture that ties the story to this world and its history while allowing the fantastic to breathe and flow."—Paste Magazine
"Leslye Penelope shines in weaving African folklore with D.C. history in this engaging mystery." —Arlington Magazine
"A high-stakes, delightful read with fantastic characters."—BuzzFeed
"A scintillating adventure across DC's Black Broadway...[and] a wonderful mashup of Black history, conjuring, juju, and superstitions." —Locus
Library Journal
06/17/2022
The otherworldly elements of Penelope's ("Bliss Wars" series) new historical fantasy are grounded by the novel's setting in a largely Black society in 1925 Washington, DC. Protagonist Clara Johnson, who can communicate with spirits, should have been dead: A last-minute deal with a spirit freed her from a DC jail, but left her accountable for her future. Forced to help other people who are seeking aid from the spirit world, Clara finds herself brokering deals with a heavy price. When the spirit who holds Clara's debt offers her a way to free herself, Clara recklessly accepts, though it requires her to steal a magic ring from the District's wealthiest woman. As Clara pursues her bounty, she finds herself working with other people who hold interesting powers, including a jazz musician who hypnotizes with his music and an older actor who can dramatically change his appearance. VERDICT This engaging fantasy heist tale, inspired by historical events and people, will please readers who enjoyed C. L. Polk's "Kingston Cycle" and fans of Penelope (a past winner of the BCALA Self-Publishing EBook Award who also has a title on Time's list of the "100 Best Fantasy Books of All Time."—Kristi Chadwick
OCTOBER 2022 - AudioFile
In this dazzling fantasy set in 1920s Washington, DC, narrator Shayna Small imbues her voice with the power of spirits and the determination of a Black woman with the power to talk to them. Clara’s gift saved her once, but it left her with a terrible debt. So when a spirit offers her freedom in exchange for pulling off a dangerous heist, she accepts. Small pulls off a feat herself, shape-shifting through the many colorful characters in Clara’s crew. Each one comes alive with a unique voice—from the smooth, charming lilt of a talented man who can hypnotize people with music to the sharp, no-nonsense staccato of a woman who was raised in the circus. Small’s emotional delivery will draw listeners into Clara’s world of African American folklore and magic. L.S. 2023 Audies Winner © AudioFile 2022, Portland, Maine
