Review: The Monsters We Defy

What do you do when you can communicate with spirits, are indebted to a treacherous Enigma, and that same Enigma tells you that in order to clear your debt you must steal an enchanted ring in a daring heist thats basically a suicide mission. Well if you are Clara Johnson, you grab your criminally minded best friend, assemble a rag tag group of other indebted peeps, and you go get your Oceans 11 on to drop some black girl magic on that sucka to help save yourself and your community.

The Monsters We Defy is a debut work by Leslye Penelope that is part magical heist, part historical fiction, and all-black excellence. It tells the story of Clara Johnson, a young woman, with spiritual gifts who discovers that some malevolent spirts are trying to bring some major drama earthside and it’s up to her and her . Dealing with themes of classism and racism, this book ultimately seeks to answer the question of what to do when your purpose scares the sh!#t out of you.

The good:
I loved the historical basis that is the foundation of this book. The main character is based on a historical figure, and there was also the casual sprinkling of other notable historical figures. We even get some Queen of Sheba mythology. I also appreciated that this book explored what life was like for black folks at such an interesting time. The 1920s (1925 to be exact) and living in such a dynamic city like DC, where there’s opportunity, glamor, luxury, and wealth. But we are not that far removed from slavery so it’s after-effects are still very present and real for most of the characters (obvi in a more direct way than the residual effects we still deal with to this day). I also loved the representation that hoodoo and african traditional spiritual practices received in the book.

The bad:
For a heist story, I felt like the pacing was a bit slow at times. But the action and suspense at various points helps to make up for that.

4/5 and yup I definitely recommend. Are you planning to read the Monsters We Defy? Let us know your thoughts when you do.

Thank you to NetGalley and Redhook books for the e-ARC.