Overview

"""[P]itch perfect, with wit, romance, and a lovable found family."" ―Publishers Weekly (starred review) ""This smart and entertaining, magical heist novel hits all the right notes!"" ―T.L. Huchu NPR Best Book of 2022! Paste Best Fantasy Book of 2022! ""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. The Monsters We Defy is a timely and dazzling historical fantasy that weaves together African American folk magic, history, and romance."

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9780316377911

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Reviews

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, Leslie Penelope blends magic, mystery, and mayhem in this deliciously complex historical fantasy. --Veronica Henry, author of Bacchanal 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. Djeli Clark, author of A Master of Djinn

Author Information

Leslye Penelope has been writing since she could hold a pen and loves getting lost in the worlds in her head. She is an award-winning author of fantasy and paranormal romance. Equally left and right-brained, she studied filmmaking and computer science at Howard University and sometimes dreams in HTML. She hosts the My Imaginary Friends podcast and lives in Maryland with her husband and furry dependents.

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