Reviews with content warning for Murder - The Monsters We Defy

4.5. The Monsters We Defy is a fantastical heist adventure set within a wonderfully crafted historic Washington DC populated by actual historical figures - WEB DuBois, Langston Hughes, Carter Woodson, and more - that has much to say about gentrification, colourism, class division, and resistance to racism. The plot is well paced and exciting, and I enjoyed the cast of characters very much.

This novel would make absolutely fantastic television; I'd happily read more set in this world & more from Leslye Penelope.

Content warnings: racism, racial slurs, police brutality, racist violence, hate crime, enslavement, classism, colourism

Content Warnings

carefulfearanddeaddevotion's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous funny mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

OMG!!!! My fav book of the year so far! (sorry Seven Husbands)

Very very few issues, to the point where I can't even verbalize them.

Absolutely adore the characters. They're just the kind I like: a l(ot)ittle damaged, sassy, a little bitchy, magical, charismatic. Israel Lee, I wish you were real so I could kiss you on your mouth<3<3 Clara Johnson, you're cool too, don't get me wrong, but he's so so perfect <3 I love him and Clara together: confident, kind-hearted ladies man falling for the grumpy closed off girl? sign me the fuck up. The rest of the cast is really cool too, the villains aren't extremely fleshed out, but it works cause they're sprits.

The plot was also really up my alley, urban magic? a heist?? a ragtag group??? yes yes yes. I really loved exploring 1920s DC, and how the black people who lived there managed to carve out their own space despite Jim Crow. I also liked that besides

the cop Clara killed before the start of the story

and passing mentions (usually when discussing racism), white people were casually absent from the story.

Highly highly recommend.

Content Warnings

alex_johnson_2021's review

Go to review page

adventurous dark funny mysterious fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Content Warnings

sarrie's review

Go to review page

adventurous funny hopeful inspiring medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

Plot: Simple and straightforward but fun
Characters: Interesting and varied
Setting: Well realized, I loved the setting
Magic: Simple but fantastic with visible prices/outcomes

CW: Police Brutality's, Racism, Parental Abandonment, Abuse, Classism

Thoughts:

Clara is a young black woman living in 1920's Washington. In a moment of desperation when she was younger she asked a boon from a powerful spirit to save herself from prison. Now she has to help those who come to her asking for help. However she stumbles upon a conspiracy, people are loosing their will to do seemingly anything. They become almost walking zombies. The spirit Clara works for/with, the Empress, asks her to retrieve a ring stating that it's causing this disease in people. From there she begins to gather up a group of people, some with their own gifts/prices to clear and others just wanting to help.

This book is just fun, Clara and all her compatriots were interesting and varied. I loved Israel, our romantic interest and foil to Clara. Aristotle as well stole my heart. These are characters that feel real and tangible, with sad stories that also hit deeply. The gimmick of the magic in this world is the idea of give and take. People can ask boons, called Charms, from the spirits of the world. In return there is always a Trick placed on the person. For example, the ability to erase memories for a short time is given but the person who loves you most will forget you. Naturally that means that most of the characters that we meet have a sad and deeply moving story, and I think our author did a fantastic job of balancing those heavy backgrounds with fun and optimistic characters. They were people doing the best with what they had.

The mystery itself isn't the most mind blowing, you're not going to get a twisty and over the top story here but there are moments of greatness and really you're reading for the characters and their interactions. The setting is beautifully done, I felt the city around Clara and I loved getting the historical details of the era. I think the only thing that really pulled this down was just the very standard shape of the story, which isn't bad, but for me in the moment just didn't hit.

Go into this expecting a good time, something light and fun and you'll have a blast. I'll definitely try to pick up more from this author as this sets up well for a sequel.
3 creepy rings out of 5

Content Warnings

More...