Reviews

The Monsters We Defy by Leslye Penelope

kimreads14's review against another edition

adventurous dark funny hopeful inspiring mysterious

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

5.0

5 ⭐️
This book was absolutely AMAZING!

Everything from the back story regarding why Leslye Penelope decided to call her FMC Clara to the magical system.

I mean seriously, who would say no to a magical heist set during the Harlem Renaissance??? 

Every character were perfectly crafted, and I really enjoyed the small snippets that helped introduce the majority of the "crew members" from their birth to them getting their Charms/Tricks (well except for Zelda 👀, IYKYK) 

The magic system of Enigmas, Grays, Over There, and Second Sight was easy enough to understand and splendidly from the very early beginning of the book, which made diving into it so much easier.

10/10 would recommend

I'll soon be looking at the rest of the author's work under L. Penelope ☺️

kmarie710's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot

5.0

15bedford's review

adventurous lighthearted medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

ashleyreads713's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious medium-paced

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

4.25

tinyviolet's review against another edition

medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

shubka's review

adventurous emotional funny hopeful mysterious tense fast-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism

Moderate: Classism, Cultural appropriation, Murder, and Death

eyelit's review against another edition

mysterious tense 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? No

4.0

n14h8hughes's review

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? No

4.0

xmomo's review

5.0

I was fully immersed in the world Lesley created. It has charismatic characters, enthralling magic and the harrowing parallels with today's world.

te_books's review

4.0

This was my first time reading one of Leslye Penelope’s books and I really enjoyed it. It was a nice escape but still informative and fun to move through. Exploring 1920’s Black DC was engaging and cool. Meeting her characters in it made it even better. They all had such great personalities and I was attached to each of them. The Hoodoo and Black Spiritualism plot points made it extra unique. A great and refreshingly creative read!