Reviews with content warning for Racism - The Monsters We Defy

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Reviews tagging 'Racism'

The Monsters We Defy by Leslye Penelope

33 reviews

carefulfearanddeaddevotion's review against another edition

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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.

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joisaddler's review against another edition

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dark mysterious slow-paced

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

2.0

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kaelablue's review against another edition

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adventurous funny hopeful fast-paced

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

4.75

Final showdown felt a little quick, but other than that this book was wonderfully crafted and a super fun read.

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gogglor's review against another edition

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adventurous informative medium-paced

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

5.0

As soon as I saw the summary was “Fantasy heist set in Black Washington DC in the 1920’s” I think my library card caught fire with how quickly I checked it out. So glad the book itself turned out to be just as engaging and rich as the summary promised. 10/10, already planning to read it again.

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mal_reads_books's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.0

This was one of the more interesting stories I've read in a while. I loved how rich and immersive the setting was. It felt authentic and was full of fun, dynamic, unique characters. To me, this was the most enjoyable aspect of the book.

The side characters’ abilities and their backstories involving the deals they made with the spirits were also interesting. I actually preferred these characters over the protagonist, Clara, whom I didn't care much for. I loved how they were all misfits who banded together and became a "found family." I liked how the story included cameos of real Black historical figures like Langston Hughes. Even Clara was based on a real person.

Additionally, the author did a good job weaving themes of classism, colorism, and racism into the story. She handled these heavy topics well, approaching them with nuance.

While the writing was generally engaging, the story had pacing issues in that it lost my attention at times. This was usually whenever a new character was introduced with an introductory chapter; it would take me out of the story for a bit.

And while I did like the characters, I felt they could've have been better developed. Not sure why, but I kept getting two of the side guys, Aristotle and Jesse Lee, mixed up.

All in all, it was a pretty good, thought-provoking read. It has room for improvement, but is worth checking out. I'd love to see a movie adaptation for this.

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displacedcactus's review against another edition

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emotional mysterious medium-paced

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

This is a "getting a crew together for a heist" book set in a magic-tinged 1920s Washington, DC, specifically focused on the Black community. Our characters need to get a magic ring that is somehow warping peoples' minds and making them disappear. That sounds complicated enough, but there's even more going on than is immediately apparent.

I just didn't really vibe with this book. I didn't dislike it, but I never fully connected to the characters, especially the main character, Clara, who has A Secret. I don't have a lot of patience for MCs who have A Secret that they keep from the reader for as long as possible, and even more so since I felt like her secret didn't really end up contributing that much to the plot.

I also didn't feel very convinced by the motivation of the Big Bad, so it was hard to really buy into the stakes of the story.

There were some pretty likeable side characters, and 1920s DC made for a good setting, so I suspect other readers will enjoy this one a lot more than I did.

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lottiegasp's review against another edition

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adventurous funny hopeful mysterious medium-paced

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

4.5

This is an exciting and well-written novel set in 1920s Washington DC. It has spirits making mischievous deals with humans, a heist to save the wave of lower class Black folks who have suddenly gone missing and a fun, romantic storyline.

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