The Monsters We Defy was a surprising read. Initially, I was intrigued by the synopsis but I didn’t expect for it to be so damn good!

The plot development was smooth and Penelope balances mystery, historical fabulation, and spiritualism so well. She set the scene impeccably and I felt like I was traversing 1920s Washington D.C., especially with all the references to real history. The magic system was embedded in African-American folklore and hoodoo. Penelope creates a wonderful cast of characters. Clara was written so well. She was flawed, troubled, and determined. Zelda was also another favourite.


There are a couple of things that I didn’t like as much:
• Zelda felt underwritten towards the end, which was sad. Her character was so dynamic, funny & skilled. In the climax we don’t see much of this and her final storyline being that

this got her a man and she lived happily ever after

fell flat.
• There were some conveniences in the final showdown which smoothed things over a little too easily.


That being said, there’s so much more that I adored! I’ll definitely read more of her work. 

💛 More things I loved 💛
• exploration of colourism & class divides in the Black community 
• real world histories woven into narrative
• dynamic loveable characters & their backstories 
• explores legacies of slavery on class divides 
• fashion & culture