#leslye penelope

[yourfavebooklrsfavebooklr]

4.5 stars

I’ve been exhausted and in one hell of a reading slump so I honestly didn’t know if I’d make it through this one- until I started it and it drew me in within a chapter. Clara is an incredible main character and  I like that we actually see her picking fights and making decisions she shouldn’t- she feels real. I also really loved the rest of the cast. The plot was incredibly engaging and had some twists and turns at the end that I hadn’t expected but were really well-executed. The magic system with the enigmas was so cool and I loved how internally consistent it was. Also, the writing style managed to be fun and engaging while still giving the book a historical vibe, which I appreciated.

I’d recommend this to people looking for some good historical fiction or anyone looking to read about a fun, magical heist.

[nzbookwyrm]

June 2024

[sophia-sol]

The Monsters We Defy, by Leslye Penelope

I always find it so funny when the cover copy on a book tells of a very different story than the one that's actually between the covers. "Clara seizes the chance, no questions asked" hahaha no Clara asks a lot of questions!

Anyway this is a book set in 1920's Washington DC in the Black community, with a main character who can see and talk to spirits, and takes on a mission on behalf of one of them in order to free herself from an agreement. Clara pulls together a team of other people who also have magical gifts, plus her friend Zelda who's not magical but used to work in a circus and isn't about to let Clara do anything dangerous without her.

I really enjoyed the depth of the setting of this book; the author clearly did her research, and it shows in the best ways. People and places and relevant issues of the time and the specific place are all integrated into the narrative, bringing it to life. Issues of classism and colourism within the Black community is a major theme in the book, and it emphasises the importance of solidarity against the bigger problems they all face.

I also loved Zelda and the way her friendship with Clara was portrayed. This is one of the important relationships in the book and I love that! Also another important relationship is between Clara and her dead grandma. Grandma ghosts best ghosts.

The aspect of the book that worked least well for me was three other members of Clara's team, men named Jesse Lee, Aristotle, and Israel. And I kept getting them confused! They each have different backstories and abilities but I didn't feel like I got enough of a sense of their different personalities to be able to hold each one firm in my head as a different person. I kept having to think hard to remember which one was Clara's love interest, which one had which ability, and so on, which was fairly disorienting.

But overall it was a solidly enjoyable and interesting book. And I really appreciated one aspect of the ending, which is:

I'm really glad that Clara didn't have to use her Charm to succeed! She was firm throughout the whole book that she felt it was dangerously powerful and wrong to use, and that she did not intend to ever use it again. And she didn't have to! I was worried that it would end up being one of those situations where the character has to make a hard decision and do something they don't want to do in order to succeed. But no, she set a boundary and that boundary did not have to be sacrificed to win. I really appreciate that.

[geekynichelle]

I just finished reading The Monsters We Defy yesterday, and I really enjoyed it. I especially loved the friendship between Clara and Zelda, hence why I decided to do this. I might try them again (with the others?) at some point. Black and White version below the cut.

[tigger8900]

The Monsters We Defy, by Leslye Penelope

⭐⭐⭐⭐

In her time of need, Clara Johnson made a deal with a mysterious spirit known as the Empress, obtaining terrible power at the cost of being forever indebted. Now, the Empress has proposed another deal: if Clara can steal a ring from the finger of one of Jazz-age Washington DC's most recognizable socialites, the Empress will release Clara from her curse. Clara must assemble a team of similarly gifted - and cursed - individuals, who will need to work together if they have any hopes of unraveling the mystery to pull off the heist.

Mystery/heist-type novels aren't my typical genre, but I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed this book! I loved the system of Charms and Tricks, the characters, and of course the "how will they pull it off?" question at the heart of the story. The story's setting was very unique, and really made the novel. Most stories taking place during the Harlem Renaissance are set against the backdrop of, well, Harlem. But as the author explains in her note at the end of the text, circumstances being what they were at the time of writing(covid-19), she found herself needing to set the book a little closer to home. And so we got a wonderful look at the historic Black presence in Washington DC. Clara, the protagonist, is also based on a real woman, Carrie Johnson, who shot and killed a white policeman in 1919...and managed to walk free. The strongest thing this novel has going for it is the characters. Clara recruits four people to her heist team, each of whom fills a particular role. You've got your thief, your sweet-talker, your con-man, and of course your undercover infiltrator. You might wondering what's left for Clara to do, but the author hasn't forgotten about her. By the end, she gets to step into her own. If this novel has one flaw, it's that the pacing is inconsistent. Parts of it read almost like a heist movie, particularly the way members of Clara's team flashed back when they entered the story, giving the reader an introduction to them, their lives, and the abilities they brought to the table. But at other times, the pace dropped to be downright glacial. I was never bored with the story, particularly as these slower-paced portions served to develop the setting, but when I'd picked up the book I'd expected something faster-paced, with more sustained tension.

[readingaccountability]

the monsters we defy - leslye penelope

finished mid dec 22

absolutely incredible! vivid in both place-setting and magical worldbuilding, and great characters. the way each of their 'gifts' negatively impacted their lives was so well done and made the ending super satisfying. i also listened to this one on my first airplane trip in yearss (since 2016 i think?) and i was really anxious and this book took my mind off that. <3

[graphicpolicy]

Award-Winning Creators Rodney Barnes and Vashti Harrison headline Virtual “Summer Camp” for Creatives

Award-Winning Creators Rodney Barnes and Vashti Harrison headline Virtual “Summer Camp” for Creatives #virtuouscon

If you’re a writer or artist looking to level up their skills, the Virtuous Con Summer Workshop Series is exactly what you need. Brought to you by Virtuous Con, the popular virtual comic book, fantasy, and sci-fi convention, this exclusive virtual program, scheduled to run from July 5 to July 30, 2023, will bring together an award-winning group of creators from fiction and graphic novels to work…

[shy-fairy-levele3]

Book Haul Week of June 4-10th 2023

[mktilghman]

Summer is the perfect time to launch FEARLESS SUMMER

Summertime launch for FEARLESS SUMMER. First up, @BackwaterBooks, May 4-- with @monashroffwrite, @ElizaKnight, @MC_Vaughan, @AlyssaRobertsWr, @christi_barth, @MKHaleAuthor and #LeslyePenelope. Can't wait! @champagnebooks

Now that the paperback edition of FEARLESS SUMMER has been released, it’s time to celebrate. Plans are still in the works for a launch in Chincoteague, the setting for FEARLESS SUMMER. In the meantime, here are the dates for book signings beginning in May. Thursday, May 4, 6:30 p.m., at Backwater Books, Ellicott City: I am so excited to be signing books with some of my favorite (and so…

[francesderwent]

love when the moral of a fantasy story is “consulting with demons is so bad you guys”

[nzbookwyrm]

[betterbooksandthings]

"The best fantasy audiobooks for adults sweep readers away with deft narration. I cannot recommend them more for fun listening.

Audiobook sales have skyrocketed over the last five years. As of 2023, audiobook revenue grew to $2 billion, continuing the trend of growth in the space. With the rising accessibility and affordability of audiobooks through apps like Libby and Hoopla, as well as the growing collection of audiobooks on paid platforms like Spotify, Audible, Libro.fm, and Audiobooks.com, it’s unsurprising. It has never been easier to listen to your favorite books.

There is nothing better than listening to heroes conquering proverbial or actual dragons in fantasy worlds. Or, better yet, listening to those dragons get vengeance because they were never the bad guys in the first place. Whatever the story, a good audiobook can completely change its reception.

It’s important to point out that what makes a good fantasy book does not always make a good fantasy audiobook. So, I took into account how the narrator or narrators sounded at regular speed as well as 2x, 3x, etc. Sometimes a narrator sounds excellent, and then you want to get through the chapters a bit faster and realize you cannot understand them at all in 2x. I also took accessibility into account so all the fantasy audiobooks for adults included in this list can be found on Spotify Premium, Libro.fm, Audible, and Audiobooks.com."

[batmanisagatewaydrug]

reading roundup: june 2024

before I get started on June, I have to issue a correction from May: I forgot to include a book!

last year I backed Iron Circus Comics' erotic anthology My Monster Girlfriend, edited by Andrea Purcell and Amanda Lafrenais, and it finally arrived just ahead of pride. My Monster Girlfriend contains 15 stories by all by different artists, and features protagonists who get it on with everything from the classic ghosts, werewolves, and vampires to a reality-warping angel (?) who contains infinite dimensions, a sleep paralysis demon, and an all-consuming flesh monster hivemind.

while I would have liked to see a little more variety in the freakishness of the actual sex, the anthology is a lot of fun and shows off a great diversity of art styles and scenarios in which one might get down to clown with a monster girlfriend. my personal favorites were Feather by Kanesha C. Bryant, in which an intrepid pervert boldly attempts to locate their girlfriend's genitalia; MonsterHER Under the Bed by Bont and Wes Brooke, which puts a cute, sexy little spin on the monster under the bed; Forest Wedding by Otava Heikkilä, which reads like an old timey fable except it ends in a giant forest woman getting crazy fisted by her new trans husband; and Girl Fiend by InnKeeperWorm, which is infinitely jackoffable even though, frankly, the hellhound should have stayed in her more monstrous canine form to fuck.

okay, now onto the June reading! I found myself reaching the end of the month surprised that I had added so few books to my 2024 spreadsheet, and then I realized: it's fucking PRIDE MONTH and I'm a career queer. I spent most of June either busting ass working various events or in a coma recovering from said events; no wonder I didn't read as much as I thought I would. I also gave up on one novel after sinking close to 200 pages in it, which means the list is even shorter, but trust me: the DNF was the right decision.

so, who made the cut for pride?

The Monsters We Defy (Leslye Penelope, 2022) - this book was a romp! it's fun! it's a hoot, dare I say! this is a historical urban fantasy that takes place in the Black society of 1920s Washington, DC. protagonist Clara and her band of ragtag magical misfits have a heist to pull off against one of the most powerful Black women in DC, with their own curses and powers at stake. it's a fun story with a neat magic system and lots of words that are capitalized so you know they're Magical and Important, and it's a read that goes down real easy. strong recommendation if you find yourself in a slump!

Just for the Cameras (Viano Oniomoh, 2023) - my first foray into independently published romance! and it was... fine. the plot's a little patchy, sure, but it's definitely not the worst romance I've ever read, and at least a throuple made for a nice change of pace. AND nobody's seething with jealousy or insecurity about multiple partners? you love to see it. this book was apparently originally intended to be a novelette and it definitely could have stayed that way, but if bisexual Black hotties sucking and fucking is what you seek then you're going to have a great time. TW: 2/3 main characters are British.

Strange Bedfellows: Adventures in the Science, History, and Surprising Secrets of STDs (Ina Park, 2021) - to the surprise of absolutely no one who knows me, this is one of my very favorite nonfiction reads of the year so far. I cannot emphasize this enough: if you like the way that I talk about STIs and sex ed on this blog then I think you'll really like this book, because having read this book I desperately want to be her friend. she brings so much passion and energy to her work that it bursts right off the page and is - pardon this awful pun - absolutely infectious.

Survivor (Octavia E. Butler, 1978) - for those you not in the know, this book is kind of a get. it's the only book of Butler's that was never reprinted, so now you can only read it if you get ahold of a super expensive original edition OR if you, hypothetically, find a PDF online and print off the entire thing on your work printer. and I'm so glad I did the latter, because holy shit this book whips ass. the book was apparently disavowed for its lack of connection to the rest of the Patternist series, which is true but oh my god, the story is SOOOO cool anyway. we've got a human woman named Alanna who grew up feral on Earth only to be adopted by a Christian cult who are GOING INTO SPACE to preserve the human race, but it turns out there are already intelligent people on the new planet and they have Feelings about what the future of these human missionaries is going to be. it's on Alanna to navigate the clashing cultures and tension between the humans and two warring groups of aliens, and it is fucking URGENT. I don't say this lightly but I think this has ascended to be in my top three Butler novels.

No Name in the Street (James Baldwin, 1972) - ooooooh my god you guys!! oh my god!!! I've never read any of Baldwin's long form nonfiction, but within pages I knew that this was going to pretty permanently change my brain. this memoir-ish book delves into, among other things, Baldwin's witnessing of the American civil rights movement, including the deaths of Malcolm X, Martin Luther King, Jr., and Medgar Evers. woven around that is the alienating experience of being a Black man with exactly enough cultural cache and social clout to sometimes isolate him from the people he grew up with but not nearly enough to buy acceptance or safety in a white society, emphasized by Baldwin's unfinished struggle to free a friend from prison after a wrongful murder charge. and somehow that's barely doing the book justice! it's so vast and incisive and weary and impassioned and it did, truly, have me jotting down the names of everything Baldwin ever wrote to make sure I can read it all. as much as I bemoan my habit of impulse reserving books from the library, I really am indebted to the Stacks podcast for getting this on my radar.

[duckprintspress]

10 Queer Books with Black Main Characters for Black History Month

With February ending soon, Black History Month 2024 is approaching it’s end. Earlier this month, we shared 15 of our favorite queer books by Black authors. Basically all of the books on our first list have Black main characters, too, but that wasn’t enough – we wanted more. So we intentionally avoided overlap with that list when we made this one – 10 more queer books to celebrate Black characters, these all with Black main characters! (They may also have Black authors, we’re not saying they don’t, and in fact some authors overlap with the other list – we just wanted MOAR BOOKS.)

The Will of the Empress (The Circle Reforged series) by Tamora Pierce

Brooms by Jasmine Walls and Teo DuVall

Sweethand (Island Bites series) by N. G. Peltier

When The Stars Alight (The Essence of the Equinox series) by Camilla Andrew

Rust in the Root by Justina Ireland

The Monsters We Defy by Leslye Penelope

You Made a Fool of Death with Your Beauty by Akwaeke Emezi

The City We Became (Great Cities series) by N.K. Jemisin

A Master of Djinn (The Dead Djinn Universe) by P. Djèlí Clark

Anger Is a Gift by Mark Oshiro

What are your favorite queer books with Black main characters?

Want to chat your favorite reads with us? Join our Book Lover’s Discord server!

You can view this list as a bookshelf on Goodreads! The Goodreads list also includes books from our other Black History Month list, and as with our other Goodreads shelves, we’ll continue to add to it as we add more queer books to our account.

Love reading queer books? Our Queer Book Challenge is running on Storygraph through the end of 2024. Come join us!

The contributors to this list are Nina Waters ( @unforth on Tumblr), Dei Walker ( @dei2dei on Tumblr), Adrian Harley ( @adrianharley on Tumblr) and an anonymous contributor.