alex_johnson_2021's review against another edition
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
Moderate: Abandonment and Murder
yuna's review against another edition
adventurous
informative
mysterious
sad
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? Yes
4.0
Great worldbuilding, great secondary characters, great mystery. Main character was a bit of a miss for me though. It takes a long time before Clara's Charm is revealed, and for me it didn't feel commensurate to how anti she was about using it--especially considering what the stakes were and what we knew at the time about who she'd have to use it against. The story gives itself an out on this, but I was hoping for it to have been more personal to Clara.
Weird coincidence, but it seemed like all of the mother figures in the book kind of sucked. Abandoned their families, sold their children, were homophobic...etc.
Weird coincidence, but it seemed like all of the mother figures in the book kind of sucked. Abandoned their families, sold their children, were homophobic...etc.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racial slurs, Abandonment, and Classism
nrogers_1030's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment, Injury/Injury detail, Grief, Classism, and Kidnapping
Moderate: Bullying, Police brutality, Racism, Slavery, and Violence
Minor: Alcohol
mandkips's review against another edition
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Police brutality, and Racial slurs
Moderate: Abandonment and Gun violence
Minor: Violence and Homophobia
tigger89's review against another edition
adventurous
informative
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
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.
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.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Slavery
Moderate: Classism, Kidnapping, Alcohol, Abandonment, Death of parent, and Gun violence
sarrie's review against another edition
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
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
Graphic: Racism and Racial slurs
Moderate: Abandonment and Violence
Minor: Murder and Gun violence
tahsintries's review against another edition
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Police brutality, and Slavery
Moderate: Abandonment, Hate crime, Classism, and Death of parent
Minor: Homophobia, Domestic abuse, and Infidelity
tostita's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
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
5.0
This may be the best book I’ve read this year.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism, Classism, and Police brutality
Moderate: Abandonment and Gun violence
Minor: Slavery
booktribe'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
4.0
Clara Johnson, a woman able to commune with spirits, notices that something strange is going on in her community. When a spirit offers Clara a deal to save her people, and gain her freedom back from the debt she owes this spirit, she must assemble an unlikely team and complete a heist to save everyone, and herself.
The writing hooked me from the first sentence and stayed consistently engrossing! I thoroughly enjoyed it throughout and never got bored. The pacing was great. There was also a great plot and characters. i had to know what was going on in this community and with all these spirits and I wanted the best for all of the characters. I also loved that spirits were characters too. The spirit of Clara’s grandmother was one of my favorite characters. She loved Clara so much and really protected her. I also enjoyed the mention of a few important people from The Harlem Renaissance. I never read historical fiction, but I loved the atmosphere of this novel and the time period brought so much to the story.
There were a couple of things I would’ve liked to have seen though. I wish there had been more character development for some of the characters, specifically Aristotle and Jesse Lee. They didn’t have as much personality as everyone else. And the only other problem I had was that we spent almost 80% of the novel not knowing what Clara’s special gift from a spirit was because she said it was so shameful that she couldn’t speak of it and would never use it again. But, when we finally found out what it was, I was disappointed because it was so simple. I was thinking “she hates her gift so much, so it must be something that’s a big deal, like necromancy”, but it was something that’s pretty common in fantasy books. So I thought that reveal was a little lackluster.
I really enjoyed this book from beginning to end. I feel like there’s potential for a sequel, so I’m hoping! I’ll definitely be reading more by Leslye Penelope. Anyone who enjoys historical fantasy, heists, and spirits who may or may not be trustworthy should check this out!
Thank you Redhook Books and NetGalley for this arc. All opinions are my own.
TW: police brutality, colorism, parental abandonment, mention of miscarriage
Content Warnings
Moderate: Abandonment and Police brutality
Minor: Miscarriage
ninjamuse's review against another edition
adventurous
inspiring
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25
Content Warnings
Moderate: Slavery and Classism
Minor: Racism, Violence, Police brutality, Homophobia, and Abandonment
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