aksmith92's reviews
138 reviews

The Setup: Hench by Natalie Zina Walschots is a thought-provoking twist on the superhero genre, offering a unique perspective from the often overlooked side: those who work for the villains - not "sidekicks" or "partners," but henchpeople. The novel follows Anna Tromedlov, a temp worker who takes on many clerical roles, particularly data-related, for villains. Her life changes drastically after the superhero SuperCollider severely injures her. The injury sets her on her villainous path of discovery and vengeance. During her vengeance, she begins to question the true impact of superheroes on society.

After Anna starts a blog revealing data about how superheroes often cause more harm than good (e.g., blasting into buildings, making them crumble, pummeling cars into people, etc.), she attracts the attention of a villain named Leviathan, who recruits Anna to lead a team using data science to expose and undermine superheroes. We watch Anna's vengeance and desire for revenge lead her down a seemingly ruthless path. Throughout the story, we also see what her villainous world surfaces - loss of friends, lack of a love life, and complicated decisions.

This novel explores themes of morality, power, and the consequences of heroism, offering a refreshing tale in which you cannot help but root for the bad guy.

What I Liked: Listen, Anna was a badass. She was not your typical hero villain - she was complicated, yet somehow incredibly relatable. She was not necessarily physically strong, but her ability to read signs and projected decisions through data was her winning trait. Per usual, I am a sucker for excellent character development and this hit that mark. The other characters in the novel were also pretty fleshed out, and all in all, I think that character piece was incredibly well done. On top of that, I also enjoyed the plot and the apparent theme that there is more than meets the eye in this superhero genre. Walschots successfully challenged the black-and-white perception of good versus evil through this novel. There was also dark humor and wit in this novel that made it readable and engaging.

Finally, I also liked the very light touch of a potential romance. This "romance" was a subplot, almost so obscure it was not even there, but I ate it all up when it had an inkling of it.

Why Not Five Stars? Once again, the four-star rating is the hardest for me to describe. Overall, I loved this book. However, it didn't go above and beyond for me. Why? Ugh, I don't really know. It may have had something to do with the pacing—the beginning was slow. Additionally, at times, when Anna ended up in some battle and somehow persevered through, it was slightly unbelievable. 

Regardless, this was a fantastic read, and I'm looking forward to continuing the series once the next one is released!

The Setup: Banyan Moon is a moving and intricately woven debut novel that delves into the lives of three generations of Vietnamese American women: Minh, her daughter Huong, and her granddaughter Ann. From 1960s Vietnam to present-day Florida, the novel explores legacy, identity, and the fraught yet tender relationships between mothers and daughters.

The narrative unfolds with the passing of Minh, the Tran family's matriarch, which prompts Ann to return to her childhood abode, the enigmatic Banyan House, to reconcile with her estranged mother, Huong. Ann, a successful artist grappling with an unexpected pregnancy and a turbulent relationship, embarks on a journey of self-discovery as she and Huong sift through Minh's belongings, unearthing long-buried family secrets.

Through alternating timelines, Thai reveals the rich backstories of each woman. Minh's narrative takes readers from her youth in Vietnam to her struggles as a single mother in America, and even after her death. Huong's story highlights her escape from an abusive marriage, while Ann's journey focuses on her search for identity and understanding within the context of her family's history.

What I Liked: I adored Thai's writing—it was atmospheric and had such emotional depth. There were so many beautiful analogies, metaphors, and quotes. I felt seeped in this novel, and it was a stunning read. Thai also captured the Tran women's complexities through their relationships and individual struggles. The narrative's dual timelines enhanced the reader's understanding of how past traumas and sacrifices shaped the present, making Banyan Moon resonant and thought-provoking. I thoroughly enjoyed Thai's exploration of cultural heritage and family dynamics - there were incredible details in this novel that made it feel real.

Lastly, the novel was infused with a unique blend of magical realism and Southern Gothic elements. Though not essential to the plot, these elements added an ethereal and original touch to the story. They created a world where the boundaries between reality and the supernatural were blurred, enhancing the reader's experience. The poignant examination of love, grief, and forgiveness, combined with this unique blend of genres, made Banyan Moon a captivating read.

What I Didn't Like: While the writing was terrific and the overall storyline was beautiful, where I think it fell flat was character development and nuance. Minh, Huong, and Ann all seemed similar in their emotional capacity, character development, and overall decision-making. In a way, they all seemed emotionally detached from everyone and everything but each other, and I felt like something was missing. Maybe that was the point: generations of women continued the cycle repeatedly. But it was frustrating and didn't provide a lot of nuance to their own individual characters - they just all seemed the same. Additionally, they were not necessarily likable characters, which I could have gotten on board with if they were exciting and nuanced. I think that was lacking here, and I had trouble rooting for (or against) them - I was simply disinterested in their progression. I was thankful to have the plot with a couple of twists along the way to keep me vested because, without that, this would not have been a good read for me. Take it with a grain of salt, though, because I heavily err on the importance of connecting with the characters, their nuance, and their uniqueness. 

Also, unexpected pregnancies are not my jam (not a spoiler!); however, it had little sway on my rating because it truly was part of the point.

Lastly, all the trauma, frustration, and anger were tied up so neatly at the end. I don't mind this per se, but I think it made the last 10% feel slightly rushed and thrown together.

Overall, though, this was a beautiful read, and I look forward to seeing what Thao Thai produces in the future.

I had an absolute BLAST.

The Setup: Funny Story by Emily Henry is a heartwarming story that resolves around Daphne and Miles, two people whose lives are upended when their respective partners leave them for each other. Stranded in a beautiful town - but not HER town - of Waning Bay, Michigan, Daphne, a passionate children's librarian, finds herself pretty much homeless and completely heartbroken after her fiancé tells her he is in love with his best friend. Miles offers her a place to stay since he is now without the love of his life (the said best friend just mentioned).

Then, after an awkward conversation with her ex, Peter, Daphne lets it slip that she and Miles are "dating," which is a straight-up lie, something that Daphne rarely does but feels is the most straightforward course of action at the moment. Therefore, a fake relationship ensues, partly to make their exes jealous and partly to support each other through grief.

Daphne and Miles bond unexpectedly as they navigate their pain and anger. Daphne, who has always struggled to trust others due to many fleeing her life in the past, learns to prioritize her own needs and desires. Charming yet troubled by a tumultuous childhood, Miles faces issues head-on with Daphne's support. Together, they rediscover their identities and what they truly want in life.

In her signature style, Emily Henry crafts a narrative of healing, self-discovery, and unexpected love. Yet, Funny Story goes beyond the typical romance, delving into themes of family, career, and friendship. It also paints a vivid picture of a small-town setting, with its charming lake vibes and picturesque descriptions of Waning Bay.

What I loved: I loved this book. Many people I talk to share that they have a favorite Emily Henry book because they related to it, or it was just a great book that made them feel lovely in a moment of their life. My favorite was Beach Read, which may be outside the majority for most folks. However, Funny Story came in with a close second or even a tie. This novel met me in my moment. This book's main character, Daphne, felt real to me - the first female character in an Emily Henry novel where I didn't cringe at moments or become frustrated at her internal monologue. (I love most of Emily Henry's stories and have rated them mostly in 4s, so that statement may seem bad, but I still love her books, so don't fret.) I understood Daphne. Additionally, I loved the romance - Henry built it nicely and made it seem semi-relatable (if I'm being honest, this whole situation is a little extreme - living with your ex's new girlfriend's ex lol). But it worked. I also absolutely adored Henry integrating many aspects of life - Daphne dealing with a lack of friendships, having a passion for her career as a librarian, and navigating the relationship with her family, and Miles working in more of a gig economy, emphasizing his cheery personality that may not be as cheery as we think, and building his beautiful relationship with the town of Waning Bay. Lastly, some other characters were well fleshed out, especially Julia, Miles's sister, and Ashleigh, Daphne's fellow coworker at the library and a new friend.

Oh, and this novel was plain funny to me at times—I laughed out loud in parts. So, not only was it amusing, but it was also heartwarming, beautiful, and poignant. All-in-all, this worked for me, and I am oh-so-happy about it.

It's pretty spicy and steamy, by the way, definitely more so than some of her other ones. Still, I think it worked!

Anything That Could Be Improved? Listen, an Emily Henry novel may or may not work for you. I did think the whole situation was a little unbelievable. In addition, the main characters were supposed to be in their mid-thirties, which I believe was mostly on point but possibly still felt a little young. And yes, in typical Emily Henry fashion, there was SO much info dumping about Miles and his woodstove smell (and he was just a bit of a ding dong at times). However, all those things didn't bother me this time, and I just had a good time reading this book. 

I have zero complaints, and like Beach Read, I can't wait to re-read it eventually. Thank you, Emily Henry, for always drawing me back into the contemporary romance genre.

The Setup: 'Kaikeyi' is a unique and captivating reimagining of a character from the Indian epic, the Ramayana. In her debut novel, Vaishnavi Patel defies convention by transforming the traditionally vilified queen Kaikeyi into a multidimensional protagonist. The novel delves into her life and motivations with a depth and nuance that is both refreshing and thought-provoking. We witness Kaikeyi's journey from a young girl, grappling with the challenges of a patriarchal society, to a married woman with children, navigating the complexities of her role.

Kaikeyi is an ambitious and intelligent woman who seeks independence and power in this patriarchal society. Born as the only daughter of the Raja of Kekaya, Kaikeyi is overshadowed by her brothers and is deeply affected by her mother's banishment. As she grapples with this grief and frustration, she learns that she possesses an ancient magic known as the Binding Plane, which allows her to see and influence the bonds between people. This power becomes a tool for navigating the political and social structures around her - but sometimes with a cost.

Not even into adulthood, she marries Raja Dasharath, and she becomes a warrior and diplomat, striving to create a more just world, especially for women. She establishes the Women's Council with Dasharath's other wives to address the concerns of those who are often unheard. Kaikeyi takes on significant roles that defy the traditional expectations of her time. However, her journey is fraught with challenges as she contends with the divine destinies imposed on her and her family, particularly concerning her stepson, Rama.

Patel's portrayal of Kaikeyi is not just richly detailed, but also deeply empathetic, providing a fresh and powerful feminist perspective on an ancient story. The novel explores themes of power, destiny, and resistance, shining a spotlight on Kaikey's unwavering determination to carve out her own legacy despite the cosmic and societal forces that stand in her way.

What I loved: I knew nothing about this retelling, so most of the information was entirely new to me, and I loved it. Kaikeyi was a formidable character in the best way—she was layered, nuanced, and poignant. She was also strong and determined and showcased so much grit. And while she wanted to do what was best for the women in her community, she also cared deeply about her family. I adored her character.

In addition, the plot and the retelling itself were phenomenal. Again, I knew nothing about the Ramayana, so this whole world was new to me. Still, I thought it was brilliant for Patel to tell this story of just Kaikeyi and her upbringing, leaving the Ramayana mostly untouched (when Rama was older and finding his divine purpose). We get to see Kaikeyi's motivations and what happens to her children throughout the years.

The prose was also quite readable and beautiful. I don't know if I would call this atmospheric, but I loved Patel's writing, sentence structure, and storytelling. I was utterly immersed in this novel and couldn't put it down. 

Lastly, I honestly loved the tiny dose of fantasy in this novel—the Binding Plane and the integration of gods/goddesses were important touches. Not only was this needed because it relates to the mythical story of the Ramayana, but it added a layer to Kaikeyi and helped paint her story. With that said, be prepared to understand little about the magical system—it just exists.  

I don't really have anything bad to say about this book—but be prepared to be frustrated, especially if you identify as a woman and understand a teensy bit about a patriarchal society. This book was no doubt embedded with sexism and misogyny. However, that was the point and made the book even more powerful.

I am so thankful to have read this and look forward to seeing what other novels surface from Patel.

I had high hopes, but this did not meet my expectations. It's a beautiful cover, though!

The Setup:  Silhara is a mage swarmed with magic but exiled from Conclave, a group of those who are mages or possess "The Gift." He's known as the Master of Crows, hence this title, yet I'm still quite confused about how crows have to do with anything. Many people fear him; if he goes out and about, someone will inevitably get punched in the face. He's a mean, aloof, MASCULINE man who wants to stay in his home in Neith and grow his dang oranges! However, underneath the hard exterior, Silhara also has a super secret: he's being possessed by the god Corruption, who wants to take over Silhara and make him a living, breathing god.

We also have Martise, a VERY plain and dull woman (I say that because the author says that one million times) who, unfortunately, was sold to slavery at a young age by her mother. She's living in Asher and is enslaved to Cumbria, one of Conclave's officials. Cumbria and the Conclave are counting on her to be a spy and to go to Neith, where Silhara lives, to gather up any information she can on him so that the Conclave can determine if he is a threat to the group. If she succeeds, she will be free from her enslavement. In addition, Silhara wants someone from Conclave there to help him defeat Corruption, even though no one knows he's lingering in Silhara's mind. Martise is the perfect person to do that since she's brilliant and can read many languages.

So, Silhara's and Martise's paths cross in Neith, where Silhara is undoubtedly cruel, and somehow Martise finds it cute— and the two work together on beating Corruption AND harvesting oranges (adorable!). We see a relationship built between the two but have hard choices to make when push comes to shove, and specific actions must be completed to save the world from Corruption.

What I liked: The book's concept and world-building intrigued me, especially considering it was published in 2009. The Conclave and the god Corruption were fascinating elements. However, while the initial plot building was intriguing, the overall delivery fell short, leaving me with more questions than answers.

I enjoyed Gurn, Silhara's non-speaking servant, who obviously cared about the people around him. He was a gem who deserved much more "screen" time.

Lastly, while I note some of my grievances in the section below, overall, the prose was pretty well done. Draven's use of words and sentence structure made sense, but it fell short when it came to world-building and plot development.

What I Didn't Like: Most of this - ugh! As mentioned above, I found the world-building to fall flat. The magical system had minimal depth; terms were thrown out left and right with little explanation. Draven was trying to build as she went along, which can be acceptable in some books, but I don't think it worked here. 

Most of the cast, outside the main characters and Gurn, consisted of caricatures or cartoonish characters with minimal development and layers. Overall, I also didn't enjoy Martise or Silhara at all. Martise seemed a little lost in everything she did, and Silhara was rude. I was utterly uninterested in their relationship and their individual characters. I will give the author some grace (ha!) here and say that this was written in 2009—it's one of the OGs of this dark male character who was a jerk and snippy. However, it didn't work. Martise also had one job there - getting information from Silhara to bring to Conclave so she could be free. The girl doesn't do that; instead, she becomes almost another servant in Silhara's house and sings poorly. Overall, I was simply disappointed.

The sub-plots also did not connect. Initially, there was some information about crows, but they had nothing to do with the plot. Then, there were the oranges that I kept referencing. Silhara's pride and joy was his orange grove - a place he went every day to harvest and care for the oranges. He refused to use magic on the oranges, so everything was done by hand. The oranges were his complete personality. In theory, this was refreshing, but it barely connected with anything in the plot. Draven was trying to use it as a personality trait for Silhara, and while that's fine in theory, it was poorly executed.

Lastly, the pacing was just off. This was a relatively short fantasy book, but it felt long. I'm still determining if it was the will-they-won't-they romance or if I was just lost in the world-building sauce (or lack of it). Overall, it didn't work for me.

Since this is a spoiler, I will put it last and with the spoiler indicator:

I HATE the trope when the female main character loses her power to save the male main character or the world or whatever. It was definitely the time—people ate it up in 2009—but I am over it and hate to see it in my literature. Pass!

A cute little adult fairy tale!

The Setup: Most of the novel follows Tristran Thorn, a mere 16 or 17-year-old boy who inevitably falls in absolute love with some random neighborhood gal. While walking with Victoria Forrester, said random neighborhood gal, he desperately wants to kiss her, or marry her, or something. He'll take anything! She declines any and all of those things, though, of course, because she's a propah lady! However, after they both see a shooting star seemingly fall in the distance, Victoria states if Tristran goes to find the star and brings it back to her, he can have what he wishes. Tristran sets on a quest to find this star to get the gal!

We watch as Tristran ventures beyond the wall of Wall (yes, the literal town he lives!) to fairie land, somewhere with loads of mythical and exciting creatures and beings. He meets a small hairy fellow, a couple of witches, an entertaining captain of the skies, a unicorn, and the lovely witty fallen star Yvaine. Along the way, he learns a lot about himself, meets some interesting (and sometimes deadly) beings, and even learns a little bit about his own past. It's quite an adventure!

What I Liked: Neil Gaiman has a way of writing. It's a little bit like Yoda-speak but more tolerable and enjoyable. I've read some of Gaiman's graphic novel works, and he has a beautiful way with words. I loved the prose and PLOT! The plot was just lovely. Gaiman has a very profound talent for turning myths and legends into complex and intriguing fantasy plotlines, and this was no different. I fell along for the ride with Tristran and Yvaine and thoroughly enjoyed all their obstacles and encounters. Additionally, it was sometimes quite funny, and I laughed out loud in some parts. Overall, this was a fun book. It was reminiscent of a cozy fantasy, except there was some violence and death, and the stake was relatively high. So, in reality, it was not. However, it did have many of those vibes throughout the novel. I found Tristran to be a ding dong, but he was supposed to be, which made the story believable.

What Didn't Work: As much as I enjoyed the premise, even if it was based on a silly little love story, I felt the character development was pretty lacking. I know this book wasn't necessarily about the characters. It was so clear that Gaiman's strength was in his storytelling and retelling of the myth(s). I appreciated that! However, I had a very challenging time connecting with the characters, leading me to not care about their own character stories. The love story (not the one you're probably thinking!) was just alright to me, even if, at times, the banter was semi-funny. Additionally, I felt the 85-90% mark was a little bit rushed, and the characters didn't have time to express feelings, but the end was fitting and pretty interesting. 

Overall, I took this book at face value. Gaiman did an excellent job retelling myths and conjuring up a well-rounded story. I enjoyed myself and plan to read more of his work. 

I don't really love rating memoirs—these books are when humans talk about their lives, the people in them, and usually challenging events. Memoirs usually do or do not do it for me in terms of a great reading experience, and Crying in H Mart did it for me.

Michelle Zauner talks about her upbringing in this memoir—she's living a decent life and recognizes that, but somehow does not get along super well with her parents, particularly her mom. I don't know about you, but as a teenage girl once, this was highly relatable.

More importantly, though, this memoir talks about Michelle's identity as a half-Korean woman, trying to find solstice and being in the food she grew up hearing about and/or eating. She struggles regularly with her identity since she barely speaks the Korean language and only visits Korea every so often. And most important, this book is about dealing with grief and, acknowledging and accepting your past, and moving on from it during traumatic times. There is no mystery or spoiler here: Michelle talks about her family's experience with her mother's cancer diagnosis.

Michelle feels real in this book. She makes decisions you question and doesn't always know the answer. However, the heart in this book is so apparent, and it is simply moving. Not to mention all the incredible references to Korean recipes—this was SO good to add. 

I do feel the 50-70% dragged just a little bit, but overall, this was an incredibly captivating story about a woman finding her own identity in massive grief while leaning on some of the most amazing food recipes she can to feel in her place and with her family. Highly recommend this memoir! 

Cheers to a cute little palette cleanser (kinda?!).

The setup: The book opens with Joan Bergstrom sending fan mail to Imogen Fortier, a 59-year-old woman who writes a monthly column for Pacific Northwest magazine. Imogen lives on Camano Island in Washington outside of Seattle and has lovely things to say about the water, sunset, and oysters. Joan loves this, as she is an aspiring journalist, so she takes it upon herself to write a letter to Imogen with a bit of gift: saffron.

From there, Imogen and Joan begin a beautiful friendship—mainly through wonderful letters back and forth. The letters start in the year 1962, so in their beginning letters, as they get to know each other, we see them grapple with some women's issues, Kennedy's assassination, and the civil rights movement. As their friendship deepens, we see them writing secrets and tales they haven't told anyone. However, their letters mainly include recipes and other foods worth trying. Joan talks about Saffron, and Imogen talks about oysters. Joan takes an interest in local Mexican cuisine since she lives and works in Los Angeles, and she sends the recipes to Imogen for her to try. Imogen loves them all and even shares with Joan that her husband is interested in cooking because of the recipes (WILD for the early 1960s, am I right?!).

We walk through Joan and Imogen's few years together and see a lovely friendship form between two women you likely wouldn't have thought of: a 27-year-old city-loving woman and a 59-year-old columnist who loves her tiny island home.

What I loved: What a great premise! To write a book solely (well, 98%) in letter form was a great take. I'm sure it's been done before, but I haven't read anything like it. Somehow, even though it was just through letters, I felt the relationship and friendship between Joan and Imogen while still learning about them individually. It was fantastic to see the historical complexities of the time weaved in (although brief since this was a short-ish book) and how those impacted the two women. We watched them overcome various challenges, obstacles, and heartache. This was such a cute read, and I loved the recipes involved. Make sure to read the book's ending for a course meal to try! It simply was a feel-good story about an unconventional friendship.

What would have made it five stars? I think we missed some critical individual character development for Imogen. It felt like the story began to focus on Francis, her husband, which I could appreciate for the time, but I wanted more about her. I think we got that with Joan, but then Imogen became a little "parent-y" regarding Joan's life. It wasn't a big deal, but I walked away wanting more from Imogen's character. Thankfully, in the end, we got to read a column from the Pacific Northwest that Imogen wrote, which was nice! This takes place in the 1960s, so there was an element of historical context to this for sure, but I did find it a bit odd that two white women were constantly talking about Mexican food and food from other countries and then somehow profiting from it through their jobs. I wish that were fleshed out more to talk about that irony. 

Regardless, this was a cute read, albeit the ending is sad. 

Spooky!

The Setup: Delicious Monsters follows two girls - Daisy and Brittany. Daisy is a seventeen-year-old living in Toronto who recently just went through a rather challenging breakup with some scum named Noah. She also has a tumultuous relationship with her single mom and distant dad. Daisy and her mom, Grace, soon find out that they inherited a house within their family - a mansion in Timmins, many miles from Toronto and a place where instead of the word "forest," "the bush" is used to describe the area surrounding the house; so, a big change! Grace leaves the decision to go up to Daisy since she has rather complicated feelings about the area and the mansion. Daisy decides she wants to start a new life away from her school and a rather horrific incident when she was younger, and of course, away from Nolan. Daisy and Grace pack their bags and head to the mansion to start a new life. Grace plans for her and Daisy to stay in the "bunkie" on the property while Airbnb the mansion. Daisy is ready to lay low for a huge reason: she can see dead people. Plot twist (but not; the summary on the back of the book mentions this, so it is not a spoiler)! Much of the story follows the rather interesting events at the mansion.

The story also follows Brittany, a college-aged woman working at a film company. She and her best friend Jayden are brainstorming what to film next after their massive success of Haunted and land on a story from 10 years prior about a mansion in Timmins. All we know is that Brittany wants to ensure this film series is a success since she wants the world to know about forgotten Black girls.

We know these two stories intersect, and while you can likely suspect how so, we don't find out until the end. Delicious Monsters is a good story about complicated familial matters, race, and very real monsters that may not look like you think.

What I liked: There was a lot packed into this book. While the two main protagonists, Brittany and Daisy, read a bit young, they were layered and nuanced, and I thoroughly enjoyed reading about them. They were complicated, messy, and imperfect, but their characters (and many others) seemed very real. I also thoroughly enjoyed the plot of the ghosts (seeing dead people) and a haunted house. The connection between the two was clever and unique. While some elements were undoubtedly predictable, the sub-plot ties were fascinating to witness. Overall, the plot was intriguing, and I thoroughly enjoyed getting to the end to see what would happen. Liselle Sambury also did an excellent job integrating important topics like race into this novel and shared a critical topic about missing Black girls. I don't want to give too much away because of spoilers, but this was vital to read. But please be aware that while this read YA, it was dark. There were very challenging topics here to read, and please check some of the content warnings before proceeding (Sexual Assault, Rape, Suicide Attempt). Sambury also has some trigger warnings in her author's note before the story even begins.

What I didn't like: This was so long. While I read through this pretty quickly for how long it was (500+ pages), many things in the beginning might not have needed to be in there. A lot of the background helped paint the characters better, but at times it dragged. I almost DNF'd this book in the beginning. Thankfully, I kept going! After pages 50-75, it picks up more and even more after the halfway mark. A big reason why I almost DNF'd was that this read REALLY YA to me. Daisy was truly dramatic, a typical seventeen-year-old struggling with very VALID traumas. However, the writing made it seem so young to me, and as an almost 32-year-old, it was initially challenging for me. I started getting used to it at about the 1/3 mark and was glad I kept going to the end because it turned out to be a pretty good book. But, the young writing style was still challenging for me. This is a me thing and most certainly might not be a you thing!

Overall, it was well done and an interesting tale that included some important topics. I recommend it for a YA Fantasy with some spooky elements. 

What an innovative fantasy book! It also combined a dash of historical context about one of my favorite places: Washington, DC. Therefore, I just had a great time with this novel.

The setup: We follow Clara Johnson, a woman living and working in Washington DC, after dark moments when she was thrown in jail. She works as a typist for a pretty arrogant man but knows the work is essential to the Black community. However, on the side, she also meddles with spirits, or Enigmas, because she has the "second sight." People will come to her to get a Charm - something Enigmas will hand out to humans to help them - but only with a Trick, making their lives more challenging.

Soon, Clara notices some of her friends and neighbors are starting to go missing. When a concerned mother comes to her about her son, who looks absolutely in a daze and cannot speak, Clara is sure that the spirits are to blame. This novel works through Clara trying to figure out who is at fault and what can be done about these folks controlled by spirits. While figuring out the details, Clara is tasked with finding and stealing a magical ring, which may be the reason for the spirits and afflicted humans. Therefore, she and a team of lovely characters take on this heist. It was such a fun and exciting ride, and it had unique storytelling.

Integrated into the fantasy novel was also some incredible historical context about the Black community in Washington DC and some of the atrocities that went down during this period (1919-1925ish). Yet, it was also a fantastic display of the community's growth and perseverance to make a great life for themselves. Leslye Penelope's Author Note at the end of the novel was beautiful, and I highly encourage you to include that in the final reading chapters.

What I loved: I thoroughly enjoyed the characters - Clara was a tough-minded woman who always spoke her truth, which could not have been easy in the timeframe. This book also had a lovely found-family aspect - the wonderful characters of Aristotle, Jesse Lee, and Zelda. Plus, we had the lovely and charming Israel Lee. I was glad to see that Penelope was able to integrate a lot of these characters' backstories into the novel, as we were able to catch a glimpse into their personalities. Zelda was one of my favorite characters in this novel; she had such a layered personality and provided her friends great insight (and comedic relief).

I also thoroughly enjoyed this plot - while ghosts and the spirit world are not new themes, I thought Penelope did it justice with unique worldbuilding and exciting subplots, especially with the charms/tricks component. I also loved Clara's connection with her late grandmother and how that was integrated into the story. Penelope's integration with these fantastical elements alongside actual historical context in 1920s Washington, DC, was also phenomenal. I thought it was a nice touch to weave these historical components (like real historical people like DeBois!) into this novel.

Overall, I was deeply immersed - there is a bit of fantasy, a bit of a mystery, and even a splash of a love story. I had a lovely time with it and think Penelope is a fantastic writer!

What could've happened for a higher rating: I think the pacing fell a little short for me, and I'm trying to figure out why. I think it is because most of the book was about planning for the heist and then only briefly getting to it. The action was relatively minimal but still had very interesting components. It took me some time to finish this book, which is pretty abnormal for me, so maybe that's where I'm going when I say pacing issues. 

Lastly, I was a bit confused at the end with some of the Engima...fighting? I won't go into detail about spoilers, but the end of the heist scene was thrown together quickly and was confusing with the rest of the mostly intriguing and organized plot around the spirits. Even though I had some questions about the heist scene, it was the most action-packed, which I appreciated. I was on the edge of my seat, wondering how it would all come together!

Overall, it was a great novel that I thoroughly enjoyed. In my opinion, heists are challenging to do, and Penelope did it well. I look forward to reading some of her other material in the future!