Yet another book being done a disservice by its cover. (Should I switch careers and become a book designer? I have zero art skills but I could supervise people who do and like make decisions and stuff!) Anyway, it’s an attractive, colorful cover that I really like the look of, but it doesn’t convey at all the tone of the book or what it is about. I can’t even tell this is a fantasy from looking at this cover, and this is definitely a fantasy, with some intricate worldbuilding set in the 1920s Washington DC.
Our main character is Clara, who has been gifted since she was a child with the ability to see and commune with the dead, and with spiritual creatures they call enigmas, which reside in the same realm as the dead, but who were never alive to begin with. This is also a world where people can make deals with enigmas, who are powerful spiritual creatures. Only, if you get a charm from an enigma (i.e. the ability to erase memories, change your appearance, or mesmerize people with music) it also comes with a downside, which they call a trick. Clara has a trick and a charm, but we don’t learn what her charm is until late in the book. Her trick is that if anyone comes to her for help with the enigmas, she must do so.
This is how she gets involved in a plot where people are seemingly being magically stripped of their personhood, and used for someone’s ill gain. At the same time, Clara is presented with a bargain by the enigma who gave her her charm and her trick: if she retrieves a certain ring (obviously a powerful object) for the enigma, the enigma will remove her charm and trick, and the charms and tricks of anyone who helps her retrieve it. A team is formed, a heist is planned. But this is a much more dangerous mission than Clara was led to believe.
This was a very fun read. I read about half of it with my eyes, and listened to the other half on audio, and it worked very well in both formats. The author is really good at characterization, and easily fleshes out her characters so that you’re really rooting for them to succeed. The worldbuilding is also really neat, with the enigmas walking that fine line between dangerous and helpful that makes this kind of plot really work. And though this isn’t the most fun heist novel I’ve ever read, it was extremely satisfying. That all our main characters are Black is also worth noting, because not an insignificant amount of their motivation has to do with overcoming the challenges of living in a society that sees them as second class citizens. (We also get a few fun cameos from notable Black figures of the day, which I really enjoyed.)
I would really recommend this one to fantasy fans, and fans of a heist novel. I will definitely be reading whatever Leslye Penelope decides to write next.
