But obviously our Clara is fictional, magical, still fierce and unwavering, but jaded and resigned to a life in the shadows.

Basing her on a real person, added an extra depth and emotional component to the story, as did including other famous Black people from the era. Penelope chose to make her main character an actual historical figure, a girl who killed a while police man in self defence and was allowed to claim self-defence, something unheard of at the time. The Monsters We Defy is told solely from Clara’s POV, and what a character she is. Clara and her crew will have to work fast if they are to stop the ring bearer from achieving their goals, time for them to achieve their destiny. But getting the ring isn’t as easy as it seemed, the deeper they look into it’s history, the darker it gets, and soon the spirit world starts bleeding into the human one. Enter Zelda, Israel, Jesse Lee and Aristotle all of whom have their own skill sets and debts to be paid off.

But when she realises the task is to steal a ring off the most famous woman in the district, Clara knows she will need help. So when The Empress, the Enigma who holds her debt, offers Clara the chance to gain her freedom, Clara jumps at the chance.

She can see ghosts, commune with spirits and call on Enigma’s, beings of power who can grant mortals wishes for a cost, something Clara knows only too well. Thanks to being born on a crossroads, Clara Johnson is more attuned to the spirit world than most.

Penelope and the monsters book