Standalone Novels
| Title | Published | Buy on Amazon |
|---|---|---|
| The Monsters We Defy | 2022 | Buy |
| Daughter of the Merciful Deep | 2024 | Buy |
Leslye Penelope (who also writes as L. Penelope) is an award-winning author of fantasy and paranormal romance. The Monsters We Defy (2022), her best-known novel under this name, is a historical fantasy heist set in 1920s Washington D.C. The story follows Clara Johnson, a woman who can talk to spirits, as she assembles a crew to steal a magical ring from the wealthiest Black woman in the District.
The book was named an NPR Best Book of 2022 and a Paste Best Fantasy Book of 2022, and won the 2023 Audie Award for Best Fantasy Audiobook. Its setting draws on the real history of D.C.’s Black elite during the Harlem Renaissance era, mixing jazz, bootleggers, and social clubs with a magic system rooted in African American folklore. Daughter of the Merciful Deep (2024) is her second standalone novel.