Hidden sharp knives, questionable morals, doomed love, and a drop of magic imbue an alternate version of Harlem, making for a deliciously dangerous, submersive tale. I might not have fully clicked with the writing and with the way it was structured, but oh this was fun and the first protagonist we get introduced to is splendidly kicking ass in her mid-thirties which is something we need more of in stories since in real life it happens all the time.

I absolutely loved the entire vibe of this book. Captivating and vividly written, this novel revolves around the themes of racism and forbidden love. Trouble the saints has definitely lived up to the hype and deserves to be one of the most anticipated reads of the year.

Finally, some gritty, complex urban fantasy worthy of the moniker.

Our primary protagonist and antagonist is Phyllis (Pea to her loved ones), a black woman who works as an enforcer and assassin to a white mobster. Phyllis can pass as white and does so in the criminal world, a demarcation between her work and private life that has far-reaching effects. Phyllis has a magical gift: unerring accuracy, especially with a blade. As Phyllis works to extricate herself from her employer, her complex relationships with the mobster's other employees— especially her former lover and a dancing girl, who each act as POV characters— drive a lot of the story. Divisions of black and white become gray as the plot and alliances grow more complex.

I adored the first few chapters of Trouble the Saints— they were full of references like rent parties and the numbers racket, which made this alternate fantasy world have real heft, unlike most urban fantasies with world-building so flimsy it would disappear if you blew on it. In this world, very close to our own but set during WWII-era NYC, a number of people of color possess saint's hands: real magic. These gifts are somewhat of a monkey's paw and always come with an edge. For example, Phyllis's hands sometimes have a mind of her own. Another: a boy, feared by his community, can touch a person and tell if others want them dead.

From a hedonistic reader perspective, I felt like the plot really slowed down after the characters depart NYC and the mob boss, turning from a somewhat straightforward bad-character-tries-to-be-good and-must-escape-evil-boss to explorations-of-complex-personal-and-societal-relationships. Events happen and there are some really interesting encounters between characters, but it's a rather disorienting shift further exacerbated by the two shifts in POV. I think the book would have felt more whole to me if Phyllis acted as the primary protagonist for the entire book, if the conflict with the mob boss carried through the entire book, or perhaps if the characters stayed in NYC. This felt like two or three books in one, and it deserves another read or two so I can untangle it and truly appreciate it.

That said, books should be recognized for doing interesting things, and this book delivers interesting things in spades.

Was not for me, but if you like alternate 1920s NYC with mobsters and magic, this could be very good for you. The protagonists are a light-skinned black woman who passes as an enforcer for a white mobster, and a man of Asian Indian/white descent—her (ex)lover who can’t stand the violence she inflicts and has secrets of his own. They both have “saint’s hands”—magical gifts that only nonwhite people have and that most white people purport to disbelieve in, which has turned into another vector of discrimination. Lots of angst of all kinds.

2.5 stars, rounded up to 3. Unfortunately, I lost interest about 1/3 of the way into the book, but persevered in hopes my interest would rekindle. It did not. For me, at least, this just didn't live up to the interest generated by the description. I am, nonetheless, grateful to NetGalley and Tor for the opportunity to read a new work by an author with whom I was unfamiliar.

I requested Trouble the Saints after seeing it all over my timeline and it was certainly an interesting read. Alternate history, magical realism, and light fantasy combine to make a richly imagined world. Unfortunately, we flip between past and present constantly, and without any clear marking of "when" we are it becomes an annoying exercise detracting from the story.
This book is an fascinating exploration of racism through the lens of the super-powers that only people of colour possess. I would certainly recommend the book to anyone looking for a fantasy story outside the typical European middle ages based stories that choke our fantasy shelves at work.

This book was exciting with compelling characters and an interesting method of telling the story that seemed to be complete, shifting to an alternate character's view a third (and then again, two thirds) of the way through the book, rather unexpectedly. This meant that characters who might have seemed secondary to the story (they were important to the central character, but not clearly a central figure themselves) suddenly had the stage.

2.5/5 stars

Trouble the Saints is a mash up of historical fiction, magical realism, and a dash of fantasy blended together and spread out over a backdrop of 1940s New York City. The novel starts by following one of the protagonists, Phyllis LeBlanc, as she navigates her position Manhattan’s underworld with the help of her magic, referred to in the novel as having ‘the hands.’

What I was expecting out of this novel and what I got were two entirely different things. This reads more to me like a general fiction novel than a fantasy novel; while supernatural elements play a part throughout the story, the human elements supersede them. The prose is beautiful and rich, like a quilt stitched together of minute details and sumptuous metaphor. Issues around race and inequality are addressed with unflinching and razor sharp clarity; it was incredibly refreshing to have so many nuanced BIPOC protagonists to live those stories.

However… I had such a difficult time finishing this novel. I don’t know if it’s because my expectations of what this story would be weren’t met—very little magical assassinating, much discussing the moral implications of a history as an assassin—or because I found a coherent plot thread incredibly hard to untangle as I went along the text. Flashbacks between past and present aren’t clearly demarcated and contribute to the confusion. A large cast of relatively minor characters was challenging to keep straight when combined with the confusing time shifts. The ending also felt unsatisfying and unresolved to me.

While Trouble the Saints is not without flaws, it still delivers complex history-adjacent world filled with three-dimensional characters who possess a rich inner life and strong voices. Though I personally didn’t love this novel, I would happily recommend it to those who enjoy more emphasis on historical fiction and magical realism in their fantasy.

Thank you to Tor/Forge and NetGalley for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Having just finished The Diviners Series by Libba Bray, I was exactly in the right head space to appreciate another historical fantasy novel set in early 20th C New York. In this book, Alaya Dawn Johnson has explored the dark glamour and seedy underside of early WWII American. Her MC, Phyllis LeBlanc, decends into the underworld of gang culture, armed with knives and a desire to protect those she loves most. Haunted by her own past and history, she becomes an assassin with a mission to save the world thrust upon her. This was a great book. It’s fast paced and beautifully written with the sort of magical realism and lush prose which made The Night Circus so popular. My unwitting comparison with The Diviners is perhaps unfortunate since this is a different animal. (and Diviners is an absolute tour de force). However it does tick some of the same boxes and will appeal to fans of alternate history-fantasy. Highly recommend.

Trouble the Saints by Alaya Dawn Johnson, a very hard book for me to even start, I struggled with this book and it simply failed for me, though I think others will like it. Thank you for giving me a chance with this book.