I loved this read! It was short, sweet, and sapphic. It had a good amount of mystery and intrigue and plot twists, which can be hard to do with the length of the book.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
CL Polk is one of the masters of historical fantasy, and I love the somewhat different direction they take here with this little morsel of a story both set in the 1940s and containing vibes of noir stories of the time period with a fantastical twist. You get a subtle, but still immersive feel for the time period, while moving the action along.
I love the balance between Helen’s different goals and motivations and how they’re connected. She’s enlisted to find a serial killer called the White City Vampire, which ends up being much more challenging and perilous than she expects, with many twists and turns. And in between, there’s lovely moments of her trying to protect her family, as well as sweet moments of sapphic love.
This is a great genre-bending story, and it will satisfy both lovers of the classic noir style and modern fantasy readers who enjoy stories with mystery and a bit of romance.

I really enjoyed this book. A Sapphic noir with angels and demons is such a unique idea, and it really paid off. I love a novella, and this was no exception.

Wow, this novella is excellent. I love how magic is such a part of the world, and the presence of angels and demons. I also really loved how Helen’s goal is always to give for those she loves. I can see that being a negative but the execution felt like something good and not too much. The setting and the mystery and the characters were all so interesting. I just all around really loved this story.

One of the dangers with a mystery novella, especially one that wants to anything else along with the mystery plot, is that the pacing has to be immaculate or things start to fall to pieces. That is not an issue here, where mystery and romance and fantasy merge together seamlessly to create a book I haven't stopped screaming about to anyone who looks at me for more than ten seconds.

The clues to our main mystery plot are interwoven enough to not seem jarring and written well enough that you can figure out how things piece together along with our investigators. I know some people aren't into that, but I am tired of big dramatic reveals that come out of left field and are maybe foreshadowed if you squint. The plot wraps up here is dramatic not because you didn't see it coming but because you did and it works all the more for it.

Also it was refreshing to read a fantasy anything that wasn't about vampires or fairies. Maybe it's the 2012 tumblr user in me speaking, but more fantasy novels about demons and angels please.

I genuinely couldn't put this book down, I consumed it and it consumed me. I won't rest until everyone I know has also read and loved it.

This was so beautifully done! I loved reading this noir sapphic novella following a magical investigator looking into a serial killer. Helen is so interesting to follow - and such a badass. I really wish this had been a full length novel - I wold have loved to see more buildup with the plot points and the relationship. This is a very quick read but so well done.

While I have never been someone who reads books with a heavier religious aspect, I did really like the conversations that this brought up with sexuality.

Overall, I loved following this story and would love to read more set in this world!

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for the arc!

Included as a top pick in bimonthly November New Releases post, which highlights and promotes upcoming releases of the month (link attached)

I’ve only read The Midnight Bargain by the author before and I’ve always wanted to read her Kingston cycle trilogy but haven’t managed that yet. However, when I saw this sapphic novella announcement from Tor and then looked at the gorgeous cover, I knew I had to read it. I also managed to get an audiobook of it early, and I had a very enjoyable couple of hours listening to it.

I adored January Levoy’s narration and couldn’t stop once I started. This is a very intense story right from the get go and because of the short nature of the book as well as the deadline in the plot for our main character, it moves pretty fast without much breathing room. We get enough world building context to make sense of what’s happening and nothing more. But I did think it made for a fun little story which had a lot of elements and author does a seamless job integrating them all - serial murder investigation, deals with the devil, fallen angels and their desire to go back to heaven, and all of this set in a world where queer couples are ostracized and sapphic women can find themselves forced in an asylum for conversion therapy.

Ultimately though, this is a story of love. Yes, our protagonist’s love for her sibling might have kicked off her journey on this path, but the bond she shares with the love of her life is beautiful and full of yearning and even though we never see them fall in love in the book, every word is full of the love that Helena and Edith feel for each other and what they will do to be together. This is a story of fierce woman and their courage in loving each other when the world doesn’t let them; and carve out a corner of the world where they can be happy. Definitely pick this book up if you wanna indulge in some sapphic goodness for a few hours.

I was so touched by this story! Helen and Edith clearly love each other so much and I loved reading a story where a relationship is already established. They are perfect together and fit together like perfectly matched puzzle pieces. While I honestly was caught off guard by the plot twist and the Big Bad reveal, I was getting some intense Supernatural-The-TV-Show vibes in the worldbuilding. Demons possess without consent, while angels wait for permission. If a host isn't strong enough to contain an angel, then the possession breaks their mind. Enochian is the language of angels. Even the weapon the angels used sounded similar to what angels use in Supernatural. It makes me wonder if CL Polk came across the same source materials used by the show, or if they just really liked Supernatural?

In any case, I loved this book. It's the perfect length. It's got characters you want to root for. And I would definitely read more books from this world if the author chooses to write more.

My Supernatural inner-fangirl rejoiced. The depth this novella had was extraordinary! I loved every minute of it and honestly, I would love to read more books set in this alt-Chicago.

Y’all know I’m eager for more fantastical mysteries, and C.L. Polk’s latest satisfies my itch. They deliver a hardboiled PI who moves through 1940s Chicago in search of solutions to both her latest case and her own dark past. The characters and the magic system are so fully realized that I’ve gotta hope Polk intends to write more stories in this milieu. I’d love to delve into all the crevices they resist the urge to over explain here, and to see what mysteries the survivors tackle next.

A couple of small, personal downsides: I found the mystery pretty guessable, and the book as a whole continues the pattern where I love Polk’s prose and worldbuilding but don’t get too invested in their romances. I like that we come upon an established relationship here, with all its tenderness and foibles, but I wanted to FEEL it more than I did. Still, the story’s good stuff and I don’t hesitate to recommend it.

I did not expect a novella to pack such a punch. I was sucked in from the beginning and did not see the twist coming.

I wish I enjoyed this book more than I did. I came for the sapphic story, expecting a love story that would make me root for the protagonists and the challenges they faced to be together. I still got a decent love story but it was also unfortunately too predictable for me. This book was more of a mystery than a romance, which I think was where I was misled a bit. The book cover and title just SCREAMED romance and for someone who actually doesn't read a lot of it, I wanted MORE of romance from this novel.

The mystery itself was intriguing and kept me captivated, making me think of a Supernatural episode. It was fun and entertaining, an enjoyable read in one sitting. I'm not exactly a fan of Supernatural-esque stories though so it was just okay for me.

Thank you for the team at Tordotcom for the eARC! All opinions my own.

The biggest struggle I've had with this book is that it isn't out yet. Whenever someone is looking for a recommendation, this has been my internal go-to - or at least it will be when November hits. The characters, their relationships and their story will leave you in tears, both happy and sad. It also got me to go back to read The Midnight Bargain, which was equally excellent. Thank you for this very emotional ride.

A magical detective, deals with the devil, murders, and sapphic romance? Perfection. Helen is a magical private investigator who’s latest job has her entangled in a famous killer. When her client offers her the deal of a lifetime: find the murderer and alert her and in exchange she’ll get her soul back Helen can’t resist. Helen made a deal to trade her soul for the life of her brother... and she only has ten years to live... and her clock is running out with only a few days left. So with the clock ticking Helen is hellbent on finding the killer to get her soul back because the only thing she wants is to live a happy life with her partner Edith... yet Edith is hiding her own secrets that could impact the case. The more Helen follows the clues the more her life is endangered, yet the case may be much bigger than she ever imagined. Can she get her soul back and stop the killer before it’s too late? This was such a fantastic read! The world was so much fun and the mystery was interesting, I loved how short and sweet it was while also creating an interesting world. fleshed out characters, and one heck of a fun mystery!

*Thanks Netgalley and Macmillan-Tor/Forge, Tordotcom for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

Even Though I Knew The End by C.L. Polk (Tor dot com Publishing)

Polk’s first published novella is a bittersweet gem of a noir fantasy romance. Set in the Chicago of the 1930s, in an urban fantasy setting where magic and demons exist alongside the more mundane monstrosities of human society, Even Though I Knew the End is the story of Helen, a jaded detective and former medium who gets pulled in for one last job, pushing herself through by thinking of the time she’ll get to spend with her lover afterwards. Helen knows this is her last job because ten years ago she sold her soul to a demon, in an exchange that felt worthwhile at the time, but now she only has three days left until her debt comes due. But her employer dangles a tantalising promise before her: use her three remaining days to catch the White City Vampire, a vicious serial killer, and her soul can be returned to her along with a tidy reward, letting her retire for real and live out the rest of her days with her darling Edith.

Like many good urban fantasies (historical or otherwise), Even When I Knew The End works because it blends its supernatural elements so effectively with the day to day business of being human. In Helen and Edith’s case, that means being queer women in love and living as part of a marginalised but quietly flourishing queer community, and Helen specifically deals with the disapproval and estrangement from her magical brother, who is still part of the Brotherhood which kicked her out when she lost her soul. Noir doesn’t need any supernatural elements to deliver the genre’s brand of horror, and while this story introduces us to angels and demons with plenty of convoluted, impenetrable motives, it also grounds Helen’s core decision – the choice to sell her soul, even knowing what it would mean for her a decade down the line – in an incident with such a mundane sense of tragedy and unfairness that it sets the whole story spinning around a real, recognisable emotional core. As to the ending, Even Though I Knew The End gives us a genre-compliant romance ending that nevertheless hits some of the most bittersweet notes of the whole narrative. It’s painful, beautiful and very fitting, and it caps off a novella that’s well worth checking out.

Ok so let me throw this high concept pitch at you - a book that is the sapphic baby of a hard boiled detective novel and Supernatural’s angel/demon phase.

Have your attention now? Good.

Helen is a mystic private eye in a lushly characterized alternate 1930s Chicago with secret societies, magic, and angels and demons. Ten years ago, she did something desperate and her time is running out before she has to pay. All she wants is to spend a final weekend with her girlfriend Edith, but when one last job drops into her lap, it proves to be more dangerous and higher stakes than she could ever have imagined.

This is a fast paced, tightly plotted novella that I devoured in a single day. I loved the prose - it's written in first person near past, and while reading it was so easy for me to imagine Helen leaning back in a chair with her feet on the desk and a drink in her hand as she narrated the story to me.

I also loved the glimpse offered into the world building and the characters’ lives - deeply interesting while also never overshadowing the action or the plot.

As for the ending, I don’t want to spoil it but I will say that from the title and cover I was getting intense tragic bittersweet vibes. I was right, but not in the way or to the extent I thought, and I was delighted.

Highly recommended for fans of cross genre sff/mystery/historical fiction, Supernatural fans, urban fantasy readers, and literary speculative novellas.

Reading Vlog: https://youtu.be/1awY-IHwbWI

Even Though I Knew the End is a lesbian fantasy noir with a serial killer, set in an alternate (1930's?) magical Chicago with ALL the vibes of the time. I mean, what else do I really need to say??? If that sounds like your thing, definitely pick it up.

It follows a magical investigator asked to look into a murder with cult ties, and things get very complicated very quickly. When all she wants is spend time with her very Catholic girlfriend at an underground lesbian bar. There is a serial killer, paranormal things, and a touching love story in the background. Lots happens very quickly! I received a copy of this book for review via NetGalley, all opinions are my own.

Content warning for homophobia, misogyny, and references to having women committed for related reasons, references to electroshock therapy, murder, gore, possession.

I really enjoyed this title--it had a very strong Jim Butcher/Dresden Files energy with vampires, angels, demons, warlocks, and also made me nostalgic for the television show "Supernatural." I also thought it had strong elements of Richard Kadrey's 'Sandman Slim' series but in a unique way that makes this story stand on its own. It also has strong Chicago vibes, and a history of Prohibition, jazz bars, and other cool things mixed into the present. A particular vamp, the White City Vampire, is making the rounds and causing lots of chaos, and it's up to the protagonist to put a stop to it. Readers who love urban fantasy mixed with elements of noir and detective mysteries will love this new story from C.L. Polk

A unique, queer fantastical story full of the occult, crossroads deals, blood rituals and a damned private investigator who will do anything for the woman she loves. This story was definitely not what I was expecting it to be, but that said, I found it to be an enjoyable read. I also enjoyed the film noir-style Chicago setting, which was really cool. Overall, a nice, short read with two likeable characters and some clever plot twists.