This book is a work of art. I will read everything Polk writes until the day I die. I love the representation, the story is so beautiful, I could come back to this story again and again,.

Story: B+
Prose: B
Characters: B+
World: A-
Theme(s): A
Enjoyment: B

The Good:
Decent prose. Polk writes in a colourful style and gives Helen a strong voice. It's readable and vibrant, even if some sections come off a bit too strong.
Helen. Helen's a great protagonist. She gets things done, she has a solid set of reasonable but interesting skills, and she has established flaws and values which affect the plot and hold steady up through the ending.
Established couple. Helen is in an established, two year long relationship with Edith. Established relationships are hard to sell, and Polk does a good job of it. Helen and Edith are easy and sweet with each other, and it never feels like Polk is trying too hard to convince readers of their history.
Feels authentic. There's enough historical and real world details that the time period feels largely authentic.
Brotherhood of the Compass. I really like the little world building details around the Brotherhood that felt right for what they are and the time period, like how women can only join to serve a male relative as a mystic, calculating for them the best time for (spells) and use of "warlock" (oathbreaker) for Helen. (They suck as an organization, though. Rampant misogyny, etc.)



The Bad:
Prose trying too hard in spots. Particularly when it comes to describing expressions. E.g. "... shocked jaw falling away from his upper teeth," and "Eyebrows floating so high, his forehead was ruched like a satin gown…" It's a bit ridiculous.
Language around the asylum. Some of Helen/Polk's language around the asylum bothered me, particularly when Helen says Dunning doesn't "... have the gothic charm of older nuthouses." Gothic charm? People are suffering, Helen.
Solitary Helen. Although characters flit in and out, Helen doesn't have a dedicated sidekick until exactly halfway through. This means a lot of internal monologues, not all of which feel interesting.



YMMV:
SPOILERS: If there are angels you gotta tell me!!! I would've read it IMMEDIATELY if I knew there were angels involved!
Time period. Set in 1941, discrimination is unavoidable. Polk doesn't go over the top, but she doesn't ignore reality either. It's most evident when Helen visits an asylum to speak to a victim. The doctor hands a form for shock therapy to the mother, because they need the father's signature. At the same time, Helen recognizes a queer woman she knows as an "patient" of the asylum. Also, sweet baby Jesus, EVERYONE IS ALWAYS SMOKING.


Audiobook:
I listened to the audiobook, which I enjoyed quite a bit.
January LaVoy was the PERFECT choice as audiobook narrator. Her voice is the perfect pitch and timbre, and she narrates Helen with a distinctive charm and charisma that complements the noir-style vibe.
Angel voice vs regular voice. There's a character who's a host for an angel, and they have both their normal voice and an 'unearthly' voice when the angel speaks. LaVoy executes this brilliantly: the angel still sounds like they're using that character's voice, but in a really messed up way.
Men. A negative, unfortunately. The (few) men that appear are voiced in the "normal voice pitched awkwardly low" way. This is a small ding: it's the most common issue I find with audiobooks. (The guy version of this issue is that all women sound like caricatures.)

Final thoughts:
It gives "Supernatural, but in 1941, and without queerbaiting" vibes, which works out gorgeously. Again, I wish I knew there were angels ahead of time. Ultimately, I really enjoyed it, but did feel the first half was weaker than the second half.

If you like angels, demons, a really good mystery and badass sapphic characters, then this book is perfect for you.

I'm going to keep this review spoiler free, so I'm just going to say that this short novella is going to make you gush over the main couple, yet still break your heart with everything happening in this book. The audiobook also has a great narrator and I couldn't possibly recommend it more.

Thank you Netgalley and publisher for the audiobook in exchange of an honest review.

I had the privilege of listening to this as novella as an audiobook read by January LaVoy. The narrator's tone was the perfect jazz age female gumshoe type to fit the setting of the book. This was a short listen, but all four hours were full of vivid characters and grand world building. You get how high the stakes are for the protagonist immediately, and are right away thrown into a world of magic and mystery.

This is a love story at it's core, both with a romance and a story of familial love. The love Helen and Edith share is beautiful, and really gives the title more weight when you get to the end. Helen's love and sacrifice is so very relatable, I can honestly say I would have done the same if it meant saving my brother.

This magic alternative version of our world still has all of it's sexist, bigot ridden, and homophobic faults. Helen and Edith have to hide their relationship behind closed doors, and like real Queer women of the 20s sneaking kisses at the risk of possibly being institutionalized.

I've been recommending this Sapphic romance to everyone who likes fantasy or who is interested in a quick read.

Thank you so much NetGalley and RB Media for giving me this audiobook in exchange for my honest review.

The narrator was the incomparable January Lavoy, whom I would happily listen to narrating far worse books than this. As it happened, the novella was brilliant as well so it was an audio book that had that happy combination of great performer and great material. Overall and excellent audio book.



Story wise, <i>Even Though I Knew the End</i> is part detective noir, part witchy fantasy, part sapphic love story and part historical fiction. The combination was skilfully woven together and really worked for me. Helen, the MC, is a warlock on the trail of a serial killer. She's learning the nature of a Faustian bargain with impending doom as her due date for payment looms closer. Added to which, her actions - motivated by love and a little of the selfishness that goes with love - has made her an outcast amongst the only society that might be able to help her. Meanwhile, it appears her girlfriend, Edith, has also been keeping secrets. No spoilers but for a short novella, this story really delves deep and delivers plenty of twists and turns. I loved the worldbuilding and I absolutely fell for the characters. This one is not to be missed. A devilishly good historical mystery and then some.

“I would do anything for you. And I did.”

EVEN THOUGH I KNEW THE END is a chilling, captivating noir novella that follows a magical detective through 1940s Chicago as she solves a string of bloody murders. It's chock-full of mystical powers, angels and demons, possession, a vampiric serial killer, bargains with the devil, a secretive brotherhood, blood magic and sacrifices, clues hidden in photographs, and centuries-old celestial conflicts. There's a tender, sexy sapphic love story at the heart; I liked that it was an established relationship, marked with secrets held and affections given. It’s a beautiful and gutting look at the life of a queer woman in that time, sneaking kisses behind closed doors and slipping passwords for entry to underground queer clubs. Polk’s writing fits the historical era and the noir genre brilliantly and evokes such a strong mood, by turns sinister and hopeful. The twists in the narrative were always a surprise, and I loved how the action unfolded. A gem of a story, one that’s made me excited to read Polk’s other work. Thanks to Tordotcom and RB Media for the review copies! This book is out 11/8.

Content warnings: sexism, homophobia, institutionalization, conversion therapy, violence/gun violence, murder, ritual sacrifice, gore

Helen sold her soul ten years ago to bring her brother back to life, and by the end of the weekend, she will be sent to hell. She knows this. She has planned for this. She didn't plan to fall in love with an amazingly kind, devoutly catholic woman. Or to see her brother again after he told the leaders of the secretive brotherhood they belonged to what happened. Yet both of those things happen. She took one final investigation case, someone else is cashing in on the souls due to a demon and they want what is owed to them. And Helen's soul is next on the chopping block.

I absolutely loved this weird little sci-fantasy catholic imagery world that was crafted into 1930s Chicago. While still including realities of historical fact. Polk deftly weaves the realities of homosexuality and life as a woman with pacts with demons and magic blood rituals under the cover of moonlight. Despite being so short, I immediately felt pulled into this world, and was never left guessing how anything worked or fit. The worldbuilding in these few hundred off pages was some of the most intricate beautiful work I've ever read. I could read entire series in this world, and really would like to.

You'd also think with under 200 pages, the character connections wouldn't ring true. Yet they do. Established relationships, rekindled relationships, new characters introduced for the first time. They all are believable and vibrantly fleshed out. I believe every one of these characters could be real beings walking around. I believe in the weight of the relationships, the love between Helen and Edith was real and true. The emotion behind Teddy's actions made sense. The drive behind other important players all made perfect sense. No one action ever fell flat, even when I was yelling at them for being stupid.

Just an overall delight to read, and a true testament to not only what a novella can achieve, but also the potential in genre bending stories. A fantasy noir? More like a sub-genre I didn't know I needed.

I loved this book a lot.
For a shorter story the world was well thought out and explained.
The way the magic was set in the normal world was well done.
I don't know a lot about this time period in Chicago so that was interesting to read (and disturbing as a woman from this time).

And the narrator did a really good job.

I wish this had been a novel so that certain things could have been fleshed out better. The ending is what will stay with me for a while. Uff...

It’s hard to know how to rate this book. I feel like this book punched me in the heart. It was painful to get through because how emotionally raw it was. I was listening simultaneously to Secrets Typed in Blood and I found that series has a joy that is just missing in this book, I wanted a little joy in my magical noir and this didn’t have it,

I can never say no to a January LaVoy audiobook. EVEN THOUGH I KNEW THE END was stunning - I am so impressed that I became so invested in these characters and this world in such a short story. I really look forward to reading more from C.L. Polk because I loved this novella!

I would like to thank the publisher, Netgalley, and the author for the ARC of this book. I read an advanced copy of this book, so the final edition of the book might be slightly different. All thoughts and opinions are my own, as always.

Something about the title and synopsis have had me hyped for this book since I first heard about it, and I was so happy when I was approved for the audio ARC of this one! It ended up largely living up to those expectations, though I did feel like it was missing something. This feeling seemed to grow as the story went on, and I was left a little underwhelmed, even if I ended up still enjoying the story a lot.

First, I really liked the narrator and what she brought to this story. She brought life to the main character, and I just really enjoyed the way the narrator’s voice paired with both the character and the world. I was also just gripped by the story right from the beginning, and I felt like the narrator was able to deliver a lot of those early hooks extremely well!

After the strong beginning, however, I did feel as if the story fizzled a bit for me. My interest waned a bit, even as I was still intrigued by where the story was going. I think I just wanted more from the relationships in the story, especially the one between Helen and her brother. It felt like there was a lot more to explore there, but not enough time was spent setting it before the harrowing ending. I think the same can be said for Helen and Edith, in a way, though that one definitely felt a lot stronger for me. There were a few choices in the middle of the book that I felt like could’ve been slightly different to give more space for us to really bond with the characters and explore their relationships. There was also just a lot of plot to get through as well, of course, and not many pages to manage it all in!

I think this is the first book I’ve read by Polk, and honestly, it has left me excited to read much more by them! One of my favorite things about this book had to be the writing style. While I was listening, various phrases and lines kept sticking out to me as exceedingly clever or slyly funny, and I can’t wait to see what Polk does with a whole novel.

Overall, I think this is a great read for many, especially those that need a quick read in between larger books or series. While it’s an intense read, there’s this constancy of queer joy and hope that keeps you going throughout the story, and it overall was just a wonderful novella!

Review will be live on my blog on November 23rd

This is the first book of its kind that I've ever read/listened to. A sapphic-historical-fantasy-noir-mystery? Sure! Novellas are quick reads so I'll read just about any novella. This one was perfection. The characters felt like they could jump off the page and live right next to me. The setting was vibrant and mysterious. The social commentary popped up once in awhile, like the mention of what types of women would be admitted to an insane asylum at the time. Then they all work together to create a memorable story that you will wish was a bit longer or that maybe would be turned into a series somehow.

An incredible concept and I loved the sapphic twist, but ultimately the fantasy element was too much for me to finish the book. I’m hoping to circle back and finish the physical copy later.

Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

There were so many things I loved about EVEN THOUGH I KNEW THE END, including the historic Chicago timeline, the well developed characters, the family dynamics, and especially the attention to detail in the world building. I listened to the book as an audio and really enjoyed the narration.

This was a fantastical noir story about a magical detective that dives into the affairs of Chicago's divine monsters to secure a future with the love of her life.

A sapphic story with mystery, intrigue, romance and magic sure to be added to every reader's TBR!

*many thanks to Tor, RB Media and Netgalley for the gifted copy for review

I am absolutely over the moon in love with this book and I can tell you why:

CHARACTERS
It can be difficult for novellas to provide reader's with distinct, fleshed out characters. There's just not enough time. Polk, however, has written three fully formed adult characters with clear wants, needs and story arcs. They are interesting in their own right and as a group and their dynamics are wholly investing.
It's also sapphic, with a gorgeous, gentle established relationship at its heart.

FAMILY DYNAMICS
I love a sibling relationship and Helen's drought relationship with her brother, Teddy, was one of my favourite parts. There's a long history there and even though I wished we had more time to explore it, it was written in a way that we felt like we had all the insight we needed to really understand where both characters were coming from in their 'feud'.

WORLD BUILDING
Ahhh, the magical noir setting was *chef's kiss*. The fantasy and detective noir genre mashup was so perfect I'm surprised it hasn't been done much more. The way magic is used is intelligent and the use of multiple 'deals with the devil' makes the world seem like there are actually consequences that stick.

When I appreciate the book for what it is, I wish it were longer so I could luxuriate with these characters and relationships just a little longer.

Lastly, the audiobook was well worth the time as the narrator was stunning!

Short, magical and well worth the time.

Good length, good narration, really good character development. Can’t go wrong with a queer fantasy read. Would recommend.

(ALC received from NetGalley in exchange for honest review. Thank you.)

I really wanted to like this book! A 1940’s sapphic romance between a badass detective and her girl? Please!
However, between the complex magic system and plot, I wanted this to be so much longer. Too much left unfinished (what happened to the husks of the hosts?). I don’t know why the institution was written into it - made me feel ill as a queer person myself, and for no reason that impacted the storyline. If this was written a bit more in the way of a satire (with how dumb the men were, and SUPREMELY overlooked the key women in the story were), I would’ve eaten this up!
Will be checking out CL Polk’s other works though.

Loved, loved, loved this book! Angels, demons, warlocks, oh my! And a Lesbian love story to just round it out perfectly.
"Even though I knew the End" asks the ultimate question: what would you do for someone you loved? Anything you answer, I'm sure. Would you die for them? Of course. Kill for them? Maybe. Give up your very soul to the devil? Now there's a hard one. One magical detective must make that choice and suffer whatever consequences come with it.
There are some lines in this fantasy/Noir/mystery that are just so memorable. My favorite came when the detective took a sip of luxorious coffee and thought, "God is running his fingers through my hair." I can relate, nothing like an amazing cup of coffee.
I'm not usually the magical/fantasy type, I get annoyed with it at times, but this was so much more than that and gave me everything I could want in a mid-century gumshoe mystery, a love story, a thriller, and just a damn good book.
Highly recommended and the audiobook version is great with fantastic narration.
If the other fantasy novels by C.L. Polk are like this, then sign me up, I want them all!
Thanks to @netgalley for the opportunity to listen to this audiobook in exchange for my honest and unbiased opinion.

Well, now. It appears I did not know the end. And it caught me slightly unaware. This was absolutely amazing though, and I only wish it was longer.

4.5

Even Though I Knew the End is a historical novel set in 1940s Chicago, following Helen, a paranormal detective of sorts. Helen sold her soul ten years ago to save her brother, and now a unique opportunity presents itself for her to get it back, just before her time runs out. This would give her a chance for a life with her girlfriend Edith, but the catch is that she needs to find the most notorious serial killer in Chicago, before it's too late for her.

This book was such a captivating read, I couldn't put it down (or technically stop listening, as I listened to the audiobook). On that note, I would highly recommend the audiobook, it is narrated by January LaVoy, and it is absolutely amazing. It brings out the atmospheric feel of the book, and I really enjoyed the listening experience.

I really liked all of the aspects of the book, and I do only wish it was longer. We follow Helen, as she investigates a series of murders in an attempt to find the serial killer for one of her supernatural clients. The book features a lot of religious motives, the concept of selling your soul to the devil, angels, heaven, and hell and I really found it quite unique. Not that those concepts are unexplored, there are plenty of works dealing with the topics but the way this novel goes about it, while familiar, feels fresh and different. The way everyone talks about it in the novel is quite calm (even if they're not calm if that makes sense), with a lot of acceptance, and like it's all the usual talk like we're discussing the weather. It was a very interesting take on the topic.

The mystery aspect here is very interesting as well, the book provides just enough information at all times to keep the stakes high and keeps you guessing rather than telling you all its secrets at once. I like mysteries that are a real chase, I don't like being able to guess the twist too early in the story, and this book delivered. The added interest here is the race against time for sure, as Helen's time is limited and that kept me on the edge of my seat the entire time.

As I mentioned this is a historical sapphic novel, and there are elements that keep this more realistic and not just romanticizing the past. Helen and Edith live together, but how they conduct themselves in the diner they visit (with fake wedding bands, and fake life stories) brings a dose of the chilling reality of the time. The glamour of a sapphic speakeasy is set against the asylum Helen visits during her investigation, and which women were deemed insane. That includes a woman Helen knows from the said speakeasy, who just stopped showing up once. The moment is brief but it is haunting enough as is, a chilling reminder of what reality could be for queer people at the time.

I really enjoyed the characters here, and I thought they were wonderfully complex as people in their actions and motivations. This is a novella, but it managed to pack in a lot in a short number of pages. I absolutely loved Helen and Edith's relationship, and I could have read a full-length novel just about them. I loved their characters separately, too, both were fascinating in their own right. Helen, who sounds cynical and jaded at times, is driven completely by the love she feels for her people, her family. I wish we got more on Helen and her brother, that is my probably biggest complaint here. I could feel how much she loved him and obviously how much she was willing to give up for him, I just wish we got to see more of him, and more of them interacting.

To end this review, I just want to say that I would highly recommend this book, and I really do want everyone to read it. If you want a captivating sapphic period piece with a paranormal mystery, this is definitely your book!

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with an audiobook in exchange for an honest review!