I read and loved C.L. Polk's Kingston Cycle last year so when I saw they were releasing a lesbian noir fantasy novella set in an alternate 1940s era Chicago I knew I had to pick it up as soon as possible.

I repeat: Lesbian. Noir. Fantasy. Magical 1940s Chicago. Oh and there's a hunt for a serial killer. Literally if any of that sounds up your alley than you should pick this up because it has so much going for it. The vibes and atmosphere are perfect and I loved the amount of characterization and world building Polk was able to add into a novella.

I don't want to say too much about the plot because it is a novella, but I loved Helen as a main character. She was the perfect gritty noir detective in my opinion and her relationship with Edith was so well developed, I literally cried at moments because of them.

I also loved the bits we got of this world Polk created. The city was recognizably based on a historical Chicago but also included magic and angels and devils. I also loved the little bits of queer culture we got to see. Helen and Edith frequent a queer bar and there is a scene that takes place in an asylum for women that highlights some of the injustices women have historically faced in the medical community.

While this novella felt complete on its own, I would easily have read a longer version of this because I loved being in this world and following these characters. This novella cements C.L. Polk as an auto read author for me and I cannot wait to see what they publish next!

I listened to the audio of this and it was my first experience with January LaVoy as a narrator but it certainly will not be the last. I thought her narration was excellent and I will be checking out her back catalogue.

This is such a cool and unique story that you will fly through quickly! A Sapphic twist on film noir and gum-shoe detective stories, this book set place in Chicago and features angels and demons and found family members bonding together to save everyone they love. This was a really enjoyable listen and I highly recommend that audio. I can’t wait to read more by this author!

Many thanks to Netgalley and RB Media/Recorded Books for sending me an audio ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I knew I had read the blurb in the past but starting this book I had amost no recollection of it except it had queer rep. So I went into the book almost blind and what a delight it was!
A blend of historical paranormal and noir mystery with a established lesbian couple, this book had everything I could have asked for. It was fast-paced, moody and dark but also romantic and hopeful. I had such a great time but I wouldn't have minded a full-lenght novel tough. And that's the only reason it's more a 3,5⭐ than a full 4⭐
January LaVoy was also excellent as narrator.

If you’re looking for a fast-paced, more-than-meets-the-eye, sapphic noir full of supernatural magic, look no further! Even Though I Knew the End by C L Polk was such a fun read! I’d say this was a 4.5 star for me, but I’m going with a 5 because, honestly, this isn’t the type of story I reach for and somehow {ie. the incredible skill for plotting and storytelling they posses} the author crafted something I couldn’t put down. I was fully invested from the get go, and kind of fell in love with our main character, Helena and her partner, Edith. This novella comes in around 144 pages or just under 4 hours for the audiobook. I, actually, listened to the audio, which was narrated by January LaVoy, and highly recommend. LaVoy’s narration fits our lead absolutely perfectly and the noir genre, as well. I really buy this hard-boiled detective as brought to life in the narration.

One of the things that makes this novella special is the themes of queerness and religion and spirituality. There are important conversations around who is worthy of salvation, and being discriminated against as a queer person. But these themes, much like the descriptions of what is happening or the setting, don’t bog down the pace. Everything keeps moving and C L Polk trusts the reader to think on the things they touch on. There is a focus on sibling relationships too. I found this really wonderfully done, especially as it relates to familial loss and the complex ways we process grief.

The action begins on page one, as does the magic, which hooks the reader straight-away. The mystery of the serial killer, the use of spells, and old-fashioned detective work come together flawlessly. The pace mimics the fact that Helena is, in many ways, racing against death, herself. I found the supernatural elements to be fascinating and while I could have gone deeper into the details, the author does a phenomenal job of helping you understand quickly. There are subtle {and not so subtle} clues to pick up on, as the reader, as well. It’s just a great time. And element I didn’t expect was the act of taking film photos and developing them, which we do get descriptions of, and I really enjoyed that addition and it fit in well with Helena’s job as a detective.

I just can’t say enough good things, Even Though I Knew the End was a terrific surprise and if I will definitely be picking up more from C L Polk in the future!

This will be out November 8 and you should definitely give it a go!

+ Thank you so much, NetGalley and RB Media {Recorded Books} for providing me with a copy for review. It was pure delight.

Magical detectives. Monsters in Chicago. A debt to be paid. It’s like that black and white Dracula episode of supernatural except Destiel is real and sapphic.

Helen is a PI with a clientele interested in the occult. She’s taking one last consultation to top off her savings, all of which will go to her girlfriend Edith once she dies. Which is sooner than she’d like. Years ago she sold her soul to save her brothers life and the clock has nearly run up. Helen has a few days left to live until the offer for her life is put on the table. If she can solve the mystery of the White City Vampire and catch Chicago’s most notorious serial killer, she can reclaim her soul. And if she fails…

Plot: 4/5
We’re dropped right into the story and the pace picks up quickly. The arc doesn’t feel to fast though. The urgency of the mystery increases the more you read. Some of the magic and angels seemed a little cheesy but it was still enjoyable. A lot of the magic is centered around religion.

There’s also a scene in an asylum that involved a lot of conversation around homophobia and conversion therapy. It fit in the context of the time but was still difficult to hear.

Characters: 4/5
Helen is our street smart PI with brilliant magic. She goes at the world guns blazing. She got big Dean Winchester vibes. Her perspective is a really fun one to experience this story from.

Edith was a surprise! I wasn’t sure how to feel about her character at first, I actually thought she was a potential villain undercover.

Writing: 4/5
It’s giving film noir and I love it. Polk created such a smoky atmosphere. The language she used fit the era so well and she considered the tech/style down to the smaller details. I don’t read a lot of novellas but I found this one really enjoyable!

Magic, a lesbian lead character, Chicago... what's not to love? Well, I guess the length, but it's a case of the story being just as long as it needs to be. No wasted time and leaves you wanting more. I also really appreciated the fact that the couple was already together when the story began. There's nothing wrong with a love story that starts with two people meeting, but it's comforting to have a few stories that start a little down the road.

Even Though I Knew the End is an enchanting blend of fantasy and noir. For being so short this book is drenched in atmosphere. The story is moody and dark at times like a mystery should be. And yet there are moments of hope and romance that had me smiling.

The characters were so easy to love. They had me hanging on to every shred of hope I could find even though I knew it was probably futile. Helen is a badass main character and her perspective was fun, engaging, and easy to root for. She did everything out of love for the important people in her life. Though on the simple side, I found the angel v. demon mystery so engaging. C.L. Polk works these magical beings seamlessly into the atmosphere of 1940s Chicago.

My one critique is that the ending of the conflict felt a bit abrupt. A lot of significant things happened in a very short amount of time. I also wish we had gotten some resolution to one of the side conflicts, but I realize it probably wasn't meant to have a solution.

I could read another 200 pages of this story. Not because it felt incomplete, but because I was so immersed in the vibes that I didn't want it to end. Give me their backstories, give me their next adventure, give me the 10 years in the future scene that is going to break my heart. I want all of it. Novellas are hard for me, but this is definitely one of my favorites.

Genre: noir mystery, sapphic romance, fantasy, speculative fiction
Chicago, 1941.

Helen is a private investigator. Her current client pays her a lot of money to augur crime scenes, and for $50, Helen doesn’t ask a lot of questions. Except she suspects her current case may be a murder by the White City Vampire, a fiend terrorizing Chicago. But time is running out - she sold her own soul to save her younger brother, and in three days, the devil comes to collect what’s due.

Laced with queer normativity in a time when queerness was at best hidden and at worst institutionalized and persecuted, Polk brings to life Helen’s secret clubs and the life she’s carefully constructed with the love of her life Edith. In a way that only a strong novella can, there are hints at backstories, and snippets that ignite the imagination.

Atmospheric worldbuilding is a highlight of Polk’s work, but I’d only previously read their Nebula nominated Midnight Bargain, which is full length. Even Though I Knew the End manages to capture the noir atmosphere with an impressively paced plot.

Much more will spoil this one, which delighted me at every turn. I laughed and cried. January LaVoy breathes extra life into CL Polk’s book with her audio narration. Thanks to @tordotcompub and @recordedbooks and @netgalley for an ALC for review.

Even Though I Knew the End is a gorgeous, intense, tight rope 3 1/2 hour listen. Set in a slightly alternate, puritanical 1930s or 40s Chicago, C.L. Polk weaves together magic, gritty noir, Heaven, Hell, love, and grief. It’s both spare and lush with just enough detail to give the world texture and context. Women are second class citizens and being queer is dangerous.

Helen Brandt sold her soul ten years ago and her payment is about to come due. She has worked as a magical private investigator (fedora and all). She wants to spend her last bit of time on Earth with Edith, her girlfriend, before she spends the rest of eternity in Hell. One of her best clients asks her to do one last little job for a nice sum of money. We know that the “one last job” won’t be easy and indeed, it involves her estranged brother, the magical order that kicked her out, a hunt for a serial killer, angels and demons.

I really don’t want to talk too much about the plot because it’s so short revealing a little bit is a lot. Polk has said that this isn’t a romance, and it is not. It is a love story though. Helen acts from love. She sold her soul for love of family. She does everything she can to protect Edith. It’s also a story of grief and loss. Love and grief hold hands throughout the story. Grief and fear of loss lead to monstrous acts, and love is an act of courage. At one point Helen and Edith visit a sanitarium for women. While there they see a mother caring for her daughter who has suffered a magical hurt and a woman that they used to see at their secret lesbian bar. The visit to the sanitarium illuminates how much danger they are in every day, just for being queer women.

I really loved this rich novella and, as always, January LaVoy is the perfect narrator.

CW: homophobia, misogyny, murder, blood, death, gun violence, stabbing, possession, death of parents in car accident in past, discussion of conversion therapy, discussion of electric shock therapy.

I received this as an advance listener copy from Recorded Books and NetGalley. My opinions are my own, freely and honestly given.

This sapphic fantasy/mystery tells the tale of a romantic mystic, who's been shunned by her magical collective, and finds herself tasked with solving the mystery of Chicago's most notorious serial killer, The White City Vampire.

This is a period piece for sure when women in general are looked down upon. for speaking out and holding job positions, but factor in their sexuality straying from the straightened path, and it's an unfair game for our main character. Fallen from the grace of her familial ties to this high magic brotherhood, she's sold her soul to the devil in exchange for her brother's life back after a gruesome car accident. Now year's later, she's working as a mystic detective, and working to solve crimes that go unsolved by the regular units on the Chicago streets.

When more sinister and unexpected motives are revealed, we get sucked into the world of Angels using people as vessels to fight wars in that we have no place to be involved. This was definitely giving me Supernatural vibes, with a sapphic twist and I was HERE FOR IT!