The essence of this book can be likened to a captivating B movie, where the central character, Julie, embarks on a relentless struggle against grotesque demons in her quest for survival. As fate would have it, an enticing opportunity for a better life emerges on the horizon, and Julie seizes it with both hands, unaware of the impending consequences that await her. Her journey is one of resilience, fraught with battles both physical and metaphoric, each shaping her in unexpected ways. Personally, I found immense enjoyment in the pages of this book, and the anticipation of a sequel is something I eagerly harbor.

Going to use the CAWPILE method on this review, because I REALLY don't know where I land on this one.

Characters: Fantastic. I give them a 10/10. I loved that Julie was basically the supernatural version of Jessica Jones, and I felt like all of the characters were very well developed.

Atmosphere: Maybe an 8/10 on this one. I didn't get the strong sense of place that I have gotten from other books set in New York. That's fine, as I don't know that this book was so much a book about life in New York as it was just a book set in New York.

Writing: This one is REALLY tough for me. I'm giving it a 3/10 for writing. I feel like Khaw/Kadrey had some great ideas for these creatures and horrors that they were writing, but the images just didn't come through to me as a reader. The writing was overly flowery to the point that I couldn't picture or imagine what was being described because I was so bogged down in words. I have read Khaw's work before and not had this issue, so I don't know if this was caused by the collaboration or something else. The writing just really didn't work for me - it bogged down an incredible story.

Plot: 10/10. This plot is banana pants in the best way possible. Jessica Jones meets Lovecraft.

Intrigue: 10/10. Again, there is just so much going on that is keeping you guessing and on your toes.

Logic: 10/10. I mean - how do you give a logic score to a book about eldritch horrors prowling the streets of New York? In so far as the characters and story progressed in a logical way for the world in which they were set, I would say 10/10.

Enjoyment: 8/10. Again, this really comes down to the writing. I LOVED the characters and the plot, but the writing was trying too hard. It was so flowery that it became distracting and, ultimately, detracted from my enjoyment of the book.

Something I really enjoy about Cassandra Khaw's writing is her attention to detail, even and especially during more gory scenes. This book was gross, and I really enjoyed it. I liked Julie's and Sarah's characters
and hated Tyler and Dan. I thought the idea of Wall Street being essentially controlled by demons and demon-like creatures was really interesting. However, I do think there could have been some more exposition when it came to the world Julie lives in: it seems like there was an entire culture of magical New Yorkers fighting creatures, but we only really learned about what Julie interacted with during the book. Hopefully in the next installment of the series, we get more of a deep dive into the world.

The cover is really cool. The writing is top notch. Extremely readable, extremely gripping, gritty, and real. Note this book also belongs on the Horror shelf (I'm surprised it isn't also listed in the genres). I'm not a huge fan of horror so personally stopped after chapter 1 (3%), but I really hope this book is a commercial success.

Thank you to NetGalley and Tor for the ARC.

The book blew my mind. Horror at its finest with an intriguing and complex cast of characters, which very much includes New York City itself. I love books that are essentially love songs to NYC, and this certainly numbers among them. Cassandra Khaw does not miss, and Richard Kadrey has a new fan in me!

This book was like an entertaining B movie. The main character,Julie, is fighting demons (very gross demons) to get by. When an opportunity for a better life presents itself, she grabs on - with some consequences and more battles. I enjoyed this book and would read the sequel.

While I loved the idea, and bits and pieces of the story, the whole thing just felt a bit off. I never really cared about Julie, our main character, one way or another. I'm fine with having a dislikable main character, but I just didn't care at all. It often felt disjointed and I never fully understood who I was supposed to be rooting for. It's still readable, but honestly I do not see myself picking up the second book in the duology whenever it comes out. 2.5 stars rounded up to 3.

Series Info/Source: This is first book in the Carrion City duology. I got a copy of this to review on ebook through NetGalley.

Thoughts: I enjoyed this a lot. It has a very Nightside (by Simon Green) feel to it. Lots of crazy eldritch horror stuff going on here and many intriguing characters (that aren't exactly likable but are very intriguing). The book has Kadrey's grittiness with Khaw's horror elements; the characters are all flawed but fun to read about.

The book follows Julie who lives hard and does ample drugs and alcohol. She is trying to make a living taking out all the magical nastiness but keeps getting screwed over by people. Then her best friend Sarah shows up and Julie gets drawn into some true eldritch horror craziness.

I did get an eGalley of this for review and noticed quite a few editing errors; like mixed up word order, missing words, and mixed up punctuation. Hopefully those will be fixed in the final book.

I liked the gritty tone to this and the quirky characters. The plot takes some seriously weird turns, so you never know what to expect and I like that. I found the "magic system" somewhat confusing and was a bit confused by what magic was actually being practiced here. Then there are angels and demons involved along with other strange eldritch powers and it's a little tough to follow how it all fits together. However, if you just sit back and accept all the weirdness it's a fast-paced and fun ride.

I really enjoyed the characters; they have a quirkiness similar to Green's Nightside series but I found them to be more engaging and personable. They all have intriguing histories and good depth to their character. I liked that Julie grew throughout the book as well.

My Summary (4/5): Overall I really liked this. There were some rough edges both in technical editing, and things like the magic system and plot being a bit hard to piece together and make sense of. However, I think all of this was more than offset by the quirky characters, intriguing world, and fast-paced craziness. If you are looking for a urban fantasy horror with some eldritch weirdness and odd characters that are surprisingly easy to love and engage with, I would highly recommend this. I am looking forward to reading the second book in the series.

Julie is a drugged-up mess who fights horrible monsters in NYC to get by. When her friend and crush Sarah arrives unannounced, Julie dreams of a better life and she attempts to summon something to help her. But that something could of course destroy the entire world. This novel, the first of a planned duology, mixes eldritch horror, the grittiness of NYC, and a LOT of gore. It's entertaining enough, but it felt a bit rushed and disorganized for me. Perhaps the sequel will fix these issues.

This book was so fuckin’ fun holy shit.

So much happened at once in the best way possible. It had the perfect amount of humor mixed in with the serious moments and plenty of gore and disgusting mental visuals to keep you up at night. It had everything, Freelance magic work, Wall Street eldritch bosses, worms! The works. I loved this.

I’ve never read from Richard Kadrey before but I have read from Cassandra Khaw and I think this is my new favorite book they’re written.

I need the next one yesterday.

I requested a digital copy in order to sample the prose on my phone (since I don't have a eReader) before requesting a physical copy for review. My review will be based on the physical ARC I read (if I qualify)

Holy crap. What the heck did I just read?! I've never read anything by Kadrey or Khaw before, but I'm a new fan for life. The Dead Take the A Train was so unique and disturbing and I loved everything about it! Dark, disturbing, weird, colorful, and exciting. Highly recommend and will be purchasing for our collection.

This type of horror is not my typical read but I wanted something different and boy did I get it! The two words that kept jumping in to my head were dark and disturbing which is what you want in a good horror read. Will definitely be pushing it to my dark and disturbed horror reading co workers.

Kadrey and Khaw are a dream (nightmare??) team. This grips you by the throat and doesn't let go. A recommended purchase for collections where the pair's previous titles are popular.

What would you do if your bestfriend/crush shows up asking for your help to stop her abusive ex... all the while your own evil ex has gotten you to accidentally unleash a monster who is killing people left and right.... its definitely going to be a long week. Julie is a coked-up, burnt out thirty year old who is barely making rent but her job is to basically exorcize the nastiest demons and make deals with gods to just make rent. Julie needs to make money to pay rent to her landlord and after being behind rent for so long that means she has to get a job from her very douchey ex who has done nothing but steal credit for her work and think he’s better than her. When she’s had enough and confronts him, he decides the best way to get back at her is to send her a fake demonic book only for her to end up summoning a “angel” who is actually so far from angelic and is bent on consuming human bodies. Then Julie’s best friend and crush. Sarah shoes up asking for help, Julie is willing to do anything, but things start to get really really out of hand and now its up to Julie to stop the demon she unleashed, save her friends, and finally maybe get the girl she’s been in love with since forever. This was such an amazing first book in the duology, it mixes magic with an urban settling and definitely is non stop action and fun.


*Thanks Netgalley and Tor Publishing Group, Tor Nightfire for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*