The Dead Cat Tail Assassins is another excellent novel from P. Djèli Clark. Full of magic, it was easy to get enraptured with the story.

4.25

I really enjoyed this short and murderous book! Excellent detail, unique character quirks, and a thrilling adventure. And the last sentence is perfectly crafted and made me chuckle with its dark humor.

This is an interesting story. The concept is very intriguing. The world building is beautifully done. The characters are very intriguing your face and dynamic. I love the banter that they engage in. The plot is a very twisty little critter. I enjoyed this story. I hope you give it a chance.

If you’re looking for a fast-paced, assassin-filled fantasy with a unique setting and a bit of a bite, *The Dead Cat Tail Assassins* by P. Djèlí Clark is definitely worth picking up. It throws you straight into its world, and while I enjoyed the ride, I did feel like it moved a little too quickly at times. I would’ve loved just a bit more breathing room to really soak in the atmosphere and the characters.

The protagonist’s journey is laced with questions of morality, duty, and revenge, all wrapped up in some gorgeously dark prose. Speaking of prose, Clark’s writing style is sharp, immersive, and full of vivid imagery. He has a knack for making his worlds feel alive in just a few sentences.

Overall, *The Dead Cat Tail Assassins* is a fascinating, action-packed read. If you like your stories with intrigue, a touch of the macabre, and an assassin who doesn’t mess around, you’ll probably have a great time with this one.

What a fun romp. I love Clark's writing and was so glad that this one made some of the "Best of 2024" lists. It's just a delight and the most fun to read. Cannot wait to see what they write next!

For the people who have no idea what this book is about because the synopsis didn't help,TDCTA is about a top assassin who was hired to kill a doppelgänger of herself, and she refused. As a result, the entire assassin organization is after her for breaching the contract.

I didn't care for the book and even should have DNFed, but I also understand it was a me thing and not an it thing. There is nothing wrong with TDCTA. I enjoyed the world-building, the framing of the story, the witty dialog, the fighting scenes, and the intricacies of how we got to the plot. However, I just could not get into it. It was a level of weirdness I wasn't expecting, and it took too long for me to latch on.

Idk if it was just this book, but I'm still going to check out Clark's other work.

Thanks to NetGalley and Tor Publishing for the ARC

P. Djeli Clark is so good at crafting a rich, lively fantasy world in so few pages. I learned this with A Dead Djinn in Cairo, and The Dead Cat Tail Assassins further proves this. I loved the main characters and the villains. Eveen and Sky's story and motivations were well explored throughout while maintaining an irreverent humor.

I personally don't like stories that use time travel as a plot device, they often get too convoluted and sometimes feels pretentious, like the writer wants to prove they're smarter than their audience. Clark avoided that. It seeded all the right hints while still maintaining a few fun surprises, and let's the action take center stage.

It was a blast, I am a huge fan. If we get more stories about Eveen the Eviscerator it would be a treat.

Brisk and entertaining, Clark managed to create an impressively detailed world for such a short space in The Dead Cat-Tail Assassins. I was a little unsure where this was headed until the very end, but the ride was enjoyable.

While not my favorite of Clark’s works, this is one I would recommend to someone looking for something fast and fun.

I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Ever since I first read a short story by P. Djeli Clark back in like 2015, the author has hit my auto-buy list. Does that mean I've yet to read every book written by him? No, I'm a little behind, but what I have read has always been a good, entertaining time and The Dead Cat Tail Assassins is no different. I was so excited to get approved for an ARC of this book cause honestly it'd been on my radar since the second it was announced. The name alone had me intrigued, but then add on the premise and that cover? Well, I had to read this book as soon as possible though life did get in the way so this is ASAP for me at present.

Eveen, and the story that unravels involving her, is an exciting and engaging adventure. I was hooked from the first sentence. She is funny and interesting, and although an assassin, which is definitely not a good job, a total badass. The side characters, including the guild and city itself, all add to the adventure that takes place in just one night -- definitely a wild time. For only taking place in one night though it doesn't lack in details about the characters nor the place; keeping you engaged at every possible turn, and making you feel like you're along for this adventure at every turn. The latter seems to be something that P. Djeli Clark is talented at doing in his work. The twists and turns revealed, and the way it feels like a familiar fantasy setting while still feeling fresh and innovative was one of my favorite parts. It's definitely a book I look forward to buying so that I can put in pride of place next to the other works I have by this author -- whose work, including this one, I will recommend at every opportunity.

I really do hope that P. Djeli Clark decides to revisit this world. I feel like Tal Abisi, its characters, and the world surround it has many more stories to tell and hopefully that is the case.

Revised and upgraded to 3 stars now that the disappointment has ebbed. P. Djéli Clark's previous book's popularity on BookTok amped my expectations.

Based on the title, cover, and description, I expected this to be a fun and extraordinary book. It's a great concept. Unfortunately, from the beginning, I found it off-putting. I didn't like the light tone of the narrative. Despite my long-term passion for Fantasy, it seems I'm not the audience for this novel. I didn't care much about the characters and the convoluted plot, and each win comes too easily for my tastes.

I enjoyed aspects of the world, and the imaginative descriptions. The lore and stories within stores were intriguing, and the author made good use of details in the settings and objects in the tale. A couple of the supporting characters have proved to be memorable.

This is a beloved author who entertains many readers. This novel simply wasn't a fit for me.

Thank you to Netgalley and the Publishing Company for this Advanced Readers Copy of The Dead Cat Tail Assasins by P. Djeli Clark!

I have been anxiously awaiting P. Djèlí Clark"s next novel, and The Dead Cat Tail Assassins mostly lives up to his previous works. It's an imaginative assassin fantasy, and while it lacks the impressive world building of his previous works, it still manages to pack a lot of fun in its slim page count. I would like to see Clark take another stab at a full length novel, but for now I will continue to enjoy his fantasy novellas.

The Dead Cat Tail Assassins was a great read. I loved the character development and the writing was amazing.

I apologize for the late review and thank you Netgalley for the E-ARC

"First, the contract must be just. That’s above Eveen’s pay grade. Second, even the most powerful assassin may only kill the contracted. Eveen’s a professional. She’s never missed her mark. The third and the simplest: once you accept a job, you must carry it out. And if you stray? A final death would be a mercy. When the Festival of the Clockwork King turns the city upside down, Eveen’s newest mission brings her face-to-face with a past she isn’t supposed to remember and a vow she can’t forget."

The paragraph above got my interest and I knew I had to pick up this book. Plus, it is by P. Djeli Clark. He is a must read author now, everything they write will be an auto read/auto buy. I love Clark's writing style, world building, and most of all the characters. Good and interesting characters and character building are the most important things to me in a story and he always delivers.

This was my first work by P. Djèlí Clark. I wish there was more explanation in the beginning because I was lost at times. His writing is strong and descriptive, but it was overshadowed by how action packed it is in such a short amount of pages.

This book was so good!
I was laughing, the fight scenes played out like a movie in my head and I literally had a face palm moment with one of the characters.
I added the link to my review of the book on TikTok.
P. Djèli Clark is now an automatic buy author for me!

4.5 Stars

This was my first P. Djèlí Clark and I can promise it will not be my last. Incredible world-building and establishing of tension/stakes within the very first chapter. A masterful execution of character and voice. Clark is able to blend together humor and innovating fantasy world parameters in a way that is unmatched. This book made me fall in love with P. Djèlí Clark's writing!

I really liked the world. We get a glimpse in one aspect of the magic system through Eveen since she is a resurrected assassin contracted to one of the goddesses of the world. We see other type of magics that I really want to know more about (specially about the construction of spells that was linked to a type of an equation) - there is space for other books in this world and I'd be really interested if the author continued to work on this world.

The book is primarily a mystery book, figuring out who Sky is and who made the contract that put Eveen's life in disarray. The mystery is pretty straightforward and it's kind of easy to figure out before the characters what is going on. That really wasn't such a hindrance for how much I liked the book because I liked Eveen and the world so much. She is a cativating character and I was rooting for her and I'm interested in her even if we only see a little of her story in the book. She is a more humorous and due to her personality so is the book. And even though I liked her humor, sometimes it was too much.

By the end, I liked the world, the characters, and how the story ended.

Thank you Netgalley, author, and publisher for the ARC.

If you're in the mood for a fun, action packed, story with undead (but not zombie-like) assassins, this one's for you.

Novellas are always tricky for me to review because I always want MORE 😅 but for such a quick read, P. Djèli Clark accomplished a lot in a limited amount of pages: immersive world building, showing how the rich exploit the marginalized, and nuggets of commentary on a messed up society.

I do wish I was more attached to the characters but I tend to love character-driven stories so that checks out.

I highly recommend this as an action-packed palate cleanser between heavier reads.

P. Djélí Clark is one of my favorite authors and The Dead Cat Tail Assassins did not disappoint! I can tell he had fun writing this novella, because I had fun reading it. Clark is insanely talented at creating memorable characters and stories full of vivid imagery.