The Dead Cat Tail Assassins was a quick-moving novella filled with clever, fleshed-out characters set in a captivating fantastical world.

Eveen is a resurrected assassin - one of the best in Tal Abisi - and serves her guild with skill, discretion, and a bit of humor. Like everyone else brought back from the dead to serve the Matron of Assassins, she has no memory of her past life and has sworn to follow three unbreakable vows.

She’s never had any trouble carrying out her contracts … until her latest mark sparks a memory. Eveen can either do her job or start to untangle the threads of her past, with the risk of losing everything.

Tal Abisi came to life on these pages. It’s a mix of humans, magic, and gods, and I felt incredibly grounded in its streets. The story takes place during a festival weekend, and we get to weave through celebrations and costumes and luxury, but also see what lurks in the corners and undergrounds. There’s both otherworldly magical legends and class structures that feel very close to home. It’s so very lush for just 200 or so pages.

The characters were all great fun. This book is action-packed and often dark, but Eveen’s narration brings a charming levity to the story. She’s funny, a bit immature at times, and is super easy to root for. The secondary characters - fellow assassins, gods, and magicians alike - were all compelling, too.

Through magic and mayhem (and immersive descriptions of food and clothing), Clark tackled some darker and larger themes involving power structures and abuse of marginalized bodies. But he entwines these with playfulness and good ole revenge that keeps it from tipping too far into grimness and despair.

Sometimes the pace did drag a bit awkwardly and the writing was occasionally repetitive, but overall it was wonderful.

CW: murder, death (child), gore, blood, violence, torture, kidnapping

I'd like to thank the publisher, author, and NetGalley for a copy of this novel for an honest review. The Dead Cat Tail Assassins follows Eveen, an undead assassin under the patronage of the Matron of Assassins, signed to a century long contract. There are three unbreakable rules in the assassin's guild, but after seeing the face of her latest contract, Eveen breaks rule #3 which is the most unbreakable of the rules. Eveen discovers a conspiracy that would not only destroy her undead life, but also her entire guild. She has until dawn to figure out who's behind the contract and stop their powerful unknown enemy.

This book was hilarious! If you love banter and witty repartee, you'll love this book. Eveen was a wisecracking irreverent character and I love those. It was exciting and fast paced. The side characters were funny, and the author managed to surprise me in the end (Not an easy feat). I highly recommend this book and would love this to be a series, please! please! please!

"'may the gods favor you this night, dead thing'"

Thanks to NetGalley for an e-arc in exchange of my honest review!

I've learned it's best to go for the ride and see where the story takes you because Clark writes some of the most unique ones I've ever heard with some of the most impeccable fighting scenes. In this one, however, I couldn't connect to the characters at all, which are a big part of the story, so I didn't feel any of the tension or big emotions I was supposed to throughout, and the ending itself was pretty anti-climatic after knowing what Clark is capable of. I still did read this in just 2 sittings, though, but not his strongest work.

Clark's new novel is a thrilling urban fantasy set during a carnival about an undead assassin who is assigned a target that appears to be a younger version of herself. Having no memory of her past, the assassin and her target must work together to find out who ordered the contract as well as how and why. Meanwhile the rest of the assassins guild to out to fulfill the contract and save them all from disaster. Clark creates an intriguing world. I hope we get to visit again.

This novella is a nonstop thrill ride featuring assassins, magic, a unique and intricate world building and characters full of snark. This would be a great pick for readers who are looking for an entry point into fantasy and reluctant readers. It totally delivered on the Kill Bill and John Wick vibes. Loved it!

This was a fun, quick read that left me wanting so much more. It felt like a taster and now I need the full course!

I absolutely loved this dark and twisty tale undead assassins. No cats were killed in the telling of this book, but there is plenty of mischief and mayhem. I loved the wryness of the main character and found the completely new world Clark created to be compelling and adequately described to live in my mind. Five fun and dark stars, very much a great late summer or fall read for this year or anytime! Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced reader copy in exchange for this unbiased review.

I don't read enough fantasy, and every time I drip back in I am rewarded. This was a great read. The world was rich and the characters complex. I loved every minute of this read. The action was nonstop, and the ending was totally fulfilling. Really, really enjoyed!

A great "takes place in one crazy night" story. Filled with fun city lore, varied assassins and interesting mysteries. Would love to see more of this world and characters (especially the side ones).

I want to preface this by saying that I've thoroughly enjoyed Clark's other works, but for some reason I could just not get into this one. Which isn't to say that it's not well-written - it is - and that the world-building isn't strong - it is - there was just something about it that felt a little lackluster. I'd still recommend his books to anyone, though.

A fast-paced novella about an undead assassin who accepts an unbreakable contract only to discover its target is a past version of herself, The Dead Cat Tail Assassins strikes a fun balance of humor, action, and mystery as the main character tries to reason and stab her way out of the contract, with some fun twists and an interesting world as backdrop.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc! Opinions are my own.

The Dead Cat Tail Assassins by P. Djèlí Clark is a fantasy novella about a group of undead assassins. And no, they aren’t cats. And no tails, either! The premise? In exchange for your memories and servitude (as an assassin), you can live (as a zombie) forever.

This is a quick read. While I wanted to love it, I just didn’t. I found it a bit boring and lackluster. The ideas are great, but the execution is missing something.

⭐⭐
Rating: 2 out of 5.

Thanks to NetGalley and Tor Publishing Group for an advance copy in exchange for sharing my opinions. All opinions in this review are my own.

I enjoyed reading this for the most part. The concepts were amazing, and the world the author built up was fascinating, but I can't help but be disappointed when I find myself being bored whilst reading a novella.

An exciting and well crafted tale of an assain in death.
This was a beautifully crafted story dropping lore and world building in way that sucks you into the events happening.
The assassins of the Dead Cat Tail Assassins are all dead, oh and not cats. Choosing to serve the Matron of assasins in life means that in death you're brought back with no memories of your life before and have 3 unbreakable views to follow.

Eveen has been one of the best since she started working for her guild. Never missing her mark and making quiet a name for herself, but during a festival things don't go right and Eveen has to solve a bit of a mystery.

This story has great action and cool characters, with a fantastic and thrilling end. A bit of magic, lots of fighting, and some sassy deities.

A perfect book for a quick weekend read.

This was so incredibly fun! This was my first P. Djeli Clark book and I don't think I've ever read anything like it. Fast paced and full of (zombie?) adventure and mystery. The world building was done extremely well, the characters were engaging with a great sense of humor. Dare I say this felt too short of a read for such an expansive world? I received this as an ARC from NetGalley and will absolutely be buying myself a copy on release day!

⭐⭐⭐⭐/5
The Dead Cat Tail Assassins
By P. Djélí Clark

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. While it was shorter than my other current reads, the chapters were packed with details, events and did not leave you hanging. The flow of the story kept me so interested and almost made me feel like I was within the story - which is one of my favorites.

This is my first book by P. Djèlí Clark, and it won't be the last.

*This was an advanced reader copy and my review is completely voluntary.

Series Info/Source: This is a stand alone book. I got this on ebook from NetGalley for review.

Thoughts: I always love Clark's novellas and this was no exception. The amount of world-building that happens in this small novella is impressive, and the characters are engaging and entertaining too.

The story takes place in Tal Abisi, an ancient city with a deep history of magic and mythology. I was incredible impressed by the world-building here and hope that future stories take place in this world. There is a subtle steampunk theme to this world but there is also magic and an intriguing structure of gods. We are reading the story from Eveen the Eviscerator's point of view. She is a dead assassin who can't remember her past, although her most recent target changes that. Now she is left struggling to figure out if she should break the third and most simple rule of the guild, "Once you accept a job, you must carry it out."

I loved this. The premise is a bit crazy once you get in to the story. Eveen, and the characters that surround her, have amazing depth and are highly entertaining. I am always impressed by Clark's ability to engage me with his characters so completely in such a short page space. Additionally, this is just a downright fun story. The action scenes are really well done, the dialogue is witty, and the mystery Eveen is trying to solve is complex and keeps you guessing.

I was incredibly impressed with every aspect of this story and douby impressed that all this was contained in this novella! This was incredibly readable and entertaining and my only complaint was that it was over too fast.

My Summary (5/5): Overall I absolutely loved this. The world-building, story, characters, and action in here are all amazing and innovative. I am stunned by the complexity of both the world and characters that are created in such a short page space without seeming confusing or info-dumpy. This was an entertaining and flat-out fun read that I really enjoyed. I hope we see future books set in the complex ancient city of Tal Abisi. I eagerly await Clark's next story.

This is my first time reading from this author and I had no idea of the writing style, but based on the cover and synopsis I was already ready to read. I can say I wasn’t disappointed at all and I still can’t believe they gave so much in a novella. The world building, action, and message in between the pages were heard loudly. I mean who wouldn’t want to read about Assassins, and females who are bad ass. I can say I would read from this author again.

An extremely fast read, The Dead Cat Tail Assassins are a great reminder as to why P. Djèlí Clark is one of my absolute most favorite authors. Witty, entertaining, heartfelt, and skillfully written, this book is a small masterpiece that made me wanting more. I would love a full-length novel in this universe that more broadly expands how the world works and meeting more of the different assassins and their varieties. A must read if you're a fan of the author, and I definitely recommend if you're looking for a fast paced fantasy novella. A huge thank you to Tor Publishing Group and Netgalley for a free copy of this eARC in exchange for my honest thoughts!

Not for my, requested on a recommendation. The writing was good just not my cup of tea. I was expecting something more immersive, or perhaps I didn't have enough information going in like a previous book I was supposed to read.