Thank you Net Galley and Tor Publishing Group for the ARC.

I have to admit, P. Djeli Clark wasn’t an author I had heard about until the book club that I am in read “A Master of Djinn” which I absolutely loved. When I saw this book on Net Galley, I have to read it and did it meet my expectations. The world building and the magic really was next level. I could really imagine and visualize the world and scenes.

It starts with an undead assassin and progresses into a storyline I hadn’t read before. I would recommend this book to anyone who liked a Master of Djinn and doesn’t mind the undead.

4.5 Rounded up. Thank you netgalley for the arc! This was far more fun than I anticipated. I really liked how it was action-packed but also with how the characters spoke and reacted found myself laughing out loud. I've only taken a half star away because near the end of the book we introduce characters who have their accents written phonetically into their speech which is not my favorite thing and slows down my reading immensely trying to figure out what they're actually saying. Otherwise this was great and I wish it was a much larger book because the world-building is fantastic especially for a novella.

Thank you to the Publisher and NetGalley for this free copy in exchange for an honest review.

P. Djèlí Clark Hit it out of the park with this Novella, there’s a part of time that wishes this was longer just because I didn’t want to leave this world and these characters! This was so so so good, the characters were wonderful and so lovable even though one of them is an undead assassin.

This book is a face paced adventure of us following Eveen, an undead assassin as she realizes she can’t complete the job she was contracted to do. She only has until dawn to fix it or some really not good shit will happen. It’s action packed and Eveen is hilarious with her quips and quirkiness. This book had me cackling in my works break room when I had a chance to read. I highly reccomend this to anyone looking for a short action packed high paced adventure!

Clark is great at world building within a short amount time. It was an interesting mystery with a nice twist and conclusion. My only complaint is he writes so many novellas. I wish he had more longer length novels.

this was a cool read. it occupies that nebulous middle ground where I didn't adore it, but I'm going to read more P. Djèlí Clark because of it. i like his writing style and his worldbuilding choices, and while i've heard good things about his other novellas i'm excited to see what he can do with more room to develop complicated characters and plot surprises.

Thanks to the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for the review copy. All opinions are mine.

At this point in the review I haven't even finished reading it, and yet I already know I love it. Here's why: kick butt female main character, Eveen. There truly isn't anything wrong with her character Well except maybe that she kills people. But besides that small detail I love her.

Eveen wagged a finger. “That’s solid literature! Asheel hunts maniacs—even though he’s a maniac! A maniac who hunts other maniacs? Genius! And Terrors of the Demon Lands is reputedly an eyewitness account.”
Fennis regarded her skeptically.

Isn't this like a lot of anime plots lol? And speaking of loling, I literally did that a few times and again I'm not even 60% into this book.

Also, I just really enjoy books where the main characters are above the age of thirty, or just doesn't put an age on the characters, either way just another reason Eveen needs to be in more stories. Please, write more stories with her in it.

Then there's everyone else in the story. Fennis and Ennis are adorable and I would want them on my side. Baseema, another kick butt woman, whom I would not want to cross. Sky is super smart, strong, and capable. The quads were funny and scary. The Banari made me chuckle. Really having a hard time here to think of one bad thing. I guess let me finish reading the story.

Another thing is the world building is absolutely beautiful. I felt like I was there. The festival sounded neat and I got Guild Wars vibes from it. The Clockwork King, the Pirate Princess, and the Golden Bounty, magic called shimmer, laboratories with machines to see auras! Speaking of laboratories, that brings me back to this part:

"“You’ve used this before, then?” the girl asked.

“On myself, yes. And cats. Regrettably, they won’t let me experiment on students.”

“You shared your aura with a cat?” Eveen asked, half-expecting the man to lick himself.

“Yes. Remarkable creatures. Half in this world and half . . . who knows.”

“What is it cats are thinking about?” the girl asked.

Ennis shrugged. “Mostly fancy themselves predators who hunt and eat us. Delusions of grandeur. Anyway, the principle here should be the same. "

LOL

I found this while looking up the author:

"But much of his beloved sci-fi and fantasy fiction didn’t pass, or barely passed, his mother’s litmus test: It lacked Black and Latino characters, women, and LGBTQ people at the center of the stories.

Gabriel had from a young age written fiction as a hobby, loving the idea of world-building, of dystopias, of a kernel of history spinning out into a new alternative reality. And the absence of people like him in those stories colored his writing from day one.

“I felt a need for more diverse tales with more diverse characters drawn from more diverse sources,” he says."

This story doesn't lack. I mean if I finish this book and all the characters are killed off in insane manners, I might still give this at least three stars. Even while being incredibly saddened and disappointed, because I rarely start writing reviews in the middle of books.

------

Ok. I am back from finishing this story. I loved it. I love novella's because they are short, and I really wouldn't want to add any more to this particular story. However, I want to read more stories involving all of them. Most of all, I want more stories with and about Eveen. I started a book that was kind of close to this one in terms of smart, but also kind of goofy leading lady main characters, and had to stop reading it. It wasn't Eveen, it was similar, but not close enough, because it wasn't Mr. Clark's writing. No hate to that other novel though, I'll try again later on.

Anyways, I don't have anything else to say, and so, this concludes the love letter to this book.

Please write more about Eveen, pretty please?

Thanks to Tor & NetGalley for my copy of this book!

I was itching to get my hands on P. Djélí Clark's next book and I'm not disappointed. He is a master at working in world-building seamlessly with plot and character so suddenly you're in a very detailed magical world and it never once feels like info-dumping. Seriously, he's the master. This book is a fast paced adventure of one night in an undead assassin's life where she realizes she can't complete the job. She only has until dawn to either fix it or face some pretty extreme consequences. Because of that time limit, it is absolutely nonstop action. It's also quite funny and quite a few of the quips really got me giggling! It's a bit of a whirlwind and I'm openly not a big fan of action stories (or movies) so those sections were not always enjoyable for me, but that is a personal preference rather than a flaw in the book. Pick up if you're looking for a fun, action-packed, adventure that will fly by!

I have received this ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

The Dead Cat Tail Assassins was an interesting short story. I'll admit that what initially drew me in was the cover and the synopsis. After meeting our main character, Eveen the Eviscerator, I came to the conclusion that I liked her. She was interesting and was quick with the sarcastic comments. Throw in her job, in which she's an assassin, and I was really intrigued to see what was going to happen next.

I'll admit that this book flew by, but there's still something off about it. I'm not quite sure what it was, but I just felt a little disappointed. Maybe it's because of how short it was or something else. Either way, I liked where it was going and wanted more. Especially when it came to solving the overall mystery of the contract and the Matrons of Assassins. It also felt like the ending—well, the vengeance really—came and went like a snap of a finger.

Besides wanting more, I could see the potential of this world and the characters within it. I'm happy that I got the chance to dive into this and look forward to my next book written by P. Djèlí Clark.

Despite having an intriguing concept I found this book to be thin and overly dependent on the author's ongoing descriptions of the fantasy world of the book. Although the language and descriptions used to describe the scenes are well written and initially interesting the author excessively layers these descriptions throughout the entire book. This overuse of complex descriptions gives the book a thin feel and leaves the plot shallow. The characters are initially interesting but are not developed well. Although the story does move quickly and did keep my interest the ending felt contrived and forced even if hints as to the final direction the plot would take were sprinkled into the story.

I received an arc copy of this novella. The whole idea of this book being an undead assassin who is hired to kill herself pulled from another time is a really cool concept and with all the action it should’ve been something that I loved. But I had to force myself to not dnf this book. There was too much going on to really appreciate anything at all. World building is some of my favorite things in fantasy books but there was too many small details about the world and no big picture. There also was soo many characters that I didn’t feel connected to any of them and there was such emphasis on what they looked like rather than exploring who they were. The whole story felt spread thin and I think this would’ve made an amazing full length book if everything was able to be explored a little more or a great novella if it was more concise. The basic outline of the book was everything that I love and look for in a book and the ending had an interesting twist but it unfortunately as a whole it fell really flat for me.

P Djeli is the master of novella. He has accomplished so much in so few pages here. This is a time-bending, genre defying, fun and funny read and I could devour five more like it.

Clark has become one of my favorite authors. I think this might be a little bit better than Master of Djinn, Clark really shines with short stories and novellas.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an advanced review copy of “The Dead Cat Tail Assassins” by P. Djèlí Clark. Thoughts and opinions are my own.

This was a movie in book form in the best possible way. I was so impressed with how this novella packed in a ton of world building and action scenes. I loved Eveen’s story as she tried to figure out what was going on with her assassination target and kept finding deeper and deeper levels of unpleasant surprises. The other assassins popped right off the page in their scenes and reminded me of video game boss fights.

I read this as an ebook ARC but while I was reading, I kept thinking I bet the audiobook narrator is going to have so much fun reading this so I may need to check out the audiobook when it comes out too. I highly recommend this one and would happily read more books set in this world.

5/5 stars

About the book:
“Eveen the Eviscerator is skilled, discreet, professional, and here for your most pressing needs in the ancient city of Tal Abisi. Her guild is strong, her blades are sharp, and her rules are simple. Those sworn to the Matron of Assassins—resurrected, deadly, wiped of their memories—have only three unbreakable vows.

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.”

When COVID first started back in early 2020, I read everything by this author that I could get my hands on. I read their full length novel, "A Master of Djinn", in 2021 right when it came out. So, I was beyond thrilled to get to read another story from this author, especially early. I really enjoyed this story! The premise of this was so compelling and the world of assassins was so well-realized. The storytelling was so great in this, too--the setting and the characters were all so real. Eveen was such a compelling character to learn about and read through, and I flew through this story at break-neck speed. I long for more in this super cool, well-done world! Even though the ending wraps up nicely, I wouldn't mind getting a few more stories (or even novellas) set in this land (please I beg of you). This will have to tide me over until another story by P. Djèlí Clark is released.
I'm so excited to get physical copies in at my library when this is released in August, I think that my patrons will really love this.

I love, love, loved this story! This world of assassins was so interesting to read about. The premise was great, the storytelling was fantastic, and I thought the ending was a good wrap up to the story. If this were a series, I wouldn’t hesitate to read every book. Eveen was an interesting character and getting to learn about her was such a delight.

While this was the first book I’ve read by P. Djèlí Clark, it certainly won’t be the last.

I have always wanted to read Clark’s books. I have his books in my tbr and I am so glad The Dead Cat Tails Assassins is the first book I read by him because this book is so amazing!!!

Eveen is an undead hired killer who agreed to be resurrected. She signs a contract for a new job, but soon after she encounters a sudden problem while on the job. Now Eveen has to act quickly to find a way to terminate this contract without suffering from the consequences.

Reading this book was so fun! I enjoyed every aspect of it. This book was so exciting and compelling, I read it in one sitting and I absolutely love his ability to create a vivid fantasy world where it made everything around me disappear and had me thinking I was in this world. The way he managed to build this action and adventure in this short novella is truly amazing and wow I just want more of it!

If you like mythology, assassins, and magic then this is the book for you!!

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC for an ecopy in an exchange for a honest review

I loved this book, I got it from Netgalley as an eARC which does not affect my review. This basically scratched all of my itches, fun necromancy in a fantasy world with plenty of action and a compelling plot! P. Djèlí Clark has definitely become an author that I will look out for whenever I am out searching for books. I hope that we can return to this world again!

This book me some time to get into. I initially started this book thinking this is going to be about the Assassins as a collection. However, the story mostly follows one Assassin named Eveen. She is given job that we soon learn she is unable to fulfill. Eveen must find away to either finish the job or face punishment.

P. Djèlí Clark has rapidly become an author I'm always interested in. He has a great imagination that centers black characters in fantasy, and I know he's always going to come up with some cool worldbuilding and character dynamics.

The Dead Cat Tail Assassins is a ton of fun, and takes place in a fantasy world that is so richly described and built. We follow our main character Eveen, who is not a cat nor does she have a tail, but she is dead and she is an assassin. After a job goes wrong and she suddenly has memories of a past life she's not supposed to remember at all, the plot kicks off.

As I've already said, the world building is grand. Clark really knows how to build a world up around a character as they move through it and interact with other characters within it. He's fantastic at showing, not telling, and it's fun to find out about this world as Eveen's story unfolds.

Though the world building is strong, there are other aspects of the novel that didn't work as well for me. This feels like a madcap sort of story; it moves along at a strong pace that is steady but also feels very rushed at times. Additionally, I wasn't a huge fan of the humor or tongue-in-cheek character work. I never really felt totally connected to all the characters, which was unfortunate because the story itself was interesting as it unfolded.

This is a pretty fun novel, in the end. I would highly recommend this for readers who love plot driven stories, and who are looking for a fun new fantasy world with fun characters to read about.

What a fun read! Assassins that are already dead, cranky gods, contracts that no one remembers making…it all adds up to an entertaining and too-short book that I truly hope will become a series. This author tends to be a must-read for me, and this definitely continues that trend.