This was awesome! I loved it. It wasn't like anything else and I thought that was one of the best parts. This story kept me coming back for more.

This is the second of Clark's works that I've read (the first was his short story in The Book of Witches) and I'm always so impressed by his skilled world building. This was a tight, fast-paced fantasy novella that pulled me into its rich world immediately (despite only being ~150 pages). I enjoyed Eveen, our main character, although it was some of the side characters that truly stole my heart, which only helped to round out the world and strengthen the story telling. This is a short, action-packed story perfect for fans of dark fantasy, assassins, and diverse world building!

Thank you to Tor and Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

My first P. Djeli Clark book and won’t be my last. The world building in this short story was impeccable and I was drawn into the fantasy narrative from the beginning. I was fully invested in Eveen’s history and future. The dialogue was snarky and quirky, and I often found myself LOL’ing literally. I was a little sad at the end of the story, and would love to read more storylines from this world.

The heroine of P. Djèlí Clark's The Dead Cat Tail Assassins is the undead assassin Eveen, nicknamed "The Eviscerator." Perhaps I should have recognized this was inevitable, but I was startled to find that the end of the book involves Eveen and a newfound comrade torturing the antagonist to death.

The antagonist is a villain of the grandest sort, so if you're someone who finds the notion of retribution emotionally satisfying, maybe this will work for you. I'm not. I'm willing to read about torture, and even willing to read about protagonists who engage in torture, but an authorial stance that frames it as just is a hard no for me, even in stylized adventure stories. I would have set the book down unfinished if I hadn't already been on the last page.

Until that bloodthirsty denouement, Dead Cat Tail Assassins is a fun, snappy, fantasy adventure with a mix of wizardly and divine double-crossing. In some ways, the reading experience feels the way I imagine it must have felt to discover Steven Brust's Jhereg in the '80s: the braided timelines, the banter, the novelty of a fantasy setting that has no investment in mythologizing England. I missed some of the richness of the contrast between history and fantasy in Clark's Cairo stories, but I loved the late-book faceoff between divine powers and the booklong tug-of-war between Eveen and her intended target, who looks oddly like a younger version of herself.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Dead Cat Tail Assassins may not be cats, and may not have tails, but they are dead, and they are assassins. Eveen is dead - like dead-dead - but something in her previous life made her give her soul to a goddess in exchange for a century (minimum) of self-healing, super-powered servitude. The kind of servitude where you kill people. Yet something is.. familiar about her latest contracted kill, and Eveen is determined to figure it out.

Rating it a 3.5 rounded up to 4. Don't get me wrong - it was enjoyable, and pulled me in immediately, but Aeril's fiery tits, I wanted more. I wanted more of Eveen's backstory - how did she get here? Who was she before? - more of the world building - we have the set up to something that could be an intriguing story, especially with the concept of universe/alternate reality travel, but the book barely scratched the surface.

Eveen and Sky had an enjoyable dynamic, and I would probably murder someone who hurt Fennis, but all in all, there just wasn't a ton of heft to it. Which could be enjoyable in it's own right, but when the "who" of the "who dunnit" is solved in what feels like thirty seconds, I was left feeling a bit... "okay and then what"?

Overall, I enjoyed it, and I would recommend it, though I would caution that it left me wanting. Will be keeping an eye out for more in this world.

I loved the idea of following a MC that's already dead!

The world building sounded interesting but we didn't get to experience much of it since this book was quite short. Unfortunately, the sense of humour made me lose interest in the story,

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC copy in exchange for an honest review.

(First, a quick note - this is a novella of 152 pages, based on the ebook version I received. I've no idea why it's listed at the moment as over 200 pages on Goodreads, unless the final printing will have very large font.)

To start off, I didn't really care for the title (too weird) or the cover (looks too YA to me, which the book isn't) when I requested it. However, I had previously read a short story I liked by the author, and I know that he has written some well-regarded SciFi/Fantasy novels that I've thought about trying. I thought this novella would be a good way to test out how I liked his longer works.

In short, it was ok. There is some cool world building in here, made all the more impressive by the short length of the novel. Unfortunately, that short length was also a drawback, in that many scenes and character introductions felt rushed. One new character after another is thrown at us in quick succession. All are unique and imaginative, but we spend so little time with them that it often feels like we're only getting a tantalizing glimpse of each one. I wanted more development on some these people/creatures that just pop out of nowhere with very distinct personalities and fighting styles, only to vanish a few pages later. Although it's not exactly a heist story, it reads like an Ocean's 11, an episode of Leverage, or The Quick and the Dead in that each assassin has their own gimmick/style/skill, and that element fills in for most of their characterization.

Despite all the talk of murder and undead assassins, there's so much banter by the main character that the whole thing feels light and breezy. She is so blasé about it all that you never get the feeling she's truly in danger. That can be a positive or a negative, depending on what you're looking for from the story. As a novella, I think it's meant to be that way on purpose, as a quick light read, but it left me wanting a bit more. Great world building, but not enough character depth. It didn't dissuade me from checking out the author's other works in the future, but it didn't make me want to run out and immediately read them either.

This is a fun, short read with an interesting, MENA-inspired fantasy world, Sci-fi elements, and a foul-mouthed assassin. For fans of Celaena Sardothean but a short and sweet mystery.

Eveen is an assassin bound to serve a goddess. But there’s a catch: she’s dead and resurrected, and she can’t remember why she signed her post-life existence away to the goddess.

Eveen must carry out every kill contract she’s given – or be buried alive for eternity. But when Eveen balks at executing a contract, can she find a way out?

Wonderful little novella. P. Djeli Clark continues to write wonderful fantasy and I am excited to see what comes next!

A guild of dead assassin working for a Goddess, unbreakable contracts. But what happens when the one you are to kill is none other than yourself?

What a amazing discovery. I flew through this book in one sitting. Kept me up until 4am. The character of Eveen is very lovable and so is Sky. The side characters are well build and I was interested in them as well. The rules system added a funny touch and the world building was very immersive. I felt like I'd know that universe forever.

I loved how the main character backstory gets intertwine with the present story and paints a complexe yet beautiful portrait of Eveen.

I would highly recommend.

I don't know what it is about Clark's writing, but I am always drawn to his novels and somehow never manage to connect with them the way I do with his short stories... As with A Master of Djinn, I was drawn in by the title and the cover art and the concept, but again as with that earlier title I found myself lost in the writing and the meandering nature of the storytelling.

The world building is brilliant and the characters are cool and original, but somehow I still never felt like I connected to Eveen in a way that made her resonate with me. As a result I found the story's surprisingly slow burn (especially for something so short) to fail to grab me the way I wanted it to.

This wasn't a good fit for me and I'm starting to think I just need to accept that Clark and I are not the right writer/reader match.

P. Djeli Clark does it again. His ability to build a vivid and gripping world is amazing. The characters are fun and lovable. This story is fast paced, packed with action, and creative. I always love a character that is whitty and sarcastic. I can't wait to read more.

I devoured this book! A vivid fantasy world filled with magic, undead assassins, necromancers and of course excellent world building. A short read but it is filled with amazing detail and a very feisty character whom I adore.
This is my first book from this author but I can assure you I'll be reading more from him.

Another enjoyable adventure from P. Djeli Clark. It was exciting to see him creating a made-up world, and as ever the world-building was extremely strong and innovative. I loved the way the stories of the world wove together and were incorporated into the plot. For such a quick story, the characters felt like individuals. There is a fair amount of both humor and violence, and I'm not sure the tone always balances these facets very well, but overall I enjoyed the book.

Thank you NetGalley and Tor Publishing Group for providing an eARC for me to review.

4.5/5 stars

Summary:
This is an exciting and fast-paced novella that I'm proud to have had the chance to read. As with all of P. Djeli Clark's other works he invents a dark, innovative world that sucks you in. It's a fully developed world that has cool fantasy and steampunk vibes. The setting also has a rich history filled with myths that is fed to you throughout the novella, that may seem clues. The only downside about the worldbuilding was that this was just a novella. I wanted more! So I'm hoping that Clark will continue writing in this world in the future.

The characters were also complex and mysterious enough that you kept wanting to read more about them. And I was amazed by all the many different Dead Cat Assassins and their styles of fighting. The only complaint I had was for one of the characters in the end having a very hard to understand accent that was a little too strong.

Overall, this was a great novella to pickup, especially if you like P. Djeli Clark's other works.

Plot: 4.25/5 stars
- Great pacing
- Well-written action scenes
- Unexpected twists and turns

Setting/Worldbuilding: 5/5 stars
- Well-established worldbuilding and very impressed by depth of it for a novella
- Vicious and cool world
- Great descriptions of the environment and characters
- Easy to understand the magic system dealing with necromancy

Characters/Development: 4/5 stars
- Complex characters with some mystery behind them
- Creative and varied antagonists
- Likable protagonists

Clark's world building in this novella is vast and rich! I'd love to jump back into this steampunk-undead-John Wick world. At just over 200 pages, this is definitely worth checking out.

My only complaint is that I felt like the dialogue was less mature than I would've liked but that may be more of a personal preference than anything.

Thank you to NetGalley & Tor for the chance to review this ebook.

Reading The Dead Cat Tail Assassins was an entertaining experience. One of the things I appreciated the most was how well the characters were portrayed; each one felt unique and vividly described, making them easy to connect with. The characters are undoubtedly the highlight of this book.

The world building has built is rich and full of depth. It's a fantasy realm where undead assassins lurk, accompanied by strong-willed heroines who don't shy away from getting things done. Clark's writing style is polished and immersive, especially when it comes to painting sensory details that really bring the world to life.

One character's dialogue at the end of the book presented a significant hurdle to comprehend. While I understand the intention was to mirror authentic speech patterns of this character, the execution hindered my reading experience. The need to decipher phrases and dialogue slowed down the reading pace and detracted from immersion in the story.

This was a fun and engaging read. While it may not be groundbreaking in terms of plot, its well-crafted characters and immersive world-building make it a worthwhile choice for fantasy enthusiasts looking for an entertaining escape into a vibrant world.

I loved the story, the world building and meeting the different characters. I felt completely immersed in the story and couldn't stop reading it.

*I received an ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Thanks for the free book!*

"The Dead Cat Tail Assassins" is a funny novella about undead people hired to kill. When our protagonist is tasked to kill her younger self (yeah, it's complicated, I'm not gonna explain, spoilers) and refuses to, chaos ensues and even goddesses are going to be part of the mess. Overall it felt a bit rushed and short but it was enjoyable and fast paced. I would've liked a bit more world building, story, and character complexity but it was fun, so whatever. 4 stars

This was absolutely charming, which is admittedly a strange thing to say about a book about assassins. I really enjoyed the narrative voice; Eveen is witty, sarcastic, and an incredibly good soul for being an undead assassin. I was very impressed by how interesting all the different characters were, for such a short book. Eveen, of course, but also Baseema and Fennis. I did like Sky, but because of story reasons, I didn't find her quite as compelling as several of the others. I loved the imaginative take on the other assassins that appear, and their MO. I was also pleased at how immersive the world felt; when you read a novella, it sometimes can feel like certain things have to be sacrificed in order to tell a cohesive story, but Clark didn't sacrifice anything and still told a tightly woven story. The only place this story suffers is that I thought one of the plot elements was a little obvious to the reader. But honestly, this was so delightful, I don't really care that much. Absolutely loved my time with this! Thanks to NetGalley for the eARC; all opinions are my own.