Thank you to NetGalley and Tor Books for providing this ARC.

I love P. Djeli Clark. His world building and sense of place are top tier. For a short book, the characters and setting were extremely well developed. The history and magic system in DCTA is well thought out and relayed to the reader without clunky exposition. I also loved the irreverent humor sprinkled throughout.

I don’t see it specified anywhere that this is the beginning of a new series, but it is certainly left open for more. I hope so because I would love to see more of this world and these characters. Definitely recommend for all fans of fantasy who love intricate worldbuilding and interesting characters.

You can’t kill someone already dead. But they sure can kill you. Enter The Dead Cat Tail Assassins. The newest offering by P. Djeli Clark, famous for his Dead Djinn series is a fun lil’ romp filled with novel quirky characters, enough intrigue, and chock full of quippy snark, all wrapped up by what unites us all… murder!

"The Dead Cat Tail Assassins are not cats.

Nor do they have tails.

But they are most assuredly dead."

Hooked by the blurb above, I was curious to see what dark whimsy Clark would spin for us this time around. I enjoyed his debut full-length A Master of Assassins in 2021, but he feels more comfortable in the tighter format of the novella, so The Dead Cat Tail Assassins moves through at a much faster clip, setting up a Venice-like city in Tal Abisi, a perfect, yet slightly stereotypical backdrop for an assassin story. Enter our protagonist, the quite-dead-but-still-kickin’ Eveen. Crowned the “Eviscerator” due to a particularly gruesome instance of… contract fulfillment. This time she is contracted to kill the adolescent Cyeen “Sky”, who may not be who she appears to be.

While The Dead Cat Tails Assassin does not tread entirely new ground in the “assassin dark fantasy” space, it does add just enough flair to keep the story quick and entertaining. The worldbuilding creates imagery of a larger narrative in which case this story fits quite neatly in, and in which Clark is successful. You get all the trimmings of a classic assassin romp, your friendly but utterly deadly rogue’s gallery of fellow and competitor assassins with their own set of arcane skills, with enough hints of a rich criminal underbelly.

It’s hard to put this narrative into an “age” category, though it does tend to veer off into nigh-YA territory, especially with the overly quippy, “everyone’s a comic” style of dialog. Every piece of dialog feels like it was written to maximize dry sardonic humor, and it felt more like a Marvel movie especially with the one-two-dialog-punches between Eveen and Sky through the action set pieces. The climax in particular, while ultimately predictable toed the line between overly grandiose and overly cheesy. Depending on your leanings when it comes to dark YA fantasy, your mileage may vary.

With a healthy dose of murder mystery, lore building, well-written action sequences, and a fun set of characters, The Dead Cat Tail Assassins can be considered a solid addition to Clark’s novella catalog. He creates just enough intrigue to want a full-length novel set in this space. Although, an episodic one-contract-per-novella format of storytelling would be just as successful.

Either way, I would be on the lookout for more un-dead cat-tail assassin shenanigans!

The Dead Cat Tail Assassins is another example of P. Djèlí Clark's ability to create a fascinating world and characters in a short number of pages. Clark's world building is exceptional, especially when you consider it's mostly done through anecdotes and quick references throughout the work, instead of through the more traditional info-dumping. His characters are lively (figuratively, at least) and leave you wanting to learn more about them and the world they inhabit. In The Dead Cat Tail Assassins, Clark uses a familiar trope as the basis for the plot, but puts his own spin on it in a way that makes it feel innovative and fun. My only criticism of the book would be the pacing - the first half feels like it belongs to a longer novel, while the second half feels slightly rushed. Overall, it was fun, fast read that I will absolutely be recommending to others.

A good solid fantasy novel with a little bit of mystery thrown in. Eveen, the main character, is fascinating. She's undead and an assassin who has no memory of her life when she was alive. However, as the story unfolds, you learn that an erased memory does not erase who you are. The setting for this story is rich with magic and beauty. I love how the author describes the city and the people. I liked the twist at the end too. The only reason I'm giving four stars is because one of the characters at the end, the goddess Aerils, her speech is difficult to understand. I was still able to understand the gist of what was being said but it distracted from the story trying to decipher the words.

Thank you NetGalley and Tor Publishing for this Advanced Reader Copy. This is my honest review and all opinions are my own.

First off the title!? I knew I had to read this after seeing the cover an title there would be know other way. Second I was to excited about our main character being an assassin,poc, an her technically not being human!? its like this book was made for me to read😭

3.5 stars, rounded up. Eveen is dead, and an assassin contracted to the goddess Aeril. She doesn't remember how she died. There are rules that govern contracts: they must be just, no killing those not contacted, and you must complete the contract. When Eveen is contracted to kill a girl from an anonymous source, things get weird fast, because the mark is shaking memory loose.

This is a quick ride of a novel, packed into the span of one evening in Tal Abisi. It's a really unique fantasy world and there were parts where I wish I understood a bit more about the world (like the Clockwork King that the festival is based on or what else is out there besides undead assassins or cooks). It took me a bit to get into, but I found it a generally fun read.

Thank you to Tor Publishing Group for an egalley on NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion.

before i say a review, i would like to thank netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an e-arc for exchange for an honest opinion.
this was my introduction to p. djélí clark (i have "ring shout" on my tbr on here) and i'll be honest.. how have i not read anything from him sooner? this was so good! i really loved all the characters and i loved the development. their adventures never got dull, i love the banter. i am definitely getting a physical copy of this when it's released for sure!

My first book by this author. This was a fun story. I enjoyed the magical world, which had enough explanation to feel immersed. Eveen and Sky were great characters, both sassy and strong. Secondary characters were also well developed.

The plot was well paced and kept me engaged. A quick read with humor and cool fight scenes. Even though there was plenty of gore, it was still light and fun. I could easily picture this as a movie.

I would have happily read a full length book about Eveen and her adventures as a Dead Cat Tail Assassin. I felt like she was well written and witty, the story was engaging, and the side characters, while not entirely fleshed out, still felt entertaining. The story lost me a little bit in the last chapter - I get what the author was doing with emphasizing the gods' speech and how they were speaking like they hadn't in ages, but it crashed my reading speed when I was trying to decipher what they were trying to say by sounding out their sentences out loud.

Overall, enjoyed this! This was my first book by Clark, and it will not be my last.

An imaginative, refreshing, action-packed adventure story with likeable characters.

The ending dropped a star rating for me. The dialect of the goddesses was fun but difficult to follow, and what happens to the villain in the end felt off-putting.

Looking forward to reading more from this author!

*Many thanks to NetGalley and TOR for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I’m not going to lie, the reasons I was initially drawn to read this book were the cover and also the fact that the word ‘cat’ is in the title. Unfortunately this book didn’t wow me. I couldn’t connect with the writing at all, and I struggled trying to get into the story.

I do think this book will be well received as it seems that this is a well loved author and I do hope to give their work another try in the future.

I will eat up every single word written by P. Djeli Clark I swear....the way this author weaves worlds is like nothing else I have read before. Eveen is an assassin doing regular assassin stuff until she gets a contract that maybe doing her regular assassin stuff on might not work out so well on. What ensues is an adventure through the rich, vibrant town of Tal Absil, full of intriguing characters at every turn. There was never a dull moment in this story, I was enthralled from beginning to the end, drawn in by the rich prose and laughing at the humorous quips in between. This story is definitely another must read by P. Djeli Clark.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers who allowed me to review a digital version of this story in advance!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!

I have been wanting to read a book by the author for a while and thought this would be perfect to start because it caught ny attention right away with the title. And it did not disappoint! This was so fun and I found the plot so creative it kept me gripped until the end. Also adored the characters, the main one specifically. Did not expect to like her so much but she was a great character to follow.

The only negative thing I can say about the book is that iflt felt too short, since Im a character -driven person I really wanted to spend a little more time with the characters.

I will definitely pick other books from the author, and cant wait to see what he does next!

P. Djèlí Clark and his world-building is one of the reasons I love his work. Immersing myself in the world of Eveen and Sky was a lot of fun.

I am teetering between a 3-3.5.
World=5.
Character development…not so much. I did not feel a strong connection to most of the characters, not because they weren’t interesting, but because I wasn’t given enough about them to truly invest in them.

I’m glad I read this, but it was more a miss for me. I still ❤️ P. Djèlí Clark’s works and will continue to read everything he puts out.

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

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

This story sucked me in from the beginning. I thoroughly enjoyed the characters and storyline. The world was a new one for me, undead assassins working for a goddess. I felt enveloped in this world and invested in the main characters journey. This was an enjoyable and easy read.

Eveen the Eviscerator is a skilled guild assassin and also she's dead. Or is it undead? Either way she's definitely not a zombie or a ghoul and she can't remember any of her past before she signed a contract with the Matron of Assassins. Eveen's latest contract falls on the Festival of the Clockwork King and thrusts her into a memory, her first memory, and sends her on a wild night of investigation and survival.

The Dead Cat Tail Assassins proves that a rich and engaging fantasy world, with a full pantheon, and political system, can be built in 200 pages. Clark's worldbuilding was so seamless and compelling with a humorous undertone to the narrative. Eveen was a fantastic character with depth, edge and wit. I adored her and being there as she investigated her past and took us through her city.

Hands down an amazing standalone short fantasy. I will venture to say that if you like the tone and pacing of Gideon the Ninth you will enjoy this book.

Few writers in this period are as great at world-building as Clark, and I find myself wishing to be an extra in nearly each one, just a shop-owner or also-ran, adjacent to the goings-on of our main characters.

The Assassins could each be deserving of a novel or novella-length tale of their origin and day-to-day, but here we start with Eveen, with an penchant for knives and maybe a knack for bending but not breaking rules, of which there are Three Bigs.

Eveen picks up what she thinks is a standard contract only to stare into the face of *signal drops*.

Fast-paced, funny in all the right moments, and deeply satisfying. I can't wait to revisit.

My first read by this author, and it was okay. Took a while to get into. I thought the cover was beautiful and it was a quick read.

An undead assassin bound to a goddess takes up a contract and encounters someone impossible. While this novella is a complete arc the rich fantasy world and vivid characters P. Djèlí Clark created will leave readers wanting more.

I would recommend for readers who enjoy snarky main characters with questionable morality and who won’t mind graphic depictions of violence. The main character is an assassin after all.

Impressive. Every sentence was thoughtfully crafted. The writing was so immersive. This is my first read from this author and I really was drawn into the story. I don’t think I have ever read a book where the words seemed to each be specifically picked out and placed in a way for maximum description. Honestly I was just impressed. The interactions between Sky and Eveen were some of my favorites. Piece by piece we understand them both more and more. I felt like I was in the streets of Tal Abisi and in every fight scene. Loved Aeril’s description as well. Eveen was a sarcastic bad ass of a character, I loved this whole book.

Favorite Quote: “A moment of quiet lasted so long she wanted to stab it. Finally Sky sat back and spoke. “I’m studying to be a surgeon.”

Favorite Scene In 1-3 Words: Quads at Baseema’s