This was so dope. Certain scenes reminded me of this anime called Claymore. The badassness of Eveen is just top tier. I love her. The fights, the magic and the characters. The whole experience was amazing.

Wow... I don't even know what to say about this. I knew from the start that this was going to be a 5-star read, and I was absolutely right. This is now an all-time favorite. This was written specifically for me. This is such a fun story, one I would highly recommend once it comes out next year.

The Dead Cat Tail Assassins is a novella focused on Eveen, an undead assassin whose newest mission goes very wrong, leaving her to deal with the consequences. The world and characters immediately suck you into the story, making it hard to put down. There were so many interesting elements to this city and the world, and at no point was I bored. Eveen is exactly the kind of main female character that I love; she's snarky, strong, and effortlessly hilarious.

I hope the author writes more in this world, because I would read anything he decided to write and will for sure be checking out his backlog.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the e-arc copy in exchange for an honest review.

This is a delightful tale of an assassin, a member of the Dead Cat Tail Assassins (who are not cats,do not have tails and are definitely dead) who take assignments for assassinations for hire to be completed by dawn. Eveen, the Eviscerator, (as she is know because her last assassination involved a knife and a victim whose guts were spilled out on the ground),has accepted a new assignment. She proceeds with her orders but something doesn't feel right about this one. Instead of assassinating the victim, who seems to have been kidnapped, Eveen rescues her from her kidnappers. On further discussions with the girl she is supposed to murder, Eveen becomes aware that she might be related to her or... perhaps the girl is her from an earlier time. This sets Eveen and the girl on a quest to find out what is going on and to fix the situation before sunup when all sorts of bad things happen to Eveen and her entire group. This is a charming romp in a fantastic world which is in the middle of a grand festival.
This is a fun read!!!

A very weak 3-star. Unfortunately, this seems to be when I admit that P. Djèlí Clark isn't for me.

The premise of this book was enticing. An undead assassin, pulled into a bizarre assignment that evoked a memory of her past which shouldn't exist. Mysteries and unlikely paradoxes ensue, and the fast-moving plot is peppered with humorous dialogues and lots of action. It sounds exactly like the type of book that should keep a reader turning the pages, but ... how come such a theoretically perfect story turned out so boring for me that I really had to push to not dnf?

My biggest issue was the characters. I didn't care about any of them, which made the tension and suspense completely a lost cause. Every character felt like an intricately carved-out and beautifully dressed puppet that had no life of its own (which is funnily ironic, since the main character here happens to be actually undead... but I got rather the same feeling from the dead djinn universe, so alas, I'm inclined to believe that this is simply Clark's style). It is not to say that the characters are flat, however -- it's obvious how much meticulous attention was paid to every detail from physical appearance and clothing to quirks and mannerisms, no matter how minor the character -- but being detailed seems very different from being alive in this case. They felt too detached, giving us very few glimpses into what they were thinking or feeling, which made their personalities come out shallow and emotions nonexistent. As a result, I couldn't connect to any of them and genuinely didn't care if all of them died, which made the whole action-packed plot lose its charm.

The worldbuilding also bothered me a little. Which, again, is ironic, because I absolutely love expansive worldbuilding in fantasies, and Clark is good at exactly that. The city and the carnival in the background of the story were painted with striking vividity, much like the feast to the senses that they're supposed to be in the tale. But ... once again, beautiful as those descriptions were, I found it hard to feel fascinated enough to care. Unlike clockwork Cairo, this world felt too mundane. There were parades at the carnival that threw coins at spectators, much like Mardi Gras in New Orleans. There were gondolas ferrying tourists around in the canals, much like Venice. There were partying crowds coating everyone in colored powders, much like Holi in India. None of these felt special enough to evoke a sense of otherworldly wonder for me, and that somewhat defeated the purpose of reading fantasy.

I also found it a bit annoying to trod through every little detail of people's clothing, no matter how minor the character or how commonplace their attire. Someone tugs at their brown breeches tucked into black boots; someone brushes over their white shirt fastened by a gold belt; etc. I get it, it's textural details, but it comes off an awful lot like those chick lit books that can go on for a whole page about some cashmere sweater. On the contrary, things that could've been more interesting, such as the culture of this world and the magic, were not focused on nearly enough. I did like the ending where certain scenes involving a goddess finally satisfied the escapist in me, but for the vast majority of the book, the detailed worldbuilding was just drowning in mundane specifics, which took away the appeal of all that descriptive writing.

I will admit though that Clark's writing is highly polished and evocative in the sensory department, and I see why so many people like it. The plot was also tightly paced and well thought out, but for me, that only made the book lean more into the plot-driven popcorn read territory, while not providing the same entertainment value as an actual popcorn read. Overall this was less enjoyable than the dead djinn universe, and I was left quite a bit disappointed.

I enjoyed this but admittedly I did feel impatient for it to be over by the end. Clark's writing is fun as always, but I think I prefer his longer form work more than his novellas. Still, I can imagine a lot of people enjoying this one, and the worldbuilding was great.

I've read almost everything that P. Djeli Clark has written so I knew this novella would be great. This was a unique, thrilling, and funny story with an amazing main character who reminds me a bit of John Wick. I wish that this was a full-length novel instead of a novella because I wanted to know more about Eveen and the world and its inhabitants. Besides that though, I had a great time with this!

Thank you to NetGalley and Tor for sending me this ARC.

This was really fun! My favorite part was far and away the character design, particularly the gods. The magic was also really interesting and fun. Like most novellas I think it struggled with a plot too sprawling and complex to fit into its smaller length, but it was still a really enjoyable read.

I really was going to rate this higher but I had a few problems.
The story itself was great and the world building was excellent. I've read almost everything by the author at this point because I find her style a lot of fun.
But the main character -- we're supposed to sympathize with her and look at her history as something to be admired, while there is unnecessary animal abuse and then torture.
Also, one thing I found super annoying in an earlier book was writing out speech so it's hard to understand, and this doesn't happen until the end of this book. It was so frustrating I gave up on trying to understand it. Were the goddesses supposed to be from a different region, did they have speech impediments? It was pointless.
Thanks to NetGalley for letting me read this

While this world is incredibly unique and I was very interested in the history and lore, it felt almost like an episodic tv show in the way that each assassin arrived. Despite being a short book, I think it could have slowed down the pacing and explored the characters (which were the absolute highlight of the book, really enjoyed them) vs. Constant action scenes.

Clark's imagination is always a delight, and he's quickly become one of the modern masters of the speculative novella -- synonymous with Tor Dot Com, tbh. This one is a secondary world fantasy, with undead assassins and fiery gods and wild festivals during which strange things are bound to happen. I'm most struck by how Clark is immediately recognizable no matter what mode he's working in, because of the *fun* that his stories deliver. There's always a noticeable joy in the writing itself, a thrill of invention, and this one's no exception.

The Dead Cat Tail Assassins is a fast-paced magical tale of an unlikely alliance, assassins, and charming undead characters. Despite the short length, Clark's writing is beautifully descriptive and gives his readers a lush and charming world as a backdrop to action-packed duels and schemes. Additionally, his primary characters, Eveeen and Sky, are extremely witty and likeable, making this journey fun and engaging. Their banter is really well done and I liked getting to know them as individual characters through their alliance and building friendship.

There were two primary things that detracted for me. First, given the intriguing world and engaging descriptions Clark gives, I feel this book could have easily been a 400+ page novel. I don't think the book lacks due to its brevity, but for me personally I would have appreciated additional exposition to understand the world, background stories of some of our secondary and tertiary characters, and deepen the plot tensions. This may work well for readers who enjoy magical worlds but don't want to commit to thick world building or dense exposition. The plot points felt divided up between chapters, and I would have liked to see a little more fluidity. Second, while the ending wraps up all ends and answers our essential questions, it felt a little lacking in the action, given the rest of the intense fighting/dueling in the rest of the book. That said, I did very much enjoy the story and felt it was an engaging adventure! If you're someone that likes unique magical worlds and cunning assassins, The Dead Cat Tail Assassins is for you!

I generally enjoyed the Master of Djinn so I was looking forward to this one, but it just felt very different. I stopped after chapter 1 (11%). Probably a three to four stars for the target audience.

Thank you to NetGalley and Tor for the ARC.

Thank you to NetGalley and Tor for providing me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Oh, this was such a fun time. The setting immediately pulled me in, and despite the story itself spanning a short period of time, the world feels very real and lived in. The lore and history were seamlessly embedded in the plot, which was full of twists and turns and never had a dull moment. Eveen is a sharp and endearing protagonist, and I really liked her dynamic with Sky—it was so interesting to watch them navigate each other as well as their current predicament. I also enjoyed the snappy dialogue and the sprinkles of dry humor throughout. Like yes, this is an assassin book, but it's not THAT serious. The magic and hints of steampunk were intriguing as well; I would've loved to stay longer in this world to find out more.

I've only read one other book by Clark (A Dead Djinn in Cairo), and this one definitely convinced me to move the others up on the tbr.

★ ★ ★ ★ 4 STARS

"Dozens of guards were injured.”
"Pfft. More like . .. scores.”
"Twenty-six."
"Fine, two dozen.”

It’s not often that an author can make me fall so hard for its characters in such a short amount of time, but Clark has managed to deliver a book whose biggest critique from me is that it just isn’t long enough.

A sardonic undead assassin. Her clever, and very-much alive, target. A city night full of debauchery and drunk festival revellers.

I think that the strength to this book is its strong sense of atmosphere. Clark combines the compelling mystery that ties Eveen, the assassin, and Cyanna, her mark, against an interesting setting and magical folklore that we learn across the journey. Their mission, to be completed before dawn, is marked by the appearance of a colourful cast of characters, from quirky (and scary) assassins to shady city leaders.

As we go about the story, we learn bits and pieces about the magic present and it’s involvement in the local history, but it’s only by the end that I was able to piece everything together in a way that made sense. I find that there is still much about the magic that is left unanswered, however, this does not make the story feel incomplete, but feel rather like a piece to a wider world that we have yet to discover.

Master of Djinn, Clark’s other work, has always been on my TBR, but this novella has definitely pushed me to get to it faster.

Overall, it’s a great read, with compelling characters and a charming story. Definitely a good one for those that like their fantasy with a side of humour and found family elements.

Thank you to TOR and NetGalley for providing me with an eArc of this book!

Eveen is undead, brought back to life after her death to work as an assassin bound to a goddess. She remembers nothing of her previous life and spends her time killing people and reading pulp magazines. And eating. A lot. It takes a lot of energy for undead assassins to keep on keeping on.

Now Eveen has a new contract to fulfill. But when she goes to kill the mark, she has an impossible moment: she recognizes the face from her life before. Noe she has until morning to figure out what's going on....

P. Djeli Clark is a master at worldbuilding. His sense of place is immaculate and he knows how to reveal a world slowly. This story takes place over the course of one night and during that night a complete world is revealed to the reader.

As always, I love Clark's ability to craft a story that takes itself completely seriously but that contains a sense of fun and wonder. A lot of this book is dark, but the humor sprinkled throughout humanizes the darkness and highlights how people learn to live in extreme circumstances.

The plot dances along, incorporating everything from quantum theory to necromancy to the importance of cheesy fiction. This was a great read and I hope we see more stories set in this world.

"Eveen raised an eyebrow. "I'm undead, you have a mustache of fermented sky bison milk — no, I never told you, because I thought it was funny to see you with it while haggling with that gondolier — and the girl might be a time refugee. So odd isn't a problem."

The Dead Cat Tail Assassins is a tongue-in-cheek romp following an amnesiac assassin, Eveen, through the gilded parties and dark slums of Tal Abisi, a magical city inspired by Renaissance Venice. The world-building is delightfully vivid and hints at greater complexity, so I'd love to see more stories set in this universe! But the (clearly intentional) childishness of the MC and the penny dreadful-esque plot wasn't entirely successful for me. It lacks the intellectual depth / social commentary that I admired in Clark's previous SFF books. That said, this is still a fun novella that I'd recommend to anyone who enjoys sword fights and dark magic.

Thanks to NetGalley and Tordotcom for an advance copy of this ebook.

Thanks to NetGalley and Tor for providing me with an eARC copy of The Dead Cat Tail Assassins!

I was excited for this book because I really enjoyed P. Djeli Clark’s debut novel The Master of Djinn. Unfortunately, I just couldn’t get into this one the same way. It’s shorter, so there’s less of the world building and mystery that made Djinn such a delight, and ultimately the main character and the story itself felt a little more mean-spirited and less fun than its predecessor. This is partially because the book is essentially a novella, and zips so quickly from plot point to plot point that there isn’t much time for development.

The Dead Cat Tail Assassins follows the story of Eveen, an undead assassin bound to kill her targets by contracts from her goddess. When she’s sent to kill what seems to be a younger version of herself, she decides to break her contract and fight back.

This is definitely a fun read. The premise and setting are really fun. The whole book takes places in one night, during a wild festival that takes over the city. Eveen’s character is fun too, cracking a lot of jokes and one-liners. My favorite parts were the fight scenes and the other members of the Assassins guild. They’re a totally creative, kind of bonkers cast of characters with weird personalities and fantastic character designs, and it’s a hoot to see them in action. I also enjoyed the goddesses that showed up at the end - their bloodthirstiness was pretty funny and felt realistic for assassin dieties.

Ultimately what was missing for me was some emotional foothold to get really invested in the story. There’s one scene near the beginning where I felt attached to Eveen and her sadness at this life she’s got herself stuck in. There are also a few (very few) poignant moments with her younger self. But overall the story is very fast paced and goofy, not slowing down or being serious enough to let the emotional elements land. Which might have been ok if the humor was hilarious, but it was mostly amusing rather than laugh out loud funny. I thought Clark struck this balance better in Djinn, which managed to make me care about the characters more and make me laugh harder at the same time.

This, for me at least, was all compounded by a slight mean streak in the story. Eveen’s only moments of kindness are essentially with herself. This is totally a personal thing, but it bothered me that she kills an innocent animal for no reason by pushing it off a building. The very last scene of the novel is her torturing someone in a really brutal and unsettling way. I liked that she was brash and rude overall, but paired with some of her meaner behaviors, it made her harder to like. I would have liked to have seen more of Eveen’s softer side and her struggles so I could fully relate to her.

If you’re in the mood for a quippy, high-octane action movie, this is the perfect novella to pick up. I wish it had had more depth, but I still enjoyed the world and scenarios Clark created. He’s clearly setting Eveen up for future stories, and I plan to check them out, especially if they’re longer and have a bit more meat on them.

Let me preface this by saying I'm not the most diligent when it comes to writing reviews for arcs that I've received. I finished this book in one sitting and literally RAN to write this:

"The Dead Cat Tail Assassins" is an exhilarating thrill ride set in a skillfully crafted world. From the very beginning I was immersed in a vividly imagined setting with a plot that delivered non-stop excitement and suspense. Many times I found myself thinking of the John Wick series while reading this book. The dialogue was witty and funny, the characters were charming in their own way, and the pacing was relentless, ensuring that there was never a dull moment as the story unfolded.

Overall, "The Dead Cat Tail Assassins" is a must-read for those craving a fast-paced, action-packed narrative with compelling characters and a world that captivates at every turn of the page. Happy Reading!

The moment this book ended I practically SOBBED.

Not because this book was sad or super emotionally taxing, I just simply did not want to leave. Reading the last book felt like being RIPPED away from this story, but that’s how good P Djeli Clark is at creating such an interesting world and such cool characters I just want to be around 24/7.

The Dead Cat Tail Assassins was magical. It was atmospheric, exciting, and compelling ALL the way through. Clark didn’t miss a single beat with this one and I ate up every single page.

I absolutely adored both Eveen and Sky and their unique dynamic. It was interesting to watch them try and exist together while navigating their situation. I loved Eveen for her shitty memory and her foul mouth, and Sky being her complete opposite was perfect.

I loved the world because UGH the worlds are so insaneee. I love the clockwork elements, the way magic works. Clark is just a master. Sorry if this is just me complimenting him back to back to back 😬.

Anyways, I loved loved loved loved the plot! I didn’t know exactly what to make of it at the beginning but as the pages turned I found myself hooked and by the end I was entirely enthralled. Loved the execution and outcome. Ugh I just wanted more more more!

Please read this when it comes out you won’t regret it!

This is my first P. Djèlí Clark but will *not* be my last. Within the first three pages, I had such a strong sense of the characters and setting. Our protagonist, Eveen, is remarkably likable and relatable for an assassin, especially one who oh, is also dead, and has no memories of her life as a living person. She is sent to "ship" Sky, another immediately likeable woman who knows how to roll with the punches. They build an unlikely alliance, fighting off other undead assassins (turns out it's hard to put a stop to someone who's already dead).
It's really hard to talk about this book without spoilers, but it included many of my favorite fantasy world tropes, and a few unexpected plot devices. A must read for people who like vengeful women, fiery gods, and fans of tongue-in-cheek fantasy (think Gideon the Ninth, Tress of the Emerald Sea).
Thanks NetGalley for the ARC and TOR for publishing my favorite books!