Thank you to Netgalley and Tor Publishing for providing me this ARC for review.

Holy oh my, what a wild ride. This story gave me supernatural John Wick vibes in the best way. Once the story took off, it didn't let up. I loved the dynamic between Sky and Eveen (I've never heard the name Eveen before and love it, randomly!) and how they used both brains and brawn to get out of their predicament. There were several amusing quips throughout that book that I also enjoyed in an otherwise fairly dark plot - it gave the read a bit of brevity. The cultural references and slang were also great elements, and I wasn't surprised at how the goddesses spoke - although I'm sure my translations were a bit struggle-like. 😂

The ending did feel a tad rushed and they accomplished a LOT in one night, but that's expected for the length. Overall, I thought this was a unique tale of duality, morality, and standing up to power. This was my first read by Clark, but it will certainly not be my last.

I was definitely excited by the appearance of P. Djèlí Clark’s new book on Netgalley: the summary was tantalising, the cover looks awesome, and I was quickly intrigued by the world once I started reading. I don’t know quite why it didn’t work for me — it may be as simple as it being the wrong time, but somehow I just didn’t get properly sucked in, and the pace didn’t feel quite right.

Objectively, because I feel safest there while I can’t put my finger on what’s up, the world-building is really cool. There’s a whole bustling city of which we see glimpses, rather than a city that comes to life only for the characters to run through it; there are characters busy getting on with their lives in ways that aren’t fully explored and thus leave tantalising things to wonder about; there’s the whole concept of Eveen’s unlife, and how she ended up where she is. The ending isn’t too neat: possibilities remain, and the characters’ lives (or unlives) go on.

The climactic scenes are really cool, and I think I’d like to see more of the world, if Clark writes any other books in this setting. I don’t know why I struggled with this one, why I kept stopping and starting; if the premise entices you, I’d give it a go.

WOW! What a story!! I could not put this down!! 4.5 stars for sure! Thank you NetGalley and TOR publishing for the digital ARC of this book. This is my honest review:

This was such a unique story that was fast paced, action packed, with a badass female main character, and a great concept. Eveen, an undead assassin gets contracted to assassinate…no spoilers 🙈… and ends up going on a journey to solve the mystery of who ordered this and why…and well how. Just wow, I really did not see each plot twist coming. I loved the concept behind this story, it was refreshing to read something new. I enjoyed Clark’s story telling, and the lore of this world.

The only reason this isn’t a five star read for me is because I do wish there was a little more time spent on getting to know all the characters. I didn’t feel awfully connected to any of them except the main character, and even then that falls pretty short. I don’t think this is necessarily a bad thing though because it’s not the point of this story. It did exactly what I think it wanted to do and that’s okay. This is one of the more plot driven books over character driven where the story will stay with you forever even though the characters might not.

Thank you to Tor and NetGalley for an ARC of this book.

I’m going to start off the cuff that I round up when giving my stars here, but this book is a 4.5 for me because of 2 things. The first is the casual violence towards the two poor stepper birds that did no wrong. The second is the eye dialect (or is it simply a dialect? I’m honestly not sure) in the last two chapters of the book that made those conversations so incredibly difficult to follow.

Depicted violence towards animals is a squick for me, though I can tolerate it if it’s more a statement of fact then actual description. In this, what Eveen does to the birds is a simple one short sentence statement, and while I didn’t like it, it was pretty inline with her character and the universe of this book.

Readers familiar with the Dead Djinn Universe will see similarities, such as clockworks, but this universe is very much its own, with a different set of rules and use of magic. And I really enjoyed it. It was interesting, creative, funny, and Clark provided enough information for worldbuilding while still leaving some mystery if he continues to write in this universe. Which I hope he does.

I saw a couple of reviews that commented on the casual evisceration at the end of the book, which I’m honestly surprised by, because these people are assassins, and Eveen had already eviscerated someone. They were also surprised that Skye joined in, but again, even though we don’t know the exact reason she’ll eventually make the decision to become an undead assassin, the willingness and penchant towards violence is clearly already there and had to have started somewhere.

First Thank you Net Galley and Tor Books,

We follow Eveen who is an assassin but not just any assassin she’s a dead assassin picked by the Goddess of Assassin’s. The most important rule of the Guild of Assassin is to always finish a contract! So what happens when Eveen gets a mission and she finds herself not completing it because she remembers a memory. She’s not suppose to remember her memories and why does her contract look familiar ? Does she complete it or does she try to get to the bottom of what’s really going on even if it’s means suffering the wrath of the
Goddess.

It’s always the shortest books that leave a lasting impression and make u wish the story didn’t end. For a story that’s a little over 200 pages it sure did Pack a punch. The world building, history, magic system, the gods were so cool and interesting. There wasn’t a single character that was boring! It was fast paced, action packed and filled with magic. I seriously hope the author expands more in this word. It felt like a movie unfolding in my head. This is book for the girls that love a woman assassins who are confident bad bitches! This is my first time reading a P. Djeli Clark book and it won’t be my last.

This book is so much fun, and such a thrilling roller coaster ride of magic and action, undead shenanigans, intricate intrigue, and glorious world-building. The characters just pop off the page, the world is vivid and exciting in all its complexity and detail, and the book had me literally laughing out loud several times. Another hugely entertaining book by P. Djèlí Clark.

I received an ARC from NetGalley


I thought the story was pretty interesting... until the last scene. The resolution is kinda goofy and hard to read. And it always takes me out of stories like this when random modern words are thrown in for no reason- like "mansplaining." If it was supposed to be funny, it wasn't. And I also haven't heard someone say "trifling" (as in the slang way, or I assumed so from the context) since what, Destiny's Child in the 90s/2000s?

The world seemed interesting, and there were some good ideas here. The ending just kinda killed it for me.

Absolutely loved this book!
Snarky and complicated heroine. Unaliving. Interesting plot twists.
Fantastic world building with beautifully written prose.
The book was a delightful and amusing read that is in my top three reads for 2023.

I should have loved this book. The world was vibrant and the premise and main character were interesting. I love a brutal assassin with a heart of gold! But the book was too short to dive into what was a really fascinating setting. I wanted more… instead, everything seemed rushed. But despite that, the plot ramped up and we were set up for a great ending that would have made the whole book worth the read.

But just as the book was sucking me in, just as I started turning pages as fast as a could, a character arrived that was so hard to understand it ground the book to a halt.

I understand what the author was trying to do with the goddess. I actually love the choice of accent. But that accent could have been conveyed in a way that was easier to read. Instead, it took a great ending (plot-wise) and turned it into a frustrating slog. I’m so sad because I can see what this book could be with a bit more background and a smoother ending. But in the end, it was just disappointing.

A well written and fun fantasy novel. Just what I wanted to read. I'm excited for this to be published to get another read in physical form.

Dude, seriously I am OBSESSED. I love everything about this story. I mean total chef’s kiss! I love the world building, along with the lore that sets the story. I love how the Festival reminds me of Mardi Gras. The characters were funny and each of them unique in their own way and played a special part in the story. I love this story!

This novella solidifies my conviction that P.Djèlí Clark is a master of short form. (Blows kisses to the Djinn universe short stories, especially the Haunting of the Tram Car 015)

The Dead Cat Tail Assassins is not from the Djinn universe, but it's an enjoyable fast-paced novella on its own right. It develops at pace wraps up the adventure it focuses on nicely, without digging too deep into potential implications of complicated magic, in-universe theology or other unlikely events - a perfect bite of entertainment.

It's a bit hard to talk about this one without giving away spoilers. Suffice it to say that while I have some reservations about some of the author’s decisions that came closer to the end of the book (like the moral aspect of the main villains’ eventual fate and the special speak for the special beings), it was great as usual with this author to watch how fleshed out the world was: there are so many neat details that help make it feel real, but it doesn’t reach the levels of information overload that might confuse or discourage the reader. The characters, for all their brief appearance, were entertaining and fun to follow for this short ride, though in a longer story they would definitely require more depth in order to be relatable.

Thanks to Netgalley and Tor Dot Com for an early copy for the review.

It’s been a while since I read a P. Djèlí Clark novella and I forgot how the author is able to create a unique and vibrant setting in so few pages. The rich worldbuilding, intricate mythologies, and character work always blows me away.

3.85/5

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.