One thing P. Djeli Clark is going to do is write a bad ass FMC with style.

I absolutely loved this fantasy novella. I don’t know how he does it but this author can write a short story that packs a punch, is fun and doesn’t leave you dissatisfied. The fact that he can pack so much in a short story without it feeling rushed is amazing.

I loved our FMC Eveen. She’s funny, great at what she does and while she is a dead assassin she still maintains her humanity. The world building was vivid, the magic and technology in this world was easy to understand. i can picture the fight scenes in my head and while they are gory, i still found myself laughing out loud. I had a great time with this story and highly recommend.

Thank you NetGalley and Tor for the eARC.

For a story on the shorter side than I usually read, the author created a beautifully vibrant world that I would not mind visiting again. The story pacing was fast, I didn’t tire of reading it, and I didn’t want to put this one down. I enjoyed the interesting take on the “undead”, very refreshing versus the usual mindless zombies/thralls that you get in a story. I guessed a couple of the plot twists in this one but not quite to the craftiness that Clark wove Eveen’s story. Eveen, her fellow assassins, and the handful of side characters we do get are full of life and come from varied walks of life.

"Only she wished she could dream. The way the living described it, sounded intriguing. Maybe her dreams would be of her past life. Or even of the dreams she once had—dreams of dreams."

Thank you to Tordotcom and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this gifted copy. I enjoyed this one and the writing style immensely. I mean to visit Clark’s backlog of books when I can. The only thing that was difficult for me was reading how the goddesses spoke – but it’s a me thing, not a book issue. I highly recommend this book to fantasy lovers who like assassins, alternates, and deadly snarky FMC’s with a good heart. Rounded from 4.5 stars.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!

3.5/5 stars

The story itself, this was my favorite of the 3 books I've read from P. Djeli Clark but I can't say I loved it, but I did enjoy it. The world and the characters were fascinating and I felt like the main characters had a good amount of development - but by the end, it felt like the the story just got wrapped up with "whoops, magic and portals and that's why this works!"....it wasn't super satisfying and felt very rushed and chaotic.

I think my issue with Djeli's writing is consistent in this regard - fantastic worldbuilding and fascinating characters and unique plot concepts....but the execution always feels like absolute chaos and like I'm thrown in the middle without enough information to fully feel like I have gotten my feet under me.

That said I do think this is a good book (if not a great one) and I suspect it will be popular - I do still recommend it to those that enjoy morally grey and dark characters/plot!

Not cats and they don't have tails, but I did have one heck of a good time reading this book. It is different than my normal genres but it was an enjoyable ride!

Pages: 208
(Spoiler Free)
P. Djèlí Clark really did his thang with this novella! This is my first experience reading this author’s work and I was not disappointed. This story is set in Tal Abisi, and follows Eveen who works for the Dead Cat Tail Assassins. This guild has a cast of colorful characters to include the guild boss Baseema, as well as Fennis who was hired to handle the guild’s paperwork. I won’t disclose the plot, because I don’t want to spoil it for anyone. However, just know the plot was full of twists and will keep you engaged and intrigued. This book was paced well and didn’t feel rushed like some novellas can. I kept thinking about how creative the author’s mind is to be able to write this (especially at the end). I am looking forward to reading more from this author and I’m hoping he writes another book in the setting of Tal Abisi. My review is pretty vague and that’s only because discussing the plot will spoil it for you, but please check this novella out, you will not be disappointed! Thank you to Tor Publishing Group and Net Galley for this amazing ARC!

This was sooooo good. It took me by surprise of who Eveen was going to be after. But the way the author wrote this flowed so well. My favorite character of course was Sky she was so funny and charismatic.
I loved how this end up ending but was sadden at the same time to see them part.
Thanks to NetGalley for this amazing Arc

I loved this! I read this mostly on audio, but did spend some time also reading the galley. This is my first venture into P. Djèlí Clark's writing, and I now think I've been seriously missing out. This is a zombie assassin, time jumping, mystery/heist story with rich world-building and hilarious dialogue. It's incredible that so much can fit in a rather limited number of pages! And even more incredible that this is a standalone??

DNF at 50%
Very descriptive and beautifully so... but I couldn't quite connect with the characters and so I was left a little bored. I felt like the characters were more a vehicle for the world building rather independent agencies telling their story. Didn't enjoy the audio narrator at all - specifically the way she voiced one of the characters extremely high pitched and whiny like a child.

This was my first P. Djèli Clark book and it will NOT be my last. Absolutely fell in love with this world, this story and this MC. Eveen is a badass whose reputation precedes her, as a resurrected assassin serving the Goddess of Death (and chefs/cooks - sharp things, basically!). Undead for the last seven years, she receives a new mark but can't, for the first time, complete it... because something's off here and there's no way she's ignoring her instincts. Now, breaking a contract with the Goddess of Death is never a good idea, so she has a tiny window to figure it out before all hell breaks loose and not only she, but her target and her guild will have to pay the price.

The story is fast paced, the world is immersive and Eveen's wit is acerbic and gratifying. There are so many memorable characters here, a number of whom I'd love a backstory on or, dare I wish it, just give us more books in this world. I can't imagine ever getting enough of Eveen or Sky, or The Dead Cat Tail Assassins even. Except Valesh. Valesh can go straight to hell.

The Dead Cat Tail Assassins is a fantastic novella that delivers a fast-paced and thrilling read, packed with humor and action. Despite its shorter length, the book offers a surprising depth of lore and well-developed characters. The main character stands out as strong, funny, and smart, leading the story through a series of wild twists and turns. The side characters are delightfully eccentric, adding to the story's charm, and the strange, intriguing magic system enhances the overall experience. A quick yet immersive read, this book is an excellent choice.

The first time I tried to read this I bounced off it, but I think I just wasn't in the right mood for it. Because the second time I absolutely devoured it.

The worldbuilding in this is fantastic. There are so many intricate and strange details that are described just enough for me to be able to picture them clearly, while still treated as commonplace by Eveen, our POV character. It really felt like a whole fleshed-out world. There was the shimmer, the university, the sky bison, the festival and story behind it, the assassin goddess... It all felt so real

I did not see a single twist coming. After the fact I could see all the hints that laid the groundwork for them, but I never put the clues together ahead of time. Which makes for a very satisfying reading experience.

Eveen was such a good character. She was incredibly sympathetic and easy to root for. All of the characters were excellent, really. They were so unique and felt so real. The writing all around was just top notch.

The audiobook performance was excellent. The narrator brought all the characters to life with easily distinguishable voices and performed the story instead of just reading it.

Highly recommend.

*Thanks to tordotcom and Recorded Books for providing an early copy for review.

Enjoyed this book from P Djeli Clark. Never disappoints. Great characters, great story, great pacing. Hopefully this will be a series, continuing the story of the Dead Cat Assassins.

Think John Wick meets Acolyte. It's the best way to describe what's happening in this secret society where the gods/goddesses can send out hits on people. Clark's ability to have a salient theme that is part of the mystery. The reading experience is putting the pieces together to find out what it is. In this book it was power. Those in power even if they are meant to maintain order can abuse power to their advantage. Overall, I enjoyed this book. I thought it was too short and in some areas needed more room to acclimate the reader.

So if Clark rewrote the phone book - I would read it. His writing is incredible and I tend to love his shorter format stuff. At 224 pages, this one was a bit longer than Ring Shout (my favorite from this author,) but it was perfect and I loved the world building.

While I wouldn’t want to live in Tal Abisi where this story takes place, it was a fun place to visit alongside Eveen as she navigated a ~tricky~ assassin contract. I got Discworld vibes while exploring the inner workings of this city and meeting some of its eccentric residents. I think this book would appeal to a wide array of fantasy lovers.

TDCTA is chock full of adventure and action, with the combat scenes being really vivid and fun to read. The mystery in this one also helped to fuel the pace and I crushed through this one in a day and a half. I had some minor issues with this one but overall loved it!!

I would recommend this book for fans of combat, fantasy, Discworld, adventure, and CATS!

**Thank you to NetGalley and TorDotCom Pub for the eARC of this epic title!**

The Dead Cat Tail Assassins is going to appeal to readers looking for a quick mystery in a fantasy setting, with PoC characters. It was violent, and twisted, and (surprisingly) a little funny. The mystery was interesting, as was the world building, but the last section had a character whose dialog was heavily accented AND phonetic... I kept having to reread things out loud to figure out what she was saying. It really threw me out of the book. Overall, I found it enjoyable and would gladly check out another book by the author.

I do not think I have read a book by P. Djeli Clark that I did not enjoy and The Dead Cat Tail Assassins continues that trend. I truly enjoy Clark's writing, humor and imaginative worlds. The Dead Cat Tail Assassins was a fast-paced, twisty novella that had me wishing it was a full length novel so I could stay in the story a bit longer. Eveen is a fascinating character and it was a lot of fun to be along for the ride on her impossible task.

One thing that I always love in Clark's novels is the layering of such fantastical world building with the tackling of deeper concepts like justice, power and morality.

Definitely recommend this one!

Thank you, Tor.com and NetGalley, for providing an early copy of this book!

P. Djèlí Clark never disappoints! This action-packed novella has fantastic characters and a lush world. The plot is not particularly complicated: an undead assassin experiences a nagging memory when she meets her latest mark, and they embark on an adventure to confront a mix of gods, humans, and assassins and figure out what’s going on. I actually would’ve liked the book to be a bit longer to really flesh out the world — I felt a bit lost at times when it came to the relationships among characters and their roles in society — but this was a quick romp that felt both dark and funny.

My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book.

A little late on this, but:

This was a great mix of pure action fun and engaging depth. The prose was more than solid, with many passages that made me stop and smile to myself over the word choices and pure rhythm. Clark uses the setting well, and nails the story's premise with some graphic moments (but balanced with moments of snark to lighten things when you might feel buried under the violence). I enjoyed this a lot, and I'd recommend to it fans of Scott Lynch and Robert Jackson Bennett.

This was a very enjoyable read. I liked the world that was created, but did feel it was lacking in some details. The FMC was relatable, and I enjoyed her charm and banter with herself and others. I also liked that she was an older character. There is a lot of action within this book, and some interesting twists that held your attention. Overall, highly recommend.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for this ARC/audiobook ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This author cannot do any wrong, in my opinion. They are one of my favorite fantasy authors and this was one of the books I was most looking forward to this year.

The Dead Cat Tail Assassins is action packed and filled with a lot of humorous moments. The whole book was filled with undead assassins (that don't like to be called zombies), murderous heroines, and fast paced. The narration was also great!