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.

One of my favorite books I’ve read this year!

Imagine being contracted to kill a past version of yourself, and when you fail to do so your own boss sends people after you to finish the job, so while you’re trying to keep both of yourselves alive you need to also figure who the heck paid you to kill yourself!!

It’s a shame how short it was because I could definitely read 10 more books in this universe!

This book was really fun. It managed to pack a fully built world and interesting characters into a short book. The narrator was excellent and really brought the characters to life. Highly recommend.

La novela corta es una distancia bastante traicionera para los autores en general, porque no tiene la extensión más larga que favorece la creación de mundo y no tiene la extensión más corta que permite comprimir la historia y buscar un giro final epatante. Sin embargo, P. Djèlí Clark parece abonado a ella, con obras como The Black God’s Drums.


En esta ocasión, el autor nos entrega una obra de fantasía que homenajea a la fantasía más pura, con inicios que parecen bastante típicos pero con unos giros muy atractivos. ¿Que tenemos una sociedad de asesinos como en Grayshade? Pues ahora resulta que sus miembros son no muertos que han olvidado sus vidas pasadas. ¿Que tienen que cumplir una serie de normas a rajatabla? Pues ya me buscaré yo algún agujero legal para escabullirme.

Es un mundo secundario que no tiene referentes claros en el nuestro que el autor puede llenar con su imaginación, creando los monstruos que le apetezca y aderezándolo con magia. O quizá no es que haya pocos referentes es que hay tantos que la mezcolanza da algo totalmente inesperado. La ambientación de Tal Abisi también es intencional, como dice el propio autor: una ciudad imaginada, construida con fragmentos de las ciudades-estado medievales swahili, los templos de Angkor Watt, los canales de la Venecia renacentista e incluso las calles del Londres isabelino, con una mezcla cultural que insinúa influencias que van desde el Carnaval anterior a la Cuaresma hasta el dialecto jamaicano.

La protagonista de la historia es Eveen, a quien su última misión forzará a enfrentarse a un pasado que no recuerda pero que le ha llevado hasta su situación actual. Clark recurre al humor como recurso en bastante ocasiones a lo largo de la lectura y es muy fácil entrar en el juego porque es divertido y ocurrente, un entretenimiento distinto a lo que podríamos esperar de un autor que critica el racismo en Ring Shout o el colonialismo en A Master of Djinn. No deja de lado su prosa evocativa y detallista, pero la aplica de otra manera.

En cuanto a la labor de Lynnette R. Freeman, me parece más que adecuada, pero tengo un problema con los chasquidos y ruiditos que forman parte del texto original y que entiendo que tienen que trasladarse al audiolibro, pero a mí me enervan.

The Dead Cat Tail Assassins es una lectura ligera y entretenida, un tentempié perfecto para el verano y sus rigurosas temperaturas.

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!

The Dead Cat Tail Assassins are, as the name partially implies, dead assassins. Eveen is one of them, having made a contract of some kind in her former life with the goddess of assassins and chefs that brought her back as a clean slate, no memories, to serve a century of killing. There are a few rules of assassining, one of which is that you must, MUST, complete the contract to the letter. So when Eveen is brought face to face with a memory that she shouldn't have, she has to try and fix things before dawn, or things will go one thousand types of bad. She goes on a rollicking adventure through her city while fighting the assassins sent after her by the guild and while unraveling a mystery bigger than she could have imagined.
The characters were fun; mostly it was just Skye and Eveen, who were both very compelling and interesting in conjunction with one another. A lot of the side characters, especially the other assassins, were minor, but still really interesting and just fun takes. All four different assassins were unique from Eveen and each other, and honestly from any sort of mold that had been set. The setting was fun, and making it during what essentially seemed like Carnival added a really good vibe. The way that mythology and folklore was woven in was fairly seamless, a little clunky sometimes in part because it didn't seem to belong, but mostly it was interesting and unique. The magic system was cool, especially the godling contracts and the way he plays into the legal business at hand. What's also impressive is that the whole novel takes place in a night, and it simultaneously feels like it and doesn't.
Lynette R Freeman is an incredible narrator. She breathes life into each character. The range in her voice is spectacular. I could listen to her read the phone book and she would make it interesting. Her work was really great.

4.5 stars!

THIS WAS SO FUN. I have yet to read a full novel by P. Djèlí Clark, but this is my second novella from him and I need to read more because I absolutely love his writing and his stories. The Dead Cat Tail Assassins is one of the most unique premises I have come across, and I didn't realize how connected I would get to these characters in 200 pages (under 5 hour audiobook). I think you should really just go into this book blind, but some things I loved about it:

- this was funny! similarly to another Tor book I've read recently (A Sorceress Comes to Call) the high action and drama was
- I was really compelled by the main character, Eveen. I like how we slowly learned more about her, and I found myself very invested in both her and her wellbeing. I also thought the side characters were a fun addition and felt very unique and more than just background people.
- The world was SO interesting. I would love to see P. Djèlí Clark return to this world because the way he used a fable to frame it was super interesting and every little bit of worldbuilding I was just marveled by what was going on.

As for the audiobook, I really enjoyed the narrator and felt that they brought the story to life. I would definitely recommend this!

Thank you to Netgalley and RB Media for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I have previously read this book in eBook format and enjoyed the world-building and unique use of a sci-fi trope in such a vivid fantasy world. The audiobook narration elevates the narrative which is humorous as well as thrilling with a cast of characters that are incredibly diverse and delightfully camp. You can't go wrong with enjoying this story in either text or narration. But I have to say, the narration really engages you in the tone that the story is intended in a way that the text may alienate sometimes.

The Dead Cat Tail Assassins is a novella about an undead assassin who is sent to do a job that does not go as planned.

Assassins, gods, adventure, sorcery, this is a grimdark tale laced with humor. The word is dark, cruel, and vibrant, and the story races through to the end.

I liked Eveen's pragmatism and love of pulpy adventure novels, but the word was too cruel for me to love it.

Lynnette R. Freeman is an excellent narrator who really brought the story to life.

Thanks to NetGalley and Recorded Books for access to the audio version of this book.

P. Djélí Clark's books have always been unique and engaging. The Dead Cat Tail Assassins is no different. The worldbuilding, fun characters, and action packed scenes stood out. It was an enjoyable read that did a good job of blending genres to create a vivid world. The humor made the characters personable and made me more invested in their stories . The narration added to the thrill of the story.


Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ALC.

The rules for the undead assassins are simple: a contract has to be fair, they can only kill those they are contracted to murder, and once you accept the mission, you have to carry it out no matter what. Eveen is contracted to kill someone during the annual Festival of the Clockwork King, but when the night takes an unexpected turn, she finds herself with only a few hours left to come up with a solution while also having to navigate all sorts of obstacles. Time is ticking and dawn is just around the corner.

I really enjoyed the premise of this fantasy novella. I liked the dry humor and the idea of a group of undead assassins with no memories of when they were alive, as well as the lore in that world regarding the Pirate Princess, the Golden Bounty and the Clockwork King. Plus, certain twist towards the beginning really took me by surprise and made me very excited about where the story would go. But I have to say that I didn’t enjoy the second half of the story as much as the first, especially since I found the way the conflict is resolved rather uninteresting.

Summing up, The Dead Cat Tail Assassins is a fun fantasy story with assassins, goddesses and a couple of sci-fi elements. I highly recommend listening to the audiobook, as Lynnette R. Freeman did an outstanding job narrating it, giving each character a unique voice.

The Dead Cat Tails Assassins has a quirky title and a bold story concept. I'm talking about a dead female Assassin whose current assignment involves magic, time travel, a multiverse, politics, and sassy Goddesses with sharp tongues and teeth. How would I describe this? Well imagine if John Wick was in a fantasy world with Mages and Gods... and John Wick was a dead, brown-skinned Diva with deadly blades 🤣 That's a good description!

This book was dedicated to the culture... and the culture thanks my dear author 💜

So readers, are you ready to be dropped into a pure fantasy story? There will be no detours into unrequited love stories. There's no stumbling into any genres just for the pretty or dramatic scenery. Nope. And theres none of the usual fluff. Personally, I've become a fan of this type of writing. When you're reading dozens of these novels a year, you get the gist. With that in mind, this may not be for the casual fantasy reader as there is no beach to slowly walk into the depths. The story starts in the middle of something new to characters and the world. We don't get hours of backstory or pages of explanation of how this world functions. As a reader, you catch on as you go.

The main character was well done. Since she doesn't have any memories, the reader doesn't get anything about her past. But as the story progresses, you realize you're following along with someone who is dangerous enough to be feared, sweet enough to be a lover, strong-willed enough to not just do as she is expected, skilled enough to taunt other assassins, and righteous enough to stand up for an underprivileged community. She has the layers of a character that could hold down a series, but I hear this is a stand-alone novel.

One thing that ears didn't care for was some of the dialogue. This is not earth, but characters used earth phrases such as referring to someone as a "Badd B**ch". That's a very much earthy lingo that can break the reality seal for some readers. I would have preferred the author sticking with creating their own lingo as was done with "shipping".

The narrator, Lynnette R. Freeman, was like warm brownies on a cold day good. She was giving out voices, accents, good dialect, and perfect tone for days. I am so excited. I will be searching for audiobooks narrated by her in the future.

Thank you Netgalley and Recorded Books for an advanced copy of the audiobook.

Do you need a fantasy novella that features badass assassins, a mystery to solve and gods being a major part of the plot?

Well then this is where you're meant to be.

It had lush character development and world development. You're thrown into it a little, but it's a shorter read, so there isn't a whole lot of room to sit in the world building. I always enjoy when gods are actual people in the novel and I wasn't disappointed here. The narrator Lynette did an amazing job distinguishing voices and added depth to the story for sure.

Overall, it was a good short novel and I recommend if you're already a fan of P. Djeli Clark.

Thank you to Recorded Books and Netgalley for an audiocopy.

I had so much fun with this! Eveen is a fantastic main character, funny, spirited, and clever, and despite the novella length, Clark packs in a fast paced plot and more detailed world building than you might see in some full length fantasy novels. Plus, I always love a good weird time book. My only nit is the occasional colloquialism thrown in ("hells to the no", "hey there girlfriend"), which I found a bit jarring but other readers may not mind.

The audiobook was a fantastic way to read this - the narrator has a great, emotive speaking voice, and she does an excellent job differentiating between different characters through a variety of voices and accents. There were a few times where her cadence/dialect seemed to shift slightly mid-paragraph, but not enough to really bother me.

I thought this was a fabulously unique and surprising novella (borderline novel). This is the second of Clark’s novellas I have read and I am always struck by how rich the world building he is able to condense into these books is, with them often evoking more imagery and character than other books twice the length and a unique magic system and world.

Eveen is an undead assassin who belongs to the assassins guild The Dead Cat Tails. In this world the undead agree to service contracts whilst alive and then when they die wake up with no memories of their past lives and are now in the service of the Matron of Assassins where they carry out contracts on her behalf. Eveen has cultivated a reputation of some notoriety, leading to her being contracted for a job which is tied to her mysterious life prior to her death, however, of course, she has no memory of it.

I was fortunate enough to get an audio ARC of this story narrated by Lynette Freeman and I thought she did a fabulous job voice acting all the characters and bringing life to this story.

A great, action packed, fast paced, slightly gory time.

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to listen and review this audio ARC.

I am so glad I requested this book, because it was likely to have remained on my to-read forever otherwise - and I have to thank reviewers here for convincing me this should be a must-read! I feel bad I requested a previous book by this author but haven't managed to read it yet... I'll have to rectify that soon, for sure, based on how good this one was.

This is a story of undead assassins living in a magical fantasy city. The world-building is fantastic and fantastical. I was obsessed with all the little tidbits Clark feeds us on the culture, politics, and history of his world, from the clockwork king to the rules of magic in this world and the actually very real and very meddling gods. It reminded me a lot of the world-building in a favorite series of mine by Rachel Bach, Minimum Wage Magic. Bach makes her world more near-future scifi-fantasy though, while Tal Abisi gives off historical scifi-fantasy.

The characters themselves are enjoyable to spend time with as well, especially once Eveen and Sky find each other early on. The two help each other grow in different ways, while also supporting each other. Granted, it is in a morally gray direction in the case of Sky's turn, but then this is a book about assassins lol What's most fun though is meeting all the different other undead assassins, and learning about them - the descriptions are something else, especially the skeleton man. Like, this leans into a surprising amount of body horror, which I loved.

The narrator for the audiobook, Lynnette R. Freeman, is also absolutely wonderful in narrating this story. I forgot at times that it was just one woman, I got so into listening to her and her wonderful voices and accents. She especially shines when she finally gets to give voice to the assassins goddess - really shining bright for what is essentially a small part of the novel. Loved it!

Did I find a new favorite writer? Maybe! Off to add everything else by P. Djeli Clark to my to-read lol I absolutely loved this, it was everything that is right up my alley - adventure, horror, action, an incredible setting... The Dead Cat Tail Assassins is an incredibly fun romp through a dark fantasy world.

Similar vibes: Dishonored (see: The Knife of Dunwall), The Tainted Cup, Assassin's Creed (see: The Golden City), Trine (video game), Minimum Wage Magic, Thief (video game)

The Dead Cat Tail Assassins was okay. It was an interesting premise, although it didn't really seem all that original. I don't really want to go into the details too much because that kind of spoils the plot.

One thing that felt incongruous was how the language felt modern, but the setting and characters didn't. Not to say that they couldn't go together, but it would kind of distract me from the story because it didn't feel consistent.

I any case, it's got intrigue, action, humor, and gruesome undead assassin shenanigans. Solid 3⭐ for me.

The narrator, Lynette J. Freeman was also pretty good. The tone and modulation was on the slower side, so I was usually listening at 1.75x speed, when normally I am around 1.3x. She did a great job with the various character voices, especially the goddess, Aeril, though.

Narrated by Lynnette R Freeman
Presented by RB Media

A really fun read enhanced once again by Freeman's narration.

This is my first from this author but certainly won't be my last. It had a perfect blend of action, fantasy, and wit, and Eveen is tough and sassy but not obnoxiously so. Exactly the kind of blend I like.

The story follows our assassin, Eveen, when she's tasked with a kill she finds she can't carry out. It's one of the unbreakable rules, though, so trouble will inevitably follow if she doesn't commit the crime.

I don't quite know what I was expecting from this one, but it certainly wasn't what I got. This was funny and fast, and strayed into some interesting corners. The characters were delightful and I liked the variety.

The narration was fantastic, just as it was with the last book I listened to with this narrator (The Poisons We Drink by Bethany Baptiste). I love the way she brings the story to life and infuses characters with personality flawlessly. She gives these characters their own unique voices so brilliantly that if you told me this was narrated by multiple people, I'd believe you. I didn't think I'd ever be the kind of person to choose a book based on narrator but you can bet I'll be looking for anything this woman does from now on.

Admittedly, with this being audio I did zone out a little more than I would have liked, but I'd happily listen to it again - it was just that fun.

Solid story, fun characters and superior narration. Happy to recommend this one to fantasy lovers and audio fans!

With thanks to NetGalley for an audio ARC

The Dead Cat Tail Assassins is a new Novella by P. Djeli Clark and I was fortunate enough to receive a copy of the audiobook in exchange for a honest review.

The story follows Eveen the Eviscerator, a skilled assassin who during a routine job stumbles upon a mystery she can’t ignore.

Considering this is a Novella I think the author has done a great job in fleshing out their world, I was really impressed by the depth of lore that has been created.

While the story centres around the relationship between two characters and their attempt to solve this mystery, we were also introduced to a large supporting cast, many of which I found interesting and engaging.

My issues with the story real stem from the two main characters, both of which I actually found quite flat and pretty irritating. Which is odd compared to the detail in the supporting cast.

As you might expect there are a number of interactions between the two of them, and be them humorous or emotional they just didn’t land with me.I found the constant sarcastic and flippant remarks really quite grating.

Whilst a found the premise and the world quite intriguing this wasn’t enough to offset the elements that didn’t work for me, and the ending was a real disappointment.

I honestly don't get how P. Djèlí Clark can craft such incredible worlds in so few pages, but he does it every single time. Furthermore, The Dead Cat Tail Assassins is infused with humor while balancing incredibly dark themes.

I thoroughly enjoyed both Eveen and Sky. They both possess so much quick wit, which makes their interactions hilarious…even when facing the most dire of circumstances.

The pacing was fantastic, so I was engaged from start to finish. My only hope is that we get more stories in this world much like the Dead Jinn Universe.