I really enjoyed The Dead Cat Tail Assassins. The story was really good. This is the second book I have read by this author this year and I would really like to read his backlist.

3.5 stars!

Thank you to P. Djèlí Clark and RB Media for this ARC in exchange for my full, honest review!

This was an interesting case of a book that wasn’t mediocre throughout, but that had strong positives and negatives that make for a mediocre review. I’ve heard a lot of good things about this author so I was excited to hop in, but I wouldn’t recommend starting here.

First, the good. It’s a pretty inventive premise and I really enjoyed the world of this novella. I don’t think it’s set in the same world as any of the author’s previous books but it still has the expanse feel of a multi-book setting. I liked Eveen a lot—she’s quippy in a way that makes her likable and doesn’t feel intensely out of place. Particularly the ending of the novella was really enjoyable which bumped this from a 3 to a 3.5.

Now for that stuff I struggled with. I found Sky really annoying which is not great since she’s pretty much there the whole time. She’s supposedly 19 but talks like she’s 14 and it was just grating. There was also a significant middle portion of the story where the characters were just going back and forth talking to other characters. In a larger book this could be excused as necessary for world-building or the introduction of new characters but it was pretty pointless here and it’s really the majority of the book. There was also a character towards the end whose speech I genuinely could not understand (might have a been an issue with the narrator since I got an audio ARC, but I see reviews of the written text that had the same issue so maybe not).

I think if you’re already a fan of this author, this might be a bit more enjoyable for you but it generally wasn’t for me. Still, if you want a small chunk of a cool world, it’s probably worth a shot.

Happy reading!

If you like Gideon the Ninth I think you'll like this. It has the right amount of body horror and modification, intriguing world building, complex characters, and a plot that drives everything forward. I was lucky enough to receive the audiobook of this, and I listened to it in one sitting.

Thank you, NetGalley and RBmedia | Recorded Books for this advanced audiobook. Well, that was super fun!! Still not sure why they are called the Dead Cat Tail Assassins since they are not in fact, cats, nor do they have tails, but I don't care. They are dead and they are assassins... Eveen the Eviscerator is the most skilled and professional assassin. All assassins have had their memories wiped when they are resurrected and sworn into the guild. There are only 3 vows that must never be broken. First, the contract must be just. Second, the assassin may only kill the contracted.

The third and the simplest: once you accept a job, you must carry it out. And if you stray? A final death would be a mercy. When the Festival of the Clockwork King turns the city upside down, Eveen’s newest mission brings her face-to-face with a past she isn’t supposed to remember and a vow she can’t forget. This was so good!!

A short and punchy fantasy story about an undead assassin give a contract she cannot fulfill.

Likes:
- Plot and pacing
- Characters
- Narrator

Dislikes:
- Aesthetics of the world/naming conventions
- Humor -- it worked sometimes but other times it took me out of the story a bit

Enjoyable story overall but it didn't feel super memorable. I haven't read Clark's other work and, while I'm still interested in doing so, my feelings on this one doesn't give me any urgency to do so.

P. Djèlí Clark does it again! This is closer to A Master of Djinn than Ringshout, a madcap adventure of badass assassins and secret plots that bend time. It's punchy both in action and in pacing. Clark's knack for dialogue-driven scenes where everyone has a distinctive voice shines and keeps all the questions moving forward without ever getting dull. I'm not sure whether this counts as a long novella or a short novel, but it reads breazily, running full-tilt towards its high octane series of clashes and reveals. A perfect summer book.

As for the narration, it's sterling. She does many distinct voices and has a great range of emphasis. You could listen to her read anything.

This was nothing like what I’ve read before I like the twist on the assassins the voice actors did a good job I never got confused with the characters . This book was at good YA sci-fi fantasy . So don’t look for spice but a great story .

I really enjoyed the snarky voice of the MC and this book. The dark humor made me chuckle. The world is pretty interesting, and so is the Dead Cat Tails assassin guild. I don't normally like tales involving time travel or alternate dimensions or whatever because they rarely make sense, but this one manages to avoid those problems. Also, Avine arguing with her younger self is amusing. There's plenty of twists and turns and at no point did I have any clue where it was going.

The Dead Cat Tail Assassins by P. Djèlí Clark was SO MUCH FUN.

It's a novel about an undead assassin named Eveen who made a deal with a goddess to become an assassin after her death. She is bound to this contract and must "ship" whoever is assigned to her.

One day she is sent on an assignment and as soon as she arrives, decides not to kill her target.

Both Eveen and her target go on a dangerous journey over the course of one night.

P. Djèlí Clark does such a good job making an otherwise dark storyline feel lighthearted and humorous without compromising the high stakes.

I loved the characters, I loved the story, I loved the resolution.

I listened to the audiobook (narrated by Lynnette R. Freeman), and she did a great job with the narration! There seems to be a common thread with this authors audiobooks though (for me), where I sometimes have trouble following the plot and get a little lost in the middle. I experienced this with Ring Shout, and was surprised to feel that way a ~little bit~ during this story. I genuinely don't know why I feel this way because it's not like the book was complex or confusing at all - maybe it is because Clark tends to write shorter novels (with many well written characters - even side characters!) that pack a punch for their number of pages.

This is an excellent addition to Clarks collection of novels and I highly recommend it for any fantasy/thriller readers!

*Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the free digital ARC in exchange for an honest review*

I love how we can always count on Clark to write a gripping crime-y story mixed with a fun fantasy setting / elements. I'm a big fan of the Dead Djinn Universe stories and was happy that this was just as good.

I very much loved the idea behind the Dead Cat Tail Assassins and even more the case our main character was drawn into and what ensured. A gripping adventure I'll sure come back to for a reread.

This was my first book by P. Djèlí Clark, and I absolutely loved it. The Dead Cat Tail Assassins is dark, funny, and exciting. Lynnette R. Freeman's narration was fabulous; she brought each character to vivid life and really highlighted the humorous parts of the story.

Eveen is part of a guild of undead assassins, serving a goddess with very particular rules, in the fantastical city of Tal Abisi. The setting, including the festival of the Clockwork King and lots of food, was richly detailed. Eveen and the supporting cast of characters were also well-developed and each had his or her own unique personality. While the novel is short, that means everything moves at a quick pace, and we still have plenty of deft writing showcasing character development. This is a fun, lively, violent, imaginative little book that I thoroughly enjoyed listening to.

Thank you NetGalley and RB Media for an advanced copy of this book.

What a wild ride!

This was my first read from P. Djèlí Clark so I didn’t know what tone to expect and was very pleasantly surprised by how hilarious it was.

I loved the main character Eveen and hope their will be more stories following her, or even just more stories within this world. We are given so much lore from this world in such a short fast paced story.

Overall, I found this book to be very engaging and listened to the whole thing in one sitting.

This is exactly what a novella ought to be - intriguing, immersive, and just a little bit of delight! It also has the best final line of any book I've ever read- but I won't spoil it!

Whether you've read all of P. Djèlí Clark's works or this is the first, you're in for a treat. The writing is so intentional and purposeful and the world is so immersive. I didn't fully understand the magic system, but I think that was a me issue, and it didn't impede my enjoyment of the story at all.

I'm so grateful to Recorded Books and NetGalley for granting me access to an audio ARC. I don't think I've listened to any of Lynnette R. Freeman's work before, but she's incredible! There was a huge range in character depictions and voices that drew me right into the story!

This was an interesting story and the first I’ve read from this author. I’m going to be looking into their backlist.

Eveen is a Dead Cat Tail Assassin - not a cat but definitely dead and really good at her job, until her latest mark triggers a memory she's not supposed to have. Can Eveen sort out the mystery and save lives (including her own...well not life...but rather whatever horrible forever fate befalls already dead assassins) before the end of the Festival?

The writing is similar to other books I’ve read and thoroughly enjoyed by P. Djèlí Clark - he has a style of character, humour, and world building that I appreciate and devour. He drops you into his world, but also gives exactly enough lush and detailed information to understand where you are and what’s going on before leading you into the action. I also appreciated the audiobook narrator’s style: I thought her emotiveness, pace, and character personalities really added to the listening experience.

If you’ve read the author's stories in the past and enjoyed them, then you’ll likely like this - I’d say this compares most with Ring Shout or The Black God's Drum in terms of character and action richness. And if you haven’t read the author yet, then I’d doubly recommend this as an excellent entry into his unique and enjoyable writing style.

Thank you to Netgalley and RBmedia for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Genre: speculative fiction

Eveen is an undead assassin, guild bound and sworn to the Matron of Assassins, her memory wiped clean and trained to execute just contracts. But her latest contract jars something loose - memories and knowledge she shouldn’t have - kicking off a sequence of events to topple everything she knows, against the perfect backdrop of the Festival of the Clockwork King.

One of the reasons I enjoy picking up P Djèlí Clark's work is that I never quite know what to expect because every novel or novella takes on something new. The Dead Cat Tail Assassins gives us an incredibly rich fantasy world in only 200 pages, thick with legends and intricate worldbuilding all critical to the short plot arc. It's an impressive feat to bring to life...or afterlife, as it were, with our undead assassins.

Clark’s shorter works lean on vibes and atmosphere, rather than intense plot. He paces the novella well, with fragments of storytelling, reflection on circumstance, and a little bit of deadly action. They are assassins after all.

The narration by Lynnette R Freeman gives the book a snarky and playful edge, which I enjoyed, cutting some of the serious themes.

I was provided an audio ARC of this book via the publisher and Netgalley, all opinions are my own. Listening to the audiobook was even better than reading the book. The narrator was wonderful, she did an amazing job voicing all of the characters. It was like there were multiple narrators with all of the accents and voices she created for this book. It was such a rich listening experience and really brought Clarks vivid world and characters to life.

I read this back in April when it was originally scheduled to release in the spring, but I jumped on a chance to listen to the audiobook. I absolutely loved the audiobook and highly recommend picking this up in whatever format you prefer. This was originally supposed to release in April, however the publication date has moved to August. This novella is roughly 200 pages in print, bringing it to just over 7 hours of listening time. I listened to it in a day and couldn't put it down. It is a fast paced and action packed mix of sci-fi and fantasy. Each one if Clark's books mixes a bit of steampunk, science fiction, and fantasy into a unique story that you don't want to put down. The world building is excellent, and even in a short time you come to love the characters!

Eveen is a member of The Dead Cat Tail Assassins', they are a guild of undead assassins governed by contracts and godling laws. When presented with what appears to be a proper contract, Eveen finds herself unable to fulfil the contract which could bring down the wrath of Aeril, the goddess she and those like her serve, on not only herself bur her entire guild.

Eveen and her mark, set out on a mission to figure out how to undo the contract through time and space without destroying the entire city before the sun comes up. Eveen and Sky offset each other like night and day, while using everything at hand to figure out how to circumvent the contract and set things to rights. This had everything I would want from a great story, good humor, engaging plot, interesting characters, and it was a lot of fun!

The Dead Cat Tail Assassins by P. Djeli Clark is a book that has been in my radar for a bit after reading and really enjoying another book by this author and I’m so pleased that this really delivered.

This novella follows Eveen, a member of the elite Dead Cat Tail Assassins as she is about to go after her next mark. Only there is something very different about this one. And the story goes on from there.

What is really amazing about this story is how much world building and character work the author manages to cram into this short book. After finishing this, it felt so much longer than it was in the best way. The humor that is in here is also fantastic. I laughed out loud several times while listening to this audiobook.

Speaking of audiobook, the narrator of this book, Lynette R. Freeman crushes this. It is so well done. I think the audiobook really enhances the reading experience. Her tone and pacing throughout lend itself well to this story and I will be listening to more books narrated by her in the future.

I really enjoyed this book. It was fun and funny with a neat world that I could read even more about in the future should the author decide to write more books about it.

What is the worst thing your boss asked you to do? Pretty sure Eveen is at least on the podium for that. In P. Djèlí Clark's "The Dead Cat Tail Assassins" she is lucky to already be dead. Out August 6, 2024.

That isn't a joke, she is dead. Most of her coworkers are dead. But she promised herself to a Goddess of Assassins (and other things) for a resurrection, all it takes is 3 vows and a wiped memory. All is well, she has a a fearsome reputation as "The Eviscerator, " plenty of literature to read and a century to work through, that's job security. Unfortunately, that all goes out the window when she has a memory and breaks the Third Unbreakable Vow. Which has consequences...

Narrated by Lynnette R. Freeman, terrific work, rather enjoyed the broken nose and the voice of the last character(s) added to the scene.

Reasons to read:
-It's a novella, you have time to sneak a novella in, you deserve it
-Deadly killers
-Banter
-An unexpected workplace friends
-Super creepy workplace associates
-Great world, felt real lived in
-OH definitely stab that person

Cons:
-The flaw of great novellas of being short, but quality

Clark truly doesn’t miss. In this one we get humor and heart (Eveen and Sky have such great senses of humor, okay), a whole lot of really detailed worldbuilding without needing to pause the plot (stories of legends, an annual festival, contract law, government structure, religion, international politics, civil rights, and more!), we get some fun and gruesome fight scenes (as well as clever hints about far more gruesome torture scenes without needing to pause the forward momentum).

There is one key thing left unresolved at the end, which I think could be Clark leaving things open for a potential sequel - or it’s just something that the average reader might not care enough about to niggle at them. I can do without an answer, but I’d much rather have one, personally.