If it's one thing Clark does really well, it is telling a great story. With the Dead Cat Tail Assassin's, we are once again given characters to cheer for and to side eye, because they have such personality on page, the cultural context of mannerisms and interactions, and the magic of science and multiverses. Clark's attention to world-building, character development, and dialogue keeps me coming back to his works. Even here in such a short story, I am awed at how he effortlessly pulls me in.

I gobbled this novella up, enjoying every deadly encounter and fight, the smarts and fleet of foot skills of Eveen and her tenacity. Serial murderers that get their comeuppance. Petty politicians and goddesses also added another layer of energy to the plot. I want more from this world and these characters because I believe this is the start of something really good.

I enjoyed the cadence and vibe that the narrator brought to this story. Being able to listen to this intriguing tale was a treat.

I couldn't have been happier to have been approved for this arc! Read it immediately and loved it. This is PEAK P. Djèlí Clark, a really cool world, filled with dynamic characters, in an action-packed plot with a creative magical element that is complex but not super explained. If that sounded like something you'd like, this is your jam. It definitely was mine. Clark is so good at making worlds that feel lived in and complex without being bogged down by pages of exposition. His fantasy is full of action and adventure and is focus is always a really badass roster of characters. I devoured this.

As for the narration, it was spectacular! So many unique and creative voices for each of the assassins. And the accent work was on point! All the characters are brought to life by the voice acting. Stellar

The Dead Cat Tail Assassins. Not cats. Not tails. But definitely dead. And assassins. Eveen is one of these assassins, complete with Kill Bill vibes, but we'll meet more along the way. Eveen has a contract she needs to fulfill, but once she meets her mark, she cannot. To tell more would risk spoiling this novella, which takes place in the span of a single night.
The world-building is too abrupt in the beginning making it hard to get properly grounded until much later in the narrative. It is a complex world, layered with a love of stories, both local historical mythology and trashy thrillers. The writing is fantastic once the narrative gets going, and I really loved the story of the Clockwork King and Pirate Princess.
Shout out to the author for including a male villain using the line, "You should smile more," to our badass FMC. He seemed so vanilla evil until that line, which elevated him properly to despicable.
I listened to the audiobook, and Lynette R Freeman is a master storyteller. I adore her voice and shockingly wide range of dialects and accents.
I read this entirely the same day I got my approval to review. Thanks to NetGalley and Recorded Books - RBMedia for this imaginative ARC!

I think this one is more enjoyable for the worldbuilding than the actual story. A fascinating world and characters that would be fun to explore further, for sure. I really liked the premise of the Dead Cat Tail Assassins and would've liked to see more about how they operate, but this story is more focused on an Unusual Case, so I don't feel like I really got much of a sense of the overall world/organization. But Clark is a fantastic writer and I'm grateful to Netgalley for giving me an advanced audio copy.

One strange thing: every store/source says this book is just over 200 pages and a 4:45 audiobook. Even Netgalley lists that as the length. But the file I received is 7:22, and it's all story with no bonus material to make up the extra time. I'm not going to complain about a book by Clark being longer than I expected (especially when that's still relatively on the short side) but it's still very odd.

Reread via audio. The narrator is perfect. I think she embodies Eveen exactly how I imagined her. This works great at a higher speed as well (I listened 2x).

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.

⭐️ 3.5 STARS ⭐️

Okay, so the premise of this book was so interesting but the story had many highs and just as many lows. The story started off a bit slow but with not a lot of world building and the reader immediately tossed into multiple action scenes, which are very engaging and fun. However, my main problem with this book is that the writing is not the best, especially during the ending scene. I couldn’t tell what either of the goddesses were saying and it was just chaotic trying to find the context of the scene and how it progressed. I think that is one big thing that should be changed in the final copy of the book but otherwise, this was fun and a quick, interesting read.