Audio-arc provided by netgalley

This was delightful. I liked the idea of it even though I'm not usually huge into time travel plot lines and there were parts of it that genuinely made me laugh. This does seem a bit long to be classified as a novella though

Absolutely loved this audiobook. I loved the main characters ferocity and the fantastical world that the author weaved I would love to read more tales from this world.

The Dead Cat Tail Assassins was an incredibly fun read set in a imaginative world. The story follows Eveen, a member of the titular guild of undead assassins who have no memories of their previous lives and serve a powerful goddess. When Eveen fails to complete a job, breaking the guild's most unforgivable rule, she must find a way to avoid the goddess's wrath for sparing her target before the sun rises.

Set in a world that blends magic and technology with steampunk vibes, the story captivates with its unique setting and well-developed characters. I really enjoyed Eveen's evolving relationship with the assignment she saved. The plot centers around the mystery of the target's true identity and the reasons behind Eveen's contract to kill her. The mystery element, intertwined with various science fiction concepts, added depth to the narrative, making it a perfect blend of fantasy and intrigue.

The resolution of the mystery and the story's conclusion were both satisfying and well-executed. Additionally, the audiobook was top-notch, with the narrator skillfully bringing the story to life. If you’re looking for a fantasy novella with sprinkles of science fiction and mystery The Dead Cat Tail Assassins is the book for the job.

Set in an alternate universe with differing laws of physics and it's own history and mythology, Dead Cat Assassins follows Eveen, an undead assassin working for the guild of the same name. After making a deal with the goddess of death in return for her soul she carries out contracts under certain rules. When the latest victim she is lined up to take care of - or ship - turns out to be herself from another time a whole can of worms is opened and Eveen and Sky work together to try and find out what has happened and correct it before at least one of them ends up dead for good. I loved the worldbuilding in this, despite being a novella, so much is packed into it and the characters were so rounded out and interesting, I want to spend more time with undead assassins! The narration was excellent, adding to the tone and setting of the world and managing to keep all the characters individual, despite two of them being the same person!

Big thanks to Netgalley and the Publisher for providing me with a free copy in exchange for an honest review

'The Dead Cat Tail Assassins' is a fantasy thriller with many many many fantastical creatures.

The story is quite imaginative, with lots of characters appearing in the story, and a main plot that was nicely handled.

Also, the main characters were quite interesting and, somehow, lovable.

The narrator of the audiobook did, in addition, a good job and provided many voices and accents for the characters.

I have to say though that the story would have benefited a lot with the addition of more chapters, so as to have a smoother worldbuilt. But, hopefully, the author will revisit the world.

This was a fun and interesting novella with a compelling plot and likeable characters. I got an audio arc and highly recommend it.

This book was so much fun! The narrator was phenomenal, her voice work was genuinely amazing. I could listen to her read off the ingredients of Mac and cheese and make it utterly fascinating.

The book itself is fairly fast paced, we’re following Eveen, an undead thrall who’s roughly in her late 30’s. That’s just a guess, as she has no memories of her previous life, part of her bargain with her patron goddess.

Eveen’s an assassin and her most recent contract goes a little sideways, it’s nothing but chaos and mayhem from there.

I had several good chuckles throughout this story, and I loved the world building. So many unique and creepy characters were introduced. Such an entertaining read!

The Dead Cat Tail Assassins does not in fact include cats – that is made abundantly clear in case there’s any confusion. What it does include, though, is a guild of dead assassins that operate based on a specific set of rules – the contract must be just, you can only eliminate the contracted, and you must carry out any contracts you accept. That seems simple enough for Eveen to accomplish at least until she accepts a contract that brings her face to face with her forgotten past. I thought this was such an interesting and fast read. It was also funnier than I expected particularly with the sass between Eveen and her mark. I also really loved the world building and assassins guild constructs. It hit all the must have elements of an assassin story which I found particularly impressive given that’s it’s a novella. I combo read this with the audiobook and ebook. I enjoyed Lynnette R. Freeman’s narration. She really brought the character’s feisty nature to life. I do believe it would be enjoyable read strictly as an ebook as well. If you’re looking for a quick, fast paced assassin tale, I would recommend checking this one out.

Another winner from P. Djèlí Clark! This was such a fun novella with action, wit, and the clever, humorous writing I love from this author.
Lighthearted while touching on deeper subjects, such interesting characters, and food descriptions (alway love this)

Really enjoyed the narrator and the personality they added to the story and characters!

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.