Reviews

Thanks to Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
So, this is a book I was super excited for. I heard of it on a podcast some months ago, where one of the hosts was discussing ARCs she’d recently read, and this novella came up. And boy, did she wax poetic about it. I wasn’t expecting to see the ARC still available, and really wasn’t expecting to get access within hours of requesting. I was intent on finding out whether it was worth the hype and read it pretty much immediately.
The hype is deserved. I’ll start by saying that. The writing is easy to follow, though there are quite a few grammatical errors. I assume these will be edited out before the official release and thus aren’t an issue. The only problem I had, which took away from the book in my opinion, was

the chapter near the end in which the g-ddesses were speaking. I absolutely could not understand what they were supposed to be saying. I caught some of it, through multiple rereads, but it took me out of the story big time. I spent more time decoding the speech than I did actually reading.

For this alone, The Dead Cat Tail Assassins gets only 4.25 stars.
On the bright side, the characters were easy to love and root for, and the worldbuilding was top notch. I would love to read more stories set in this world; I was actually kind of depressed when I realized it was over. So P. Djèlí Clark, if you’re reading this, please for the love of g-d write more novellas set in this city. It would be glorious.
I will definitely be buying a physical copy when the novella releases, and I recommend that you do too.

Content Warnings

abaranes's review

Go to review page

adventurous mysterious fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

I love P. Djeli Clark's writing, so I had high hopes for this book. And there was a lot of the book that I really liked. Unfortunately, there was something about it that didn't quite work for me.

The good: First, the writing style and worldbuilding is fantastic, as can be expected from anything written by Clark. Clark has an incredible ability to create a fantastic setting and suck the reader in - and it's on full display in this book. Second, the characters are so much fun. Just like he did with "Master of Djinn", I really hope he adds more short stories in this universe and with these characters just so we can get more of it.

The bad: as great as the style, characters, and world building was, I think the plot itself didn't quite work for me. It was very action-movie-esque. Every scene/chapter felt like it had an action/fight scene and I really wanted more of the actual investigation. While this wasn't a mystery novel per-se, there were definitely mystery elements that I wanted more depth exploration into. Instead, there were times that I felt like I was reading a screen-play for a Hollywood Blockbuster.

Overall, I thought the book was fine. There's a very high floor with anything P. Djeli-Clark writes, so the book is certainly not BAD. I just wish there was more depth and investigation between action scenes.

Many thanks to TOR and Goodreads for providing am advanced copy of the book via giveaway.

thisbookisbananas's review

Go to review page

adventurous funny mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.25

The Dead Cat Tail Assassins is an action-packed fantasy novella. We follow Eveen, a member of an undead assassin guild, as she is on the job.She makes it to her contracted mark, but her plans go awry.
There are a couple of things that worked really well in this book. One of those things was the humor. The dry, snarky humor just works for me. I also loved P. Djeli Clark’s use of imagery. Everything he describes, violence and all, is absolutely breathtaking. I also loved how the plot points gave me the impression of Marvel comics or a manga. This is because it was a hero’s origin story and based on how Eveen interacts with other assassins in the story.
My only complaint is how one character’s dialect was spelled in the text was difficult to decipher. Sometimes words with i were pronounced with a long i sound and sometimes with a long e. It got a little confusing and I had to whisper read it out loud for the text to make sense.
Other than that, I absolutely cannot wait to find out what happens next!
Thank you to NetGalley and Tor for an ARC of this book. All opinions are my own.

Content Warnings

bad_and_bookish's review

Go to review page

adventurous dark funny hopeful fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

I thoroughly enjoyed this novella. The author's way of seamlessly blending captivating world-building with nods to Caribbean culture and intentional representation across the African diaspora is what initially drew me in. As a Caribbean-American seeing this kind of representation in fantasy is a rarity. Clark's narrative unfolds like a vibrant tapestry, each thread intricately woven with rich cultural references and vivid imagery. The fast-paced and character-driven plot is what truly kept me enthralled. From the outset, I found myself deeply invested in the lives of the loveable characters, each one uniquely crafted to captivate readers. The myriad twists and turns throughout the narrative, right up to the very end, made it nearly impossible to set the book down. Clark's ability to weave together elements of suspense, comedy, intrigue, and heartfelt emotion ensured that every moment was a thrilling adventure.

readwithyelle's review

Go to review page

4.0

P. Djèlí Clark has done it again! He has delivered a punchy, hilarious narrative from the first page to the last. Sky and Eveen are brilliantly crafted characters whose witty banter adds humor to the mystery. I'm truly impressed by how much P. Djèlí Clark manages to achieve within the confines of a novella. This is a must-read! The Dead Cat Tail Assassins is out on August 6, 2024.

Thank you Tor and NetGalley for providing an eARC of this book.

stardustedpenguin's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous challenging dark funny mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.75

Thank you to the Publisher and NetGalley for this free copy in exchange for an honest review.

P. Djèlí Clark Hit it out of the park with this Novella, there’s a part of time that wishes this was longer just because I didn’t want to leave this world and these characters! This was so so so good, the characters were wonderful and so lovable even though one of them is an undead assassin.

This book is a face paced adventure of us following Eveen, an undead assassin as she realizes she can’t complete the job she was contracted to do. She only has until dawn to fix it or some really not good shit will happen. It’s action packed and Eveen is hilarious with her quips and quirkiness. This book had me cackling in my works break room when I had a chance to read. I highly reccomend this to anyone looking for a short action packed high paced adventure!

naamoum's review

Go to review page

adventurous dark

4.25

goblingirlreads's review

Go to review page

adventurous funny tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

Thanks to Tor & NetGalley for my copy of this book!

I was itching to get my hands on P. Djélí Clark's next book and I'm not disappointed. He is a master at world-building seamlessly with plot and character so suddenly you're in a very detailed magical world and it never once feels like info-dumping. Seriously, he's the master. This book is a fast paced adventure of one night in an undead assassin's life where she realizes she can't complete the job. She only has until dawn to either fix it or face some pretty extreme consequences. Because of that is absolutely nonstop action. It's also quite funny and quite a few of the quips really got me giggling! It's a bit of a whirlwind and I'm openly not a big fan of action stories (or movies) so those sections were not always, but that is a personal preference rather than a flaw in the book. Pick up if you're looking for a fun, action-packed, adventure that will fly by!

More...