A review by danielles_reads
Even Though I Knew the End by C.L. Polk

emotional mysterious 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? It's complicated

4.5

I really enjoyed this! This is one of those novellas that feels like it truly fits within the short amount of pages. There wasn’t too much stuffed into it, or too little either, and the story flowed nicely. I was pretty invested the entire time.

I liked Helen as a main character, and her relationship with Edith. Even though we only had a short amount of time with them, I really felt for them and their relationship. I do wish we had gotten a little more info about Helen’s brother, as he seemed more like a plot device than anything, but I liked their relationship too.

I’m not a huge mystery reader, but I enjoyed the mystery in this one. There were quite a few twists and turns that kept me turning the pages. I would have loved to have had a liiittle more background on this world (but I’m a nerd for world building lol), but it was really interesting as presented. I didn’t realize going into this that it had angels and demons lol, and I like what Polk did with the concept. It was a little more religious than I’d usually prefer, but here it was beautifully spiritual. My only critique is that the portion
with the women victims at the asylum
didn’t really go anywhere. We didn’t get any follow up with those characters. But I respect Polk for including the effect of the plot on random bystanders, with some commentary on how mental illness was dealt with in our recent history.

Also, the ending was
so bittersweet, with Helen giving up her soul for ten years again to bring Edith back to life! 🥺 I love how it incorporated the title. I’d be grateful, even though I knew the end.
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