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

adventurous hopeful mysterious fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

Even Though I Knew the End is a fast-paced, sapphic fantasy noir novella set in the late 30s/early 1940s that is gritty and violent, yes, but also a hopeful meditation on love and what makes a life.

Helen is an augur (magic-user) and a detective who, after being thrown out of her magic fraternity for selling her soul, is taking contract jobs to make enough money to make sure her love, Edith, is taken care of after the devil comes to claim her. Not long before her time is up, Helen is offered a job tracking down the White City Vampire, whose gruesome murders seem part of a brutal ritual. Despite its danger, Helen is offered terms that she can't refuse-- a boatload of money and her soul.

I knew this book would be super fun-- I was all in for a noir with a queer, female detective and a dark magic twist-- but I didn't know how tender and hopeful it would be. Also, I am in awe of how much Polk was able to weave into this story in so few pages. We're thinking about patriarchy and bullshit gender roles, we're thinking about homophobia, we're thinking about forced institutionalization, we're wondering how everything is going to turn out for our dear Helen, we're loving her love with Edith, we wondering how baby brother is doing, we want to know how this mystery ends, and then we sigh, teary, and shut the book.

I loved this, and if anything about the premise of this book interests you in the slightest, I just know you will too.
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