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A review by courtsport3000
The Dead Cat Tail Assassins by P. Djèlí Clark
adventurous
dark
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? No
4.0
An absolutely fantastic read in every way! Clark has this way of drawing the reader in right from the start, which shines especially well in his shorter format books. The characters are fascinating and start off with an immediate sense of comfort and familiarity. You can't help caring about their story. The worldbuilding is phenomenal! I loved every bit - from the gods to the guilds to the criminal underbelly to the corrupt politicians. I would gladly read a dozen more books exploring this world of undead assassins and the shady deals they execute.
My only complaint involves how some of the dialogue is presented in the text. There is a lengthy scene where a character's speech is spelled out phonetically to convey to the reader the type of accent and inflection that character has. While I recognize this is a really engaging and fun way to make the story more immersive, it's a huge challenge from an accessibility standpoint. As a dyslexic reader, I struggled to sound out the words in a way that made sense. It's embarrassing to admit, but I ended up abandoning entire sentences of dialogue because I just *could not* figure it out. I recognize that this is a me problem, but know there are others out there who would be impacted the same way and I wish there were a resource included that could help out with this. Hopefully anyone reading this review who has similar concerns will choose the audiobook or buddy read with someone who can help them out some. I truly loved this read and am just kind of bummed that I had to stumble my way through the ending rather than getting to enjoy it at its fullest.
Overall an outstanding read. Would jump at the chance to return to this world and I eagerly await whatever Clark decides to write next.
Special thanks to Tor for an ARC in exchange for review.
My only complaint involves how some of the dialogue is presented in the text. There is a lengthy scene where a character's speech is spelled out phonetically to convey to the reader the type of accent and inflection that character has. While I recognize this is a really engaging and fun way to make the story more immersive, it's a huge challenge from an accessibility standpoint. As a dyslexic reader, I struggled to sound out the words in a way that made sense. It's embarrassing to admit, but I ended up abandoning entire sentences of dialogue because I just *could not* figure it out. I recognize that this is a me problem, but know there are others out there who would be impacted the same way and I wish there were a resource included that could help out with this. Hopefully anyone reading this review who has similar concerns will choose the audiobook or buddy read with someone who can help them out some. I truly loved this read and am just kind of bummed that I had to stumble my way through the ending rather than getting to enjoy it at its fullest.
Overall an outstanding read. Would jump at the chance to return to this world and I eagerly await whatever Clark decides to write next.
Special thanks to Tor for an ARC in exchange for review.