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meredithakatz 's review for:
Even Though I Knew the End
by C.L. Polk
This sapphic, paranormal noir story is a lot of fun. The main mystery is full of twists and turns, and if you love demons and angels fighting for souls in the gritty streets of Chicago, you're going to love this.
I really liked the protagonist, and her narrative voice; it had exactly enough grit to really fit the genre while still being uniquely about the character herself; her love interest and she had a really believable ... not just chemistry, but the weight and romance of an established relationship. I also loved that it didn't pull back from things like the prejudices they'd deal with (and those common in the era)
The one thing that didn't quite work for me was the pace. Obviously, a lot of noir stories are shorter, but this was still a good 50-100 pages shorter than the standard, and while I love novellas a lot, it forced the pace to increase to the point that there was no breathing room for details as they were revealed. With the number of twists, turns, and revelations, I wished it was significantly longer just to give the reader more of a chance to take something in and interpret it before having the next revelation laid down.
Still, a really great read.
I really liked the protagonist, and her narrative voice; it had exactly enough grit to really fit the genre while still being uniquely about the character herself; her love interest and she had a really believable ... not just chemistry, but the weight and romance of an established relationship. I also loved that it didn't pull back from things like the prejudices they'd deal with (and those common in the era)
The one thing that didn't quite work for me was the pace. Obviously, a lot of noir stories are shorter, but this was still a good 50-100 pages shorter than the standard, and while I love novellas a lot, it forced the pace to increase to the point that there was no breathing room for details as they were revealed. With the number of twists, turns, and revelations, I wished it was significantly longer just to give the reader more of a chance to take something in and interpret it before having the next revelation laid down.
Still, a really great read.