3.5 stars

This was an interesting noir style mystery with a Sapphic twist. I enjoyed the writing in this one and watching the mystery unfold. The characters were fun to read about although not especially memorable. I would recommend this if you like cosy mysteries and are wanting to try something with a fun magical twist!

This book broke my heart in all the best ways. As the title says, even though you knew at the end, the author manages to give you hope then beautifully crushes that hope by the end of this beautifully written novel. This is my first time reading Polk but it will not be my last. This book would be great for fans of This Is How You Lose the Time War.

thank you to Netgalley and Macmillan-Tor/Forge for the e-ARC.

"bittersweet time travelling sapphics going against the laws of the universe to stay together" is my new favorite trope.

Absolutely adored this noir fantasy novella - immersive, enchanting, atmospheric, heartwrenching. A delightful few hours.

This is the perfect mix of queer lit, fantasy, and film noir mystery. It’s tragic and beautiful. A must read.

I just love C.L. Polk. I think they are one of the most inventive SFF writers working today and I would read their grocery list. I have a hard time with novellas in general because I find they often leave me wanting more (that I'm NEVER GONNA GET) and/or they feel half-fleshed. I admit I did struggle with tracking the beginning of this one. It is a historical fantasy set in Chicago in the 1920s but with magic and intersections with biblical beings (angels, demons, etc.) It is sapphic and Elena and Edith were a beautiful couple to follow as they went through family drama, a crossroads deal, and a fight for a soul. With a beautiful, dramatic, and ultimately (in my mind) hopeful ending, this was just another fabulous piece of writing from Polk.

This was a very enjoyable novella. CL Polk really created a great period atmosphere and I enjoyed the characters. I don't always enjoy romances but this sapphic romance was done so beautifully and I really cared about the characters and their relationship.

So this is basically a lesbian noir fantasy with a serial killer. It's a very moody story to the perfect read for Fall. We’re following Helen and she is a mystic private eye living in 1930s Chicago. In the past, she did something desperate and her time is running out before she has to pay so she spends her final weekend with her girlfriend but one last very dangerous job drops into her lap. This one is full of secret societies, magic, and angels and demons.

I did not know the end, unlike the title of this book, and that was a good thing! It was a very unique and interesting world to inhabit, with some sadness but also joy in that in happened.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for giving me free access to the digital advanced copy of this book.

I was absolutely OBSESSED with this book, queer noir fantasy was not something I thought that I needed in my life, but I wish this was a series because the layers of what could have been in this story run DEEP

A delightfully atmospheric sapphic historical fantasy. However, while I was interested in the story, it kind of felt like I was just watching things happen and never felt fully invested nor understood the world building.

Noir set in the 40s with a queer romance at the heart, featuring a DETECTIVE warlock?!?! What!!! I saw this and immediately hit the request button, and my biggest regret is that I didn't have a working Kindle for a bit and wasn't able to read it sooner. I LOVED THIS and will be buying a physical copy ASAP!!

This one ended up being shorter than I thought it was, but no less great. I didn’t realize it was a novella until I started listening to the audiobook, which ultimately shows how much I pay attention.

Even Though I Knew the End is the story of Helen, who is a warlock in 1940s Chicago. Once upon a time she made a deal, and that deal is about to come to its term, when suddenly someone says they can change the terms, if only Helen will do them the big favor of finding out who is roaming around Chicago killing people. The shenanigans start here and they don’t stop.

First of all, I really liked how Helen and Edith were in an established relationship already here. I do love a romance novel where we get to see the lovers fall for each other, but there is something to be said about having the lovers already in a relationship and having the shenanigans going on while supporting each other.

This was a lovely novella, well written and certainly engaging enough that I listened to it in one afternoon and enjoyed every bit of it. January LaVoy did a fantastic job with the narration, and made it so hard to put this one down. Luckily, I do chores while I’m listening. ^_^

All told, if you’re looking for something a little noir, but with angels and demons and magic and… magical lesbians, then you would love this novella, I should think. I certainly enjoyed myself with it!

“I would do anything for you. And I did.”

EVEN THOUGH I KNEW THE END is a chilling, captivating noir novella that follows a magical detective through 1940s Chicago as she solves a string of bloody murders. It's chock-full of mystical powers, angels and demons, possession, a vampiric serial killer, bargains with the devil, a secretive brotherhood, blood magic and sacrifices, clues hidden in photographs, and centuries-old celestial conflicts. There's a tender, sexy sapphic love story at the heart; I liked that it was an established relationship, marked with secrets held and affections given. It’s a beautiful and gutting look at the life of a queer woman in that time, sneaking kisses behind closed doors and slipping passwords for entry to underground queer clubs. Polk’s writing fits the historical era and the noir genre brilliantly and evokes such a strong mood, by turns sinister and hopeful. The twists in the narrative were always a surprise, and I loved how the action unfolded. A gem of a story, one that’s made me excited to read Polk’s other work. Thanks to Tordotcom and RB Media for the review copies! This book is out 11/8.

Content warnings: sexism, homophobia, institutionalization, conversion therapy, violence/gun violence, murder, ritual sacrifice, gore

Helen Brandt would do anything for those she loves. She literally gave her soul and lost the life she knew to save her brother. Now her time is up. Ten years for a life doesn't seem like too bad a deal until those ten years are up. She never knew she'd forge a new life in Chicago as a private detective and part-time diviner. She never knew Edith would walk into her life and make every second precious. And as Helen sets about doing a job for Marlowe at twice her usual fee she can't help but think she'd rather be home with Edith. Though Marlowe is the perfect client, always knows what she wants, always knows how to intrigue Helen, always pays on time though heaven knows where her money comes from, as she is always living in the lap of luxury at the Palmer House hotel. And she has one hell of a job for Helen. The photos and augury in the alleyway keeping her away from Edith was just to wet Helen's appetite. The girl murdered there, Kelly McIntyre, is just the latest victim of the murderer dubbed the White City Vampire and Marlowe wants that killer brought to her. But Helen's time left on Earth is short so she turns down the job. Which is when Marlowe throws a wrench in Helen's carefully orchestrated death; what if she could get Helen her soul back? All Helen has to do is uncover the killer and she can live out her long life with Edith. The deal seems too good to be true. Which it probably is. But it's not like Helen has anything left to lose except a lifetime with Edith. But Marlowe did warn her it would be dangerous, and soon the divine and the damned are after her as she becomes the target of the White City Vampire. How could they know she's on the case? What's more the Brotherhood who excommunicated her for bringing back her brother are on the case too. If only she had an ace up her sleeve... But sadly she doesn't, but Edith might...

If I had to choose between noir and fantasy, I'll be honest, I'd most likely choose fantasy. And yet noir and fantasy merge together beautifully. I often try to think about what makes certain genres mesh together well, certain time periods just beg to have that little something more. They're usually times of great change and upheaval when you can see the cracks in the world and out of those cracks comes something magical, something different. The forties are one such time. World War II changed everything and it makes sense that along with the evil that was stirred up, so were other forces both demonic and angelic. And with the heavenly hosts I couldn't help think about how much I love the television show Lucifer. While the main framing device is the devil does a procedural, the show did so much more, especially during the noir episode "It Never Ends Well for the Chicken." This episode showed these two genres perfectly blending together and I never thought I would see that again, and then I picked up Even Though I Knew the End. I adore this world that C.L. Polk has created. There's this wonderful merging of noir and a unique magical system that is somehow, at it's bones, just so Chicago. As someone who has spent a fair amount of my life visiting Chicago they perfectly captured that sense of place. I was in a place I loved but in an era that my grandparents would have known. And don't get me started on the crime scene photography with magic aspect, that was a bullseye. This is so unique and original but at the same time it was reminiscent of things I'd forgotten I'd loved, from Who Framed Roger Rabbit to The Exorcist to H.H. Holmes, immortalized in Erik Larson's The Devil in the White City. And while this book is wonderful and perfect and complete, I want more stories set in this world! A world that is made all the more perfect by Helen and Edith's love. Helen really would do anything for those she loves and that just about breaks my heart.

I pick up Tor.com's novellas pretty much automatically these days, because 9.9 times out of 10, I'm in for a good (or at least an interesting) time. Even Though I Knew The End is no exception, featuring a sapphic love story, demons, deals at the crossroads, and a little detective fiction. I say a little, because although the character is a detective, that's mostly just the framework that the rest hangs on. We don't see a lot of serious detecting.

For those who loved Supernatural when it was on air (with all its flaws), and resonated with the sacrifices Dean made for Sam, this one's definitely up your street. Our protagonist sold her soul for her brother's life long ago, and her time's almost up. In her last days, she investigates a bloody killing, tracking down the people who were possessed in order to do the murder, and discovering some secrets about her own partner into the bargain.

Because it's a novella, everything has to get sketched in quickly, from the worldbuilding to the characters' backstories to the love between Helen and Edith, and it works really well. I can be picky about how well novellas handle their scope, but Polk gets it right here.

My only problem is that the ending definitely left me sad. I'd been thinking at first that I might get a copy for my sister, but I try my best not to give her any tragic lesbians -- the world has done enough of that already. So do be aware that this ends with a certain degree of queer tragedy; I won't say more than that, for spoilers' sake.

There's so much to enjoy in this novella about a soulless detective trying to solve a series of murders in her city.

I loved the writing. The tone and general feel of the story is stylized, drawing the reader into this alternate world where demons and angels inhabit peoples' bodies. The pace was spot on, the action and deeper dive into the world and its mysteries well played between fast action sequences. I also liked that it was short coming in at 136 pages. It was the perfect length, compact and able to capture all of the intricacies of the world and people.

That said, there was a lot of crazy stuff happening which I liked, but thought maybe the characters believed it too easily. Like something crazy is happening, and the main character just accepts this and doesn't question it. Which I guess is why I love the novella, there's not a lot of back and forth with belief. I would have at least liked one conversation in particular to be like - "Wait, what? How is that possible? I don't believe it!" Such a minor thing, pet peeve really. Otherwise, it was fantastic.

Go pick up your copy. The cover art is striking and sets the perfect tone for this story packed with love and danger and rich fantasy world.

I love.

Enough said.

CL Polk is easily one of my most favoritist authors, and I cannot believe that I did not read this book when I had the ARC. Or immediately after buying the book. It's so good, and while many novellas try to cram too much into a brief timespan, Polk makes every single sentence count with such deliciously breathtaking craft.

Anywho. 1941 Chicago. Lesbians. Murder. Magic. Secret societies. And dangerous bargains. What's not to love?

I absolutely ADORED this novella. Would love a full length novel or at least several more novella's following similar characters, story lines, and this setting!