This book had so much potential storyline wise, but the writing style really threw me off. It’s similar to fanfic and that’s just not what I like for novels.

The main character of this book, Kembral Thorne, is a single mom to a newborn on her first night away from the baby since her birth, which is a really interesting and fresh perspective to see in a genre novel. She’s also a working new mom, trying to find balance between her demanding job (she’s a Hound, which appears to be some kind of dimension-hopping police force?) and her new life as a mother. Kembral also has a complicated relationship with a spy named Rika, a rival who she had feelings for until a recent betrayal. Both of them are interesting characters who shows growth over the course of the novel.

The worldbuilding was also very interesting, but unfortunately a little flawed. I didn’t always feel like I totally grasped the world and why things were happening. Some reviewers have complained about flimsy worldbuilding, but to me it felt more like the worldbuilding was well constructed but not well explained. Like, I think the author has built out the world and the mechanics of the magic and *she* understands it all, but then when writing the book she didn’t give the reader enough information for us to understand it too. It’s a shame, because what I did understand about the world was really interesting, and I hope that it’s easier to grasp in future novels.

The book was pretty fast paced, although like I said, I didn’t always totally understand what was happening, partly due to the worldbuilding and partly because there were a lot of side characters and I sometimes had a hard time keeping track of who was who. Overall, there’s room for improvement but a lot of potential in this new series, and I’m interested to read more by this author. Three and a half stars, rounded down.

Two ex friends/potentially something more are forced to team up to solve a time warping/reality warping trapped time lock murder mystery in this fantastic first book in a series! Kembral Thorne is a star investigator who has finally decided to take some time off from her new baby and go and enjoy the year-turning party.... only it's not going to be as relaxing as she thought. When bodies start dropping and a mysterious forces/figures also start interfering Kembral has her work cut out for her. It doesn't help that the entire party has been dropped through layers of reality and she has to get them through them back to the original one. With nightmare inducing levels, with the laws of reality bending... and dark killer forces out there, Kembral will have to rely on the one person she doesn't want to to help her save everyone, her compelling nemesis, the cat burglar Rika Nonesuch, the one person she used to consider a friend and potentially something more until Rika betrayed her. Yet there is more to Rika's betrayal than Kembral could ever imagine and now they'll have to find a way to work together while healing from the heartbreak of the past... oh and find a way through this twisted reality warping murder mystery. This was such a fantastic and fun read, it combines mystery with a bit of magic and a touch of romance. ! The author builds such a fascinating world and the magic system was so unique and cool. It's so fun and really grabs you throughout the story. The story captures you from the start and really takes you along for the ride. I am so excited for the second book and can't wait to see what happens next with Kembral and Rika!

Release Date: November 19,2024

Publication/Blog: Ash and Books (ash-and-books.tumblr.com)

*Thanks Netgalley and Orbit Books | Orbit for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

I quite enjoyed this. I found the romance believable and the time aspect interesting. This reminded me a lot of Gideon the Ninth.

Thank you NetGalley and Orbit for an eARC (and a finished copy from Orbit) in exchange for an honest review!

I went into this not quite sure what to expect but I had a lot of fun! I love when authors get a little weird about genre, and I liked that this is a weird little mix between fantasy and science fiction. Caruso did a good job at making a weird time loop-y, reality bending situation, and I was delighted to see what new situations Kem and Rika would get into (though I think if you tend to prefer hard magic systems this might be a struggle but YMMV. just don’t try to figure out just how it all works!!!). I am not really a plot driven reader, but I found that this being more plot driven rather than character driven worked well. I think the result is that characters outside of Kem and Rika do feel less developed, but again, I had a lot of fun in the world and the horrors of the Echos and I personally found them to be complex and interesting.

I was nervous that the motherhood aspect of this book wouldn’t work for me—I am not a mother, nor do I have any interest in being a mother—but I found that it made sense when it popped up and I didn’t find it all that overwhelming or extensive. Her concerns are normal considering she’s not even technically back from maternity leave and suddenly is thrust into some insane murder game, and I think it’s refreshing to have older protagonists with different sets of issues (at some point you get tired of the twenty one year old protagonist who has to save the world).

The Last Hour Between Worlds has its weaknesses as well, but these are ones that don’t rank particularly highly on my list of things I look for in a story. The world building worked for me but it definitely skews hand wavy instead of being concrete, and at times the dialogue can be a little silly. To me, this was a little campy and very fun, and I think people who want a Serious Read or want to know as many rules of a world as possible might not have as good of a time. The book ends in a satisfying way, and though it could work as a standalone I will definitely pick up the next book as this seems to be a series.

I had fun and loved the experience, so while I don’t think this book is for everyone, I thought it was a delight.

As I was reading and talking about The Last Hour Between Worlds, I kept saying “this book is kinda dumb but it’s so FUN.” I kind of wanted to dislike it--it was a tad over-written, it was goofy, it was Too Much (tm), but I’d be lying if I said I didn’t enjoy it the whole way through and get excited to read the sequel.

I think the best explanation of the novel comes in the acknowledgements when the author says that she wrote the book basically on a dare because her editor told her that if she loved party scenes so much she should write a book that was entirely set at a party. And what a party this book is. We start with our heroine Kembral Thorne, out on maternity leave, taking her first hours away from her new baby. It’s supposed to just be a simple New Years party, but when she sees her rival/ex-girlfriend/professional troublemaker/criminal mastermind also at the party, she suspects this won’t be simple. And when people start dying, and time restarts, she knows its serious trouble.

This book is fun. The characters are fun. The author is having fun. I had fun the whole time. Yeah it’s escapist. There’s a character who’s entire personality is challenging people to duels and engaging in witty banter. There’s a haunted child who just stands in the corner and drops lore. This book isn’t literature but it’s not trying to be. So if you need to spend an evening at a party with pretty people who have witty banter, tasty canapes and a little fairy magic, you could do worse than signing up for The Last Hour Between Worlds.

I recommend this for Romantasy readers who don’t mind a lower spice level, fans of The Adventures of Amina Al-Sirafi, and The Haunting of Tram Car 015.

I received an ARC in exchange for this honest review.

This story was captivating and quirky. I really want to know more about the echoes and the beings that live in them. The premise was really cool and the characters made me laugh. The relationship between Kem and Rika was so cute and stressful at the same time because I wanted them to get back into each others good graces (which they do by the end of the novel) but watching them struggle with their feelings for one another was too much to handle at times! Overall, I enjoyed this story and I'm looking forward to what the rest of the series may hold.

I absolutely love time loop mysteries so I was really intrigued for this one from the get go!!! I also really liked the main leads here, and how there was a lot to unpack between their past and current dynamics. I felt it was fitting how we as readers would get fed the information, and thought the pacing was managed well. I also really loved the worldbuilding and horror elements (and kind of wish we got more of that in an atmospheric vibe kind of way), but either way I really did enjoy the overall story here.

The only thing I didn't really like was that while I enjoyed the main leads, the rest of the cast kind of fell a <i>little</i> flat to me. They all had great potential though so I'm excited to see how things might go in a sequel -- which I wasn't expecting one!! So definitely looking forward to that!

This was such a good fantasy read. I did struggle a bit with the world building but I love the premise and the characters. Can’t wait to see where this series goes.

I'm a huge fan of the time loop and parallel realities premise, and Ms. Caruso plays and elaborates on it incredibly well in her debut novel. You've got the machinations across parallel time loops of various interests, the individual players who end up banding together, even though they're technically enemies, and one is dealing with the aftermath of a recent pregnancy through all of this. Enjoyed my time with this, and definitely worth your time this fall.

Melissa Caruso has a unique Earth with the prime version sitting on alternate realities that grow more grotesque the deeper one falls. Kembral Thorne is a hound who rescues people who accidentally fall down the levels. She’s on maternity leave, but decides to go to a year-end party of colleagues , friends and enemies. Then most of the party are murdered and the time resets, one layer below prime. In The Last Hour Between Worlds (paper from Orbit). Somehow she has to discover what is going on, and save her friends, because each reset sends the party to deeper levels. Wow! I hope this finds itself on an award list.

The Last Hour Between Worlds had an absolutely fabulous alternate reality premise that was occasionally bogged down with the main characters interior monologue. I love the idea of a year-turning competition between deity-like beings that takes you through twelve layers of reality with the chiming of a clock. This was a unique premise that got delightfully and horrifically weirder with each layer of reality the characters sunk through. The perils faced in each level truly did ratchet up the danger and gore. I also think the Empyreans - the deity like figures playing for rights to name the new year - were constructed well, with motives and morals completely outside of the human range.

The humans are where this story was let down a little. The two female main characters, Kembral and Rika, had good depth. Rika in particular I enjoyed, and the twist reveal of her motivations was done well. Kembral, who is the first-person POV of the whole novel, was initially a refreshing main character, but her interior monologue quickly became circular. Kembral is a new single-mother who is out at her first party in two months since her daughter was born. As my mother myself, I initially appreciated the nods to the complex emotions of motherhood, Kembral's changed body, and real issues like milk let-down at inconvenient times. The first time I thought "Wow this is so relatable!" The second time I thought "I appreciate the emphasis on this." The third time (and beyond, since it's rehashed in all twelve realities), I felt like I had already got the picture.

Outside of Kembral and Rika, other humans stood in more as one-dimensional caricatures. There were some interesting twists with the party host, Marjorie, but they weren't explored any more than in passing. Overall, character work brought this exciting reality-bending fantasy up just a bit short.

I got approved for the audio of this also. The audio was PHENOMENAL! I thought the narrator was great and did a great job with the difference characters and their distinct voices. I was highly impressed.

However, while I was pulled in immediately with the plot line. I loved the fantasy version of Inception, I quickly became bored (okay not bored just wanting a change) at around the half way point when it came to the plot. I didn’t feel invested enough to continue on in a book that literally repeated itself. And so I ended up deciding to move on and not finish! Life is too short to get stuck in a rut, or a time loop multiple universe thing!

I wish there could’ve been other aspects of the story that got pulled in while still making the continued loop plot interesting. I just personally got a little bored, but still enjoyed this audio immensely!

I will NOT be review this book on my book review pages. Thank you for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!

This was such a cool take on a multiversal type of story! Dropped right into the story, we follow Kembral Thorne as she is dropped through the layers of reality, determined to save the day (and world?) as unassuming partygoers continue their revelry at each level.

I enjoyed this one quite a lot, and I enjoyed the world building quite a bit. The different echos and how they play into this world were really interesting and brought a certain level of grotesque and fascinating development.

Kembral was a great main character to follow, and I loved this powerful take on a new mom who is definitely still on leave. I enjoyed getting to know the world and the characters through her lens. The most interesting character for me was Rika, and I very much enjoyed her and Kembral’s dynamic and the way that they played off of each other.

The only challenge I really had with this one was that there were times it felt a bit repetitive, which I suppose is always the risk in a time loop sort of story. It was mostly the conversations between Rika and Kembral that wore on me a bit, as it felt like the same argument was played out a bit too long.

All in all, very solid and definitely 4⭐️ from me!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC.

This book is a Marvel Multiverse-Never Ending Story-Alice in Wonderland-Groundhog Day mashup masterpiece. Not only is the female lead a bad-ass. She’s also a mom (which is a combo that like neverrrrrr happens).

Kembral Thorne, is a “senior hound” and a trusted member of that guild. She finds things that are lost in whatever parallel universe/“echo” they may be in. She is one of a handful of people that can “blink step” (she can move into the ‘void’ to jump to her destination). She’s also a mom to three month old Emmi.

Tonight she’s going out- for the first time in months. Emmi’s aunt is taking care of her and as a single mom, Kem needed a night for some adult time. She definitely would get more than she bargained for. At this party of build members and the city’s elite, she runs into her boss, her friends from her old neighborhood, and her rival, Rika Nonesuch. Kem quickly finds herself in a jam and by that I mean fighting for her life as she drops through echos in a battle against Empyrians. With each death the clock tolls, the entire party drops one echo deeper, and the party starts again- only the rest of the guests do not know that.

This is non-stop action. These battles are intense and so well written- I could see each one come to life in my imagination. @melisscaru I can’t wait to read the 2nd book.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thanks to #netgalley and #orbitbooks for this #advancedreaderscopy that I just finished because… #momlife - pub date was 11/19/24 so go grab it!!!!

#2024bookchallenge106of75
#thelasthourbetweenworlds

I enjoyed this read. It was fast paced and very character forward. Although I felt the world building was light, the character interactions and dialogue made for an interesting read.

I’m going to need the Dr. Who showrunners to hire this author to write their next New Years special. The plot and tone of this book will be perfect for Dr. Who fans!

This book is set in a universe where the prime reality has dangerous, unstable echo worlds. Each echo is a bit different from prime - some in small ways, and some in huge, deadly ways.

Our MC, Kembral Thorne, is a investigator who travels into echos to rescue people who’ve slipped through the veil. This year’s NYE party is the first social event she’s attended since giving birth to her daughter. Sure, she’ll have to remind her boss she’s still on leave, avoid one of the city elders who clearly resents her meddling, and try to ignore the woman who betrayed her. But she’s looking forward to a night out!

Unfortunately for her plans, this NYE party enters a deadly, reality bending time loop. She quickly discovers the party is descending through echos, with each iteration getting increasingly bizarre and dangerous. She is the person best equipped to save everyone, but she won’t be able to do so alone.

The author prevents the plot from being repetitive by ensuring each reset brings new challenges and revelations. I don’t love the type of first person narration used in this book (very telling-instead-of-showing), but the plot hooked me from the first chapter, and the characters were charming enough to hold my attention. It was nice to have an older protagonist as I have reached an age where I often find teen MCs boring. This was a fun romp through a unique universe with fascinating characters!

I got bored ready what seemed to be the same thing over and over again. I understand that a good amount of dimensional/time travel is involved to the plot and title, but it become monotonous.

This book was *great* entertainment. It was exciting, clever, creative, and surprising - a great story growing out of a surprisingly simple (well, kinda simple) setup.

Kembral is a Hound, which is a somewhere between a cop and a private investigator. Her specialty is going to the layers of reality *below* the prime reality her city occupies, known as “Echoes.” People will sometimes fall into the Echoes; Kembral’s specialty is retrieving them.

Except right now she’s on leave. She is in fact a new mother, out for a New Year’s party after being ~~bullied~~ gently encouraged to leave her daughter in her sister’s capable hands for a few hours. The party is the social event of the season, and attendees include members of the city’s elite, some of her friends, some of her enemies, and Rika. Rika is something between a burglar, spy, and assassin, and she and Kembral have a *complicated* relationship that Kembral doesn’t want to think about too much.

She is under strict orders to *relax* and not engage in any Hound work at the party. Obviously things don’t proceed smoothly - specifically, the entire party falls down into the shallowest Echo. Some of the strongest denizens of the Echoes are playing some kind of game with the party - they race to kill a designated attendee, then time resets by a few hours (with no one but Kembral being aware of it), the party falls to a deeper Echo (things get more unearthly and more dangerous the further down you go), and things repeat.

There’s a lot in this that just makes it so much fun to read. The characters at the party whom we get to see again and again as the time loop repeats. Kembral’s relationship with Rika is a highlight, as they find themselves working together despite certain events in their recent past. The gradual reveal of everything that is going on, and all the implications thereof. The increasingly bizarre and unearthly environment as they go deeper with each iteration. And last but not least, Kembral’s status as a new mother. Her body isn’t in the condition she expects; she has a very new perspective on things now that she has someone at whom to worry about; and, due to not getting a good night’s sleep for months, she is absolutely *exhausted*.

The entire book was very clever and very fun. The ending was exceptionally satisfying, and ended on a very good hook for the second book. I’m looking forward to jumping on it when it arrives.

2.04!

I wanted to love this book so so so much!!! I just couldn't really connect to the writing style and I was so excited for this because the premise and the cover were was so interesting and Orbit always releases books that I end up liking so this one not being up to that level hurt. I just feel like whenever I sat down to read it I would pick up my phone or zone out and I would often feel like reading other books but that was like after the 30% because it made me dizzy honestly but before that I enjoyed it, I was liking it and I saw the potential but it just didn't deliver overall!!

I don't even want to talk about the characters because what is there to say, I thought I would get some dysfunctional dynamic between them but it was just so shallow and boring so I'll just talk about the worldbuilding and the plot. So, if you actually hear the idea of the world building, the whole concept and the way it's thought off, I would say that it is very well thought but the overall execution was not it and I feel like we needed more, we needed to get that basic foundation laid and move on from that. It is one of the few important things of a first book so I was bummed out :(

I felt like plot was interesting enough, it was captivating but the pacing it was laced with was poor for it, it was so slow that the whatever interest that I had vanished into thin air. It's not a bad book, it was just okay.
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I've been reading the arc for this one slowly and it's fun so far + the title and the cover are 🤌🏻

*Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher- Orbit books for an arc of this book.*