I’ll start by acknowledging that I seem to be an outlier on this one. While many readers are enjoying the book, it just didn’t resonate with me.
Let’s begin with the positives.

First, I’m a fan of Groundhog Day-style stories, especially when there's a mystery involved, and this book handles that structure well. The author effectively uses the time-loop formula, making sure to establish clear limitations for each repeated day, which allowed me to focus on the real mystery. I also appreciated the pacing—it's fast, with the action never really slowing down, which kept me engaged even when the story wasn’t working for me.

Unfortunately, the rest of the book didn’t click. The main character felt a bit overdone—her struggles with balancing career and motherhood felt cliché. As a mom myself, I was hoping to connect with the constant references to motherhood, but I found them more exhausting than relatable. The main character’s thoughts were dominated by her job and her baby at home, to the point where it became repetitive and one-dimensional. It seemed like the author was trying to show that mothers can be successful in both their careers and home lives, but what I ended up seeing was a protagonist whose entire personality revolved around those two things.

The world-building also felt lacking. I had trouble understanding the mechanics of the world, and I was left wanting more explanation about how things worked. The dialogue, unfortunately, didn’t work for me either—it felt too campy and forced.

Thanks to @netgalley and @orbitbooks_us for providing this ARC.

The Last Hour Between Worlds
by Melissa Caruso
The Echo Archives #1
Science Fiction Fantasy
NetGalley eARC
Pub Date: Nov. 19, 2024
Orbit Books
Ages: 18+

After caring for her newborn alone over the last couple of months Kembral Throne takes a night off to attend a party, but within the first few hours, people die of what seems to be poison, except her. But when the large clock tolls, everything goes back to how it was, except there are some differences. And that was when Kembral realized the entire mansion and its occupants had fallen into an echo. Basically, a mirror world of the first (Prime) with differences and monsters.

There are twelve(?) layers and the deeper they fall, the more dangerous it becomes, and the less likely they will make it back to the first (Prime).


While this sounds interesting, I was already thinking about DNFing this because it started off slow as Kembral was introduced, rambling on about her newborn and the guilt she felt attending a party while leaving her daughter at home.

Sure, I get it, I felt it also the first I left my son at the sitters, but this felt a little overly done, rambling on about her love for her job and daughter, which I felt took away from the introductions of the minor characters in the story, because when they were involved with the story, I didn't know who they were or why they were important.

I also didn't feel as if the layers, the world, the history, or the consequences were very well explained, and that is the reason I don't think readers under eighteen would enjoy/understand this. Personally, I hate not knowing a world because I can't immerse myself into it. If I don't feel as if I'm a part of the world, I have nothing to care about.

I'm not saying this was a bad story or poorly written; it's an interesting plot with a unique world and characters, but it lacked depth in the characters and more especially the world.

Even though this book had a great, uncliffhanger, ending, it looks as if this is the first of a series, but I really have no interest in reading the next book.

2 Stars

The Last Hour Between Worlds is an ambitious and intriguing story that explores themes of time, destiny, and the intertwining of multiple realms. The author crafts a fascinating world where different dimensions collide, creating a rich setting filled with mystery and suspense. The premise is unique, pulling readers into a universe where every hour counts, and the stakes feel high.

The characters are diverse and well-drawn, though at times, their motivations feel underdeveloped, which occasionally lessens the emotional impact of their journeys. The story’s pacing can be uneven, with some parts feeling too rushed while others linger, but the action and creativity in world-building help keep things engaging.

Though it doesn’t fully realize its ambitious ideas, The Last Hour Between Worlds still offers an enjoyable experience, especially for readers who love stories with intricate settings and high-concept premises. It’s a thought-provoking read that leaves you contemplating the boundaries of time and existence.

Overall, while it has some rough edges, the book's originality and immersive world make it a worthwhile journey into a realm that feels both imaginative and daring.

I loved this, but honestly I've loved everything Caruso has put out so this is shocking to exactly nobody. A locked room mystery that takes place within different layers of reality? Sign me up. Queer? Check. Campy? Check. Amazing? Check. This was a really compelling premise with a stellar execution and great characters. I admonish you all to read this the second that it comes out. I really love Melissa Caruso--such a fantastic author.

I love finding unique fantasy adventures and this one certainly fit the bill for what I was in the mood for. The magic system we encounter is fairly interesting and feels new in a creative way and I feel as though I haven't recently read a time/ realty bending book like this which was fun and engaging.

The main character is Kembral who has finally decided to venture out into society on Ne Years Eve after the birth of her newborn. Though she loves her daughter dearly, she is missing the adventurous world she previously worked in and feels the company of some of her social colleagues and coworkers will help her feel more like a person again. However, as the evening progresses and the hour reaches midnight, all hell breaks loose and Kembral finds herself one of the last few standing after a poisoning and attack.

Then something strange happens, as Kembral is drawn into an Echo of the party and the scene seems to reset into a slightly different version of what was previously happening. She seems to be the only one aware a massacre just took place. Kembral has to figure out if she is going to draw other people into this game of survival and try to save their timeline. Oh, and there's a bit of a cute cat and dog romance sort of situation going on. But you'll have to read to find out more about that. Lots of fantastic, unspoken tension.

Personally, I am looking forward to more from this author. It seems this is the first in a possible series, so lets cross our fingers we don't have to wait too long to see what may happen next.

Part locked room time loop murder mystery, part sapphic cat and mouse rivals to ???? this was so up my alley and i loved every minute of it.
Things I loved: Kembral as a protagonist in general. She's an extremely competent Hound (sort of bodyguard/detective combo) who's been on maternity leave for the past few months and is finally out for an evening to be a real person. I loved having a more mature protagonist juggling returning to the world after solo parenting a newborn for 2 months and trying to figure out how to be a person again. I laughed out loud at her comments about remembering how to talk to adults again.
The world building was so interesting. I loved the Echoes - different layers of reality being stacked onto one another with thin spots that it's possible to slip through. I liked that we got to see some of the Echoes, even though I definitely wouldn't want visit them myself - big NO THANK YOU to window mouths. I found the mystery of the ritual to be really engrossing and there were definitely some twists that took me by surprise, which was such a fun reading experience!
The tension and development of the relationship between Kem and Rika I felt was well paced and engrossing. I yearned for them to keep spending time together and to know the full story of their history.

This was a wild ride that just begs you to hold on and enjoy it. As a Hound, new mom Kembral Thorne is used to taking on different levels of reality. The deeper you go the more hellish things get. Locked in a murder mystery at a party, she has to solve what’s going on before it’s too late. While I wish there was a bit more world building here to explain some things, this was a cool concept easy enough to follow despite the layered realities.

Note: ARC provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Really interesting world and characters! Loved the Dynamic between Kembral and Rika, and specifically Kembral as a new mother was really fun and interesting to read.

There were many things to love in this new time-loop fantasy release:
Older protagonists
Lush, immersive, unique magical world building
Cheeky and witty humor
Exploration of being torn between motherhood and a career
Rivals to Lovers
Strong and talented FMCs
Deadly game with high stakes

I especially enjoyed Caruso’s character’s intelligence, determination and unique magical abilities, and absolutely want to explore their backlist of fantasy books.

The downside to this one for me was the mid-book time loop pacing; I just felt as if for several chapters in a row the plot refused to move forward. However, the pacing did eventually recover and after setting this one aside for a while, I was able to finish and enjoy the conclusion and twist. I’m just not sure if I will continue the series or not, but it will probably rest solely on if the next book is not a time loop or not. Thanks to Orbit for my physical ARC and Hachette Audio via LIBRO.fm for my gifted audiobook. Narrator, Moira Quick, was fantastic, and her performance helped me stay engaged when the pacing fell short.

Tried reading this but I could not get into ANY of the character or find any interest in the plot. it was just all so mid and forgettable. It would be one thing if I hated it but I couldn't even bring myself to feel anything besides indifference.

Thank you to NetGalley, Orbit Books, and the author for giving me the opportunity to read an advanced readers copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

Wow, there is sooooooo much packed into this book. I have no idea how the author kept all this straight but it must have been a blast to write!

In this book, the main character and her rival/ex love interest get caught up in a mind bending, time twisting, wold shifting event (honestly I don’t even know how to describe this book and do it justice) in the middle of a party which causes all hell to break out. There is magic like none I’ve seen described, world shifting like I’ve never seen described, crazy monsters? and some great romantic tension and character development we get to witness. I don’t even know how to describe the plot but it’s wacky and intense and mind boggling. Almost a bit too much at times but putting the book down wasn’t an option because how will you know what happens next? (The main character has a baby at home, so you need to know if she makes it home safe right?)

Anyways, if you feel up for a trip of a book look no further. It’s a fun and crazy ride!

I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

The Last Hour Between Worlds by Melissa Caruso is a first person-POV Sapphic fantasy mystery starring detective and new mother, Kembral, and her rival, Rika, a beautiful burglar. During a party to celebrate the new year, Kembral and Rika are thrust together into an investigation as they sink deeper and deeper between the layers of reality, the Echoes. And if they don’t, they could lose everything.

This is probably the first fantasy book I’ve read where the star is a fairly new mother. I’ve read books with mothers as the leads, books where the romantic interest is pregnant or a mother, and plenty of books where a pregnancy is a plot point, but one where we’re very recently post-partum is new for me. Melissa Caruso doesn’t go into the nitty-gritty of pregnancy or the impact it would most likely be having on Kembral’s body, but her daughter, Emmi, is rarely far from her mind and it does come up fairly often. The party the story is centered around is actually the first major event she’s been to since giving birth which adds a whole layer as it’s also kind of a return to work for her.

Rika and Kembral have a lot of sexual tension from the get-go. They have known each other for a while giving them a long history but there is also a sense of them knowing a lot about each other despite being rivals. Rika has opinions about Kembral’s ex (who stopped being part of Kembral’s life when she decided to have Emmi) and Kembral has some admiration for Rika’s skills. There is respect and care there even if it’s hidden under multiple layers of snark and animosity. I was definitely rooting for the two of them to work it out.

The worldbuilding had some fun terms, such as Hounds for detectives and Cats for burglars, that felt accessible to readers who aren’t used to fantasy that needs a glossary. The Echoes aren’t explained immediately but the name really does start to feel intuitive the further in the story you go. I feel like this is the happy medium for readers who don’t want every fantasy term explained to them because the characters wouldn’t feel a need to explain it and want to be thrown into the story without feeling confused.

I would recommend this to fans of fantasy mysteries, readers looking for a Sapphic fantasy involving traveling between dimensions, and those looking for a main character who is a brand new mother

I wanted to try another Melissa Caruso book, as I liked the one I tried a while ago. But this one failed to engage me, so I DNFed early. I was thrown into this odd world and just expected to know all this jargon, and the protagonist wasn’t particularly compelling.

The Last Hour Between Worlds is an action-packed fantasy novel that involves reality bending-magic, a time loop of sorts, and a slow burn sapphic friends(ish) to enemies to lover's situation. Two months ago, Kem gave birth to her baby girl Emmy, and she is now crushing it as a single mother. On New Years Eve, her sister offers to watch Emmy so Kem can take a break and go to a party. However, shortly after the party beings, guests start dying and Kem, being a hound (essentially their version of police), she has to step in. But then time nearly resets itself and no one besides Kem remembers what happens. It does not take long for Kem to realize that they have been sent down an Echo. Kem recruits the help of Rika, a notorious burglar, to help her to identify why there is a clock that is sending them down an Echo each time it chimes, sending them to progressively stranger versions of reality.

I truly enjoyed the concept of this book. It was a fun and quick read, and I quickly got invested into the mystery of what happened and trying to figure out what is going on. Every time a plot twist was revealed, there was another lurking behind the corner. This book does take place over the span of several hours, which makes it fun and fast paced. However, it is hard to truly get invested in the characters, or the world as a whole, when the plot is surrounding a mystery. There is a lot of interesting concepts in this book and I think that the next book, which I am assuming is going to follow the aftermath of this book, is likely to be really exciting. I do this there was some good character development, and both Rika and Kem did grow from this instance, just not as much as I normally like. While this is technically a fantasy book, there are many aspects of it that feel more like a mystery/horror/thriller novel. Based off of the ending (no spoilers) I am assuming that there will be more of a fantasy feel with the next book, though who knows. This is one of those books where I have mixed feelings about because it is not the type of book/story that I prefer to read. I do think the concept is cool and the execution is really well done. It is just one of those situations where I am going to read book two when it comes out because I think it will be more my type of a story, I just did not love this one because mystery/thriller/horror is not always my favorite.

Thank you to Orbit Books, Melissa Caruso, and NetGalley for giving me an eARC of The Last Hour Between Worlds in exchange for my honest review.

4/5 stars.

The Last Hour Between Worlds is a fast-paced, sword and sorcery fantasy with unique worldbuilding and a fun plot. Melissa Caruso crafts and incredibly interesting world with layers of reality. The top layer is called Prime and each layer below is an echo of the previous, getting increasingly chaotic as the layers descend. The crux of the plot is a game between celestials beings taking place on the year turning. The winner gets to name the year, which could have severe consequences depending on what name is chosen.

I'd be remise to not discuss the main character. Kembral Thorne is a new mother (on leave, thank you very much) and a Senior Hound (protector, fighter). This is meant to be a fun night out after the baby that turns horrendously wrong when she finds herself the only one that can recall what is occurring as they descend echoes. There absolutely needs to be more pregnancy and post-pregnancy representation in fantasy so I enjoyed that aspect. However, because the plot is so fast and the worldbuilding so exciting and there's an aspect of rediscovery every single layer, it was hard to get attached to the characters as much as I would have liked.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book one and will absolutely be continuing on with the sequel when it arrives!

I love this author and was very excited to see that she has a new series!

Kembral Thorne is a Hound. She travels to different echoes for various reasons, usually to find someone and bring them home. An echo is a different layer of reality. The further down the echo, the more dangerous it is.

Kembral is on a leave of absence since she recently had a baby. She's exhausted and misses adult interaction. Seeing this, her sister offers to babysit so Kembral can go to a party.

At the party, there is a strange clock. After it chimes, Kembral notices that the ballroom looks different. She can sense something wrong. Then it dawns on her. They are in an echo.

I had a great time with this! The characters are fantastic. Kembral and Rika are a treat. I found the echoes fascinating. I will definitely continue the series.

Kembral Thorne, a senior member of the Hound guild, is still on leave following the birth of her daughter when the guests at a party she's attending begin to drop dead. But following the chiming of a mysterious grandfather clock, she finds that everything has reset, the guests don't remember their untimely deaths (or the previous events of the party), and they're stuck in an Echo, a dangerous layer beneath their own Prime realty. Kem will have to team up with her nemesis Rika Nonesuch, a member of the rival Cat guild to learn the rules of this dangerous game and stop it before it destroys everything they love.

I absolutely devoured this book. I loved the fast-paced high stakes energy, and even though the same few hours repeated through the 12 layers of reality, Kembral and Rika's efforts to stop the game in each new layer made it feel like I wasn't continually reading the same events over again.

Even though the events of the story take place over a single night (albeit, a night that happens 12 times), the romance between Kem and Rika felt like a slow burn. As long-time rivals, the two already know a lot about each other, but they took time throughout the story to understand each other and their feelings for one another better, which I appreciated.

I do wish there had been a little more worldbuilding background given as the story progressed. There's lots of mention of the different Moons (which I took to be akin to astrological signs), but I wish they had been explained in a little more detail as they were obviously important to the story.

Overall, this was such a fun story and I can't wait for the next book in the series!

Read if you like:
Time loop
Alternate reality
High stakes
Rival guilds
Sapphic romance
Strong FMC

Wow! This book was absolutely fabulous. It takes place on one night, but the main character and some others are living through various stages of echos as the night progresses. Kembral Thorne is spending the night out at a party after just having had a baby. Unfortunately, there won't be much to enjoy as people start dropping dead and therefore, she will need to put her work hat on to save humanity. Rika Nonesuch is the nemesis of Kembral and they must work together, including a magical clock, in order to solve this case. I loved the characters in this book, and not just the main ones. I usually don't like books that relive the same hour over, but this one changed drastically as the story progresses. It was a fast-paced book that keeps you on your toes trying to figure out who did it. If you think you have it figured out, more complications are added to the story. An excellent fantasy/sci-fi read.

Kembral Thorne, dedicated Hound and accomplished dimension jumper, is on her first social outing after having her baby Emmaline. She’s determined to make the most of it despite her boss taking it as an opportunity to urge her to return to work and her nemesis, the cat burglar Rika Nonesuch, being there to aggravate. But when her fellow party guests start dropping like flies, Kem gets to work.

This was a marvel of a book and one of my favorites of 2024. Another reviewer described it as, “a campy, sinister locked room murder mystery that takes place in different layers of reality on the brink of the new year” and I can’t describe it better than that. Its frenetic pace perfectly captures the plot and danger. Kem’s asides about being a new mom feel so genuine and are a reminder that there simply aren’t enough books from the POV of new moms or middle aged women.

Wow! THE LAST HOUR BETWEEN WORLDS will not be for everyone, but I had a blast reading its action-packed chapters, uncovering layer after layer of this mysterious magical world, and rooting for the likable characters.

TLHBW takes place in a world in which layers of varying unreality (called “Echoes”) lie under the real world (called “Prime”). When the veil between the layers is thin, objects, animals, or people can slip through, and it is the job of Hounds like Kembral, our MC, to retrieve them. On maternity leave, Kembral finally treats herself to a New Year’s Eve night out at a party, only to find herself caught up in a game of murder played by dangerous celestial creatures that takes them through more Echoes than is wise.

TLHBW has an Alice in Wonderland-like quality to it, with each chapter/Echo opening up more intriguing revelations about the world. Caruso did a great job of creating a world that goes deep rather than goes wide. Magical rules, strange creatures, and secrets revealed about seemingly normal “Prime” characters kept my interest throughout!

Kembral, our MC, is the kind of bad-ass, smart-talking, and competent urban fantasy heroine I like to follow for escapism. The unique feature about her character–her state of new motherhood–is relatable, though it does feel a bit forced after a while (particularly as her newborn, Emmi, never makes an on-page appearance). Rika at first struck me as being too cold and closed-off, but the way her character develops, and her interactions with Kembral deepen, had me cheering both of them on.

The main plotline of TLHBW is twisted, clever, and mentally engaging for me. To write about more would be to give too much away, so I’ll just say that snarky superhero movies in the vein of Marvel and Guardians of the Galaxy are my guilty pleasure, and if you like those films, you’ll like this book.

THE LAST HOUR BETWEEN WORLDS is really good magical escapism: well-developed, pacey, and with characters that I could cheer on. It’s great for 24-hour readathon pick, or a lighter read amidst more serious fare.