I could not stop reading The Dead Cat Tail Assassins. Every day I was looking forward to reading and when you're reading five books at a time, that's an achievement! I loved the world we are dunked into. It's full of assassins, contracts, and immediate intrigue. What I loved is that you have this typical "these are the rules of the world, and now we break one", but you have enough time, enough wonder - and introspection - from the main character to make that rug pull feel believable. I was there with Eveen! The Dead Cat Tail Assassins is full of adventure.

The Dead Cat Tail Assassins is a mishmash of genres, but that worked pretty well for me! Combine a fantasy setting, a little time travel, a dash of steampunk, and a whole lot of fighting, and you have The Dead Cat Tail Assassins. The main character, Eveen, is straightforward, no-nonsense, and tough as nails. I admired her, even if I feared her a bit. Eveen is an assassin, and a really good one at that. But when an assassination Eveen is hired to do brings up memories she shouldn't remember and a past better left dead, things get complicated.

For a good 60% of the story, I was completely confused. Most of that likely came from the novella not being what I anticipated. The story was fast-paced, full of action, and had great characters - I was left scratching my head as to where it was all leading. The twist... the twist was not what I expected. And I'm usually really good at expecting twists! I liked the story overall, and I adore P. Djèlí Clark's writing, but this wasn't my favorite novella. Definitely try it out if action is more your forte!

Rating: 3.5/5 Stars

Thanks to Tordotcom for providing me with an arc! All the above thoughts are my own.

I’m. Shelf has not written something yet that I haven’t loved. His writing is so inventive and creative.

3.5 stars!

I had a great time with this book initially, but towards the end is started to slow down and feel stale. Some of the choices to tie up different loose ends and solutions to the main conflicts of the book felt a bit shallow.

I really enjoyed myself throughout the novel. It’s fun and a unique premise of a story. I wanted to know more about the Guild and the creed of assassins. I think more could have been done for world development. All in all, it was a solid book and I had fun! I just wish the ending gave more.

✨ Review ✨ The Dead Cat Tail Assassins by P. Djèlí Clark

Thanks to Tor and #netgalley for the gifted advanced copy/ies of this book!

What do you do when you’re a professional assassin and the person you show up to kill looks weirdly familiar? This book tackles this quandary head on, as Eveen, an undead assassin, navigates her oaths she's sworn with her moral and existential dilemma.

Even though this is a novella, it still flushes out a rich and fascinating world, where the undead can work as contract killers and fascinating magical things happen. I loved all of the twists and turns and that this little book kept surprising me. I had such a hard time putting this down as I truly yearned to learn what would happen next. A great quick fantasy read!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Genre: fantasy novella
Setting: fantasy world
Reminds me of: VE Schwab's A Darker Shade of Magic series
Pub Date: 2024

Read this if you like:
⭕️ fantasy novellas with rich world-building
⭕️ undead assassins
⭕️ trusty sidekicks
⭕️ constantly-on-the-run stories

Baby, a Jamaican Goddess. PACK ME UP!!!

The Dead Cat Tails Assassins gave a very interesting spin to dark fantasy. This book focuses on Eveen the Eviscerator's POV as she navigates the world of murder for hire as a dead assassin.

This book had me floored. SO much happened, so many different players, processes and more. Watching Eveen try to figure out how to solve this contractual obligation without killing her target was mesmerizing. Eveen's memory was wiped before she accepted her vow but somehow this new target is breaking into her past life.. and she's starting to question what and how this is possible.

This book was short and fast paced. I enjoyed it.

Perfectly immersive world, and I loved the snark and humor woven in. Classic PDC. I didnt realize this would be so short and I wish I had realized that going in. I think that will help this gain readers it wouldnt normally! Magical and so much fun!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the review copy.

I listened to the audio for this and absolutely loved it. The world feels lived in with complex characters. Everything is dialed in just nicely. Another hit for P. Djèlí Clark for me.

Rating: 5/5

One of my favourite authors, this is another winner from P Djeli Clark - and very different in tone from what they've written before. While maintaining the brilliantly twisting plot and great characters, this is much more humorous, which I definitely enjoyed. While their writing can focus on very serious topics, it's a pleasure to see something so light-hearted and yet still as smart as always, keeping me engaged from the first page to the last.

I love this story. P Djeli Clark does a great job with the main character and world-building. I love the main character, Eveen!

P. Djèlí Clark delivers a gripping, fast-paced novella set in the vibrant city of Tal Abisi. The story follows Eveen, an undead assassin resurrected by a goddess, who breaks her oath by refusing to kill a child—setting off a night of chaos, memory, and rebellion. Clark’s trademark blend of rich worldbuilding, sharp action, and moral complexity shines in this tight, thrilling tale. In just over 200 pages, he crafts a powerful narrative about choice, identity, and defying the divine.

This was meh. I was intrigued by the premise, but the delivery just didn't really land for me. I didn't feel connected to the characters or the story. I think I was hoping for "Gideon the Ninth" vibes a bit more with the necromancy, but it fell pretty flat. "Ring Shout" was amazing but this one wasn't it.

The Dead Cat Tail Assassins is another excellent novel from P. Djèli Clark. Full of magic, it was easy to get enraptured with the story.

4.25

I really enjoyed this short and murderous book! Excellent detail, unique character quirks, and a thrilling adventure. And the last sentence is perfectly crafted and made me chuckle with its dark humor.

This is an interesting story. The concept is very intriguing. The world building is beautifully done. The characters are very intriguing your face and dynamic. I love the banter that they engage in. The plot is a very twisty little critter. I enjoyed this story. I hope you give it a chance.

If you’re looking for a fast-paced, assassin-filled fantasy with a unique setting and a bit of a bite, *The Dead Cat Tail Assassins* by P. Djèlí Clark is definitely worth picking up. It throws you straight into its world, and while I enjoyed the ride, I did feel like it moved a little too quickly at times. I would’ve loved just a bit more breathing room to really soak in the atmosphere and the characters.

The protagonist’s journey is laced with questions of morality, duty, and revenge, all wrapped up in some gorgeously dark prose. Speaking of prose, Clark’s writing style is sharp, immersive, and full of vivid imagery. He has a knack for making his worlds feel alive in just a few sentences.

Overall, *The Dead Cat Tail Assassins* is a fascinating, action-packed read. If you like your stories with intrigue, a touch of the macabre, and an assassin who doesn’t mess around, you’ll probably have a great time with this one.

What a fun romp. I love Clark's writing and was so glad that this one made some of the "Best of 2024" lists. It's just a delight and the most fun to read. Cannot wait to see what they write next!

For the people who have no idea what this book is about because the synopsis didn't help,TDCTA is about a top assassin who was hired to kill a doppelgänger of herself, and she refused. As a result, the entire assassin organization is after her for breaching the contract.

I didn't care for the book and even should have DNFed, but I also understand it was a me thing and not an it thing. There is nothing wrong with TDCTA. I enjoyed the world-building, the framing of the story, the witty dialog, the fighting scenes, and the intricacies of how we got to the plot. However, I just could not get into it. It was a level of weirdness I wasn't expecting, and it took too long for me to latch on.

Idk if it was just this book, but I'm still going to check out Clark's other work.

Thanks to NetGalley and Tor Publishing for the ARC

P. Djeli Clark is so good at crafting a rich, lively fantasy world in so few pages. I learned this with A Dead Djinn in Cairo, and The Dead Cat Tail Assassins further proves this. I loved the main characters and the villains. Eveen and Sky's story and motivations were well explored throughout while maintaining an irreverent humor.

I personally don't like stories that use time travel as a plot device, they often get too convoluted and sometimes feels pretentious, like the writer wants to prove they're smarter than their audience. Clark avoided that. It seeded all the right hints while still maintaining a few fun surprises, and let's the action take center stage.

It was a blast, I am a huge fan. If we get more stories about Eveen the Eviscerator it would be a treat.

Brisk and entertaining, Clark managed to create an impressively detailed world for such a short space in The Dead Cat-Tail Assassins. I was a little unsure where this was headed until the very end, but the ride was enjoyable.

While not my favorite of Clark’s works, this is one I would recommend to someone looking for something fast and fun.