The Dead Cat Tail Assassins is going to appeal to readers looking for a quick mystery in a fantasy setting, with PoC characters. It was violent, and twisted, and (surprisingly) a little funny. The mystery was interesting, as was the world building, but the last section had a character whose dialog was heavily accented AND phonetic... I kept having to reread things out loud to figure out what she was saying. It really threw me out of the book. Overall, I found it enjoyable and would gladly check out another book by the author.

I do not think I have read a book by P. Djeli Clark that I did not enjoy and The Dead Cat Tail Assassins continues that trend. I truly enjoy Clark's writing, humor and imaginative worlds. The Dead Cat Tail Assassins was a fast-paced, twisty novella that had me wishing it was a full length novel so I could stay in the story a bit longer. Eveen is a fascinating character and it was a lot of fun to be along for the ride on her impossible task.

One thing that I always love in Clark's novels is the layering of such fantastical world building with the tackling of deeper concepts like justice, power and morality.

Definitely recommend this one!

Thank you, Tor.com and NetGalley, for providing an early copy of this book!

P. Djèlí Clark never disappoints! This action-packed novella has fantastic characters and a lush world. The plot is not particularly complicated: an undead assassin experiences a nagging memory when she meets her latest mark, and they embark on an adventure to confront a mix of gods, humans, and assassins and figure out what’s going on. I actually would’ve liked the book to be a bit longer to really flesh out the world — I felt a bit lost at times when it came to the relationships among characters and their roles in society — but this was a quick romp that felt both dark and funny.

My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book.

A little late on this, but:

This was a great mix of pure action fun and engaging depth. The prose was more than solid, with many passages that made me stop and smile to myself over the word choices and pure rhythm. Clark uses the setting well, and nails the story's premise with some graphic moments (but balanced with moments of snark to lighten things when you might feel buried under the violence). I enjoyed this a lot, and I'd recommend to it fans of Scott Lynch and Robert Jackson Bennett.

This was a very enjoyable read. I liked the world that was created, but did feel it was lacking in some details. The FMC was relatable, and I enjoyed her charm and banter with herself and others. I also liked that she was an older character. There is a lot of action within this book, and some interesting twists that held your attention. Overall, highly recommend.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for this ARC/audiobook ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This author cannot do any wrong, in my opinion. They are one of my favorite fantasy authors and this was one of the books I was most looking forward to this year.

The Dead Cat Tail Assassins is action packed and filled with a lot of humorous moments. The whole book was filled with undead assassins (that don't like to be called zombies), murderous heroines, and fast paced. The narration was also great!

It was a little hard to get into at first, but a one night mission is great for a novella and the characters were really intriguing!

Not bad but just not what I was expecting after having read the author's Ring Shout. It was readable but not interesting enough that I would recommend this book or read the sequel.

P. Djélí Clark's books have always been unique and engaging. The Dead Cat Tail Assassins is no different. The worldbuilding, fun characters, and action packed scenes stood out. It was an enjoyable read that did a good job of blending genres to create a vivid world. The humor made the characters personable and made me more invested in their stories .


Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

This was an excellent little novella. The world, the characters, the plot was attention grabbing from the start. Clark builds just enough of the world to understand what's going on without bogging down the narrative. I loved everything about this and would definitely not mind there being more stories set in this world so we can see more of it.

ARC provided by Netgalley.

The Dead Cat Tail Assassins was impossible to put down. This book is so incredibly well written and I cannot recommend it enough. Please read this if you are a fan of fantasy, good worldbuilding, and action-packed stories.

I did a tandem read of audiobook and ebook for this book. Thank you to NetGalley, RB Media, and Tor Books for the ARC/ALC. Also, I’d give this book around 4.5 stars but since I can’t do halves, it’s worth rounding up to 5.

First, I absolutely loved Eveen’s personality, sense of humor and wit. The narrator for the audiobook was wonderful and really brought her to life.

Second, I loved the world and world building. It’s shown rather than told and done so well!

This was a fast paced book and I kind of figured out a bit about the slight twist toward the end, but the way it all played out, I didn’t see coming and I absolutely loved.

This was a really interesting world and I would love to see more stories take place in it.

Okay, I did NOT know what to expect from just reading the description but I'm so glad I got to read this book!! I think I love most the almost conversational tone? Im not sure how to explain it other than to say the tone matched the FMCs personality perfectly. There was a pretty good plot twist, too. Not too obvious, not too hidden.

adventurous dark emotional funny lighthearted mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5 stars

Eveen is an undead assassin in service to a goddess. When she comes face to face her latest mark, she experiences a memory, something that is not supposed to be possible. The two escape and try to figure out who has set them up, how, and why, while being chased through the city by Eveen’s fellow assassins determined to force her to fulfill her contract and generally make her unlike miserable.

This novella was a wild ride from practically start to finish, where things just went bat s—t crazy in the best way. The plot is tight and twisty. I thought setting the events in the middle of a big festival involving costumes and character roles was fun. The assassins vary from eccentric, to creepy, to downright sociopathic. Overall I had a very good time and would love to read more in this world.

I received an ARC thanks to NetGalley and Tor in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed are entirely my own.

I wasn't sure what to expect for this story but had to read it because I enjoy the author so much. It turned out to be wonderful! So much world building in a short amount of time and full of twists. I am excited to see others read this and get their thoughts as well.

Thanks to NetGalley and Tor for letting me read and review the book.

Reading The Dead Cat Tail Assassins by P. Djèlí Clark was so much fun. Like Ring Shout, the world building and the fantasy/magical elements are fantastic. The humor had me cackling. But best of all, the female characters are so bad ass. Badass and lovable. Clark really is a master of these things, and I simply cannot get enough.

The world is like a combination of New Orleans and Avatar: TLA with hints of Sailor Moon and Game of Thrones - all concepts I'm in love with. The MC, Eveen, is sarcastic and hilarious. And when she's not kicking ass, she finds time to read books like Asheel the Maniac Hunter (a maniac that hunts maniacs!).

The whole book just has so much personality, and I love it. There's also a bit of my favorite time travel conundrum near the end. If you have trouble reading strong dialects, that does come up with one character in the final act. I had to read the words out loud to really understand what was being said, but it ended up being one of my favorite characters and scenes in the book. My only complaint was with the very end, but it didn't affect my overall enjoyment of the book at all.

If you loved Ring Shout, or if you like fantasy worlds with cool mythology and snarky, female assassins that do have a few lines that they won't cross, then you should pick this one up.

Thank you Tordotcom for the copy to read and review.

For this one, I’d say consider what you’re hoping to achieve in picking your next read. If you’re completely new to Clark’s work, this will be an enjoyable read and is emblematic of the kinds of stories he writes.

If you’re a long time fan of Clark’s particular brand of Steampunk Fantasy, TDCTA does those things well but with little distinction from his other works. It is a good book if not a particularly ‘new’ feeling book. If you’re in that mood it will be a great choice.

However, if your looking for the next thing Clark will do, this story isn’t it.

For me, I think I was expecting slightly more, but I still enjoyed the book and am intrigued to see how it fits in with other works in this emerging universe.

Because apparently I haven’t completely given up on interconnected properties just yet despite a bit of fatigue.

This is an excerpt from the full review on my blog. Please take a look here: https://alligatorsandaneurysms.wordpress.com/2024/08/06/welcome-newcomers-caution-veterans-a-review-of-the-dead-cat-tail-assassins/

The Dead Cat Tail Assassins follows FMC Eveen, an undead assassin serving the city of Tal Abisi. She's kind of a certified bad-ass, never misses her mark, and is beloved by many. She has that "ew feelings get away from me" vibe about her that makes her very relatable for avoidant attachment styles!
I really appreciated the fast-paced action sequences within this story and some of the fights are not for the feint of heart! I absolutely love when Eveen confronts Sky and figured out who this mystery teenager actually is!
P. Djeli Clark's writing always holds the best metaphoric story elements paired with compelling historic elements despite creating fantasy worlds. The Dead Cat Tail Assassins, at least to me, was an examination into the nature of "coming of age" stories and what it actually means to be with oneself. To sit in loneliness.
To accept yourself radically.
I highly recommend The Dead Cat Tail Assassins to anyone who enjoys surprising twists and breakneck action sequences, those who seek alternative narratives for coming-of-age stories, and to those who are unapologetically advocating for their inner child.

3.5/5 stars.

I love P. Djeli Clark's writing, his characterization, his dialogue is fantastic. This setup just did not really grip me the same way others have done. That being said, the audiobook was incredibly well done, the narrator did an incredible job. Her character voices were incredible and I just really clicked with the inflection used.

Eveen is an undead assassin, a guild member of the Dead Cat Tails. She is contracted to "ship" people no questions asked... except when one mark sparks a memory of a previous life that Eveen should not remember. Because this is a novella, the plot takes off from there quite quickly. There's a complexity and depth to the plot that is masterful to capture in a novella length. If you're in the mood for a quick read with a sarcastic quippy main character, some sci-fantasy elements and a satisfying ending, I'd recommend picking this one up.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC of this one in exchange for an honest review.

Imgur link goes to Instagram Graphic scheduled for August 13
Blog post goes live August 13
Will be covered in upcoming Youtube video
Amazon Review submitted


TL;DR: As always Mr. Clark manages to create a unique and fun story. This time the humor was just on point.
Source: Thank you to the publisher for my copy via Netgalley!

Plot: Eveen is a contract assassin who finds herself in a sticky situation when her newest target is not someone she wants to kill unless she wants to possibly disappear herself.
Characters: I enjoyed the variety of characters we got here. I liked Eveen but in this case I think I enjoyed the surrounding cast more.
Setting: The setting here was very rich and fun. The city is in the midst of a festival and the colors and events really feel tangible in the text and interact with the characters.
Magic: Honestly, this was minor till the end and then some things popped off and I loved it.

Thoughts:

The Dead Cat Tail Assassins is one of those books I feel like I can’t explain too much or it will steal the magic of it. Eveen is a infamous contract assassin who finds herself contracted to kill someone… let’s say it’s best she doesn’t. Unfortunately her contracts are magically binding, going all the way up to the goddess who controls Eveen’s (un)life. So she decides that for the night she has to ‘complete’ the job she’s going to find a way to fix it. She ends up dodging fellow assassins, hunting down Edgelords (I’m serious on that name), and others.

Mr. Clark’s humor really shines here. It feels a bit like he let go and just threw things into this pot to see if they stick and they do. My favorite being the Edgelords, which while a pop culture word actually have a legit reason for the name in this world. Eveen has a sharp sense of humor as well and her quips and retorts had me chuckling. There is a note of sweet revenge in this by the end I just found the whole thing a delight. My favorite part was the last quarter. I don’t want to spoil anything so I’ll say the new character(s) that appear there were a joy.

It seems everything I read from P. Djèlí Clark is a winner, this is no exception. I loved this, and if you enjoy fantastical assassins in a fun and rich setting give it a shot.

5 out of 5 Terribles (I’d read them)