Rare example of the second book in the series outshining the first! While I enjoyed the central conceit of the novel in Melissa Caruso's Echo Archives series, The Last Hour Between Worlds, I was held up by slow pacing and an overabundance of dialogue. I was expecting it to be a standalone, so color me surprised when she announced a sequel. Any trepidation I was feeling was utterly unnecessary: Caruso has smoothed out the pacing and dialogue issues and created a highly entertaining take on a locked-room mystery that takes place a scant few weeks after the first book.

From Book 1, I loved the idea of an investigator charged with rescuing people from increasingly dangerous layers of reality. Bonus points for her enemies to lover relationship with a sly, cunning thief. Both Kembral and Rika feel more solid as characters in this second installment, buoyed along by an entertaining mix of new and returning side characters (Jaycel Morningray, my heart is yours). The relationships, both between Kembral and Rika and between Kembral and the other side characters, feel deeper and more real than they did in the first book as Caruso strikes a stronger balance between emotion and action. While I was expecting an unrelated installment, I was surprised and delighted to sense Caruso building up to a larger story arc connecting the two existing stories with others yet unwritten. Though my gut tells me this is a trilogy, I would eat up a whole extended series of adventures in this fascinating world.

In The Last Soul Amongst Wolves, the second book in The Echo Archives, Melissa Caruso does NOT give our friend Kembral Thorne more than 3 weeks to breathe.

Kembral Thorne barely has time to settle back into her life post-maternity leave before she’s once again tangled up in a case. Kembral not only has to check in on her babysitter, but also deal with cursed friends and dangerous Echoes.

A lot of questions were answered in the first book, whilst we were solving the case. In this sequel, we know some of the key players and their dynamics (who doesn't love a dysfunctional firecracker bestie?).

I enjoyed the deepening of relationships and getting to explore a new case with its own twists and surprises. Melissa Caruso created characters that I would want to be friends with IRL, and again.. I appreciate the uniqueness of the world and characters alike. Fun and quick paced read. If you liked the first one, you will love and devour The Last Soul Among Wolves.

Thank you to Melissa Caruso for creating these amazing characters and giving them an amazing world to explore! Thank you to Orbit Books and Netgalley for allowing me to explore this unique and fun world - for a second time!

I was so surprised by how much I liked the first book in this series, and couldn't wait to read the sequel when I heard it was coming. Ever-so-slightly more predictable, mostly because this is a world we now know instead of one we are discovering on a page-by-page basis. Still eminently enjoyable and well written. I'm a fan of the modern, casual style of narration, and appreciate that the characters don't do stupid, out of character things regularly. Definitely a page turner and I will be on the lookout for any future sequels! 4.5 stars overall.

What a fun locked room mystery! Really got to see more of the Echos and what they can do while getting to know our characters better and getting more of their history!
This felt a lot like Agitha Christie's And Then There Were None, I haven't read that myself but from what I know this I think was heavily inspired by that. It was such a compelling story that was fun to get lost in!

I’m loving this series this much, you cannot understand. Kembral and Rika means so much to me, they are so good together, they have so much chemistry and they love each other so passionately.
And oh my God the worldbuiling and the mystery! Really, I’ve started this series with curiosity but little hope and instead I fell in love with the carattere, the world, the way the mystery develops… So, so good!
And Rika. Oh my God, Rika! Nobody could make me hate you. She’s my baby, I will protect her from everything and everyone!

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for the arc.

A e-copy of the ARC was kindly provided to me by NetGalley.

A great second installment in the series. I liked it even better than book one! A great fantasy mystery that had spectacular plotting and characters. We see familiar characters from the first book, with a few fresh faces mixed in. The mystery is compelling, and takes place in a remote location that adds to the tension. This series contains a sapphic romance- the two MCs have great chemistry and banter. I can't wait to read the next installment.

A pleasant and unique meshing of a whodunit murder mystery with magic set in a modern fantasy world where realms are stacked on top of one another. This book was engaging and unique enough to hold my interest until the end. The story follows a group of friends who have got themselves wrapped up in a curse with magically imbued objects and need to rely on each other’s strengths and traveling through other dangerous realms to determine how they might break the curse…and stay alive. I jumped into this book as my first read in the Echo Archives series and didn’t feel as though you would have had to read the first book to enjoy this one in its own right.

Thanks to NetGalley and Orbit Books for the opportunity to pre-read this ARC.

So much for putting safety first and staying out of the Echos. Kem and Rika are back at it. What could be a childhood friend reunion quickly becomes life or death. In an isolated mansion, their friends are being picked off one by one. The author again does a great job immersing the reader. I enjoy the times we are in the echos so much more then in the real world. So much more excitement and adventure to be had and honestly who wants to be stuck in the normal human realm anyway.

You had me at echo realms and magical objects but you won me over with tentacle monsters and soul snatching. Another fun installment in the Echo Archives series.

you couldn't have asked for a better sequel. it build on book 1 without being repetitive and it's given you just enough to leave you satisfied but craving more by the end!

Thank you to NetGalley, Melissa Caruso, and Orbit Books for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

4.5 stars

I had no idea what book two would be about, but I love where it went. I’m loving this series. This was such a great sequel. It continued where book one left off. It had a smooth transition from book 1 to book 2. Sometimes, sequels can change the vibe of the series. I loved that it felt like a continuation of book one with the same vibes, but a new mystery. This series has become a comfort to me. I can’t wait to read book 3! I highly recommend it!

Similar to The Last Hour Between Worlds, this sequel begins in the "prime" world of Acantis and then delves into the dark and fantastical echo realities as Kembral and Rika endeavor to stop the deaths of their childhood friends from cursed relics.

I most enjoyed the echo realities concept and the intricate web of mysteries. I also was particularly fond of the relationship dynamics between Kembral and Rika, and found two of the non-human side characters to be quite peculiar and sweet. I did enjoy the first book a little more than this one, primarily due to the world-building aspects and uniqueness of the mystery plot. I think the set-up of the mystery in this one wasn't quite as enveloping, so I enjoyed the 2nd half of the story much more than the 1st half.

Overall, I enjoyed this story and rate it 3.5/5 stars.

Another excellent entry in this series! Although I think I liked the first book a bit more, this sequel proved immensely enjoyable. I loved witnessing Rika and Kem's relationship continue to blossom and unfurl. This book gave me a bit of a "Knives Out" vibe, far more than the first one did, sprinkled with the additional pinch of whimsy, surrealism, and deviousness.

Can't wait to see where this series takes us next. So underrated, in my opinion!

Book 2 of The Echo Archives finds our main character Kembral Thorne back at work dealing with Echoes, mystical objects, tentacle monsters and overpowered demon Gods while trying to make sure her babysitter is good with an pulling an overnighter.
This time around Kembral is tasked with hunting down the entity responsible for enacting a blood curse that is affecting four of her childhood friends. Rika, Kembrals relatively new girlfriend and woman of dubious parentage with a few tricks up her sleeve, is along for the case when enlisted by a client to help save a few souls.
Thank you to NetGalley and Orbit books for the opportunity to read and review this book which I am giving 3.5⭐️.
I liked this book more than the first book. This book had a much smaller setting, more of a locked room mystery feel to it, giving the author more time to focus on Kembral and Rika, their developing relationship and the supporting characters. Now that the heavy work of world building was done in book 1 I was able to focus more on the story and characters which I enjoyed. If you are a fan fantasy filled mysteries I would recommend checking out this series.

4.5 stars. Another solid entry in The Echo Archives. If you enjoyed The Last Hour Among Worlds, you'll definitely like this one. Kembral and Rika are back for another fantastical mystery, this time with the bonus of murder in an old, remote mansion. The Echos are just as mind-boggling, the pace moves at a brisk clip, Kembral's deadpan dialogue remains a pleasure to read, and the characters are all well done, including the delightfully dramatic Jaycel Morningray. My feelings about this book are very similar to how I felt about the first: it's a breath of fresh air in a genre now overcrowded with fae romantasies. I'm looking forward to the third installment in the series!

This book did a great job of picking up shortly after book one left off, but with a brand new mystery and some fun new characters including a dragon babysitter. I read this in one sitting - Caruso just keeps getting better and better!

With the quest for dependable, reliable childcare seemingly handled our dear detective is yanked out of maternity leave to handle a mystery surrounding several of her childhood friends. The story takes Kem and Rika to an island, waiting for backup to arrive while marooned with people, including her friends, being killed off by a curse. They travel into other realities as they try to solve the mystery that they landed in only to find themselves in the deep end of a personal challenge. I found this to be just as engrossing a read as The Last Hour Between Worlds and similarly to that first book of the series, the mystery of this story is solved by the end of the book, but not everything is resolved and it teases at more drama ahead so I am holding my breath to see what comes in the third installment of the Echo Archives.
I received access to this eARC thru NetGalley (for which I want to thank NetGalley and the publisher, Orbit) for an honest review. The opinion expressed here is my own

Another great installment in this series, where we follow Kembral and Rika unravelling another mystery together. I really like these characters and the Echo world, it’s so creative.