A review by obscurepages
The Dead Cat Tail Assassins by P. Djèlí Clark

adventurous challenging funny mysterious reflective fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

Never have I been so happy and excited that I accurately predicted the plot twists omfg. 😂 But listen, this was madly entertaining, funny, snarky, and action-packed—basically everything I imagined from a new P. Djeli Clark masterpiece.

At first, I thought it was a little slow but I was quickly proven wrong. Once I got past the first chapter, the story is just filled with action and magic from there. Apart from that, I really appreciate the level of world-building and the effort of getting the reader to care about the world-building even when it's just a novella. Because the world in this book—Tal Abisi, the festival happening, the lore and the magic—everything tied up with the storyline itself and that's just so good for me. It's so well-written and compelling that way.

Of course, the characters are really interesting. Eveen, Sky, Fennis, even the goddess Aeril and the other minor characters, I cared about all of them because their characterizations were on point. Not to mention the fact that this story, in a way, kind of raises the question of knowing yourself and what you could have been or what you could be. I just think that's pretty neat, especially for such a snarky, comedic SFF like this.

As for the actual plot/storyline? Perfection. Yes I did guess some of the major plot twists, but it's just so fun 😂 And I think it's because the author did such a great job laying down hints and small crumbs for the readers. They can go unnoticed and surprise the reader for sure. But as for me who's a little fond of the [redacted], I loved getting to see that particular plot twist and guessing it right 😆

Overall, The Dead Cat Tail Assassins is an excellent novella perfect for SFF lovers, especially for fans and new readers of the author! 🥹

Exact rating: 5 stars lol

CW: Blood, gore, body horror (a little bit), murder, violence, death of children, injury detail, fatal injuries

Thank you Netgalley and publisher for the e-arc! This, of course, did not impact my overall opinion of the book.
Expand filter menu Content Warnings