Thank you to the publishers for the ARC! Melissa Caruso is one of my auto-buy authors and I was very excited to see what she did next after the Swords and Fire and Rooks and Ruin trilogies.

The Last Hour Between Worlds is the start of a new trilogy and follows Kembral Thorne, a Hound and new mom. On her first night out since having her daughter, Kembral gets embroiled in a mystery tests her limits.

One of the things I’ve always loved about Melissa Caruso’s writing is her world building and the way she always incorporates the smaller details into the setting. As the story includes multiple variations of the main world, all the little details like the food, the clothing and the decoration in every version just adds to the overall world building. It makes each version feel more lived in and real, while keeping each one fresh too.

The other thing I love about Melissa Caruso’s books are her characters and Kembral Thorne is no exception. She is very much the exhausted mom and coming to terms with her life as a field Hound vs being a new parent. Kembral is so relatable in so many ways and there were moments that did make me laugh out loud (I always appreciate a witty character!)

This particular book felt different to the previous trilogies, but in a really good way. I loved the political shenanigans of Swords and Fire and Rooks and Ruin, but I really enjoyed the different direction this took. I loved the cast of characters and the new world and I’m really looking forward to spending more time with them.

Book 2 had already been announced, which makes me very happy! I already can’t wait for next summer to rejoin Kembral and co in their next adventure!

I would like to thank Melissa Caruso , The Little Brown Book Group UK and NetGalley for providing me with a reading copy and audiobook file of ' The last Hour Between Worlds' to read and listen to in exchange for an unbiased review .
It was the cover that initially attracted me to this novel . The eye-catching contrast of the black and gold colouring and the bold imagery.

The novel follows the story of its main character ' Kembral Throne' who takes a night away from her newborn to attend a lavish party. Within hours guests around her start to die from what she believes to be a poisoning leaving her in the wake of the tragedy. As a central clock tolls , her surroundings change and she is taken back in time to moments before the incident . Although she knows things are far from right as she notices small changes . Her trained eye knowing that she has fallen between a crack in the layer.

In order to immerse myself into this fantasy world , I played the audiobook and read along with it . I always find that this adds depth for me.
I loved the narrator and thought that ' Moira Quirk ' was such a suitable choice to portray the book .

The premise and concept fascinated me and I began my journey into it with such excitement. Unfortunately it began to fall short for me and with a heavy heart I had to stop reading at around the 21 percent mark. I wanted to love this book, I wanted to love everything about it , but for me it began to get very repetitive and I felt the continuation of it would become more of a chore than enjoyment. I always believe that life is too short to carry on reading books that you cant relate to. I just couldn't get invested which is a shame. I am sure many other readers will devour this book and love every page , but it just wasn't for me.
Although this is the case I would still like to thank all involved for giving me the opportunity to read the publication.

#TheLastHourBetweenWorlds #NetGalley

The main plot idea of this book is one of the most interesting I heard. Unfortunately, I had trouble connecting to the writing style, the story and the characters. Every time the characters travel deeper into the Echoes, a part of the story repeats, which I find annoying.

I also think the book would be more engaging if the worldbuilding were more developed. I would like to know more about Echoes or the characters’ different types of jobs/missions. At times, it felt like being dropped into a fully formed world with minimal explanation, which can be exciting, but it just didn’t work for me with this book.

Ken is having a rare night off following the birth of her first child and decides to attend a New Years Eve party but this soon proves to be a mistake as she becomes embroiled in a murder which she must solve for everything to revert to normal. A feeling of a closed room mystery with Groundhog Day thrown in as each hour chimes Kem descends to a new parallel world which is more macabre than the last and definitely more deadly. A real romp of a book with great world building and I look forward to the next in the series. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc of this book in return for a honest review.

An intriguing mix of urban fantasy and murder mystery, the book follows Kembral Thorne, a special agent who specializes in rescuing people from other dimensions known as Echoes-, who attends a party only to find herself and the other guests trapped in a deadly game.

The plot is intriguing: the party guests fall into increasingly bizarre and dangerous Echoes every hour, full of mesmerising descriptions that create a multi-layered world. To succeed, Kembral will have to work with her arch-nemesis, Rika Nonesuch, a talented thief who hides an unexpected secret.

Caruso's writing is thick and imaginative, building a world teeming with political intrigue and complicated relationships. Perhaps the most compelling aspect is the dynamic between Kembral and Rika, adding depth to the story, although I found it a bit annoying at times. However, as I got immersed in the narrative I thruthfully enjoyed the book. I wonder if it could have been divided into two different novels as the 12 layers become a bit repeating after a while, but it was an enjoyable read.

Drawn in from the first page... Definately a book for handselling. Booktok will eat this book up!!!!

I liked the idea of this, but found the repetition a little boring. After enjoying the start, I rushed through the rest of the book so I could finish it and move onto something else. Not for me, but I'm sure others will enjoy this.

📚 The Last Hour Between Worlds by Melissa Caruso 📚

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Last Hours Between Worlds is a compelling read, filled with dangers lurking around every corner, mysterious creatures playing a deadly game and adventurous protagonists trying to save the world. When the first social outing Kembral Thorne partakes in since having a child turns into a bloody murder scene, she can't help but follow the trail and try to hold back impending doom. On her side, despite everything, is her long term rival, and professional burglar, Rika Nonesuch. The gong of a mysterious, powerful clock seems to be related to what's going on... but what's with all these figures that keep appearing to kill someone in every reality they find themselves in? And can Kem and Rika stop them in time, before it's too late?

The author created a fantastically detailed world, with complex layers of reality built "under" one another as Echos of the reality we know. I found this such a fascinating idea and loved getting to know more about the system chapter after chapter! The protagonists, Kembral and Rika, were also great - very different and yet so good as partners in crime (or partners in trying to save the world?). It was interesting having the MC being a new mother, away from her baby for the first time, as it's a perspective I've not seen before in fantasy. And Rika... her story made my heart clench and want to give her the longest hug!

One downside of this story was that at some point it felt a little repetitive - possibly inevitable due to the nature of the game being played, but still. It slowed down the pace for some parts. This said, the pace definitely picked up again, because I could barely put down the book long enough to drink by the time I was in the final quarter of it!

I'd recommend this to anyone who enjoys fantasy with very high stakes, time-warping, multi-layered realities and a sprinkle of sapphic romance.

Thank you to Netgalley and Orbit for the eARC in exchange for an honest review!

This is a book with an incredibly unique setup, and georgous setting, which couldn't quite deliver on the promises it gives its readers. I DNFed at 70%, and though I wasn't able to finish I can absolutely see why others will absolutely love this book. Unfortunately for me, despite the interesting premise and decidely different main characters to what we are used to seeing, this book just wasn't able to keep me hooked.

A very unfortunate 2/5 for me

Unfortunately this was a DNF for me, I just couldn't get into the storyline and wasn't vibing with the characters.

I feel like this book may be a mood read, so I may return to this in the future, but for now it's a DNF.

I thoroughly enjoyed this sci-fi fantasy adventure and its originality. The idea of guilds which work in the echoes of reality is certainly a unique one and I’d love to see this explored more in future books- the world building she has begun is just brilliant!

The book reminded me of a cross between ‘Alice’s adventures in wonderland’ and ‘The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle’ – both of which I love. The same scenario is played out over and over but slowly gets weirder as you go through the story. It is so full of suspense that you keep wanting to read to the end to see if they make it out ok!

I’m interested to see where the author goes with her characters after this and what a “normal day” at work looks like for Kembral Thorne.

Echoes of reality each one more sinister than the last, compelling characters and a truly unique world- The Last Hour Between Worlds was such a fun read.

The characters and the fantasy world painted by Caruso have a wonderful complexity compounded by a sense of mystery and intrigue. By halfway I was truly immersed in this world, and felt myself being rocketed through the echoes with Kembral and Rika. The contrast between the fast paced action and quiet moments of reflection was both satisfying and exciting. I loved Kembral and Rika’s relationship and Caruso’s prose is intelligent, witty and thought provoking - I can’t wait for the next in the series.

Thank you Little, Brown Book Group UK for a copy of this book. Opinions expressed are my own.

I picked up this book in September, it is now January and I’m DNFing at 76%, I just can’t anymore. This book doesn’t give me any feels what so ever. I was looking forward to reading it and had high hopes when I started. The story was intriguing to start with and I was interested, but as the book has gone on I’ve just found it annoying and very repetitive. Yes I know they are repeating the same hours within each chapter, a big like Groundhog Day. I feel like you don’t learn anything new from the different echoes they are falling into. I’ve read a couple of chapters that didn’t need to be in the book at all, and I’d just be left thinking to myself “I don’t understand, that really did not need to be in, I’ve learnt nothing.” So yes I am finally DNFing this book, I need something that’s going to hold my attention. Thank you for the opportunity to read this arc, and sorry this review is late, I did try but it’s put me in a book slump. Hope there are people out there that will love this book

"The Last Hour Between Worlds" by Melissa Caruso is a stunning blend of fantasy and intrigue, masterfully weaving together high-stakes action and deeply emotional storytelling. Caruso’s world-building is nothing short of extraordinary, painting a vivid, multi-dimensional universe teetering on the brink of collapse. The characters are complex and compelling, their relationships and choices driving a plot that is both heart-pounding and thought-provoking.

The pacing is impeccable, balancing moments of breathless intensity with quieter, poignant interludes. Caruso’s prose is elegant and evocative, pulling readers into every twist and turn of this mesmerizing tale.

An absolute must-read for fans of epic fantasy with rich worlds and unforgettable characters.

So we all know me well enough by now to know that the reason I wanted to read this book is because it's a queer fantasy right? I applied for this book on Netgalley and I'm not gonna lie friends, at the start of this story I was going to DNF this book. I am SO GLAD that I didn't. Friends, this book was genuinely so much fun to read. If you do get a chance to read it, there are a couple of chapters that are a little boring and make it seem like motherhood is Kem's only personality trait, but I promise you if you just push through a little bit the story actually gets really amazing. I found the magic system within this book so interesting and I loved getting to learn more and more about each and every character. There were so many cool side characters that I grew to know and love, (and a small few who I grew to hate). The witty banter and yearning within the enemies to lovers relationship in this book genuinely had me giggling in the early hours of the morning. I genuinely had evenings where I struggled to put this book down. There were a few twists and revelations that literally made me gasp out loud. I would 100% recommend this to anyone who wants a good sapphic enemies to lovers romantasy and I will be picking up a physical copy of this book, as well as the rest of the series as/when it comes out.

Thank you NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book.

I hate to end my year of reading on a low but here we are... DNF at 50%

So the premise was super intriguing; a house dropping into levels of alternate realities known as Echoes, dragging a party of people with it and a FMC and her ex trying to bring them back to reality. Love it. The main character, an early 30s new mum struggling with leaving her new baby and not feeling at her peak, so relatable! (literally spent most of my time reading this breastfeeding my 3 month at 4am, so I loved this POV) But the actual reality of this book was that it was a repetitive slog with no real urgency for something supposedly high stakes, filled with character interactions with no real dimension.

I just couldn't get invested in this story whatsoever. There was no explanation as to what was happening which lent to a disconnect from the mystery of the book. The world building felt lacklustre and each echo level slipped by too quickly to delve into. The sapphic enemies to lovers relationship had about as much passion as I have for this book. For a story about dropping into multiple dimensions, this is truly one of the flattest, two dimensional books I've read. At least I can start my new year with a fresh read!

An excellent combination of humour and suspense made this a very interesting read. Kembral Thorne From the hound Guild., and currently on maternity leave is invited to a New Year’s Eve party which turns to an absolute disaster. She pairs up with her nemesis Rika from the cat guild, and whilst they try to battle evil they also try to clear up their past misunderstandings.
A little bit overall in the middle, but excellent characterisations and intrigue.

I very much enjoyed the audio book and all the different voices from the narrator.
Thanks to #NetGalley for the opportunity to have read/listened to this ahead of publication in exchange for an honest review

I really enjoyed this book! I was excited to read it and it didn’t disappoint me! Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book.

I saw this book tagged as fantasy, sci-fi, mystery, time travel, and the like, but I think that it can also be considered horror. Sure, it’s light horror (does such a thing exist?) and not heavy on the horror side, but still, the setting fits the genre, in my opinion. The Echoes are fascinating places, but they are also creepy and unsettling as hell.
And also the Echoes inhabitants, who are also called Echoes, are deeply unsettling and more horror critters and beings than your typical fantasy creatures. And even if the whole story does not have really strong dream-like vibes, it is still quite nightmarish.
I think that this was part of the problem for me. I found it fascinating, sure, because the author did a great job with it all, but it didn’t work for me. It didn’t move me, I could appreciate it on a purely abstract level, but it didn’t pull at me, it didn’t speak to me.

Sadly, my problems with this book didn’t end there. I wasn’t invested in the characters, either. I really enjoyed some villains and some of the secondary ones, I found them fascinating and original, and I would have loved to spend more time in their company, but the two MCs didn’t really work for me. Kembral and Rika aren’t bad but they weren’t special, either. And that’s strange because Rika is the kind of character that usually works easily with me. But there is a big pro for Kembral. She is a new mother, and we get to see how motherhood started to change her. I think that, in this respect, the author did a good job, but it wasn’t really enough to make me invested in her. I was pretty lukewarm toward them both and things didn’t get better as the book progressed.

And last but not least, the plot is moving slowly. There are reasons for it, but still, to me, things lagged a lot, it was pretty sluggish and even if there were moments more fast-paced, in which my attention was fully engaged, they weren’t many, and I wasn’t really so invested in the mystery or the story. All things considered, I think that this author simply does not work so well for me. It wasn’t that it was bad, but for me, it was all pretty meh.

Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher Orbit for the digital ARC, it has not affected my honest review.

TW: blood, death, violence, bugs, injury, references to pregnancy and childbirth

‘The Last Hour Between Worlds’ follows Kembral Thorne as she tries to spend a few hours away from her newborn daughter at a party in a world where people can accidentally fall through time and become Echoes. Kembral is a Hound, an expert in traversing the different realms and fighting off the more threatening Echoes, but after months away from work she’s not ready for any problems. She just wants to enjoy herself and avoid her boss as he tries to convince her to return from maternity leave early. At the centre of the party is the most extraordinary clock, cracked down the centre and covered in time magic. When people start dropping dead and the clock causes the entire party to fall through the various realms each more dangerous than the last, Kembral is forced to team up with her nemesis, the beautiful cat burglar and former friend Rika Nonesuch. As the party begins again with variations every time, Kembral and Rika have to work together to try and pull it all back into the Prime world before whoever is playing with them can win the game- and potentially destroy the entire universe.

I knew I’d love this book from the description but it’s truly mind-bending as Kembral fights to keep the same group of people alive through increasingly traumatising and disturbing situations. She just needed a break, she feels like she’s lost her previous self since becoming a mother and I thought the way Kembral sees the world now was really well written. Some parts of this book are incredibly tense but there’s an undercurrent of humour that I really enjoyed, Kembral is suspicious and so overly focused on Rika (who she nearly had a romantic relationship with and still regrets) that at first she misses the mystery. I do wish the world had been explained a little more, we’re dropped into Kembral at the party instantly, but once you’re used to the world and the system of time travel it flows so quickly. Rika is complicated and has a dark history but she's exactly the kind of ally Kembral needs, even if there is bad history between them. Kembral and Rika are such good characters, I’ve never read a book where a new mum is struggling with her life as a warrior, the responsibility of her work protecting others and what that means now she has a little girl at home. All of the different worlds they dropped into were threatening in their own way, but I loved how they got weirder as time went on. I’m looking forward to the next book a lot, especially with that ending.