I really wanted to love this but I can’t. It didn’t deliver to what was promised when you read the description. Really gutted.

A fantastic book. The plot is filled with mystery - a genre you don’t often see combined with fantasy and I really enjoyed this blend. The characters are flawed and fabulous. Their feelings and relationships are deep and beautiful. I cried quite a bit 😂. Would definitely recommend to others, possibly to fans of other historical/fantasy mystery novels such as A Marvellous Light and also for fans of books with middle aged protagonists such as Amina Al-Sirafi. Magical, gay, fabulous!

This was such a thrilling read. I loved every second of it.

I love the relationship between the two main characters and their game of cat and mouse throughout the book. I was shocked at every twist and turn in the story and I couldn’t put it down.

I can’t wait to pick up the next book in the series.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for an E-ARC of the book

As requested, my review will be posted two weeks before publishing date to my Instagram and Reado account.

I really struggled with this book. I love my 'Inception' as much as the next nerd, and along with time travel (kinda) this story should absolute delight me. Paired with the FMC being reluctant to take a job because she has a little daughter, I was determined to like this.

The story is taking place at a New Year's Eve party, which gets Groundhog Day-ed by a couple of villains (or is it villain singular?). Just way more bloody and mysterious and complex. Also the time that has to be relived is not a day but an hour. And also the reruns take place in other dimensions, so-called Echoes, and the deeper down reality slips into the Echoes, the more messed up the world gets. And if the FMC doesn't solve this, people will get killed over and over. So she has to both solve the riddle and also find allies that believe her and help her. Among them an ex-crush.

So far, so intriguing. What I struggled with was the way the world aka the Echoes were described. I just couldn't get a picture in my mind that fit. It's stated that these dimensions are dangerous and wildly weird, yet there's only a few instances where it's described in a way my brain could process. From everything that was stated, our MCs should have been dead seven Echoes down or sooner, but...well...they aren't.
For the most time I felt lost within the dimensions , unsure what the 'game' really was about, and got a bit annoyed with the clock.
So over time I got quite disconnected with the story, even though I really wished for a hook and something to reel me in. And when things became clearer about 70% in, the story had already lost me.

3,5/5 stars

Thank you @netgalley and @littlebrownbookgroup_uk for the eARC!

#LastHourBetweenWorlds #Netgalley #Bookstagram

In The Last Hour Between Worlds, star investigator Kembral Thorne and her rival, the infamous burglar Rika Nonesuch, are thrust into a reality-bending adventure when a mysterious grandfather clock at a party starts killing guests and propelling them through alternate layers of their city. With each chime, they find themselves in progressively darker versions of their world, facing a sinister figure performing blood-soaked rituals. Forced to work together, Kem and Rika must unravel the clock’s secrets and stop the deadly time loops to save their city.

Wow, this book was an absolute ride! It wasted no time getting straight into a completely addictive time loop plot and the pace never let up. I adore time loop stories of any kind when they're done well, and this one nails it - the tension builds with every loop as the stakes get higher, every loop progresses at least one of the many threads of the story and unveils more of the players and plot twists. I think I was stressed in a good way the whole way through!

I really connected with the main character, Kembral, a single mum to a 2 month old baby girl who is just trying to enjoy a few hours away from her newborn and feel a bit like herself for a moment. Unfortunately, the party descends into a more dangerous version of reality every few hours, she's forced back into work-mode 2 months post-partum, she's caught in a deadly time loop, and her only assistance is from the woman who betrayed her. The girl just can't catch a break!

The world building is really well done - it's introduced early on that the world is based around the phases of the moon, but what this means is explained gradually throughout the story rather than by infodumps. This, combined with the whole concept of the different levels of reality, could have been really overcomplicated and hard to understand but somehow the author managed to flawlessly and gradually integrate all the worldbuilding into this addictive plot.

When I requested the ARC, I had no idea that this was part of a series as I thought it was a standalone. While this story has a proper ending and doesn't end on a cliffhanger, it does leave it in a really strong place to continue the story, so I'm really looking forward to continuing The Echo Archives series. I'm not sure how book two could top the tension of book one, but I'm excited to see if it can!

Disclaimer: I received an Advance Reader Copy from NetGalley, but this is my voluntary and honest review.

Thank you Netgalley and the author for allowing me to read this early.

This book is a time travelling fantasy with a groundhog kind of element. I would recommend this to others

time shenanigans are always so fun to read, i think the novel lends itself very nicely to the genre conventions. liked this a lot

This was a great story with lots to like - it's a kind of fantasy groundhog day with fairytale elements, set in a party that ends in a massacre only to be reset at midnight in a new, more scary reality. Kembral and Rika are the main characters, a Hound (investigator) and a Cat (thief) who are the only ones who can stop the demons from taking over reality. I didn't like this as much as the Tethered Mage series which felt more complex and richer but this was definitely an entertaining read. I think the only thing I found difficult to take seriously was that Kembral's dashing boyfriend is called Beryl. That in the UK is what we tend to think cantankerous old ladies are called!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC!

Oh dear god I loved this book. I'm exhausted and busy and so this will not be at all cohesive but I hope I can convince some of you to read this when it's out, because WOW.

First of all, the world. The concept of this world is fascinating and really creative. I haven't read anything quite like it, and I really REALLY loved the concept. I would absolutely love to read more in this world and I'm extremely excited that it's more than one book.

Another thing I really appreciated about this book is that although it is a part of a series, it doesn't really end on a cliffhanger. I could never read any sequels (and to be clear, I fully intend to) and I would be completely satisfied with the ending. This is my favourite way to end books in a series - I really dislike ending a book on a cliffhanger because I wholeheartedly believe that each book in a series should stand on its own with its own story and conclusion. I think it was done beautifully here! The ending itself was satisfying and sweet too!

I also adored the characters! For one, there's queerness which is always a win in my book, but god I just love books where the FMCs aren't 19 and naive. I love older MCs, and although I'm not sure if their ages are ever mentioned, I interpreted at least Kembral to be in her 30s. I appreciate that she's a new mother too, because it's a perspective not often seen unless it's to do with some sort of horrible trauma, which this is decidedly not.

I feel the character development was extremely well paced, and information was released to the reader at a good rate that kept me reading but didn't succumb to infodumping everything on me all at once. The same goes for the plot too. It's not a complicated story, and I really liked that. The limited scope allowed me to really exist in the world and take in all the characters, and I think also allowed the author to weave some really good political webs too.

Another quick compliment I have to give the author is that when you're writing women who are a little messy and a little all over the place, it's so easy to fall into the trap of making them so quirky and relateable! but not in a good way. Many times I've put a book down because I just can't stand listening to a character talk all about how much of a mess she is and how quirky and different that makes her. This book didn't do this, and boy was I relieved. Lots of women supporting women, and I love that a lot. OH AND THERE'S NON BINARY REP! AND the non binary character is VERY cool and I would like to become them.

In conclusion, if you are a fan of queerness, weird worlds, magic, and women being extremely cool, you will love this book. Oh, and yearning. PLENTY of angst and yearning, but not in a teenage way. In a very sapphic way.

I can't think of any trigger warnings that would be needed really- there's mention of blood and some descriptions of gore but I didn't find them too graphic. There's on page death too. Don't take this as a full list because truly I'm going off of memory, but I wouldn't consider this to be a high-risk book for most triggers :)

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for granting me free access to the advanced digital copy of this book.
4 stars book from me. Loved the plot and the storytelling in The Last Hour Between Worlds and relatable, likable characters,. Loved every single second reading it.

The premise…
When Kembral Thorne attends a ball, she is drawn into an investigation when her fellow guests start dropping dead.
Along with her rival and former love interest, Rika Nonesuch, Kem discovers the ballroom’s mysterious grandfather clock throws them into increasingly dangerous versions of reality and it becomes a literal race against time to discover the clock’s mysteries and save everyone in their city.

My thoughts…
The hook instantly had me clamouring for an ARC and it didn’t disappoint. Although the first few chapters were a bit slow, once things got going I found myself sucked into a unique world with a charismatic and diverse cast of characters!
I loved seeing a new mum represented in the romantic fantasy space. Seeing Kem’s struggle with her responsibilities and priorities at the same time as falling for someone was refreshing and made her so real and relatable.
Overall, this was a really fun read and something a little different!

Perfect for fans of…
Genevieve Cogman’s The Invisible Library series or for anyone looking to immerse themselves in a unique and fun new world!

This is a brilliantly written fantasy book. The world building is exquisite and easy to follow. I love the idea of echoes and how each echo is more dangerous. Action packed and full of descriptions so you can picture exactly what is happening. I liked the main characters and their bond. As a new to fantasy reader this drew me in from the beginning.

What a magical world , I loved the main protagonist Kembral fierce and grumpy . Lots of twists and turns , I'm looking forward to reading more

Whilst this is not a curriculum book my feedback is for a personal review.
The book was written in a language that was easy for YA as well as adults. It took a while to attach to the lead character. The constant reminder about childbirth etc didn’t resonate well with me and for childless people maybe over emphasised. It’s still a good read

This book was brilliant. Fantastical elements that are described really well so they don't become confusing. Great pacing and lots of action. It packs so many elements into it and you feel like you know what's happening until you don't. Loved the MFC, hoping to see more of her in future books.

Would recommend

I have mixed feelings about this.

The first third or so was really enjoyable. I loved the chaotic setting and the job and abilities of the main character - blink stepping is really cool. The inciting event and the first few echoes, in which the protagonist Kembral pieces out what's going on, were fun and intriguing, setting up an unusual mystery.

But then the plot settled into a repetitive, predictable cycle where the same things happened over and over. I also got very sick of Kembral's inner monologue. Lots of page time is spent on her thinking about the same two things - namely, her uncertain relationship with her love interest Rika, and her baby, whether it was wishing she were with her or thinking about how she never got any sleep because of her, or how she had less stamina since she gave birth. So many times she would tell us that she would have done [something reckless dangerous] but not now that she had a baby to worry about! She also spends a lot of time deciding when/if she should come back from maternity leave. This may be a personal issue but the maternal motivation was completely boring to me.

The characters are decent. Kembral is a bit lacking due to the tedium of her thoughts, but the side characters are all fleshed out enough to be both distinguishable and memorable. I stopped reading the book for like a week and could still tell them apart when I came back to it, which is a good sign (I have a shit memory). The villain sucked though. Everything he said was some stock phrase you might find in any other book, and because Empyreans are meant to be mysterious his motivations were never entirely clear.

In the end I don't regret reading this, and I definitely think you should give it a try if the description sounds at all interesting to you. I am not sure if I'll be reading the sequels though.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the digital ARC.

Very interesting concept with an execution that got a bit lost in translation for me. It was a very interesting premise, but it is a book that requires you to really focus, and that's not what I really want from a YAish novel. I also thought the writing style felt a bit juvenile, so, overall, not my favorite.

I had high hopes for the book - and I wasn't disappointed!
The world that Melissa Caruso builds is a must for every Doctor Who fan. We have a consistent time system and because these are often boring, it's just the accessory to a journey through different levels of reality. These are unusual and stretch the imagination. However, Caruso makes it easy for us to find our way around the bizarre places.
The characters, whether human or not, all invite us to want to know more about them. Be it the strange merchant with a snappy sack or a gender-neutral raven.
Which brings us to the topic of diversity. Aside from the obvious, namely that the protagonist is bisexual and in the story, along with a female love interest, is on to the ‘players’, I loved that she is a young mum. Although I'm not one myself and found it difficult to identify with her at first, I think it's incredibly important that there are more perspectives like this. I also want to get to know different realities of life in fantasy - apart from the fact that it is mandatory that everyone - including young mothers - find themselves represented in one book or another.
I would love to see more books in this world and by this author. Thank you for this extraordinary excursion!

3.5 stars rounded up to 4!

With thanks to Little, Brown Book Group and NetGalley for the ARC’

This is a unique book and I liked the whole building done at the beginning. I enjoyed the character introductions too. It’s almost like a closed door murder mystery that keeps repeating itself in different “echoes” and I think that’s something I haven’t read before! Very unique and I really loved the beginning.

Around the 60% mark I noticed my attention starting to drift, but things sped up again around the 80-90% mark and captured my attention again! The ending was lovely.

Overall, I’m glad I read this ARC, and I would totally recommend this to people because of the very unique concept and the amazing cast of characters.

A very powerful story following a single mum trying to have a break with work acquaintances, but with a magickal twist. She was meant to be on leave, but all hell breaks loose, and finds herself moving through echoes.
It was a bit slow for me, but still enjoyable. There's a lot to absorb and I think it will be a fab series.

Thank you to the author, publisher and netgalley for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.