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A short queer supernatural noir mystery. I thought it was a fun quick read.

I was not expecting this to be so religious. Angels vs demons and having to say prayers to vanquish them.

This is a novella set in Chicago where murders are happening and a private detective is hired to solve them. It‘s also a sapphic romance.

I liked it, but didn‘t love it. For some reason I want to like CL Polk but I never end up loving her books.

A novella that packs a big story in just a few pages. Helen Brandt, a disgraced Auspex, has crafted a new life as an investigator, plying her talents to solve crimes involving the occult. Polk gives us demons possessing humans, fallen angels using humans to regain heaven, humans who‘ve sold their souls for gain, or in Helen‘s case to save her brother. The relationship between Helen and her lover Edith is well crafted and beautiful. Great read!

This historical fantasy set in Chicago of the 1920's features demons, angels and a noir-style mystery. I enjoyed it very much and thought it had a lot of depth in its plot and characters for a novella-length book.

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I really liked this! I thought that the historical setting was great and I loved the way it impacted the magic system and the beliefs of the characters. I‘m impressed by how much content and amazing writing could be fit into a book this small and am so happy to have finally read it!
4⭐️

“I want the moon.”
“I‘ll get a ladder.”

Oh, it hurt. It hurt to feel loved like this.

My Edith of the sparrows. My heart. My world.

As I watched the thing that was probably going to kill me, I wondered if it was made from the iron of a dead star.

“The trouble with you is you can‘t accept fate.”
“And neither should you.”

A thousand ships would have been honored to sail for her.

“Ain‘t this our song?”
Edith smiled at me through her sand-brown curls. “You say that about all the love songs.”
“That‘s because they‘re ours. Come on; dance with me.”

Even Though I Knew the End is such a short yet absolutely heartfelt read. Every moment spent with Helen and Edith made my heart soar, reading about how much they loved and cared for one another and would do anything for the other. It was also a very pleasant experience reading a book that touched on queer issues without it being to the point of it being triggering for myself. Definitly one of my top reads for the year!!

What will you do for love? How long is long enough? Even Though I Knew the End is a gritty but hopeful novella. Set in an alternate late 30s/early 1940s Chicago it's fast-paced and immersive, sapphic fantasy noir at it's best, and I'd love to spend more time in this world CL Polk created.

Good! Spare but high drama story with magical realism and love. Interesting interplay between heaven and hell, god and the devil. Brings up the thought of what you would do for love, and what you would sacrifice for what cost

I loved C.L. Polk‘s The Midnight Bargain but stalled picking their newest novella up because I‘m not a big fan of noir or mysteries, and honestly if I‘d known there were angels and demons involved, I might not have picked it up at all! That said, I‘m not the perfect reader for this book, however, the magic system, the sapphic relationship at its heart, and the queer 1940s Chicago setting make this a pick for me.

This was a delightful and engaging magical mystery novella. Short sweet and full of serious moments such as using electric shock therapy to cure their "Demons" it was a excellent story for the end of the year. 5 Stars.

I am down to one book to reach my goal.

This fun, bittersweet novella is a smart genre mashup: a bit noir 1940s mystery, a magical fantasy, angels and demons, and a doomed (?) sapphic romance. It feels like an unfair critique to say you wanted more from a novella, but I would have liked a bit more room to get to know the characters and for the mystery to unfold. Polk does a great job creating a moody period piece appropriate atmosphere. I liked the Chicago details and the 40s slang.

This is so delightful, very noirish but magical and sapphic, set in 1941 Chicago. The secret gay bar scene reminded me of A League of Their Own! And January LaVoy is such an amazing #audiobook voice actor. #QueerBooks #LGBTQBooks

I like all of CL Polk‘s work including this. I did have some trouble with the setting of this book though. The magicians and the angels and the demons were fine. But reading about the main character, a lesbian, deal with the homophobia of 1930s Chicago was upsetting, because of how inescapable it felt. I have trouble with history fiction sometimes.

There was pile of story packed into this short book and it was really intriguing - devils, a White City vampire, a warlock, arrogant angels banned from heaven for a time, oh, and lesbians. What a great little story!

Put a hold on this book right after reading @rachelm ‘s review. The audiobook is read by a fantastic voice actor and the story is a noir fantasy f/f romance. It‘s a really interesting magical world where I would love to spend more time. It‘s just under 4 hours so a great listen this blustery day. 💚🐉

Looking for a Depression-era supernatural noir set in Chicago with a sapphic romance at its heart? How 'bout a quick read to pad your 2022 reading goal or just get you through to the end of the year? You're in luck! https://youtu.be/iundIC22zJA

In this alternate history novella, a warlock expelled from her order for trading in her soul tries to uncover who is behind a disturbing string of murders. But in a world where angels and demons are all too real, the risks for a woman who's already made a deal with the devil are incalculably high.

😇book review😈
This is a compact (under four hour audiobook, under 200 page physical book) newly out from Tor.com and I devoured it in two sittings. A magical detective who had made a deal with the devil a decade ago is coming up on the end of her contract— her time on earth is about to end, but there‘s one more job on the horizon.

(More 👇🏼)

🎧 This is a novella. It‘s a story I‘d compare maybe to Dresden Files if Harry were a girl in love with a girl. Angels & demons in 1930/40‘s Chicago. A supernatural mystery. A sapphic romance.

The MC would do anything to keep her love safe so when things go south she steps up. There‘s a subplot that deals with being LGBTQ+ in great time.

I wish it were longer.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2

Y‘all know I‘m eager for more fantastical mysteries, and C.L. Polk‘s latest satisfies my itch. They deliver a capable PI who moves through 1940s Chicago in search of solutions to both her latest case and her own dark past. The world is so well realized that I‘ve gotta hope Polk intends to write more stories in this milieu. I‘d love to delve into all the crevices they resist the urge to over explain here, and to see what the survivors do next.⬇️

I meant to start C.L. Polk‘s forthcoming novella while Cha-Cha was here the other day, but the dogs got a bit full on and some other stuff came up and I had to delay it until tonight. Now I‘m tucked up in bed, revelling in Polk‘s prose and eager to sink fully into the story.

I LOVE this ARC! Helen only has a few days left before her death, and she wants to spend them with her girlfriend: kind, beautiful Edith. But a regular client sends her to do some augury & the case she doesn‘t want to take soon proves impossible to ignore. Fantastical 40s noir, with a lesbian PI, magic, demons and angels? Yes, please.

ARC from Edelweiss
I loved this. Often I feel I am missing out when reading a novella, but not here. There is a perfect amount of character depth, action and unraveling mysteries. The atmosphere of noire Chicago hits just right. I am excited for this to be released and raved about.
Also love this cover it encapsulates the book perfectly.
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