Synopsis
A whip-smart adventure fantasy packed with rival guilds, reality-bending magic, and sapphic pining, The Last Hour Between Worlds is the brilliant launch of a new series from David Gemmell Award-nominated author, Melissa Caruso.
Kembral Thorne is spending a few hours away from her newborn, and she’s determined to enjoy herself at this party no matter what. But when the guests start dropping dead, Kem has no choice but to get to work. She is a Hound, after all, and she can’t help picking up the scent of trouble.
She’s not the only one. Her professional and personal nemesis, notorious burglar Rika Nonesuch, is on the prowl. They quickly identify what’s causing the a mysterious grandfather clock that sends them down an Echo every time it chimes. In each strange new layer of reality, time resets and a sinister figure appears to perform a blood-soaked ritual.
As Kem and Rika fall into increasingly macabre versions of their city, they’ll need to rely on their wits—and each other—to unravel the secret of the clock and save their home.
Review
I’ve been looking forward to reading Melissa Caruso’s new series for a long time, as I’ve thoroughly enjoyed every book I’ve read by the author before and I enjoy how she blends fast-paced plots with worldbuilding that doesn’t feel unsatisfying or lack depth. This is possibly her most creative world yet… or should that be worlds? I loved the whole concept of the Echoes and that things get progressively weirder and more warped the deeper you go down through layers of reality. The story’s action mostly takes place at a party in a single setting – and a single night – but the surreal nature of the Echoes means it feels like being in a constantly shifting landscape where nothing is quite as it seems.
Kembral, the protagonist, is among the few who can traverse these layers of reality as part of her job, which often involves rescuing people who’ve fallen through the layers. I really liked her as the protagonist. She’s smart and capable yet vulnerable, as she has a newborn daughter at home and is trying to integrate back into the world she works in. It’s a refreshing contrast to the typical fantasy protagonist and the setup means high stakes – after all, she wants to get home to her daughter and is understandably reluctant to get involved in stopping a killer and dealing with Echo business when she’s supposed to be on leave. But when people start dropping dead and there’s some mysterious activity around a creepy grandfather clock that stands at the heart of the party, she soon finds herself enmeshed in a scheme with the potential to affect all the layers of reality.
I love weird multiverse stories involving reality-bending, and although time loop stories can be hit or miss as a concept for me, I think this one really worked. Kembral has to solve what’s essentially a locked room mystery (except in a room that keeps sliding through realities) while working hand in hand with her rival, Rika, with whom she has a tangled and complicated history. Neither of them particularly wants to work with the other to get themselves out of their current situation, but the undercurrent of sapphic romance and the mystery of Rika’s secrets adds to the tension as the pair of them try to get back to their own reality in time for the turning of the new year.
The writing is pacy with just enough detail, and despite the limited setting, there’s enough to hint at a larger world without needing to infodump. The fast plot, great character work and the surreal and creepy setting make this a thoroughly entertaining read and one I’d recommend to anyone who wants a fun and immersive fantasy that works as both a standalone and the first in a series. (And I have the sequel in hand right now!)
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