Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

This was an interesting dystopian novella and I wished for more in this world. I wanted to know more about how the world got to this point and more about the characters. The revenge that the courtesans got with the undead girl was great and made the story so good.

I think this is one of those novellas that would've benefited from being a full length novel. I love a story that can be told concisely but some stories need more space to be told. The worldbuilding felt convoluted and rushed because of the length. I enjoyed the idea of a sex worker raised from the dead in a dystopian future where she becomes a vigilante stalking those that hurt her & her loved ones, but it needed more space to be developed.

Really enjoyed the audiobook from start to finish. Author wrote this with great pace. This Audiobook is now one of my top books of the year for sure. Loved every second of this audiobook.

In a dystopian future Jewel works as a courtesan in a Luxury ‘House’. When her friend Winfield is murdered by a client, but reanimates after her funeral Jewel must help her gain peace.

I really liked the premise as I enjoy dystopian worldscapes, but I just couldn’t get on with the writing style. It was weirdly worded, there are a lot of run on sentences with ‘and’ over and over, which I found made it flow oddly.

The narrator was fine, but it’s a bit hard to judge because I was struggling to work out what was happening at times.

I love when a novella can pack so much into it. This definitely did!
Set in a futuristic lawless city that revolves completely around money. Jewel is an exclusive courtesan resigned to her world when her coworker and friend is murdered but doesn’t stay dead.
The writing really pulls you in quickly and paints this bleak setting very vividly. It’s under 100 pages, audio is under 3 hours but so much about greed, afterlife and found family bonds is conveyed really eloquently.

Thanks to NetGalley and ECW Press Audio for an advanced listening copy.

I enjoyed this a lot - it had its stumbles, but I was captivated the entire time. The very fluid, comma-splice-y writing style was a little difficult for me to get into reading the physical novella, but I thought it worked wonderfully in the audiobook (which was overall very well narrated). This one will stay with me for awhile.

Bizarre. I wanted to love this, however, this story definitely began in medias res which made it difficult to follow. It also referenced ideas, gadgets and social structures that were impossible to figure out without context. I think some of the ideas were extremely important, like social status, class, modern slavery, and of course one's worth. I wish there was more to this story!

Actual Rating 3.5 ☆

"Bird in a gilded cage. But better a cage than an oven “

And What Can We Offer You Tonight by Premee Mohamed tells the story of courtesans in a futuristic dystopian society. The story follows Jewel as she attends the funeral of Winfield, who was murdered by a client, but somehow comes back to life. This is half a story of revenge, half a stream-of-consciousness set in a very interesting society.

It is very lyrical and the writing is quite beautiful. The story itself was gripping, dealing with hard hitting topics. There was an air of mystery from start to finish that never quite seemed to come to a resolution.

I do think there was something off with the way the narrator delivers lines in the audiobook. There were strange pauses in between the sentences that makes me think that it is narrated as if it was a novel in verse. With the way things are being narrated the sentences are cut off and disjointed, and makes it harder to understand what the book was trying to say. It made for a very awkward reading experience and quite honestly detracted from me being able to truly enjoy reading the book..

Thank you to ECW Press Audio, Bespeak Audio Editions, and Netgalley for the ALC in exchange for an honest review.

“And What Can We Offer You Tonight” by Premee Mohamed is a story about Jewel, a courtesan, in a world with a government corrupt and has everyone on edge. When Jewel’s friend and fellow courtesan is murdered by a client she is brought back to life in order for revenge.

This book was very poetic, and a short story of corruption and mistreatment of citizens deemed lesser than those in charge. I really liked the idea behind the story and how it was put together. 4 out of 5 stars.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Premee Mohamed for providing me with a complimentary digital audiobook ARC for And What Can We Offer You Tonight coming out December 15, 2023. The honest opinions expressed in this review are my own.

In a far future city, where you can fall to a government cull for a single mistake, And What Can We Offer You Tonight tells the story of Jewel, established courtesan in a luxurious House. Jewel’s world is shaken when her friend is murdered by a client, but somehow comes back to life. To get revenge, they will both have to confront the limits of loyalty, guilt, and justice.

This is a novella. I really loved the plot. I thought it was an interesting set up and I really enjoy future societies and dystopian stories. Obviously it was a novella, but I would’ve liked to see a little more of the world building. It had some dark themes. I’ll definitely check out other books by this author. I also thought the narrator was really great!

Thank you to Netgalley and Premee Mohamed on this audio extract of And what can we offer you tonight.

I found the few hours of listening to this book, it had ne very intrigued. I liked the world building as has a definite dystopian feel to it. The Narrator Elana Dunkelmanhas a beautiful voice and was very well chosen. She reads with good pace.

Would like to see the whole book on Netgalley whether it been an ebook or audio version as Id like to read more

Listening to the sample had me intrigued, definitely interested in reading more of this book . I really liked the narrator

The premise of this book was intriguing, but unfortunately I didn't gel with the writing style. It was quite flowery and fantastical, and whilst this is a short book, it felt long. I think the style suited the story, but it just wasn't for me. I think the narrator suited the story too, but again, wasn't for me. People who enjoy streams of consciousness and flowery writing will probably enjoy this.

Thanks to net galley for the arc.

Thanks to NetGalley for allowing me to read this. I've been wanting to read it since it won the Nebula and World Fantasy awards for best novella. I can see why it won, because it managed to do a huge amount of world-building in a short space. The story was also interesting, focusing on marginalized people who find a way to get revenge in an unfair world.
I have a particular fondness for revenge novels, because when they are good, they make the world seem more in balance. I'm looking forward to reading more by this author.

This is a very vivid world-building exercise of women trapped in brothel-like servitude as the only outlet for survival in an extremely harshly divided society. When one of them is murdered by a client and somehow returns to life, it becomes an eye opener for the narrator, a fellow courtesan that gets her eyes opened to the powers pulling the strings, and an opportunity to take some agency finally. The depictions of the society and life are vivid, though there could be more interaction with actual clients/aristocrats to raise the stakes.

This was quite an interesting audiobook as I’ve not read anything from this author before so I was a little bit sceptical but the writing style was so easy to listen to the narrator was intriguing and I love the way she had different tones for different characters and it was very emotional I also really like the story I think it was a really good dark dystopian world based on a scheme of someone going from the bottom level of being used in a red light district and work on the way up to being and destroying the head and I generally would read more from this author, and I loved how short it was as well, but it didn’t skimp on any details

And What Can We Offer You Tonight es una novela corta situada en un futuro distópico donde las desigualdades sociales son tan grandes que muchas personas han de recurrir a la prostitución como fuente de ingresos para sobrevivir. Lo terrorífico es que esta historia no necesita apenas suspensión de la incredulidad por parte del lector para tornarse muy real.


La acción del libro se sitúa en un prostíbulo de lujo, donde los más adinerados pueden disfrutar de los placeres de la carne ajena. Las cortesanas que trabajan allí, están agradecidas por la posición que ostentan y la seguridad que tienen, pero justo al principio de la novela se dan cuenta de que es todo una ilusión, ya que un cliente mata a una de ellas y sale totalmente impune del crimen.

La parte fantástica del libro comienza cuando la víctima vuelve de entre los muertos y se apoya en sus otras compañeras para buscar venganza o justicia, algo que se irá viendo conforme avance la lectura.

Es un relato muy corto que en formato audiolibro se escucha en una sola mañana si tienes mucha faena en casa. Busca impactar sobre todo con la injusticia social, pero quizá se queda corto en cuanto a recorrido, porque son apenas 100 páginas. Premee Mohamed ni ofrece explicaciones sobre la vuelta de la persona asesinada ni hacen falta, es un mero artificio para exponer su crítica. Quizá lo más interesante sea los ritos funerarios que se exponen y como los poderosos pretenden apropiarse de ellos también, despojando de identidad a quienes ya robaron la libertad.

Elana Dunkelman es la encargada de narrar una obra que se alzó con varios galardones durante su año de publicación, entre ellos el Nebula y el World Fantasy. La suya es una muy buena labor, con una voz que nos sitúa en este mundo del futuro y en la juventud de la protagonista.

I am a Premee fan. This is my 3rd read of hers and I am just always intrigued by the aay she crafts her stories. She tends to write in a shorter form and I think that works for her. It intensifies the story and how her readers engage with the themes and topics she explores.

In a futuristic, yet dystopic world, where no surprise, wealth grants supreme power and immunity, a courtesan is granted her wish to punish the ones who used and broke her. The world surrounding our characters isn't fleshed out wholly in the narrative, but enough detail is given for the reader to be fine moving from lace to place.

What is important is each character, although told from the perspective of Jewel, her connection to Win and Nero is sufficient for is to be able to understand their friendship.and position in the House where they work. I could feel the disdain and contempt held for those who are sex workers, the power that the clients so carelessly world over them, as if they are no longer of value because credits have been exchanged to indulge in their bodies and other talents.

Mohamed does a great job of presenting a story that is quite familiar in tone and place, giving us a character who has through her death taken back her power, is seeking vengeance, and freedom for those like her, who are scorned and abused; to the narrator who although aware of where and what her station garners her, still wants some semblance of safety in the familiar, who understands the hierarchy of the world, but believes she has no influence to enact change.

A lot is done in so little a package.

Premee Mohamed's 'And What Can We Offer You Tonight' explores a dystopian world where Jewel questions her existence after a friend's murder. Despite intriguing characters and a unique plot aiming to dismantle societal oppression, the novella suffers from excessive foreshadowing and a questionable writing style. While it delves into themes of exploitation and injustice, the slow pace hinders its impact. The story's brevity, vivid portrayal, and thought-provoking themes earn it a three-star rating, but the challenging writing style may deter those seeking a faster-paced read.

3.5

I’ve been wanting to read this novella since it was nominated (and won) best novella in the 2022 Nebula and World Fantasy Awards, so I couldn’t request this audio review copy faster when I saw it available on NetGalley. Unfortunately, I think audio was not the way to go for me with this story. I liked the narrator, Elana Dunkelman; however, I think the writing itself was best suited to be read physically.

This novella is incredibly short (under 80 pages) and it packs a punch. It follows a courtesan named Jewel after her friend is murdered by a client and somehow comes back to life. It’s a great exploration of exploitation and the failures of capitalism in a bleak dystopian future. The writing was lush and atmospheric but something about the reading experience just didn’t stick with me as much as I wanted it to. I will definitely be rereading this with my eyes at some point, and I will continue to check out work by Premee Mohamed.