Kembral Throne had a baby two months ago so she decides it’s about time she tried being a normal human being again and goes for her first Big Night Out Post Baby to a fancy shmancy New Year’s party with all the big wigs in town. It’s terrible! Everybody dies then time rewinds as the whole party descends through “echoes” as they are caught up in a competition between godlike beings to name the next New Year or some such. This was ok I liked Kem and I liked the new mother aspect which is something I’ve never really seen in this genre and I liked the relationship with Rika. Aspects I felt were weak were the world building, I felt like I was running to catch up as we never saw this world outside of the party or an echo, we didn’t get Kem in any other context, we didn’t see her with her baby or sister. It felt like there was a lot of story before this party (Ravenswood school, smuggler coins, baby daddy) that was quickly and briefly info dropped to fill in plot details. The structure of the book is also by its nature repetitive and I always find time slip/ groundhog plots quite boring in that way. It was definitely the charming shambles of Kem that kept me interested and it felt like a good idea that needed more meat.

This is the fantasy story of a new year party that goes wrong including murder, mystery and events reoccurring and reoccurring and reoccurring... A good premise if somewhat lacking in potential and execution. I felt that when the time warped yet again, the plot became more convoluted. I simultaneously needed more and less world building - more detail on the differences between the Hounds/Cats/Ravens et al. and the world in general; yet fewer characters would have been preferable. Strangely, I was more interested in learning about previous events that only got side mentions. Also, although it was great to have the main character as a new mother 'returning to work', that point did not need to be repeated so often.

Despite trying several times, I just couldn't stay connected to this book. The plot intrigued me a lot and it should be a win - but I found myself putting it aside. I guess it's not the right time for me to enjoy it yet. I will certainly be returning, but it's a DNF for now.

Maybe I’ve read too much YA / New Adult lately but these days I really struggle to relate to a FMC, invariably some 15 year old girl immaculately saving the day, there really needs to be more women in their 30’s+, messy and unsure women who still don’t give up trying. The Last Hour Between Worlds was delightful for many reasons but this was one very big reason, Kem felt so delightfully real.  The story starts at a New Years Eve office party, Kem is on maternity leave but reluctantly leaves her baby with her sister and attends, self conscious, wanting to be unsociable and go home and struggling to find any clothes that fit, she wears her favourite peacock coat. That alone made me love her. That’s when I knew I was in for a treat.

I’ll admit I can struggle with time travelling stories because they can bounce off my head and confuse me. This is not the case here, the concept is actually really fun, when everyone (but Kem) at the party drops dead, Kem finds herself returned back to the start of the hour, down an ‘Echo’. The problem is that the hour will keep repeating itself with someone dying so Kem brings in the help of her personal nemesis Rika as they battle out the hour over and over, having to learn to trust her each other as they’re thrust back in time, the threat growing with each Exho.

This book is fun and charming and such an adventure, I can’t recommend it enough. The yearning between Kem and Rika (who I also love) is delicious, an enemies to lovers without any toxic drama,it’s sweet slow burn and I was so excited when I saw there was a second book coming so I could spend more time with these characters.
There’s a risk when a story returns to a fixed point over and over but the writing is so enjoyable here that it never feels repetitive, with great action, clever world building, likeable characters and humour, I have praised this book with so many people, an absolute delight.

Thank you NetGalley for the copy in exchange for an honest review.

I love Melissa Caruso's work, The Rooks and Ruin series is one of my all time favourites where I've read the ending multiple times. However, I really struggled to connect with The Last Hour Between Worlds and ended up with a soft DNF. It's a book that I'm hoping I will come back to at some point.

I think the premise is really interesting and I do want to know how the mystery is solved at the end of the book. I'm also a fan of the world building, and found it unique. The issue is is that it just didn't grip me enough, I found myself putting the book down and not picking it up again. As a reader if I don't find myself reaching for a book, I need to move on from it for a while as I'm clearly not in the mood to read the book.

I love Melissa Caruso's writing so I'll hopefully come back to it one day!

I loved this book! It’s been a long time since I read a murder mystery; and a multi layered reality bending mystery to boot; I had a great time reading this and highly recommend.

Excellent fantasy: world building, character development, and storytelling are topo notch.
Well done
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

This book smashes you into a time-warped, reality-twisting New Year’s Eve party with cosmic shenanigans galore. Kembral Thorne wants a chill night off, but when people keeled over and the manor dips into darker dimensions, she’s suddenly spelunking through layers of reality where walls bleed and creepy monsters lurk. And reruns with her nemesis-turned-reluctant-sidekick burglar Rika? Fire. Their snarky banter and simmering tension give every weird echo-laden scene extra spice.

But let’s be real—the pace throttles like a rollercoaster with a wonky brake system. One minute I'm all eyes-on-read, knee-deep in gothic vibes; the next, it's slow-mo and I’m questioning if I accidentally hit snooze. Also, the four-reality spins? Trippy as heck, but occasionally so cluttered I felt like I needed a cheat sheet to keep up. Still, the sapphic chemistry and relentless creeping dread kept me glued—even when my brain circled back to, “Wait, what layer are we in now?”

**Verdict:** A gorgeous hall-of-mirrors fantasy ride that’s messy in the best way: haunting, cute, chaotic, slightly confusing—but totally bingeable. Just don’t bring your social calendar...you won’t use it.

Book Review: The Last Hour Between Worlds (The Echo Archives #1) by Melissa Caruso
4 Stars!

Synopsis: A party, a clock, and mass murder. Kembral, hasn't even returned from maternity leave yet as she finds herself embroiled in a deadly situation. With only herself and Rika, her friend (or more?) turned nemesis, to rely on, Kembral must untangle this situation, one layer at a time.

Rep: Sapphic MC's, Queernormative society, LGBTQ+ Cast.

CW/TW: Murder|Blood|Death|Grief|Loss|Manipulation|Abuse|Others may be present.

Melissa Caruso's Previous Series -> The Obsidian Tower | Book Review: The Quicksilver Court (Rooks and Ruin #2), by Melissa Caruso | Mini Book Review: The Ivory Tomb, by Melissa Caruso

Heyhey BookNerds! I'm back with a long overdue review🙈. Today I'm reviewing The Last Hour Between Worlds by Melissa Caruso, the first book in a brand new series known as The Echo Archives.

The Last Hour Between Worlds is a wonderful start to this series, and an incredibly enjoyable read. The style is reminiscent of Caruso's previous work, feeling like it fits into the New Adult category with a bit of an edge. The prose is as easy to read as it is to fall into, the story is compelling, and the characters amusing.

Though a fantasy with an incredibly intriguing and unique world, the world building is light and easy to grasp. There is a bit of a lack of depth in this regard, but it doesn't prevent the book from being an enjoyable read overall. It is a heavily character focused read, which works well given the MC Kembral's personality and her dynamic with Rika - friend, foe, lover or enemy, the tension in this relationship is palpable and compelling.

The character dynamics of Kembral and Rika (as well as the wider cast) set against this fantasy backdrop with mass murder at its core worked incredibly well. The twists and turns were believable with a good mix of predictable and surprising reveals. The concept of the murders themselves was intriguing from start to finish, and the wider world around it had, and has, me curious, for book 2.

Overall, this was a fun and enjoyable read that I flew through. It was an easy read with a lot of mystery and intrigue, and wonderful characters.

*Many thanks to Orbitbooks for the Netgalley eARC in exchange for an honest review!*

Unfortunately I didn’t connect with this book right from the start. I thought the concept was very interesting and I was excited about it, but almost instantly the characters felt flat to me and that didn’t change, so in the end I dnf’d the book. I might still come back to it some other time, but for now I’m not that interested in it.

Thank you Little, Brown Book Group UK and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinions!

It has a good start, it is interesting and intriguing. Although at the beginning it was difficult to get the hang of it, i got it. It is not a book that I will be reading again but it has potential. I recommend it as a book for beginners to get into reading but

“The Last Hour Between Worlds” had such incredible premises and a great concept. Unfortunately, both of them didn’t succeed to satisfy me at the fullest.

A fantasy starring a mother in her 30s, sapphic rivals-to-lovers, time loops, gods vs. mortals, and captivating worldbuilding. Really, it could have been my next obsession, but at the end of the day, when I finished the book, I felt that the execution of those prompts had not been used at its fullest potential and I was left slightly unsatisfied.

Overall, The Last Hour Between Worlds isn’t a bad book. I think Melissa Caruso as an unique writing style and surely I’d like to read more from her. However, I feel that, especially from the middle section of it through to the ending, it doesn’t maintain a high enough level of engagement for me to consider it an unforgettable read.

I unfortunately DNFed this book at around the 45% mark as I was really struggling to get into it. The plot didn’t grip me and the pace was a little too slow for my liking. I don’t feel like I was gelling with the cast of characters and thus found it difficult to keep up with who was who which made following the plot harder to follow. This book unfortunately wasn’t my favourite but I’m sure that lots of other readers would thoroughly enjoy it!

3.5 🌟

This had such an interesting premise and did keep me guessing throughout the whole story. The setting was really cool with the different king of Groundhog Day situation but everything being slightly different, i liked that we got to see many characters over again in different ways.

I just found it all a little confusing. I feel like this would’ve really benefitted from maybe an information guide laying out the groups and lore etc because it was really hard to follow and not expanded on well enough. I don’t understand the moons, the different guilds (other than Hounds & Cats), the Echoes themselves were quite confusing too. It may have just been it went over my head but yeah I just found a bit of it hard to follow.

The relationship between Rika & Kem was good to see and it’s good that they got a happy ending.

I’m not sure if I will read the next book, I did enjoy this it just fell a bit flat for me.

Whilst a little dense plot & worldbuilding wise at the beginning of the book, this became a fast-paced and intriguing fantasy that had me hooked! I loved how original the writing & characters were and how dynamic and developed they were. The plot was not predictable at all which was so refreshing and honestly is what kept me coming back to the book/thinking about it whilst I was away.

Many thanks to Net Galley & Little, Brown Book Group UK for providing the ARC.

As much as I wanted to enjoy this book, it didn't work for me.

I found the backstory to be confusing and the relationship between the main characters a little confusing, despite the pining. There were some parts of the book that I enjoyed - such as the feistiness of the main character, and the world building. Ultimately, it was a good book, but didn't work for me.

A fast-paced fantasy with high stakes and richly imagined world-building, Caruso crafts a story where timelines collide and choices ripple across realities. With dynamic characters and political intrigue, this book keeps you hooked. It’s both an action-packed adventure and a thoughtful exploration of sacrifice, power, and moral complexity.

2/5 stars! This phone was hard to engage with. The writing style was lengthy and it dragged on at times but sped at others. It was exhausting trying to follow the plot.

I received an Advanced Reader Copy of The Last Hour Between Worlds by Melissa Caruso from Little, Brown Book Group UK through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Melissa Caruso delivers a triumph of rich fantasy in The Last Hour Between Worlds, a novel that skillfully balances political intrigue, emotional tension, and high-stakes magical chaos. From the very first chapter, I was drawn into a story that pulses with danger and hidden depth—one that doesn’t hand you all the answers, and honestly, that’s part of its charm.

The world Caruso creates is intricate and multi-layered, as usual, but it’s also incredibly immersive. The worldbuilding is complex, yet accessible to those willing to pay attention. There are explanations for most things that are happening, but not all of them—and that ambiguity is a deliberate and fascinating choice. Sometimes you want answers on multiple things and sometimes you don't. I'm a little bit of both with this book, and I really enjoyed the tension between knowing just enough and wanting more. The story’s chaotic, shifting nature kept me on the edge of my seat, weaving a web of intrigue that I couldn't help but get lost in.

One of the most pleasant surprises for me was the dynamic between Kembral and Rika. While I typically don’t gravitate toward sapphic relationships in my reading, I found myself truly connecting with theirs. The emotional depth between them, even when they weren’t exactly on the best terms, felt remarkably real. It wasn’t the typical “will they or won’t they” trope—what struck me was how domestic their relationship felt. Despite the turmoil and tension in their lives, there’s a quiet intimacy between them that’s hard to ignore. Even when they're at odds, there’s this unspoken understanding that makes their interactions all the more compelling. It added a layer of emotional complexity that enriched the story in ways I didn’t expect.

As for the plot, The Last Hour Between Worlds doesn’t follow a predictable trajectory. The pacing keeps you engaged without overwhelming you, and the twists are delivered with precision. Caruso has a knack for pulling you into her world, setting up mysteries and intrigues that don’t get fully resolved right away—and honestly, that’s part of the appeal. The tension between the characters, the stakes of their political struggles, and the darker mysteries at play make for an exciting ride, but it’s the emotional stakes and character-driven moments that truly shine.
The characters themselves are richly developed, each with their own internal conflicts and motivations. Caruso does an excellent job of creating characters who feel real in their complexity. None of them are purely good or bad, which makes every decision and every moment of emotional vulnerability feel earned. As I read, I couldn’t help but be pulled into the lives of these characters, feeling their wins, their losses, and their struggles with them.

In the end, The Last Hour Between Worlds is a brilliant combination of political intrigue, magical chaos, and deeply human relationships. It’s a book that asks questions and leaves some of them unanswered, which makes the experience of reading it feel all the more immersive. The emotional depth and unexpected moments of intimacy make this fantasy novel stand out in a genre full of incredible works.

Thank you to Little, Brown Book Group UK for providing me with an ARC of this wonderful book. Sharing my honest impressions was a joy.

I adore the two previous series from this author that I have read and have been anticipating a new novel from her for a long time. Imagine how excited I was to be given an arc! Delight quickly turned to puzzlement and chaos as the story got underway. I was confused and had so many questions to which there were no answers. I usually enjoy an opportunity to work for a complex plot, but unfortunately not this time. Many thanks to Netgalley for an arc of this book.