A fantastic multiverse concept which depicts layers of reality mirroring a fantasy world, each more macabre and terrifying than the one above. Styled around an echo, the concept takes place in both the settings out main characters - Kembral and Rika - and also in a 'Groundhog day' type timeline where the hours approaching the new year are repeated, each with minor shifts. It was a fascinating concept, and though the individual echoes were not as highly detailed as I would have liked, there was a menacing presence that built as we went from the Prime layer to the eleventh echo.

With several mysteries to unravel, a high stakes game of murder and mayhem, a hint of enemies-to-lovers Sapphic romance, and a strong moral thread, this book packs a lot in, but doesn't often get weighed down by its complex plot. Some of the twists were genuinely unexpected, and the timeline helped provide a little simplicity when it was getting too much.

I can't help but think this would make a fabulous graphic novel, or even a video game, as the distortions of each echo would make intriguing and surreal images. I can't wait to see fan-art start to crop up!

First off...DISCLAIMER: I requested this title on NetGalley. Thanks to Little, Brown Book Group UK for providing a temporary ecopy. This didn't influence my review in any way.

STEPPING UP

I have to preface this review by saying I'm a huge fan of alternate realities and time loops, but I tend to like them more when they're encapsulated in a sci-fi or magical-realism context. I do read fantasy from time to time (low/contemporary/urban), but I have to be completely sold on the book's premise...which was the case with Caruso's take on multiverse, so I took a chance on it - and I'm so glad I did. Basically, the setting is a world similar to our own - albeit steeped in magic and giving off an early-20th-century vibe - except in this world twelve layers of reality exist: the root universe, or Prime, and its eleven Echoes, getting more and more grotesque and dangerous the farther you stray from their paradigm. While it took a bit for the story to get going (I understand that the world-building had to be established, and it makes sense that the main character would look for answers at the party before she faced the outdoors and their mind-bending horrors, but the first couple of Echoes were a tad lackluster), it ultimately found its footing and became exciting and addictive, piling up layers (ha!) of horror, mystery, action, romance, plus character development and more world-building.

A WOMAN'S WORTH

The protagonist, Kembral, is a new mother who's trying to enjoy a few hours away from her daughter for the first time - the kid's father fled when he heard she was pregnant, so she's raising her daughter alone, and only managed to go to the party because her sister volunteered to babysit. While I'm not a parent, I appreciated the discourse about motherhood the author spun - the old dichotomy all women face when they have a baby, the conflict between wanting to stay at home and raise the kid versus wanting to go back to work (and maybe to a less demanding/dangerous job than the one they used to have, for that matter), the elation and exhaustion, the sense of inadequacy, the erasure of everything that makes you a woman as opposed to a mother. Suffice to say, Caruso is totally down-to-earth and honest about the issue, but she ends up taking a very healthy stance on it. I also appreciated how, in a world that doesn't have a specific temporal collocation, but as I said, gives off strong vintage vibes, gender and sexuality are a complete non-issue - there's evident romantic tension involving two women (at least one of which is bi, obviously), and even a non-binary side character, and no one bats an eye (not to mention, most women turn out to be badass with a sword in their hand).

IT'S NOT A BIG DEAL

I do have a couple of quibbles about the story (besides the slow start, that is). One is very much a matter of personal preference: while I enjoyed the peculiar F/F enemies-to-lovers second-chance romance a lot more than I thought I would, I have to say it suffers from the lack-of-communication syndrome that's very common in bookish relationships - despite the need for secrecy and the guild rivalry and whatnot, love interest Rika could have very well thrown Kembral a bone a bit earlier, instead of letting her think she had been led on when they first met; and the only reason for it not to happen is that, without their banter and slow coming-together, the book would be half the length it is 😂 (OK, I'm exaggerating, but still). The second, more robust complaint I have is that a couple of the twists are a bit obvious (but rest assured that there's plenty of them, so the story doesn't run out of steam because of that). On the whole though, I found TLHBW to be a very entertaining and creative spin on a classic trope, with a protagonist who's a breath of fresh air in many ways, and I'm looking forward to following Kembral's (and Rika's) new adventures next year.

Thank you Netgalley for providing this eARC for review.
Loved this it was a lot of fun! A really fascinating world and magic system and great characters.
My only issues that brought it down from a 5 star is that it felt as if it should've been the second book in a series. Whilst the author did do a good job of explaining the world I felt like it could've been done better in a previous book that involved a bit more of the 'Prime' world since this one was so insular. There was also a lot of mentions of previous plot points and character relationship drama that I felt would've hit better in this book had we seen it play out in a previous book. There was a point I had to go and double check that I hadn't accidentally picked up a book in a series without realising!
That said I thought it was a great book, well fleshed out, and I can't wait to read the second one!

That was great read, fast paced, mad mayhem, and chaos overseen by Kem, our MC - a determined, fierce, workaholic new mum who attends a new year party as her first trip out of the house post-birth. The entire story is set within a small geography, which could have confined the potential of the book and potentially the starting book of what I believe is going to be a series of adventures, but if anything it created a greater sense of urgency and immediacy.

The Last Hour Between Worlds isn't something I would have picked up to read without it knowing Melissa Caruso’s other work but I am glad that I did. The book is classified as a science fiction and fantasy book but arguably you could claim its at least part-romance.

The world build is fantastic with MC skilfully straddling the line between fantasy and romance and giving just enough information without leaving the reader feeling overwhelmed. More an emotional, and loving romance, than the romantasy smut you often see in this genre my only issue with the romance element was the repetition.

What a great read! This book wasn't at all what I expected, and I feel that it should be marketed as romantasy rather than just sci-fi and fantasy. I enjoyed the urban fantasy setting, and the infinite worlds that we follow Kem through. The world building was so original and I absolutely loved the main characters. Highly recommend this one if you like time loops and you're looking for a refreshing fantasy book.

This book is such a unique journey, a fantasy based murder mystery time-loop extravaganza. Wonderfully weird and compelling, this book follows a new mother reluctantly being dragged back into what she does best. The time loop taking place pulls the small cast of characters down through Inception-style layers of the world: the deeper you go, the more distorted reality becomes.

I found the chaotic power system to be very unique, creating intense visuals for your imagination to completely envelop you in. I initially struggled to get into this book as the story is based in a world very different to our own and you get a lot of unexplained information provided very quickly, but the plot was so engaging that not long after it all just clicked and I breezed through the rest without stopping as I just needed to know how it would play out. The book features a fairly small cast of characters that allows you to get deeply invested in each of them as the investigation unfolds. I greatly enjoyed following Kembral through the story as she was such a comically fed-up main character. On her first social outing since entering motherhood, she’s just counting down the hours until she gets to go home. She finds herself in situations that are beyond perilous and yet she has so much confidence in herself that it doesn’t even occur to her that she might be in danger, she’s just annoyed that she’s having to work while on leave. Kembral is iconically relatable and exhausted with just about everyone, she is the best at what she does and she knows it without being arrogant about it.

I had no idea what to expect when I started the book, so this was a very enjoyable and intriguing read that had me so invested in solving the mystery that I couldn’t think about anything else until I had finished. The book read like a Hercule Poirot case drove a train straight into Inception birthing a fantasy Groundhog Day mashup like no other. This concoction produces a stunningly compelling medley of twists and self-discoveries that are sure to leave you satisfied.

Thank you to Melissa Caruso’s team and NetGalley for allowing me the opportunity to give an advance review on this book. If you’re a fan of relatably exhausted main characters, time loop murder mysteries and distorted realities then I would recommend you try this one, as I give this a 4/5 star rating!

This book is a really interesting mix of a murder mystery and groundhog day. The weaving between the two is seamless, and it's a joy to read. The idea of being stuck in the same hour while descending into madness like Alice in Wonderland through each layer of reality. The constantly changing circumstances kept me glued to the book even though I had other things to do.

The FMC, Kembral, gave birth a few months ago, so that was also a unique take on the story. Investigating both the murders and navigating increasingly bizarre surroundings hinders her because she just pushed a human being out of her body and isn't fully healed yet. It also puts her in a precarious moral position - should she be selfish or selfless? Does she stay out of the whole debacle, minimising the risc to her life so she can return to her child, or does she stick her neck out and take responibility for the lives of those stuck, unaware, with her in the Ground Hog Murder Madness by investigating the whole mess?

Trying to evade death from every angle, over and over again, when you have a history with your only/reluctant ally is the worst! Especially, with extra bagage weighing them down, since their last disastrous encounter. So in short; the relationship with the love interest, Rika, is strained at best and antagonistic at worst. Sounds fun, right?

The abilities have been seen before, but with some have a few twists, like actually dedicating years to train and sustain a highly praised and valuabled ability. The world is vivid and enjoyable to read, and I can't wait to dive right back into the sequel.

I definitely recommend this book to readers of murder mysteries!

This was fun. You have Kembral, a mother making her first escape after having a baby to go to a New Years Eve party that starts fairly normal but quickly descends to chaos after an odd clock starts chiming. I was interested in the way people can fall into echoes and how there is a guild that fishes people back out (with Kembral being the best of course) and investigate crimes and mysteries.

The story takes a sharp dive into weird and scary with the chime of the clock, lots of murder, though thankfully it gets reset every hour. I really felt for Kembral, who was so tired but doing her best to solve why it was all happening (very ominous reason!) and the players behind it. It got really interesting when she teamed up with Rita who has secrets of her own, besides being a cat and they made a lot of progress when they worked together both on finding the solution to the big falling down into the echoes, plus a burgeoning love interest that was sweet. The all powerful beings in the echoes were fascinating too. To me they seemed quite a bit like immortal fae. So this world is kind of a mishmash of multiverses and fae realms with odd creepiness (A carnivorous tree made with human hands instead of leaves?!)

I enjoyed this book and am looking forward to more stories from this interesting world, especially what is going to happen in the next year for that place. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for letting me read this good book and getting the chance to review it.

Get ready to dive into this multi-layered groundhog day x knives out x fantasy novel.

This book wasn’t exactly what I expected when reading the synopsis. For some reason I was expecting an epic fantasy where you embark on a magical, time-bending journey with Kembral and her teammates. Instead you get this comically written locked-mansion-murder-mystery kind of thing where the main characters need to defeat the bad guy.

Meanwhile the party venue sinks deeper and deeper into stranger layers of reality. And all this happens in the span of a few hours, I don’t think more than 24h pass in total (yet this book is about 400 pages long. Maybe I would have liked it better if it was cut a bit shorter?). On top of that the same part of the evening keeps repeating itself in a certain way like in groundhog day. I can’t say there is much worldbuilding or character depth. The story pretends to have both, with all the names and events and such being thrown at you, but it only serves to make everything more confusing, not more thought-through. If that isn’t enough, certain developments come completely out of the blue, not making any sense at all, and a certain something keeps being mentioned over and over again (but it feels like it’s being mentioned all these times just for the sake of it instead of because it fits the story). Still, I feel like this story has potential.

So I guess you could say that this book wasn’t really for me. Maybe it would have been different if I’d gone in without expectations (don’t ask me where these expectations came from, I don’t know). Two things I did enjoy are the funny yet fitting chapter titles, and the fact that the whole Echo and multi-layered reality thing seems interesting. The execution and writing style were less my cup of tea.

Nevertheless, if you’re looking for a story that will give you groundhog day x knives out x fantasy vibes, you might want to give this one a shot.


Thank you Netgalley for this ARC.

First off, I absolutely loved the fact that the main character was a new mom, who had all the new mom problems - in fantasy this was SO refreshing!!

I also loved the urban fantasy setting, and the infinite worlds that we follow Kem through. The world building was so well done and original that I just couldn't get enough. Highly recommend this one if you're looking for a fresh new read in the fantasy genre!

Right out of the gate, The Last Hour Between Worlds had the feel of a 5-star read, as long as it maintained the quality and promise of the first few chapters - I personally felt it went one better, and delivered an ending that cements this book as one of my favourites of the year. This is a fast-paced and highly inventive fantasy story that retains its high quality storytelling throughout.

The decision to choose a protagonist who is a single parent raising a new-born child is not something I’ve encountered in the genre before, and from a character development perspective it proves to be absolutely inspired. Kembral spends the story feeling exhausted and isolated from society, a workaholic forced to spend months away from her self-perceived purpose. The shift in priorities in her life is the undertone of the novel, and does wonders adding stakes to the action, and connecting you with the main characters. The elements of friendship and romance are well intertwined in the story, balancing with the high-action plot without slowing the pace at all.

For me, the standout feature of the book I will remember is the slow descent through the world’s Echoes, and the gradual ramping up of the weird and eldritch-horror worldbuilding the deeper they go. The twisted worlds and ominous antagonists created here feel weighty and dangerous, and give the story real stakes and a sense of dread. Combined with the game element that is slowly puzzled out over the novel’s length, there is plenty to propel you through the story, be it working out why these events are unfolding, or to glimpse the horrors of the lowest Echoes.

The Last Hour Between Worlds by Melissa Caruso is a fantastic fantasy mystery with a main character that I fell in love with. Kembral Thorne is a Hound, an investigator who works for the Guild of Hounds, officially charged with investigating crimes relating to magic. She is also a single mother on maternity leave and looking forward to a rare night out at the Year turning ball. The only thing getting in the way of her fun is the presence of Rika Nonesuch, not0rious cat burglar and her professional and sometimes personal arch nemesis, that is until everyone in the room except Kembral drops dead . Kembral finds herself embroiled in a deadly game involving immensely powerful beings striving for control of the future, a magical clock and various realities or echoes that are increasingly dangerous the further they are from the prime world. It is a race against time and the future of the world is at stake.
This was a really propulsive read, the reader is dropped straight into the action with little to no explanation or exploration of the world, its society or its magic. While I sometimes dislike this approach here it worked because I was enjoying the characters and was happy to learn more as the story unfolded. I loved the fact that Kembra was a new mother and that this factored into her thoughts and decision making processes. It's not too often that the kick ass heroine of a book has to factor in breast feeding and childcare. The development of the relationship between Kembra and Rina was beautifully handled and I was absolutely rooting for them. I have seen some people compare this to Groundhog Day but it is far less repetitive than that comparison suggests, in fact I would say Inception might be a better point of reference for the echo realities. The pacing of the story is on point with a feeling of escalating tension that ramps up a the story unfolds and the stakes get higher. There are also several strong secondary characters and I hope that as the series continues we get to see more of them.
I read and reviewed an ARC courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher, all opinions are my own.

🕰️ The Last Hour Between Worlds • Melissa Caruso 🕰️
★★★★★

Read if you enjoy:
🕰️ Urban fantasy
🕰️ Groundhog Day
🕰️ Bizarre alternate realities
🕰️ New mum POV
🕰️ Sapphic romance
🕰️ Rivals team up to save the world

Kembral Thorne celebrates her first night away from her new born baby in style. She attends a party that is rife with politics, rival businesses, and is the source of a tantalizing plot to dominate the world. This is clear when everybody at the party dies after being poisoned, and the strange grandfather clock, recently acquired by the hostess, chimes and sends the party down into a new layer of reality that starts the party all over again. Kembral and her rival, Rika, team up to solve the mystery of who is causing this, as the party sinks into realities that become more bizarre and dangerous as Kembral’s night progresses.

I thought this had an incredible concept with brilliant world building. I eagerly await further stories in this world where the possibilities feel limitless. This was such an exciting book and is one of the best page-turning fantasy books I’ve read all year. It was fun, it was weird, a bit camp, and a lot bad ass. I enjoyed the romance arc at the centre and the individual character arcs too that focused on finding oneself after motherhood for Kembral, and separating oneself from the whims of a mother for Rika.

“Children make you tough. Parents are hard as rock formed in the heart of a volcano.”

“So many people underestimate you if you’re kind. They don’t understand that kindness is a sign of strength. Stars, if I were weak like him, I suppose I couldn’t afford to be so nice!”

I enjoyed reading The Last Hour Between Worlds, but wasn't always drawn to pick it up again - for me, sliding through the different echoes didn't lead to a lot of attachment to the events unfolding. I also felt that the characters could have been further developed, which would have helped with this - even Kembral and Rika felt at times undefined. A bonus for some readers will be that the book leant a lot more heavily into fantasy than I was expected - there's an intriguing blend of genres at play here (sword-wielding sapphics! Steampunk! Characters who are almost god-like in their powers!). I assume the world-building will develop further in future instalments - this initial section of the tale flings us straight into the action, with a lot of plot, and so finer details are often left vague. Nonetheless, a firm sense of place prevails - I could picture the society and the setting, even if I was unaware of or confused by its intricacies. I think the imagery of the world created will stick with me, but I'm unsure if I will continue with the series - it depends on the premise of the second instalment.

Kembral attends a special party when on maternity leave. Everything goes wrong when the whole house gets trapped in a kind of Groundhog Day timeloop, except with each reset they fall down a layer into a deeper Echo and things get weirder and more dangerous as the go.

Fortunately, Kembral is a Hound, she hunts through the different world layers or Echoes to retrieve lost people (or pets). Also in attendance is her frenemy/love interest Rika who is a Cat, which I think is like a sanctioned thief?

I liked the idea, I liked the setting, I didn’t mind the characters even though there isn’t a great deal of development for the secondary characters. The world building was lacking and quite confusing – give me a glossary, an info dump – anything. Explain the different houses? Guilds? Whatever they are. The different moon types, the different Echoes. To start with everything is referred to as an Echo - the different layers of reality, the different creatures, things - it was very confusing.

I didn’t particularly like the first person narration from Kembral and I found her thoughts so repetitive - thinking about her new baby and being tired or not sure of herself because she's a new mother (not a bad thing on it's own, but there was too much of it and it didn't add anything), her blink stepping ability, and especially about Rika. Kembral spends so much time thinking about her relationship (or lack thereof) with Rika and it's often right in the middle of more important things that really should have her whole focus. In fact, reading this made me realise how much of a pet peeve this is for me.

I don't think this was a bad book and I did genuinely like the setting and thought the story had potential but it wasn't my style in the end. I do think this would make a fun movie or tv show, something like Doctor Who crossed with Labyrinth.

2.5 stars

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC.

I really loved this - one of my favourites reads of the year. Hardly any novels featured women who've just given birth, let alone sci-fi/fantasy novels, so this was a refreshing breath of fresh air. The progression through the layers was intriguing and somehow never got boring, and I loved the relationship between Kembral and Rika. For a SFF novel to tackle how women feel about motherhood and returning to work is a brilliant step forward, and I really look forward to reading the rest of the series.

Thank you to the author and publisher for the opportunity to read this early.

Unfortunately, this wasn’t for me. And that’s entirely my problem, because what wasn’t made abundantly clear from the blurb was this is a Groundhog Day plot and I personally despise this trope/ book genre theme. Even with subtle changes I hate reading the same thing over and over so not liking this book is entirely a me problem.

Kembral is still on maternity leave after giving birth, and decides to attend a fancy party because she deserves to have a fun night out. Sadly for her, the new year's eve party in question ends up repeating itself in different layers of reality, with people getting murdered in every layer. Guess who gets to come back from leave for a night to figure it all out?! Jup, it is Kembral.

I've loved Melissa Caruso since I stumbled across The Tethered Mage years ago, and she did not let me down

I honestly don't quite know how to explain this book. It's set in a society reminiscent of medieval Italy, in a inception-y multiverse, with a plot that's got some groundhog day, some murder mystery, and some classic fantasy needing to save the world - all with a healthy dose of witty banter and sapphic pining. If that sounds chaotic, it is! But it's definitely chaotic good :)

Not exactly what I was expecting! Although the book launches straight into action, I wasn't particularly impressed by the pace of the story or its development. I’m sorry to say that the plot didn’t engage me enough to keep reading, so I wasn't able to finish the book.

My sincere thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the e-ARC.

Title: The last hour between worlds
Author: Melissa Caruso
Pages: 432
Rating: 5/5

Publish date - 21st November 2024

A new echo archives series book 1 introduces us to kem and rika. Nemesis to pontetials to nemesis again. They are flung together to try and solve the mystery and save their home.

A more macabre version of ground hog day that had me on the edge of the seat. I was so obsessed with how each "echo" was described. The world building from this story was phenomenon.

I also really liked kem as a character. She'd not long had a baby and was on leave. Not many new mums are made into bum kicking characters so it was really refreshing and enjoying. (As a newish mum myself)

It was a great read with a bit of gore but not disgusting. Endearing and just a fun camp escape room vibe.

The pacing was fantastic. Fast. Quick and addictive.

I'm so excited for book 2 already and the first one isn't even out.

You'll love this book if you like
- enemies to lovers
- no spice
- sapphic love story
- adventure fantasy
- lock/escape rooms