A crime hunter on maternity leave, her rival cat burglar, murders at a year’s end party and a clock that moves time whenever it chimes. I loved the premise of this book and saw so much potential in the world the author had created. Unfortunately, the writing style just wasn’t for me (dare I say it felt YA?)

The dialogue felt unimaginative and after the first few chapters, I grew tired of hearing the same things: that the main character was a new mom and that she struggles in her relationships with other characters. While I loved the idea of a new mother as the protagonist, Kembral’s inner dialogue constantly just refers to it without going deeper into any her thoughts, leaving her one dimensional. Regretfully, DNF at 30%.

4.5 stars rounded up

Goshdang this book was fabulous. New mum Kembral, an agent trained to retrieve lost people from other layers of reality, is supposed to still be on maternity leave when a party with her colleagues turns into a locked-room nightmare as the party starts dropping through the layers.

The world was FASCINATING and truly imaginative. The difference layers of reality, called Echoes, change more the further down you go, and that has all sort of consequences for the people trapped there. And there’s some really cool to do with… I don’t even know how you’d describe it, interdimensional travel? Basically, Kembral has some badass abilities. I really loved the POV perspective of a new mum navigating the tension between professional duty and her responsibility to stay safe for her kid. There was a lovely romantic subplot that I look forward to being fleshed out more in the next book.

There were a couple of niggle that kept it from being a five star read for me. There was a lot of over-identification with the guilds: don’t you know I’m a Hound, I’m too much of Hound for that, what did you expect from a Cat, I’m a Hound not a Raven etc. And while the worldbuilding was really cool, there were times when the stuff left unexplained lagged the pace for me while I was adding up the dots.

Imagine a swish New Year’s Eve party combined with Groundhog day and that gives you a fairly good starting point for Melissa Caruso’s new fantasy novel.
I really loved the whole idea of this book and it was executed brilliantly. The synopsis sounded quite complicated but when reading, everything fell into place perfectly. I loved Kembral and her character facing the dilemma of having a job that places her in danger but having a baby daughter who depends on her was a refreshing change from 20 year olds saving the world.
The different layers of reality were fantastic and I loved the way that everything got progressively more dangerous as they got further away from their original world. There were some interesting plot twists which I really enjoyed and a slow burn romance to add to the mix.
This was an excellent start to a new series by Melissa Caruso and I can’t wait to see where it goes next.
Huge thanks to Net Galley and the publishers, Little Brown Book Group UK for allowing me to read this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

With a strong cast, action beats, and very interesting worldbuilding, The Last Hour Between Worlds shows that Caruso’s talents, formerly confined to more traditional epic fantasy worlds in the Swords and Rooks and Ruin series, can and does translate to other fantasy realms as well. This appears to be the first of a duology, and there is plenty of material, character, plot and worldbuilding wise, for that followup. I’m already looking forward to it.

*The Last Hour Between Worlds* by Melissa Caruso is one of those rare finds that immediately pulls you into its intricate world. Kembral Thorne, the protagonist, is a fascinating mix of strength and vulnerability. A new mom just trying to take a break at a party, she suddenly finds herself in the middle of a deadly time loop, where reality is constantly shifting. The premise is so engaging—every chime of a mysterious clock thrusts Kembral and her old rival, Rika, into darker and more dangerous layers of reality. It’s got that perfect mix of high stakes, mystery, and complex relationships that keeps you turning the pages.

The world-building is fantastic, especially with the concept of different layers of reality and the "Echoes" that characters experience. While the magic system took a bit of time to sink in—especially since there’s so much happening at once—Melissa Caruso manages to balance all of these elements masterfully by the time you hit the halfway point. It’s definitely a "jump in and hang on" kind of read, but if you’re willing to trust the author, it pays off in spades.

Kembral herself is a refreshingly competent protagonist. She’s not only great at her job but also navigating the complexities of her relationship with her newborn daughter. Her dynamic with Rika is deliciously tense—a mix of rivalry, unresolved feelings, and forced cooperation that makes for such an entertaining back-and-forth. The tension between them simmers just under the surface, adding a subtle layer of romantic intrigue without overshadowing the larger plot.

Now, while the pacing in the beginning felt a little slow for me, it quickly picked up, and once you’re in, you’re *in*. The time-loop concept is brilliantly executed, and I loved how each loop peeled back more layers of both the plot and the characters. By the end, everything ties together so neatly, leaving you with that satisfying feeling of having gone on a wild, thrilling ride.

Overall, this book has it all—magic, mystery, and compelling characters. I couldn’t put it down, and I’m already eager for the next installment in the series. If you’re into adventure fantasy with a dash of sci-fi and complex relationships, this one’s for you! And hey, the fact that it’s got a cool, reality-bending twist? I’m all in.

Thank you to Little, Brown Book Group UK and Netgalley for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was a really refreshing read, because the “Inception” style premise of this story was so different to anything else I’ve read in a while. (It took me a while to get through but that’s not really the book’s fault, I’ve just been in a bit of a reading slump.)

I’m still not sure I entirely understood what was happening in terms of the “magic” of the world, but there were some great twists and turns. The relationship between the two main characters was very sweet. I also enjoyed reading the scenes with the various side characters, I hope we see more character development for some of them in the next book.

As for the ending, it didn’t really have a cliffhanger, which was a nice change! However, I am definitely keen to see what happens in the next book, as I’m not sure everything is what it seems 😏

This review will be posted to my Goodreads account on 10 November 2024.

I loved the concept of this book and whilst I did find the pacing lag a tiny bit in places, overall the execution was well done. The slow burn between the MC and Rika was perfectly toned and complimented the main storyline nicely without overshadowing it. I'm looking forward to the sequel

5/5

A turn of the New Year party brings on the intrigue and mystery in The Last Hour Between Worlds – a startlingly layered series debut that disentangles a campy, sinister locked room murder mystery spanning twelve different layers of reality. Featuring a postpartum agent on leave trying to stop the murders and a sapphic cat-and-mouse game between two rivals who team up to solve the case, Caruso’s latest is an ambitious cocktail with ever-changing flavors, all of which remained entrenched in my memory long after I finished reading. Caruso plunges her characters into alternate realities that grow more and more bizarre, as she untangles her complicated web of humans, echoes, and empyreans playing a dangerous game to decide the fate of the upcoming year. With twelve new realities to wade through before the game is up, The Last Hours Between Worlds introduces a new kind of fantasy mystery that completely rewrites the possibilities of its genres and the types of protagonists featured at their center. Playing on the traditions of Agatha Christie and the investigative duo, but integrating concepts of the multiverse and centering queer characters, Caruso puts her own stamp on the classic whodunit and the fantasy mystery crossover. Impressive in its magnitude, The Last Hour Between Worlds is a groundbreaking beginning emboldened by what is sure to be a boundary-spanning series. I’m so impressed by the twists that didn’t lose their punch and how deeply layered this managed to be. I was put through all the emotions from start to finish and though I can’t easily encapsulate the full experience of reading The Last Hour Between Worlds, it is truly brilliant and deserves to be read by everyone this November and beyond.

My full review is up on my blog

Don't get me wrong, I did read and enjoy this book , but somehow it was not so satisfying. Probably just I had expected it to be better than it was, going by the synopsis. It did have some very good parts and exciting scenes but somehow did not get together for me.

I honestly need start reading the whole synopsis because this is the second book that I requested and one of the main ideas of the book is something that is not my cup of tea AT ALL so I guest that my fault I’m giving it a low rating but maybe if you don’t mind it or if it wasn’t there I would’ve given this a higher rating

My thanks to Little Brown Book Group UK and Net Galey for a free eARC of "The Last Hour Between Worlds" by Melissa Caruso.
What started as an intreaguing blend of Sci-Fantasy Murder Mystery turned out into an exhausting neverending repeating tale.
The time loop was captivating for the first two or three times it hapened, then it becomed tiredsome.
As a reader what I need in order to enjoy a book is at least one nuanced character to relate to, to care about.
Here the characters read like weak YA protagonists.
There were so times when the main heroine was having some logic, but the next moment she was acting so unprofessional compared to how she is viewed by everyone, including herself.
I don't want to talk about the enemies to lovers situation. It was more imature even then the YA romances I avoid at all costs.
So I could only force myself up to 52%. No eldrich mystery, no steampunk element can convince me to endure these characters any longer.

3.5 stars

The premise of this fast moving, heart stomping fantasy was extremely compelling and deserves a full 4 stars.

This is place where reality as we know it is mirrored in alternate worlds, or “Echoes”. These Echoes very closely mimic the real thing with a few twisted differences. The deeper you travel down this rabbit hole of realities the more dangerous it gets.

The story centers around Kembral, who is an experienced Hound (a retriever of people who have fallen down the cracks of reality)
I found the level of imagination for each Echo boundless and can completely see how a series can develop out of this concept. However, I found the interactions between the characters underdeveloped. Our main protagonist felt very 1 dimensional, with her thoughts and dialogue centering around either her new baby or the unrequited feelings she has for Rika.

It’s a pity as I still think this author hit it out of the park with the worlds within worlds she has created.

i feel the need to start this by saying i found this hard to get into. once i was into it though i really did enjoy it - the world building was done really well and i grew to love the characters.

i found the twists to be a little predictable but i don't think that took away from my enjoyment though.

i'm really looking forward to continuing this series and can't wait to see where it goes!

thank you so much to netgalley, the publisher and the author for the arc 🫶🏻

3.7 stars

After struggling a little bit to get into this book in the beginning, it turned out to be a pretty interesting story.
The world building was great, the echoes felt like a fever dream (in the best way possible). And even though there are time resets in this story, the plot did not feel repetitive at all!
The characters really grew on me throughout the story. At first, I didn't really care much for them but towards the end I warmed up to them. I need to know what happens in the next book!!
Some aspects of the ending were somehow predictable but it still held some surprises, which was nice.
I really liked the writing itself.

I really wanted to love this but I can’t. It didn’t deliver to what was promised when you read the description. Really gutted.

A fantastic book. The plot is filled with mystery - a genre you don’t often see combined with fantasy and I really enjoyed this blend. The characters are flawed and fabulous. Their feelings and relationships are deep and beautiful. I cried quite a bit 😂. Would definitely recommend to others, possibly to fans of other historical/fantasy mystery novels such as A Marvellous Light and also for fans of books with middle aged protagonists such as Amina Al-Sirafi. Magical, gay, fabulous!

This was such a thrilling read. I loved every second of it.

I love the relationship between the two main characters and their game of cat and mouse throughout the book. I was shocked at every twist and turn in the story and I couldn’t put it down.

I can’t wait to pick up the next book in the series.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for an E-ARC of the book

As requested, my review will be posted two weeks before publishing date to my Instagram and Reado account.

I really struggled with this book. I love my 'Inception' as much as the next nerd, and along with time travel (kinda) this story should absolute delight me. Paired with the FMC being reluctant to take a job because she has a little daughter, I was determined to like this.

The story is taking place at a New Year's Eve party, which gets Groundhog Day-ed by a couple of villains (or is it villain singular?). Just way more bloody and mysterious and complex. Also the time that has to be relived is not a day but an hour. And also the reruns take place in other dimensions, so-called Echoes, and the deeper down reality slips into the Echoes, the more messed up the world gets. And if the FMC doesn't solve this, people will get killed over and over. So she has to both solve the riddle and also find allies that believe her and help her. Among them an ex-crush.

So far, so intriguing. What I struggled with was the way the world aka the Echoes were described. I just couldn't get a picture in my mind that fit. It's stated that these dimensions are dangerous and wildly weird, yet there's only a few instances where it's described in a way my brain could process. From everything that was stated, our MCs should have been dead seven Echoes down or sooner, but...well...they aren't.
For the most time I felt lost within the dimensions , unsure what the 'game' really was about, and got a bit annoyed with the clock.
So over time I got quite disconnected with the story, even though I really wished for a hook and something to reel me in. And when things became clearer about 70% in, the story had already lost me.

3,5/5 stars

Thank you @netgalley and @littlebrownbookgroup_uk for the eARC!

#LastHourBetweenWorlds #Netgalley #Bookstagram

In The Last Hour Between Worlds, star investigator Kembral Thorne and her rival, the infamous burglar Rika Nonesuch, are thrust into a reality-bending adventure when a mysterious grandfather clock at a party starts killing guests and propelling them through alternate layers of their city. With each chime, they find themselves in progressively darker versions of their world, facing a sinister figure performing blood-soaked rituals. Forced to work together, Kem and Rika must unravel the clock’s secrets and stop the deadly time loops to save their city.

Wow, this book was an absolute ride! It wasted no time getting straight into a completely addictive time loop plot and the pace never let up. I adore time loop stories of any kind when they're done well, and this one nails it - the tension builds with every loop as the stakes get higher, every loop progresses at least one of the many threads of the story and unveils more of the players and plot twists. I think I was stressed in a good way the whole way through!

I really connected with the main character, Kembral, a single mum to a 2 month old baby girl who is just trying to enjoy a few hours away from her newborn and feel a bit like herself for a moment. Unfortunately, the party descends into a more dangerous version of reality every few hours, she's forced back into work-mode 2 months post-partum, she's caught in a deadly time loop, and her only assistance is from the woman who betrayed her. The girl just can't catch a break!

The world building is really well done - it's introduced early on that the world is based around the phases of the moon, but what this means is explained gradually throughout the story rather than by infodumps. This, combined with the whole concept of the different levels of reality, could have been really overcomplicated and hard to understand but somehow the author managed to flawlessly and gradually integrate all the worldbuilding into this addictive plot.

When I requested the ARC, I had no idea that this was part of a series as I thought it was a standalone. While this story has a proper ending and doesn't end on a cliffhanger, it does leave it in a really strong place to continue the story, so I'm really looking forward to continuing The Echo Archives series. I'm not sure how book two could top the tension of book one, but I'm excited to see if it can!

Disclaimer: I received an Advance Reader Copy from NetGalley, but this is my voluntary and honest review.

Thank you Netgalley and the author for allowing me to read this early.

This book is a time travelling fantasy with a groundhog kind of element. I would recommend this to others