A different murder, mystery, romance, magic filled fantasy series. Lots of snarky banter.

A dragon baby sitter. (Don’t make a big thing of it. And if you are up to no good, well, expect to be eaten crunchy or not.)

A baby, mainly off scene. (Very important in a doting, loving, working mum way.)

Childhood friends. (Our maybe childhood sweetened memories. They grow up, they change, and maybe they were never who we thought they were, or really friendly at all. But there are some keepers.)

Kembral Thorne, Hound and Echo expert. (There are many layers of Echo. Each step down more mixed up, scarier and deadlier than the previous.) She likes her job. She’s good at her job. But she also wants to be alive at the end of the day to go home and cuddle her baby.

As the murders build up, who’s telling the truth? Secrets keep come bludgeoning out. Kembral has her work cut out for her again. Can she solve the murder mystery and bring the culprit bang to rights. Can she solve the ever present mess of her emotions and feelings. She doesn’t know which is the worse problem to have, her work or love.

Oh, and her love’s mother, she’s a real doozy.

Read book one first. It’s equally good, and you will be up to speed in characters and setting.

Thank you to Little, Brown Book Group UK and NetGalley for the ARC. The views expressed are all mine, freely given.

I had such a great time with this! I really enjoyed the first one so I couldn’t wait to get around to the second one, and this was just as fun. I love the elements of horror that’s entwined within it, and how much the writing really grips you and makes it so easy to picture a movie playing out in your head.

There was a big theme of mother/daughter issues that I enjoyed between multiple characters, I always enjoy this as a theme. There was also a lot of Kem and Rika exploring what their relationship looks like now that it’s in the early stages, which is a lot different from other peoples’ relationships as well given their jobs. It was a lot of testing each others’ boundaries.

Like I enjoyed about the first book, it’s refreshing to see a new mum (and an asexual) as the main character.

I did find it confusing at times and didn’t know what was going on, just like in the first book. Things are moving so fast and there’s so many moving parts that it can be hard to follow them all, I found. This isn’t a series to read if you’re into in-depth explorations of world building.

I thought this would be a duology so finding out there will be a third in the series is so exciting and I cannot wait!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

Each descending reality is as unhinged as the last, her childhood friends are being hunted by an astral wolf, her slow burn sapphic lover is on the same dangerous job, and Kembral is STILL not done with maternity leave. 🏚🗝💀

Melissa Caruso’s Echo Archives series has me in an absolute chokehold—and I’m not even mad about it. This second installment of the Echo Archives series somehow manages to be even more chaotic, cursed, and queer than the first book, and I loved every single page like it was made for me.

Kem Thorne, our reluctant heroine and danger-magnet, is just trying to relax on her maternity leave. You know, do some light baby-snuggling and not get sucked into reality-bending murder games. But does the universe respect work-life balance? Absolutely not. Her childhood best friend needs her help, and suddenly Kem’s off to a gothic estate on an isolated piece of land, where the will reading immediately turns into a murder competition.

With three cursed relics, a wish with an ominous fine print, the death of her childhood friends, a murder that may not be tied to the relics, and Rika, her now-girlfriend/former rival present at the same job, the emotional entanglement is more entwined than my wired headphones left in my bag for fifteen minutes.

Cue the descending realities—a concept that remains absurdly cool, wildly unpredictable, and literally unhinged. It's like “choose your own adventure,” if every choice involved eldritch side effects and emotional trauma.

There’s something beautifully chaotic about how this series blends magical bureaucracy, puzzle-box plots, and romantic yearning with “oh no, another dimension is going to eat us”. Caruso has a gift for inserting humor into truly grim situations. It's cursed Scooby-Doo with more trauma and lesbians, and I mean that as the highest praise.

If you’re not reading the Echo Archives series yet, I need you to correct this immediately. Start with The Last Hour Between Worlds and prepare for a fantastical rollercoaster that throws you into emotional multiverses and occasionally punches you in the feelings. I adored The Last Soul Among Wolves. Melissa Caruso: please keep writing these forever.

The Last Soul Among Wolves is the sequel to The Last Hour Between Worlds. Where the first book was a time loop action/mystery within a fantasy world, this one is more of your classic house-based murder mystery within the dangerous fantasy world.

I liked that we got to see more about the history of main character Kembral, via her childhood friends. The fact that her character was embroiled in one of her friends' schemes from a long time ago was actually great to see because she did hold to her Hound principles and question her friends as suspects rather than just blindly believe them.

I feel like the story was a bit of a slower burn compared to book one though, with it really only starting to pick up at about the 30% mark. There were some good story twists from there though and I liked the character development for both Kem and Rika.

I'll definitely be picking up the third book in the Echo Archives series

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

ARC review - The Last Soul Among Wolves by Melissa Caruso

Book 2 in The Echo Archives series, out 19 August.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
4.5 stars

Let me start out by saying that this book was just as good, if not better as the first one in the series, so if you enjoyed The Last Hour Between Worlds, you'll enjoy this one, too!

We pick up the story a few weeks after the events from book 1, and Kembral is invited to a reunion with her school friends. This of course turns into a mystery she has to solve, but in a completely different setting compared to book 1.

Thankfully, she won't be left without the company and assistance of Rika, so we get to see more of their blooming relationship. We learn more about Rika in this book and I found her ARC really interesting!

The world bulding is so creative and fascinating, and I'm sure the audiobook will further elevate the experience with Moria Quirk's narration! She did an outstanding job with the different voices and accents in book 1.

PS. Y'all will love the babysitter!

A massive thank you to Little Brown UK, Netgalley and the author for providing a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

I really like this series of books and I'm looking forward to what the next book is going to do. It feels like a fun new take on fantasy with the magic system and all.

“Someone has to worry about you. You’re not going to do it yourself, infuriating creature.”

It was a pleasure to come back to this world after The Last Hour Between World. If you liked this first book, you’ll for sure will love the Last Soul Among Wolves. This is a follow-up of the story, even though you can expect a few differences.
First, there is less world building, which is logical as all the settings have been exposed in the first book. That allows this sequel to be more fast paced, but it’s also a bit less immersive IMO. But what you lose in WB, you gain in the plot. In this one, the plot is centered around a murder mystery, that if it’s not completely closed doors brings totally the vibes (with the addition of the fantasy). That makes it very addictive —even more than book 1— and as a consequence I’ve read it in almost only one go.
But what I might have enjoyed the most was that in this one Kembral and Rika are in an established relationship, even though it’s still green. It allows to explore different things than what we are used to, especially as it creates more tensions and conflicts, exposing them to different dangers in their adventures. I also loved Kembral’s evolution. As she is a bit more installed in her role as a mother, she realizes how much she ALSO wants to work. I loved this duality, and I can’t wait to know more about this, and about the romance in the next book.
The found family aspect, with Kembral’s childhood friends, is also a nice one. I loved the resulting feelings, mixing nostalgia, regrets and hope (!) for the future.
I can’t wait to read the next one!

Thank you to the author and Little, Brown Book Group UK | Orbit for the access to the eARC on NetGalley. My opinions are my own.

When a sequel comes along to a dazzingly original book it raises a few questions like, can it live up to the first book? Will the concept hold for a series as opposed to a one off? Will I enjoy it as much as the first book? etc etc. Luckily for me, in the case of the The Last Soul Amongst Wolves the answers were yes, yes and actually, maybe even more because now the worldbuilding is a little more familiar and the characters already established and so I care that much more what happens to them. Plus The Last Soul Among Wolves is a rollicking good fantasy mystery adventure in its own right.
Kembral is still on maternity leave, and still recovering from the events of that unforgettable party, when a friend asks her for help. Years ago her childhood friends entered a spooky house on an island where they each signed their names in a book in blood. What seemes like a childhood dare devil prank has now become a literal matter of life and death, their signatures have entered them in a deadly game and there will be only one survivor. Kembral is determined to break the curse and save her friends, but they are not the only players on this game, time is running out, the exits are blocked and there is a murderer on the loose.... Tense, thrilling and inventive, this is another unputtdownable adventure. Highly recommended.

Last Soul among the Wolves
This was a fantastic read and a great sequel to The Last Hour Between Worlds. A locked room murder mystery in a brilliantly conceived fantasy world definitely ticks all of the boxes for me.
The Last Soul among the Wolves begins 6 months after the events in The Last Hour Between Worlds. Kembral and Rika are still adjusting to their new relationship and the fall out from the year end when Kembral is dragged to a will reading in a very creepy house by one of her childhood friends. As events unfold she finds herself once more involved in a plot created by the Empyreans and again, her friends lives are at stake.
I love the world that Melissa Caruso has created with its different layers of reality and the creatures who inhabit the echoes. As in the previous book, the world is depicted so vividly that it is easy for the reader to picture the scene. In this second book we learn more about the Empyreans and the links between them and their human anchors which was fascinating. I actually think that Arhsta is one of the best non human villains in recent fantasy books. She really is power mad.
I really enjoyed the development of the relationship between Kembral and Rika and the way that it impacted on their actions. I do sympathise with Rika’s frustration at the way Kembral insists that she is the only one who can do things but that is part of her character and her job. Neither of them are perfect but they gradually learn to trust and believe in each other.
The secondary characters were all written well with their own distinct personalities especially Kembral’s childhood friends but even the very minor characters such as the Raven Signa Zarvish were memorable. My personal favourite was the dragon baby sitter. The scene where they confess to Kembral about how they dealt with the unwelcome visitors made me laugh out loud.
Melissa Caruso is one of my favourite fantasy writers and this book contains all of the reasons why. We have brilliant plotting, well written characters and amazing world building that all come together in a fantastic story. I can’t wait to see what lies in store for Kembral and Rika.
My thanks as always to Net Galley and the publishers, Little Brown Group UK, for allowing me to read this ARC in return for my honest review.

If you read and enjoyed the Last Hour Between Worlds, you will love this sequel.
This was just enjoyable a read as the first, and I can't wait to read more book/s in this series!

Another multi-layered reality adventure featuring Kem & Rika. Building on their foundations of a relationship from book one, we are thrown back into the Echoes so that Kem can attempt to help her childhood friends who all signed a cursed book to try and win a wish - at the price of being the last member of the gang left standing. As a high standing member of the Cat guild, Rika is hired by a member of the group to help as well - but it turns out large chunks of the story they are being told is a manipulation from the Empyrean who kidnapped Rika as a child and now wants her back.

This was a great sequel to The Last Hour Between Worlds - I thought that the characters and relationships between them were built on and expanded. A lot more back story was given which filled out some gaps and answered sone questions from book one. I can't wait to see what premise is used to get them trekking down the echoes again for the next book

A decent sequel to the Last Hour Between Worlds. There continues to be lots of beautiful imagination and world building. I love the concept of Echos, mortals and Empyreans. The naming of the Empyreans continues to be a little nugget of joy for a fantasy fan.
I found Kembral to be more engaging this time, perhaps because the reference to her out of scene daughter were fewer and I loved the scenes with her and Rika Nonesuch, who continues to be fabulous.

But, there was still something missing for me. Rika continues to be a far more engaging character and I think I would have preferred her POV. Her character and her background are so fascinating, especially her relationship to her mother.
So much context and key information is told to us. A big character point for Kembral is that she works this insanely adventurous and dangerous job while having an infant daughter at home. Yet we never much time at all with her or in Kembral’s alluded to world outside of her current heist. It is hard to care about things we are not shown. I feel this book tells us a lot about where we should care and how we should feel (such as how scary the echoes are) but doesn’t quite deliver.
I think overall if you were a big fan of book 1, you’ll also love this.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the eARC!

How to help your childhood friends when they’re cursed?

The main character faces this dilemma when her friends inherit a lamp, a mirror, and a book. However, only one of them will live to own them, while the rest will perish within days. As the deaths occur exponentially, the deadline looms, forcing Kem to take drastic measures to save her people.

The plot is well-crafted, with intricate details of the curse gradually revealing themselves chapter by chapter. The revelations not only complicate the possible solution but also highlight Kem’s strengths and weaknesses. The writing is smooth and engaging, with a strong emphasis on action and a plot-driven narrative.

One issue I encountered was Kem’s pretentious assumption that her motherhood granted her maturity over her friends. This assumption is further emphasized when she descends into the fifth level of nightmarish hell without considering the consequences, believing that she’s the only one capable of fixing the universe. This play on Kem’s self-awareness is a refreshing aspect of the story, once you get over her initial monologues.

It’s a reader-friendly story, as you do not need to be familiar with all the details of the previous book. The main aspects are self-explanatory, and the broader plot is seamlessly integrated without disrupting the reader’s understanding.

Highly recommend it as a delightful and easy-to-read fantasy. An ideal choice to unwind and immerse yourself in a captivating story. I couldn’t put it down from the very first page, and it’s an entertaining read throughout.

I had a very good time with the first inslallment of this series. I am little sad to say that this second book was less enchanting than I hoped, probably because I already knew the universe a little, and the mystery had a different tone. The characters do seems to change less in this one too, meaning a lack, or at least a shift in the tension carried throughout the book.

Despite these elements, it was still a nice read, entertaining and still filled to the brim with a sort of mystic vibe that suits me so well, with a bit of an eery and whimsy atmosphere. Similarly, it is still a great pleasure to have a young mom as a main character, asexual on top of that. Her relationship with the Cat is cute, though I sometimes wished for something... more. Not sexually or anything, just an intensity that I found lacking in this tome.

Finally, the world of this story is still great, with an extended worldbuilding in this new book, which might have influenced my perception too, since there is a diminishing sense of mystery and discovery (not that everything is explained, very far from it, but I don't know, the vibe isn't the same).

Curious to see where book 3 is going !

Thank you to Little Brown Book Group and NetGalley for the ARC!

This is the sequel to The Last Hour Between Wolds and this book starts roughly six months after the events of the previous book. We are thrown into a murder mystery, with Kem and Rika working to solve it!

I really like the worldbuilding that the author has done here to flesh out what was established in book 1. The murder mystery is a locked room one, which is one of my favourites! It's tense and fun and definitely kept me guessing.

I also really liked the secondary cast of characters here. The dynamics were playful and fun and interesting, and I liked getting a glimpse into Kem's past as these are her childhood friends. As things get more dangerous, the tension heightens and it brings a new element to the group of friends. I really liked this aspect and almost wish we could've gotten more of this, because I think it was so unique.

The only part I found slighly lacking was the relationship between Kem and Rika. I wanted to see a bit more development in their relationship. I still liked their scenes, but I just wish that there was more of them!

I'll definitely be looking to pick up the next book in this series!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for granting me free access to the advanced digital copy of this book. A gorgeous 4 star read book from me. What an exciting plot, vivid storytelling and relatable, rich characters. I couldn't put this book down – absolutely loved it

Honestly, I think this is one of my favourite new series in the last couple of years.

The Last Soul Among Wolves picks up six months after The Last Hour Between Worlds and guess what? Kem has been dragged into danger again and once again has a mystery on her hands that will result in deaths if she doesn't solve it. But no pressure!

I loved how we got to see Kem's childhood friends and their dynamic, both in present-day and the references to their past. They were great characters, all with defined personalities and yet I could see why they had been friends. I would have loved to spend a bit more time with this group of secondary characters, for selfish reasons of enjoying them and their dynamic with one another.

This book continues to build upon the world and the lore of the first book, and that was one of the top strengths of the first book. I think this world is just so creative and with such strong, vivid imagery. Still such a highlight of these books.

Locked room-esque murder mysteries with people dying off one by one start with a great premise, and this one was twisty and well-plotted. Engaging, had obvious stakes (people dying! Kem's friends slated for death unless Kem can do something about it!), and with solid pacing.

The only thing I could have asked for was a bit more of the relationship between Kem and Rika, in the sense where yes, we moved each of them forward as individual characters and I like them together quite a lot, but I did feel the growth of their relationship with one another didn't really get much attention - and to be clear, I don't particularly want more romance focus! I'm very happy with the level of romance currently! I just would have liked to see a bit more character development around their relationship and personalities.

If you liked The Last Hour Between Worlds (and you should have liked it; it was wonderful), you'll definitely like this one as well. And if you need another little tidbit to sell you: dragon babysitter?!

Thank you to the publisher, Orbit, and to NetGalley for the ARC.