The Last Hour Between Worlds
Ratings8
Average rating3.7
Follow a star investigator and her rival as they journey through layers of reality to save the world as they know it in this whip-smart adventure fantasy about rival guilds, reality-bending magic and unexpected mystery.
Kembral Thorne is spending a few hours away from her newborn, and she's determined to enjoy the party no matter what. But when the guests start dropping dead, Kem has no choice but to get to work. She's a member of the Guild of Hounds, after all, and she can't help picking up the scent of trouble.
She's not the only one. Her professional and personal nemesis, notorious burglar Rika Nonesuch, is on the prowl. They quickly identify what's causing the mayhem: a mysterious grandfather clock that sends them down an Echo every time it chimes. In each strange new layer of reality, time resets and a sinister figure appears to perform a blood-soaked ritual.
As Kem and Rika fall into increasingly macabre versions of their city, they'll need to rely on their wits - and each other - to unravel the secret of the clock and save their city.
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1 primary book#1 in The Echo Archives
The Echo Archives is a 1-book series first released in 2024 with contributions by Melissa Caruso. 1 book is still to be released. The next book is scheduled for release on .
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Fun, but not particularly notable. I found Kembral's voice annoying at times (for example, her calling her daughter a 'potato-shaped human' and her boots 'Good-Ass Boots') but overall the characters were decent and their motivations solid.
An intriguing locked room murder mystery with multiple realities that just happen to line up perfectly for the end of the year, which brings the dark and mysterious out to play.
While it was a slow start, with Kembral constantly reminding us that she had just given birth and was on leave, and she now had a baby to think about so couldn't do half the things she did before getting pregnant, as well as the mass world building that was happening despite it mostly being kept towards a single party/house. However, after pushing through it, there was an urgency in the plot pacing due to the time constraints our main character had with resolving the issue at hand.
The plot had great potential, the idea of Echoes and the things within them being vividly described and fleshed out as we fell deeper into the depths with Kem and the party. While I preferred the focus on the game at hand, there were elements of romance mixed in with Rika, which I found well written.
The way things were wrapped up were nicely wrapped with a bow in some areas, yet I found it lacking in some others.
Overall, it was a good read and I may pick up the sequel in the future, being the world is interesting.
Honestly this book was what I needed, good amount of romance, lots of action, no characters who are helpless and need saving.
