A Quick Note On This Review: This article includes affiliate links to Bookshop.org as a way of supporting both local bookshops and my own ability to write.
Kembral is on maternity leave from her job as one of the Hounds, a law enforcement body that polices the varied layers of reality, when she finds herself trapped in the machinations of the Empyreans to name the new year. Naming a year gives the Empyrean unprecedented power over the entirety of reality, but they need to lock each world in place with a blood seal to do it, which has turned the New Year’s Eve party Kembral thought was an opportunity to get reacquainted with the adult world into the largest pool of potential murder victims she’s ever had to deal with. To make matters worse, her rival, Rika Nonesuch, is also attending, and if there’s anything Kembral knows about Rika, it’s that it’s far too much to hope that Rika will keep the hearts entrusted to her safe.
The Last Hour Between Worlds by Melissa Caruso provides an interesting premise that I have not seen executed in similar books. Instead of relying on creating a world where fantasy is a twisted reflection of reality, Caruso creates a multi-layered reality where echoes of what might have been become part of that particular layer, and they can interact with one another to create specific, uncanny occurrences. While reading, Caruso does a phenomenal job of drawing the reader in, but on finishing the book and reflecting on its contents, it was tempting to see the entirety of Kembral and Rika’s world as a reflection of the human imagination itself, since so much of what was described through their journey in the Echoes could have been content for daydreams of nightmares, which was fascinating to watch.
Although there were some challenges with the book, with pacing being slightly slower than I typically enjoy, Caruso was able to pick up the slack with fairly compelling characters. Kembral embodied a woman dedicated to her job, justice, and her child, which added an interesting subversion, since most stories like these tend to use dark and brooding men over new mothers who wanted to enjoy a night out. There was also a fair bit of humor injected into the story through Kembral and Rika’s dynamic, which alternated between self-deprecating humor, sarcasm, and dry, deadpan commentary delivered in a way that bucked assumptions.
For casual readers, The Last Hour Between Worlds would be an enjoyable read if you want something in the fantasy genre that’s a little on the lighter side. While Caruso’s novel isn’t a satire per se, the amount of dry humor in it and lack of detailed, grisly depictions of different nightmares Kembral and Rika encounter make it feel a lighter read than something like The Poppy War by R.F. Kuang or Dark Matter by Blake Crouch. It also could be enjoyed by someone looking for a protagonist who doesn’t necessarily conform to stereotypical ideas of what it means to be a mother or a woman.
For writers, The Last Hour Between Worlds presents an opportunity to explore unique world building techniques that incorporate god-like creatures without being driven by deities. It can also present a useful case study for depicting strong female characters in the forms of Kembral and Rika without an over reliance on romance to drive the plot. Further, Caruso’s work is useful both in understanding how to incorporate lighter moments into darker stories without turning it into an entire comedy, and how to use nightmarish elements within your story without making fear the primary goal of the novel or story.
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What’s Next?
I am an avid reader and have quite a few thoughts on how some books could benefit both people that want to be entertained and those looking to sharpen their literary skills.
If you’re interested in finding out more about what I’ve been reading – and how it could benefit you – I will be publishing those thoughts on Fridays on a weekly basis. Check back next week for a discussion of R.F. Kuang’s The Burning God!
The Writerly Review 