Even Though I Knew the End
- Downloads：9028
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2023-01-12 08:51:51
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：C.L. Polk
- ISBN：1250849454
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary
A magical detective dives into the affairs of Chicago's divine monsters to secure a future with the love of her life。 This sapphic period piece will dazzle anyone looking for mystery， intrigue， romance， magic， or all of the above。
An exiled augur who sold her soul to save her brother's life is offered one last job before serving an eternity in hell。 When she turns it down， her client sweetens the pot by offering up the one payment she can't resist―the chance to have a future where she grows old with the woman she loves。
To succeed， she is given three days to track down the White City Vampire， Chicago's most notorious serial killer。 If she fails， only hell and heartbreak await。
An exiled augur who sold her soul to save her brother's life is offered one last job before serving an eternity in hell。 When she turns it down， her client sweetens the pot by offering up the one payment she can't resist―the chance to have a future where she grows old with the woman she loves。
To succeed， she is given three days to track down the White City Vampire， Chicago's most notorious serial killer。 If she fails， only hell and heartbreak await。
Reviews
LivThebooks
，
I liked this！ It was short but I think this was perfect for this story！
Amy Gray
，
Not something I'd typically pick up， but when I saw it mentioned on some best-of lists for 2022 and then saw how short it is， I thought I'd give it a try。 The relationship between Helen and Edith is lovely， and the author does a great job of making the setting （1940s Chicago） come to life。 The angels-and-demons storyline reminded me of some Supernatural storylines， but in a good way。 Recommended for fantasy readers， romance fans， and anyone looking to dip their toe into fantasy。 Not something I'd typically pick up， but when I saw it mentioned on some best-of lists for 2022 and then saw how short it is， I thought I'd give it a try。 The relationship between Helen and Edith is lovely， and the author does a great job of making the setting （1940s Chicago） come to life。 The angels-and-demons storyline reminded me of some Supernatural storylines， but in a good way。 Recommended for fantasy readers， romance fans， and anyone looking to dip their toe into fantasy。 。。。more
Cecillia
，
Everything about this novella was good: the characters， the story， the setting， the magic。 My one complaint - it ended too quickly！ I'd read a prequel about Elena if Mx。 Polk is ever inclined to write one。 Everything about this novella was good: the characters， the story， the setting， the magic。 My one complaint - it ended too quickly！ I'd read a prequel about Elena if Mx。 Polk is ever inclined to write one。 。。。more
lily
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3。5 stars
ceruleanboy
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3。5 starsThis book was definitely something。When I read the synopsis I was like， okay， I'll be in for a ride。 And I was not wrong。 Though I do feel that some things lacked， and that's why it got the rating of an average book。 The representation is nice。 The setting was interesting and the idea was really good。 But maybe it could've been handled a little bit differently。 For example， I didn't feel much tension even through supposedly tense moments。 I cared about certain things because it felt lik 3。5 starsThis book was definitely something。When I read the synopsis I was like， okay， I'll be in for a ride。 And I was not wrong。 Though I do feel that some things lacked， and that's why it got the rating of an average book。 The representation is nice。 The setting was interesting and the idea was really good。 But maybe it could've been handled a little bit differently。 For example， I didn't feel much tension even through supposedly tense moments。 I cared about certain things because it felt like I should， and not because I actually cared。 I wish Helen and Edith had more time together！！ Their relationship could've been fleshed out more， since it's so important for the overall plot。 Same for Helen and Ted。In the end， I guess that what matters the most is that it was an entertaining and somewhat charming story with decent characters。 But still – I wanted more。 。。。more
Jess
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This was fun but felt like a 300-page fantasy book stuffed inside a 140-page novella。 The pacing was wicked fast which made it a breeze to read， but left me with zero emotional connection to the story; it was just boom boom boom， this happened， then this， then this， PLOT TWIST， then this and this， the end！ By the time I got to the resolution I was like， “I might think this is great or I might me mad about it， I honestly haven’t been here long enough to care。”It seems the novella length worked fo This was fun but felt like a 300-page fantasy book stuffed inside a 140-page novella。 The pacing was wicked fast which made it a breeze to read， but left me with zero emotional connection to the story; it was just boom boom boom， this happened， then this， then this， PLOT TWIST， then this and this， the end！ By the time I got to the resolution I was like， “I might think this is great or I might me mad about it， I honestly haven’t been here long enough to care。”It seems the novella length worked for some people， but imo I leave this one feeling baffled why that choice was made for this story。 I would’ve loved this much more if only it had time to slow down and drip with atmosphere and deliver more rounded， emotional character arcs， but as it was， it felt like an outline。 An entertaining little romp， time well spent， but I won’t be thinking about it by next week。 。。。more
El
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Monsters & angels。 Magic。 And yes。。 romance。
Elisabetta
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This was fun！ I loved the writing style。 The existentialist vibes reminded me of This is how you lose the time war and I thought that was cool。 Also I just adored Edith and Helen。 Their little love story was incredibly written and I’m obsessed with them。 Very fun， quick read
Pie
，
"1940s noir murder mystery but make it with lesbians and also urban fantasy" is an excellent premise for a book and definitely delivered。 Although， I did learn that this book apparently started as Supernatural fanfic and even though I've never watched the show I could … kind of tell？ I mean， （view spoiler）[ Helen selling her soul for her brother's life is I'm pretty sure something that happened in the show， and the way that Haraniel the angel's possession of Edith worked also seemed quite simila "1940s noir murder mystery but make it with lesbians and also urban fantasy" is an excellent premise for a book and definitely delivered。 Although， I did learn that this book apparently started as Supernatural fanfic and even though I've never watched the show I could … kind of tell？ I mean， （view spoiler）[ Helen selling her soul for her brother's life is I'm pretty sure something that happened in the show， and the way that Haraniel the angel's possession of Edith worked also seemed quite similar to what I know of angels on Supernatural。 （hide spoiler）] But hey， I don't think that detracted from my enjoyment， even if I kind of wished this had been a full length book so we could get more details on the world-building。 。。。more
Savannah
，
This was mostly okay， but felt a bit rushed in the world-building and tidy ending。 It's a detective noir with some urban fantasy elements。 This was mostly okay， but felt a bit rushed in the world-building and tidy ending。 It's a detective noir with some urban fantasy elements。 。。。more
Kathy Favazza
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Simplistic characters。 Thin plot。
Heather
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This was a really fast read but i loved the characters
Neo
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I loved this！ The environments and biblical/magical elements really resonated with me。 :）
Heidi
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Solid novella。 The noire part was perhaps a bit over the top。 If it sounds good to you you’ll probably like it。 It’s well written but not brilliant。
Shelby
，
I'm thinking I might have liked this more if it was a full novel。 There was a lot to like here， and I admired how well Polk was able to draw me into this magical version of Chicago without it being confusing or feeling underdeveloped。 The worldbuilding was by far one of the best parts of this book， and the fact that Polk does a better job developing her world in 130 pages that some fantasy authors do in over 500 pages is impressive。 The novella is anchored by a strong main protagonist--Helen， a I'm thinking I might have liked this more if it was a full novel。 There was a lot to like here， and I admired how well Polk was able to draw me into this magical version of Chicago without it being confusing or feeling underdeveloped。 The worldbuilding was by far one of the best parts of this book， and the fact that Polk does a better job developing her world in 130 pages that some fantasy authors do in over 500 pages is impressive。 The novella is anchored by a strong main protagonist--Helen， a detective and warlock who was banished from her magical order after trading her soul for her brother's life。 I would read a 50-book series with Helen as the main character。 There's also some fun supporting characters surrounding Helen--I especially liked Haraniel， the fallen angel， and Marlowe， the femme fatale who may be more than she seems。 I also appreciated how Polk examined queer life in the 1940s through the relationship between Helen and Edith， showcasing both the vibrant culture and community that existed as well as the undeniable obstacles and difficulties that existed for queer people in the first half of the 20th century。At the end of the day though， this book was just。。。missing something for me。 It feels unfair to complain that a novella was too short--like， hello， I knew going into it that it was going to be a quick read--but I felt like certain elements of the story were rushed or underdeveloped。 While it was nice to read a mystery novel where the detective didn't spend 200 pages dithering about a revelation just to drag the story out， it sometimes felt like Helen jumped to her revelations before the reader even had a chance to fully pick up on the most recent clue。 I didn't ever really feel connected to the mystery because there was never really a sense of suspense--it was all figured out 2 pages after it was introduced （but maybe it's for the best that the mystery never felt that interesting to me， because I thought the final reveal was predictable and underwhelming and I would have been infinitely more disappointed if I'd spent even longer reading about it）。 I also felt like some of the crucial character relationships were never sufficiently developed。 The entire novella hinges on Helen selling her soul for her brother， but her relationship with him was barely explored。 And while I thought Helen and Edith were a sweet couple， I didn't feel like I understood their relationship enough （beyond the basic "they're in love"） to feel much emotion when （view spoiler）[ Helen once again bargains her newly-returned soul to bring Edith back to life。 It's a shame because， in theory， this ending of Helen bargaining her soul for Edith and only getting 10 years with her at the end of the novella should be the kind of bittersweet ending that's right up my alley。 But unfortunately， I just didn't really feel invested enough in their relationship to feel strongly about the ending。 （hide spoiler）]All in all， this is a zippy fantasy novella that I think is worth a read。 I wish certain elements had been better developed， but I also realize this book only had so many pages to develop the plot and characters。 Ultimately， I had fun reading this book， and sometimes， that's all I can ask for。 。。。more
Emma Jackson
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 This book was a short but delicious。 I loved the elements of the time period， the magic， the angel/devil story， and the connection from the beginning to end。 Beautiful writing and characters， and I love the way the author describes this world。
Alex Glenn
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3。5 stars。 I had such high hopes for this。 I feel like it wasn’t quite long enough to build up the noir part and focused mostly on the romance。 More backstory between Helen （Elena？） and her brother was needed。 I also would’ve liked to know more about the magic system。
Gabe
，
Chicago sapphic noir was perfect enough and then there were angels and demons。
William Thompson
，
A fine entertainment。
Rebecca Rice
，
Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan-Tor/Forge， Tordotcom for allowing me to read this book！ I really liked this one！ It is differnt and dark and I loved the romance and mystery that was intertwined in such an interesting supernatural plot。 I wasn’t sure what to expect here but I was pleasantly surprised and impressed！ 4。5 ⭐️
Jenn
，
My inner reading voice for this book was 100% 1940's noir and I have never had that happen but I freaking loved it。 This book was recommended to me by a good friend and I am so happy it was。 I had never heard of it before she mentioned it。 It was a super quick read but has turned me on to the author and now I want to read more。 Ok picture 1940's Chicago， trench coats with fedoras running amuck。 Enter Helen， a magical detective of sorts。 We start with her visiting a crime scene while trying to su My inner reading voice for this book was 100% 1940's noir and I have never had that happen but I freaking loved it。 This book was recommended to me by a good friend and I am so happy it was。 I had never heard of it before she mentioned it。 It was a super quick read but has turned me on to the author and now I want to read more。 Ok picture 1940's Chicago， trench coats with fedoras running amuck。 Enter Helen， a magical detective of sorts。 We start with her visiting a crime scene while trying to summon the spirit of the one murdered。 But through her internal dialogue， we also learn that she doesn't expect to live much longer。 Well color me intrigued。 Turns out Helen was exiled from The Brotherhood for selling her soul to the devil - but she did it to save her brother so I think they should have made an exception but that's just me。 Anyway， her deal was a crossroads sort of deal - 10 years to live in exchange for something you want。 However， the demon that holds her contract is willing to let it go in exchange for solving a rash of murders that have been happening。 So while we get to go along on this mystery ride， it's the under arching themes that really tie this book together。 Helen is a queer woman living in 1940。 She has a girlfriend who she loves but they have to pretend to be friends married to men when going out。 The only sanctuary they really have is a hidden speakeasy of sorts。 I loved Polk's dive into this world and the play on good vs evil。 The scene was set perfectly - see my inner noir voice from earlier - and I was completely invested。 I just wish is was longer。 。。。more
Emma☀️
，
The novella was confusing because of the lack of world-building and plot holes， it would have fared better if it was a full-length novel。 This had so much potential but in the end， it did not keep me invested in the plot or characters。
Sara I
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This is the first book I've read by this author and I am now eager to read more from them！ There were many elements that drew me in but the execution of how they integrated into the story and the writing solidified my love of this book。 A beautiful cover and sapphic romance were enough to make me read this but I was rewarded with even more than I had expected， finishing the book in 2-3 sittings and while I had guessed a few plot points， others were completely surprising and brought the pieces of This is the first book I've read by this author and I am now eager to read more from them！ There were many elements that drew me in but the execution of how they integrated into the story and the writing solidified my love of this book。 A beautiful cover and sapphic romance were enough to make me read this but I was rewarded with even more than I had expected， finishing the book in 2-3 sittings and while I had guessed a few plot points， others were completely surprising and brought the pieces of the mystery together in na satisfying way。 This book transported me into a journey alongside Helen and I truly felt for her struggles and hopes， the ending and several other moments （view spoiler）[ seeing a friend， Harry， at the asylum likely committed by family for being queer （hide spoiler）] felt particularly heavy yet powerful。 And I really did enjoy the writing， there were some descriptions that truly made the setting feel real and others that just stuck with me。 There was one line in particular about renting a cafe seat by buying a coffee or something along those lines， but put more eloquently， of course。 If PIs， a dashing of magic and the supernatural， and the kind of love you'd sell your soul for sounds up your alley， I'd definitely recommend this book！ 。。。more
Mari
，
A super effective novella in that the story itself felt rather complete and it had enough space to let me invest in the main characters。 It's always hard putting together a whole investigation in a limited amount of time and for me here， it did end up feeling a bit overstuffed， plot-wise， but it made it readable and thrilling。 The setting and atmosphere were great， the end was bittersweet， and I gobbled this right up。 I would recommend this for fans of A Master of Djinn by P。 Djeli Clark。 A super effective novella in that the story itself felt rather complete and it had enough space to let me invest in the main characters。 It's always hard putting together a whole investigation in a limited amount of time and for me here， it did end up feeling a bit overstuffed， plot-wise， but it made it readable and thrilling。 The setting and atmosphere were great， the end was bittersweet， and I gobbled this right up。 I would recommend this for fans of A Master of Djinn by P。 Djeli Clark。 。。。more
Laura
，
I'm always searching new fantasy books with LGBT main characters and that's why I wanted to read this fantasy novella。 I knew the main character is a lesbian warlock who needs to find a serial killer。 This sounded amazing and I was right。 This story was really good and I loved the main character。 My only complain is that I wanted this novella to be little bit longer because somethings happened little bit too fast in the story。 If this author ever writes another story set in this world， I will de I'm always searching new fantasy books with LGBT main characters and that's why I wanted to read this fantasy novella。 I knew the main character is a lesbian warlock who needs to find a serial killer。 This sounded amazing and I was right。 This story was really good and I loved the main character。 My only complain is that I wanted this novella to be little bit longer because somethings happened little bit too fast in the story。 If this author ever writes another story set in this world， I will definitely read that book。 。。。more
Megan （inkand。imagination）
，
This was such a wonderful little book！ I wasn’t sure what to expect going into it， but I truly loved this one。 My only complaint is that I wish it had been a full-length novel， because the concept and the characters were so amazing that I wanted a bit more！Helen and Edith were perfection， and the relationship was so heart-breakingly beautiful！ I also loved the overall plot aspect - mixing fantasy and historical fiction is something I usually enjoy， and this noir supernatural crime novella didn’t This was such a wonderful little book！ I wasn’t sure what to expect going into it， but I truly loved this one。 My only complaint is that I wish it had been a full-length novel， because the concept and the characters were so amazing that I wanted a bit more！Helen and Edith were perfection， and the relationship was so heart-breakingly beautiful！ I also loved the overall plot aspect - mixing fantasy and historical fiction is something I usually enjoy， and this noir supernatural crime novella didn’t disappoint！ I think fans of Supernatural， Stalking Jack the Ripper， and Kingdom of the Wicked will enjoy this one！ 。。。more
Siobhan
，
CL Polk does not miss。 Beautifully written sapphic noir fantasy novella （view spoiler）[ with as happy an ending as noirs get tbh （hide spoiler）]。 I don't think you need to know more than that and the synopsis to get into it， and it might be honestly distracting to know more。Read for the ATY prompt: A novella CL Polk does not miss。 Beautifully written sapphic noir fantasy novella （view spoiler）[ with as happy an ending as noirs get tbh （hide spoiler）]。 I don't think you need to know more than that and the synopsis to get into it， and it might be honestly distracting to know more。Read for the ATY prompt: A novella 。。。more
Maddy
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super quick， easy read。 gay angels and gay devils and gay detectives。 this was just fine， nothing particularly superb in the writing but I really enjoyed the story！
Jessica Anne Carter
，
Even Though I Knew the End by C。L。 Polk is a fun magic-and-demons fantasy novella about a woman who sold her soul to save her brother - and now has a chance to get it back and live with the woman she loves in exchange for hunting down an otherworldly murderer。 This book is sharp and fast paced， and I basically devoured it in one sitting。 It's a bit light on the worldbuilding - there's a lot of vibes， but not a lot of fleshed out history。 Not that it needed it。 While I'd have liked to know a lot Even Though I Knew the End by C。L。 Polk is a fun magic-and-demons fantasy novella about a woman who sold her soul to save her brother - and now has a chance to get it back and live with the woman she loves in exchange for hunting down an otherworldly murderer。 This book is sharp and fast paced， and I basically devoured it in one sitting。 It's a bit light on the worldbuilding - there's a lot of vibes， but not a lot of fleshed out history。 Not that it needed it。 While I'd have liked to know a lot more about the magical world， there was just enough to make it feel full without being bogged down by details。 Helen and Edith were great too。 They've got their secrets， but Polk does a great job in a little space of showing how much they love each other。 I wish there had been a bit more of the 40s vibe beyond the use of "doll" and some sharp coats， but Polk really gets to the heart of queer life in 1940s Chicago， both the prejudice and the safe spaces。 I loved seeing the glimpses of the community Helen and Edith were a part of。 。。。more
JulesGP
，