Supernatural allies, sapphic speakeasies and nostalgic noir : Even Though I Knew The End by C.L Polk (Review)

 A/N: This review contains spoilers for Even Though I Knew The End by C.L.Polk. This is your spoiler warning.

Ever wonder what it would be like if The Clockwork Angel had been set in Chicago in the 40s, instead of London and was written as a sapphic romance for adults? If the gritty nostalgia of detective noir, a dash of supernatural creatures and a star-crossed love story of two women appeals to you, then this is the book for you. 

Even Though I Knew The End follows our main lead, the dashing (rogue) warlock Helen Brandt who is carrying out an investigation for a murder. The dead lady turns out to be a possible victim of the notorious serial killer, the White City Vampire, known for painting the crime scenes with the victim's blood. After finding pentagrams and sigils at the site of the gruesome murder, Helen is convinced that despite her intrigue it’s far too dangerous to investigate further since she’s running out of time as her death day quickly draws closer. (She’s on a literal deadline because she traded her soul with the devil)

But she gets roped in by her client, Marlowe, to investigate the murder further in exchange for her soul. And in the hopes of running away to San Francisco and living out her dreams with her lover, Helen decides to go along with the investigation despite being told to stop by the ‘Brotherhood of the Compass’. The Brotherhood is a group of powerful magicians who are the only ones legally allowed to practice magic and make the rules for it (is what I understood from the text). It’s a rather patriarchal society where the women are the assistants who compute formulas and do the grunt work for the magicians (all men) who use the spells. 

Helen had been a part of this society until being banished after she traded her soul to the devil in exchange for her brother’s life, when her family got into a terrible car accident. Now she earns a living as a PI who investigates supernatural occurrences while flying under the radar. Her brother Theodore is still an active member of this society and they stumble into each other for the first time in years when she’s caught trying to summon the dead lady’s ghost in an alley.

The story takes a twist after we meet the beautiful Marlowe, a supposed heiress who pays handsomely for private investigations. She turns out to be a demon with an interest in the serial killer, because apparently the serial killer is going around and killing the people who owe Marlowe their soul. Helen’s journey is pretty exciting to follow.

Edith Jarosky, a sound engineer and a devout Christian is the romantic interest and she seemed like an absolute sweetheart. For how short the novella is it gives you everything from hard boiled detective work to fallen angels, from lesbian speakeasies to mental asylums filled with people whose homosexuality is viewed as a disease. It had action, romance and drama. And boy, did I absolutely adore it.

The writing was atmospheric and the magic system was fascinating. I desperately wish the book was longer because I wanted to read more of this world. The conversation regarding religion and homophobia were explored in such a simplified way. The idea of a lesbian speakeasy filled with women dressed sharply in suits and pretty dresses made me yearn for a seven book long series with these characters. The plot twist did catch me by surprise and the ending was so much fun.

If you ever want to dip your toes into supernatural crime or sapphic romance, this would be a great starting point. 

A/N: This book will make you crave for a soft romance and then call you single in every way possible. So be prepared. 

Thank you for reading the first installment in my ‘Nebula Novella’ series where I read and review the novellas which have won the Nebula Award in the past few years. These books have always been on my TBR and I would’ve never gotten around to reading them unless I was threatened by a deadline. This is me creating a threat for myself. Hope you share my joy and enjoy my misery.

To read the next installment, here’s my take on And What Can We Offer You Tonight by Premee Mohamed.