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mentat_stem 's review for:

Off-Time Jive by A. Z. Louise
5.0
dark lighthearted mysterious fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Plot
Strong character development: No
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Off-Time Jive was delightful. I had no idea what to expect, but the collision of identity and history and mystery and academia and magic worked perfectly. I'm always impressed when a short book—58 pages in this case—ends up feeling like exactly the right length.

Rarely is there such a happy ending to a dark mystery with so many murders.

Magic felt both casual and visceral and this is a world I wouldn't mind returning to in a longer work.

Loved the sapphic rep in the mix.