Review of Off-Time Jive by A.Z. Louise
A.Z. Louise’s Off-Time Jive (Neon Hemlock, 2023) is a gorgeous fantastical history, detective novella with fascinating characters and a great twist at the end! Set in an alternate version of the Harlem Renaissance, the story weaves deftly between magical dark academia and everyday people going about their lives.
The main character, Bessie Knox (who mostly goes by Knox), is a Black woman who uses magic based in finding joy, which she’s had a hard time doing since a magical experiment went awry. But the case she’s investigating is tied closely to that failed experiment, forcing her to revisit what happened. With her new assistant, Bentley, in tow, both of them face their pasts and their futures.
The prose and the characters sucked me right into the book, and the mystery kept me turning the pages. I was surprised by the ending, but in the best possible way! If you like fantastical history (historical settings with fantasy elements), Off-Time Jive is a wonderful quick read that will likely leaving you wanting more of Knox and Bentley!
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