Scan barcode
parasolcrafter's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Hate crime, Murder, Blood, Gun violence, Panic attacks/disorders, and Violence
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts
explorebooks's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
eleftheriareads's review against another edition
5.0
A great conclusion to the slashers arc but my god the story gets exhausting sometimes because of these two idiots. You just wanna scream sometimes and I’m not entirely sure if it’s in a good way
samnreader's review against another edition
3.0
I still feel like everything is too unfinished to rate, but I'm so in the middle of the road for this set, 3 overall
lezreadalot's review against another edition
3.0
In this conclusion (for now, given the ending) of the Borealis Investigations, I feel like the author did pretty good job with the action/plot/story elements. More so than in previous instalments at least. It was clever and well structured and things were revealed in just the right way. The moment where the Slasher was revealed was so good! And the motive behind it all... I legit teared up, that's so senseless and fucking sad. There were a lot of tensions, a lot of emotional highs and lows, and it was great to see Shaw and North learning and growing as a couple.
But there were so many things that irked me lol. At times it seemed like there were TOO many twists. Hardly anybody was who they seemed to be and that got old. North and Shaw's fights sometimes felt plastic; they argued about things that I WANTED to see come up, I AGREE that they had to discuss it, but the way things would come up and then be resolved in a chapter or two felt weird. Could have definitely done without the snide, attempting-to-be-humorous digs at neo pronouns. And idk, maybe I read the books in too quick succession? Because I think I've had enough of Ashe's style for now. At some point the humour started to get tiring; GRATING almost.
These books delivered on the mystery front, definitely on the romance front too, and I wouldn't say no to reading more from this author in the future.
But there were so many things that irked me lol. At times it seemed like there were TOO many twists. Hardly anybody was who they seemed to be and that got old. North and Shaw's fights sometimes felt plastic; they argued about things that I WANTED to see come up, I AGREE that they had to discuss it, but the way things would come up and then be resolved in a chapter or two felt weird. Could have definitely done without the snide, attempting-to-be-humorous digs at neo pronouns. And idk, maybe I read the books in too quick succession? Because I think I've had enough of Ashe's style for now. At some point the humour started to get tiring; GRATING almost.
These books delivered on the mystery front, definitely on the romance front too, and I wouldn't say no to reading more from this author in the future.
layla87's review against another edition
4.0
3.75 stars
I was so conflicted of how ro rate this and write a review.
On the one hand, I absolutely LOVED some aspects while others were a downer.
What I loved...
- North and his steadfastness. His utter devotion to Shaw and his insurmountable love. You could really feel that Shaw was the center of his world.
- Shaw: he broke my heart. I think the depiction of how The Slasher has impacted his life was spot on. The research GA did to portray Shaw, his trauma, it's effects and it's therapy was done so well. GA didn't shy away from anything.
- The progression of their relationship, even in small increments was good. There was no easy-fix and magic cocks in sight. Shaw wasn't cured because of North's genitals. Thank the lord.
- As with all of GA's books, this series was low steam, but what was there, especially in this book was very erotic. I mean, once they start doing it, it's blink and you miss it, but the build up is always hot.
- The Writing is top notch as always. GA is VERY talented and I love the way he weaves his stories.
- Shaw and North's banter was a ray of sunshine in an otherwise heavy book.
What I didn't like..
- Pari. Actually is freaking HATED her guts. What is her purpose? Why is she even there? Does she even have any redeemable qualities? Nop!
- I was kind of bummed that we didn't get to experience nore of N and S together as a couple. After 8 years of both of them pining for the other, I wanted to get a front row seat to their dating life, not have to hear about it in retrospect. We get to experience Shaw's truama and how North handles that, but I also wanted to see them happy and just BE. Without cases, and crying and panic attacks and the like. I think it would have give their relationship alot more depth. Plus, after all the pining, we deserved to see their first love scene forst hand also.
- The case dragged for me a bit and I skimmed.
- Baby... see this endearment is by far my FAVORITE. But here, it was used TO DEATH. Too many times that it frankly lost its luster.
I was so conflicted of how ro rate this and write a review.
On the one hand, I absolutely LOVED some aspects while others were a downer.
What I loved...
- North and his steadfastness. His utter devotion to Shaw and his insurmountable love. You could really feel that Shaw was the center of his world.
- Shaw: he broke my heart. I think the depiction of how The Slasher has impacted his life was spot on. The research GA did to portray Shaw, his trauma, it's effects and it's therapy was done so well. GA didn't shy away from anything.
- The progression of their relationship, even in small increments was good. There was no easy-fix and magic cocks in sight. Shaw wasn't cured because of North's genitals. Thank the lord.
- As with all of GA's books, this series was low steam, but what was there, especially in this book was very erotic. I mean, once they start doing it, it's blink and you miss it, but the build up is always hot.
- The Writing is top notch as always. GA is VERY talented and I love the way he weaves his stories.
- Shaw and North's banter was a ray of sunshine in an otherwise heavy book.
What I didn't like..
- Pari. Actually is freaking HATED her guts. What is her purpose? Why is she even there? Does she even have any redeemable qualities? Nop!
- I was kind of bummed that we didn't get to experience nore of N and S together as a couple. After 8 years of both of them pining for the other, I wanted to get a front row seat to their dating life, not have to hear about it in retrospect. We get to experience Shaw's truama and how North handles that, but I also wanted to see them happy and just BE. Without cases, and crying and panic attacks and the like. I think it would have give their relationship alot more depth. Plus, after all the pining, we deserved to see their first love scene forst hand also.
- The case dragged for me a bit and I skimmed.
- Baby... see this endearment is by far my FAVORITE. But here, it was used TO DEATH. Too many times that it frankly lost its luster.
bookish_notes's review against another edition
5.0
This book was brilliant and it is a further example that I love North and Shaw!! I kinda guessed the who that was part of this long mystery involving the West End (but not British) Slasher case, but not the WHY and HOW so it was nice seeing it all come together, even if all of it seemed a little convoluted at first.
Content notes include misgendering a character, violence, mentions of domestic abuse, dirty cops, murders, alleged suicide, and unresolved PTSD.
The start of the book introduces a new character we've never met before and I wondered how this character would even factor into the storyline because the whole thing seemed so unrelated and random? But I really like this new character and how ze is worked into the storyline, and what hir means for another character going forward in the series. The character is gender nonconforming with ze/hir pronouns and hir goes by Truck. Truck is an interesting character in that ze is a scam artist, but I wind up liking hir a lot? Also, Truck is apparently the perfect person for Pari after Pari's fiasco of cheating partners, so I'm really happy for her.
I should note here that, and maybe I'm wrong, Charlie David (the audiobook narrator) pronounces "hir" wrong throughout the entire audiobook? By the time I'm writing this review, I've already gone through the second arc audiobooks as well, and I'm pretty sure he uses the wrong pronunciation for the entire series (which is 5 books where this comes up at this point). The pronoun "hir" should be pronounced "here" but what the narrator says is "her". Although, with all the issues I have with the pronunciations in the audiobook I'm not entirely sure if "here" is pronounced "her" in Canada (where the narrator appears to be from)? I would've expected the American pronunciation at least for a character's pronouns. Because it just sounds incorrect otherwise.
This book takes place two months after the end of Triangulation where we see Jadon on North and Shaw's doorstep very bloodied up and with a threat towards North. We don't see Jadon as much in this book, because his association to North and Shaw, and just being a good detective lands him in hot water for snooping too much into things he should've stayed out of. As far as ex-boyfriends go in Gregory Ashe books, he might be the one I liked the quickest after he became an ex. Like, Jadon is just a good guy. There's nothing really to hate about him. Ex-boyfriends in other series have had a lot more problems to overcome before I finally warmed up to them (looking at you, Nico).
Interestingly, while we have overlap between these Borealis books and the Hazard and Somerset books in that characters appear in one another's books due to their prolixity and just do to being in similar timelines, I don't think we've seen Jadon in the Hazard and Somerset books? So, I wonder if Jadon will ever cross paths with those guys because if Jadon thinks North drives him up the wall, what would a meeting with Emery Hazard do? I don't think Hazard and Jadon have crossed paths when Hazard was working in St. Louis before, but I could be wrong.
This story is unexpectedly very, very angsty, even between North and Shaw. There's a lot of unresolved issues between them even though they're now together. No one does angst between couples in an established relationship better than Gregory Ashe. Their big fight in this book was a stab to the heart, and I love a moment that can give me stabby heart feels.
This book has a puppy (!!!) that North and Shaw both say they don’t want but you can tell they absolutely adore it. They get the puppy on a case that's in a short story, I think? I need to go back and read it to make sure. It's not required reading before diving into this book, but it IS a fun little add-on. And you'll never guess who the puppy loves more. The puppy is so cute! The puppy also has no name (yet).
The Slasher storyline wraps up with this book, but this does end with a cliffhanger into the next story arc because you know who hasn't been dealt with yet? Uncle Ronnie, and most annoyingly, Tucker. They're a thorn in everyone's side and the fast they’re done away with, the better.
One thing I didn't notice the first time I read this because there was so much going on, is that Jadon is still So, if I were to say one part of the ending was odd and left entirely unresolved, that would be it.
I really enjoyed this book and I liked this first story arc. I wouldn't say the audiobook narration is my favorite just because the pronunciations are really just all over the place, and not at all what I would expect from these characters in St. Louis and I find that it is distracting at times.
***Thanks to the author for giving me an e-ARC and audiobook to read and review!**
Content notes include misgendering a character, violence, mentions of domestic abuse, dirty cops, murders, alleged suicide, and unresolved PTSD.
The start of the book introduces a new character we've never met before and I wondered how this character would even factor into the storyline because the whole thing seemed so unrelated and random? But I really like this new character and how ze is worked into the storyline, and what hir means for another character going forward in the series. The character is gender nonconforming with ze/hir pronouns and hir goes by Truck. Truck is an interesting character in that ze is a scam artist, but I wind up liking hir a lot? Also, Truck is apparently the perfect person for Pari after Pari's fiasco of cheating partners, so I'm really happy for her.
I should note here that, and maybe I'm wrong, Charlie David (the audiobook narrator) pronounces "hir" wrong throughout the entire audiobook? By the time I'm writing this review, I've already gone through the second arc audiobooks as well, and I'm pretty sure he uses the wrong pronunciation for the entire series (which is 5 books where this comes up at this point). The pronoun "hir" should be pronounced "here" but what the narrator says is "her". Although, with all the issues I have with the pronunciations in the audiobook I'm not entirely sure if "here" is pronounced "her" in Canada (where the narrator appears to be from)? I would've expected the American pronunciation at least for a character's pronouns. Because it just sounds incorrect otherwise.
This book takes place two months after the end of Triangulation where we see Jadon on North and Shaw's doorstep very bloodied up and with a threat towards North. We don't see Jadon as much in this book, because his association to North and Shaw, and just being a good detective lands him in hot water for snooping too much into things he should've stayed out of. As far as ex-boyfriends go in Gregory Ashe books, he might be the one I liked the quickest after he became an ex. Like, Jadon is just a good guy. There's nothing really to hate about him. Ex-boyfriends in other series have had a lot more problems to overcome before I finally warmed up to them (looking at you, Nico).
Interestingly, while we have overlap between these Borealis books and the Hazard and Somerset books in that characters appear in one another's books due to their prolixity and just do to being in similar timelines, I don't think we've seen Jadon in the Hazard and Somerset books? So, I wonder if Jadon will ever cross paths with those guys because if Jadon thinks North drives him up the wall, what would a meeting with Emery Hazard do? I don't think Hazard and Jadon have crossed paths when Hazard was working in St. Louis before, but I could be wrong.
This story is unexpectedly very, very angsty, even between North and Shaw. There's a lot of unresolved issues between them even though they're now together. No one does angst between couples in an established relationship better than Gregory Ashe. Their big fight in this book was a stab to the heart, and I love a moment that can give me stabby heart feels.
This book has a puppy (!!!) that North and Shaw both say they don’t want but you can tell they absolutely adore it. They get the puppy on a case that's in a short story, I think? I need to go back and read it to make sure. It's not required reading before diving into this book, but it IS a fun little add-on. And you'll never guess who the puppy loves more. The puppy is so cute! The puppy also has no name (yet).
The Slasher storyline wraps up with this book, but this does end with a cliffhanger into the next story arc because you know who hasn't been dealt with yet? Uncle Ronnie, and most annoyingly, Tucker. They're a thorn in everyone's side and the fast they’re done away with, the better.
One thing I didn't notice the first time I read this because there was so much going on, is that Jadon is still
Spoiler
in a coma by the time this book ends?? We never see him get better or get out of his coma.I really enjoyed this book and I liked this first story arc. I wouldn't say the audiobook narration is my favorite just because the pronunciations are really just all over the place, and not at all what I would expect from these characters in St. Louis and I find that it is distracting at times.
***Thanks to the author for giving me an e-ARC and audiobook to read and review!**
aimora's review against another edition
4.0
My first less than 5+ star GA book. I felt North's behavior was rather inconsistent, pushing Shaw away and then apologizing for being a bastard. Like, when he left in the middle of the night after Shaw had to disassociate a bit to enjoy sex, only to say a couple of days later he would never say or do anything to make Shaw feel bad about his issues. I wanted to love them together and to an extent I did.
tankytoon's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Wow! What a finish to the trilogy! I did not see this one coming.
North and Shaw embark on their relentless pursuit of the Slasher while navigating the dirty world of police corruption. They don't know who to trust, who's on their side, and who's pretending to be good but they're not. The investigation to an event that happened seven years ago, takes a toll on their relationship, especially as Shaw refuses to let it go like a dog with a bone. He could not move on from the past, and lets it affect his mindset, even though North has warned his boyfriend numerous times about the danger of delving deeper into the quagmire that is a large cover-up by the metropolitan police.
Their banter, although cute, becomes less adorable and more repetitive. Shaw clearly has avoidance issues, and rather than addressing his problems, he chucks them away in the hopes that they would not be brought up again. For his part, North confronts Shaw about his demons, and I truly commend him for being brutally honest, even though Shaw refuses to hear about it.
I certainly felt North's pain throughout this book, and how lost he felt when he didn't have anyone to turn to because the person he loves refuses to let bygones be bygones. His loyalty to his father despite the cold treatment he received since childhood was endearing and bittersweet.
While I think this book wasn't as good as the first two, it was a decent enough conclusion to the story. The characters here though, aside from North and Shaw, were not as prominent as the plot takes more precedence. But it was North's encompassing love for Shaw, that stood out for me and made me finish this trilogy, aside of course, from finding out who the Slasher is.
North and Shaw embark on their relentless pursuit of the Slasher while navigating the dirty world of police corruption. They don't know who to trust, who's on their side, and who's pretending to be good but they're not. The investigation to an event that happened seven years ago, takes a toll on their relationship, especially as Shaw refuses to let it go like a dog with a bone. He could not move on from the past, and lets it affect his mindset, even though North has warned his boyfriend numerous times about the danger of delving deeper into the quagmire that is a large cover-up by the metropolitan police.
Their banter, although cute, becomes less adorable and more repetitive. Shaw clearly has avoidance issues, and rather than addressing his problems, he chucks them away in the hopes that they would not be brought up again. For his part, North confronts Shaw about his demons, and I truly commend him for being brutally honest, even though Shaw refuses to hear about it.
I certainly felt North's pain throughout this book, and how lost he felt when he didn't have anyone to turn to because the person he loves refuses to let bygones be bygones. His loyalty to his father despite the cold treatment he received since childhood was endearing and bittersweet.
While I think this book wasn't as good as the first two, it was a decent enough conclusion to the story. The characters here though, aside from North and Shaw, were not as prominent as the plot takes more precedence. But it was North's encompassing love for Shaw, that stood out for me and made me finish this trilogy, aside of course, from finding out who the Slasher is.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Vomit, Death, Gun violence, Hate crime, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Violence, and Blood
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts
Minor: Emotional abuse