Red-Haired Ash Reads

It’s been six months since Harry died, and the world he left behind has become more dangerous with creatures causing chaos left and right. Harry finds himself as a ghost who has been sent back to Chicago to investigate who killed him, but instead finds himself trying to take care of his friends without an actual body. 

Like the previous book, this one was full of surprises as well. The world has changed so much in six months and we see how impactful Harry’s loss has been. The friends he left behind and banding together to fight back and protect the city, but also struggling to deal with their own grief over what happened, especially Molly. My heart broke for all his friends and how hard they were struggling. Molly is no longer the same grasshopper he trained and has now become a bit ruthless. I really wonder how she will be in future books. Of course, Murphy is also struggling a lot. She is no longer a cop and not only did she lose her badge, but she lost her best friend and is struggling to hide her grief. Also she is now leading the werewolves, Butters, and a few other old friends in fighting back to protect the city. It was a bit heartbreaking to see how much everyone had changed in six months. 

Harry comes back as a ghost and wastes no time in trying to help his friends, even though he doesn’t have a body. While we see Harry really running all around Chicago trying to help his friends and find out what happened to him, it was his time during daylight when he had to hide from the sun that really impacted me. He spends the daylight hours reflecting on his actions and it has impacted his friends and the world around him. I think this really made Harry realize how big his presence is in the community and how small actions can cause big ripples. Also we finally get the full story about what happened during Harry’s teenage years when he was with Justin. I am glad we finally know what happened since it has been hinted at throughout this series and really impacted his whole life. I hope Harry takes the lessons he learned in this book and applies them to the future. 

While Harry is supposed to be investigating his death, he spends a good deal of his time fighting against an evil wraith (ghost), nicknamed the Grey Wraith. There is kidnapping, torture, bodysnatching, and a lot of ghosts. It was a very interesting adventure for Harry and all his friends. Also Butters is one of my favorite side characters and I love how far he has come in this series, especially in this one. 

There are all kinds of surprises in this book.  I never expected who the killer was or why they did it. I also was surprised by why they never found the body and what that means for Harry. After this ending I am eager to jump right into the next book to find out what happens next for him and how the world will handle it, especially after how changed everyone is from his death. Basically, I need to know what happens next!!

TW: death; murder; grief; kidnapping; torture; PTSD; gun violence; child abuse; mind control;

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Previous books and reviews for the series:

#1. Storm Front
#2. Fool Moon
#3. Grave Peril
#4. Summer Knight
#5. Death Masks
#6. Blood Rites
#7. Dead Beat
#8. Proven Guilty
#9. White Night
#10. Small Favor
#11. Turn Coat
#12. Changes
#12.5 Side Jobs