DNF at 30%.

I hate giving up on new authors, but this book simply can't keep my interest any longer. It was slow to start, but I hung on in there, hoping that the action will pick up with the story. Well, we are 30% in, and neither the story nor the action ever picked up.

This book could have used a trim. So many useless words! That whole opening chapter could have been slashed in half if not more, and that would have made the story only better.

My other complaint is that the characters are uninteresting, and the Jens is downright unpleasant to follow. I get that the author was going for the socially awkward genius that is somewhere on the spectrum, so has issues understanding human emotions. Well, that didn't work for me, because this depiction is inconsistent. In one chapter he struggles with understanding why some of his colleagues want to be touchy-feely after he comes back, and in the next he can read the emotions of the people he interrogates like an open book.

It's also a big fail on the genius investigator part... yeah, he Jens would be a genius if all the other cops were kindergarten kids who never learned police procedures or interrogation techniques. Seriously, the way he investigates crimes scenes or talks to witnesses and suspects would have him fired from any police precinct IRL, no matter how understaffed they were. It was painful to read through.

Also, 30% in, I still have no clue where this book is going. Yes, there is a suspicious fire in a warehouse and seven bodies. Yes, it is probably murder, and there is another possible murder that may or may not be related to that case... and that's it. We are over a quarter of the book in, shouldn't we have learned a bit more at this point? In any case, I am not sticking around to find out.

PS: I received an advanced copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This is a story that had a lot of potential, but that suffered from overwriting. So very, very overwritten, and it got worse towards the end, unfortunately. I enjoyed the concept of a futuristic police procedural of sorts, and all of the interesting things in that world. The main character was also interesting and layered. What didn’t work for me was why he had been suspended from the agency, and how that later came back into the story. Also the main plot never came round for me, and it’s sad for the reader to have to read the next book (I believe there will be one) for any kind of resolution.

So, sigh. In summary, I wish there were fewer words. I wish the writing had been tighter. I wish the plot threads were simpler, easier to follow, and more resolved. I wanted to care more about the shadowy things that were happening, but I don’t. feel like the author got me there. So much potential, but ultimately Ash and Sun didn’t make enough sense or really work for me.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and Chantry Publishing House.

Exactly what I look for in a mystery. Excellent pace, story, and characters. An easy and fun read. I'm excited for the next one!

4.0/5. There’s a lot of moving pieces in this novel and it’s pretty well stitched together. The characters are flawed enough to be relatable and the action is fast paced. My only complaint was the ending - I would have liked to have had more questions resolved.