Cascade Hunger

The DuPage Parish Mysteries, Book 2

De: Gregory Ashe

Narrado por: Declan Winters

Eli and Dag survived a monster. Two monsters, in fact.

A year later, though, they’re still trying to settle into a regular life. Dag is working hard in school. It’s not going great. Eli is working hard at…being a better Eli. He’s eating right. Most of the time. He’s thinking about exercise in healthy ways. He’s okay with how he looks, as long as he doesn’t walk past any mirrors.

He goes out some nights, though. He goes across the lake, back to Bragg, where the monsters were. And he’s not sure why. He’s not sure what keeps calling him back. When a woman is brutally murdered and an eyewitness claims to have seen the killer transform into a mysterious light, Eli and Dag are forced to set aside their own problems and face a difficult truth: There is another monster out there. Worse, there doesn’t seem to be anybody else who can stop it from killing again.

But not all monsters are the same, as Eli and Dag discover. And the most dangerous monster might be the one who can give you what you’ve always wanted.

©2021 Gregory Ashe (P)2022 Gregory Ashe

Great second book

4.5 I finished the book in a day. I didn’t want to stop listening. The narrator was so good. This is not my normal read but I didn’t find it too scary. I love the author so it proves anything he writes I will enjoy. I just love Dag, he is the perfect guy for Eli.

LOVED

Dag and Eli are just so perfectly imperfect and so right for each other.
Of course that doesn't mean that they are without challenges.
These two have such deep rooted issues that they will be dealing with them for life. Can they work on themselves while building a life together?
I love how Gregory Ashe keeps us guessing until the very end. Thinking I have things figured out then realizing the error of my ways. Best kind of suspense there is!
I gobbled this book up in one sitting and was left with the best kind of book hangover!
Declan Winters does an outstanding job of bringing this story to life.
Cascade Hunger is a must read!

Great Progression in the series!

Dag and Eli continue with their lives and relationship with another “monster” lurking. Gregory Ashe writes complex characters and stories that involve the reader wholeheartedly. No insta love or fixes- they work and struggle to be better. I can’t wait for another one- listening makes them MORE real for me! Keep on writing and I’ll keep buying!

Another solid performance

Horror isn't my preferred genre, so it's no surprise that this isn't my favorite of Greg Ashe's series. That said, it's still very good, and I enjoyed Eli and Dag a lot in book one. I was frustrated by Eli's behavior throughout much of this book, though there is an explanation that comes late in the game. The narration was very good, as usual.

I do have to say I wish Greg would have avoided the use of "g*psy" in this book. I know the use of hurtful language is always a judgment call for authors, in terms of what is natural for the character's voice, but that clanged a bit for me.

My thanks to the author for a complimentary copy of this audiobook.

Excellent narration!

This is really creepy and I'm really enjoying it! The plot is engaging, there's some new spooky elements, and boy oh boy are these two cursed. Eli is a supreme brat, and I'm glad we have a realistic relationship where everything isn't perfect or easy. Both leads have things they need to work on, they try to communicate, try to understand each other, and are doing their best. Also, their domestic homelife with Dag going back to school is very cute.

Sl*rs aren't something I personally like to read about, and it did get a little rough listening to them used throughout the story. It didn't really add anything to the storyline or characters for my personal reading experience, but I imagine they were included for some reason.

Again - excellent narration from Declan Winters. Really enjoying the dual POV as well!

Great story. Great narration.

The trauma, horror, and steamy scenes from the first book in this series continue in this one. Dag and Eli have settled into a routine, but events from Stray Fears catch up to them, and they are back to monster hunting with a little bit more understanding of what they face.

I like how the author handles the various mental and emotional issues that both Dag and Eli are managing. They are both dealing with trauma in different ways, and the resulting character development is interesting to observe. Dag's parents continue to be a supportive and slightly exasperating duo for both Dag and Eli. Once again Declan Winters' narration adds a bit of personality to the characters that makes them seem even more real.

This was a great read/listen that I enjoyed even more than the first book, and I have already started on the third one.

Eeeep

Cascade Hunger made me want to smack them together and make them TALK. Really talk. But I also loved it and need more… and I looooooove the lore from these books. So unique!

Great story for spooky season

I was pleasantly surprised we got a sequel in this series! I don't think I've seen word whether they'll be more, but I might not be opposed? There is actually a short that was published that's post-Stray Fears in an anthology, but I'm not sure if it takes place before this book or after. I still need to read it. I love Dag and Eli, and I love that the stories in this series are paranormal and actually very creepy to read at night.

Content notes include homomisia, racism, racial slurs, murder, deaths, violence, and body dysmorphia.

While the events of Stray Fears ended with a pretty satisfying ending, this book explores what Eli and Dag's relationship is like afterwards. And if there's ANYONE who knows how to breathe new life into book relationships after characters get together, it's going to be Gregory Ashe. This story starts with Eli and Dag living together, and getting to know each other more as they try to navigate their newfound relationship. They're boyfriends, but they don't know how to say it or don't seem ready to give what they have a label yet.

I will say the beginning of this was very confusing at first because I had finished re-reading Stray Fears not too long before starting this one and I was like, who is Eli? Turns out it's Elien with a new name to go with all the new changes in his life. Makes sense, just took me off-guard because I also famously forget blurbs after I read them.

Dag is navigating life after quitting the police force. The job was all he ever wanted, but his life goes in a different direction, and the people at the station kind of just wanted him out at the end. So, now he's in school again as a slightly older, returning college student, studying marine biology. I don't necessarily agree with the story here where it makes it sound like Dag hasn't been to school in 50 years and just makes him seem so out of touch with the other kids maybe 10 years younger than him? Dag is 28! He hasn't been out of college for THAT long. I don't know, it just seemed a little bit weird, but maybe this is usual for returning students.

Then there's Eli. Eli is a bit...self-destructive. I don't think he's fully recovered from the events with what happened with his parents and brother, and then what happened with his relationship with Richard in the first book. Sure, Eli went to therapy before, but he wasn't exactly taking it all too seriously. And it all went sideways, so there's definitely some growing pains for Eli? He's definitely still feeling very self-conscious of the way he looks, which might be uncomfortable for some folks to read. The way this book is written (in first-person) adds another level to reading about Eli and how he feels in his body. He has body dysmorphia and an eating disorder that goes unaddressed for a very long time. Obviously, Dag does what he can, but Eli is also very good at hiding a lot from Dag, since Dag has his own things to deal with. It gets better at the end, but it's a rough journey there.

The paranormal aspect of this book is just as creepy as the first book, because you don't know what's happening or what's coming. I like that this differs than a normal mystery because the paranormal piece makes it so much harder to guess what's going to happen next in the story. That said, I am very sad about one of the deaths in the book and Dag just can't catch a break! I can't even say I liked the character at first, because of their history with Dag. But as the book wore on...I didn't hate that character as much? And then finding out what's been happening to them this entire time? IT MAKES ME SAD TO THINK ABOUT IT.

There are a lot of characters that get introduced from the jump and I don't know what it is, but I had kind of a rough time following who was who. That's the norm with Gregory Ashe books though? So, I just went with the flow and it's all vibes until the end when the culprit is revealed. I will say my favorite character is a reoccurring one - the librarian, Miss Kennedy. She's amazing and you can tell she's had enough of Eli and his questions. And quite frankly, I see where she's coming from. Then there's Dag's parents. They're super supportive of their son and love Eli like he's one of their own. But maybe they're sometimes too supportive? They provide much needed comedic relief to an otherwise very dark story and I appreciate their presence in Dag and Eli's lives.

Declan Winters is a pretty new narrator, I think? Or at least new under this name. I did listen to the first book in audio as a re-read, and I think he did a fabulous job. He has very subtle nuances to differentiate between's Dag's local boy southern accent, and Eli's...not. He transitions between all the characters well and I just really enjoyed his narration for this series. I hope to listen to more audiobooks from him!

I love that this book takes place near New Orleans and the spooky vibes really carry into this story. I'm happy with where this book leaves us with Eli and Dag, but I also hope we get to see more of them someday! The characters are fun and these books are a particularly good creepy read for spooky season!

Great Continuation

This story is a great continuation of the Louisiana based paranormal story by Gregory Ashe. Dag and Eli come back to help uncover another mystery that has a unique spin to it. As the story progresses, we get both the characters we learned in the prior story and some growth to them as well. I love the mix of both seriousness and the bit of humor that is in the storyline. Declan Winters is the perfect narrator for this story. He portrays these characters so well. This will be one of those stories you have to listen to again.

Hope there is more to come

This is the second book in the Dupage Parish Mysteries, a paranormal horror series. This is not a stand alone book; I strongly recommend reading the first book in order to get the most out of this one. This one takes place a year after Dag and Eli’s adventure in Stray Fears. In the first book, our couple finds out there are some scary things in the night; it has a pretty high body count. Well, that type of thing leaves a mark. And although they are trying to move on by buying a house together and Dag attending college, old habits die hard.

Eli still has a ton of baggage he is trying to get over, including body image issues and coming to grip with his own “paranormal abilities”. And Dag (bless his heart) is trying to be the most supportive “boyfriend, or whatever they are labeling it” in existence, they are losing the battle. Eli continues his self destructive ways and Dag is getting to his breaking point. It is evident that they love each other, but sometimes that is not enough. On the fun side Dag’s parents are back and as amazingly supportive of their gay son and his partner as ever.

I found the mystery and paranormal activities a bit convoluted and confusing. I felt like there was more set up of future events than just the monster that ultimately showed its face. It didn’t take away from enjoying the story as this is mainly about the trails of the relationship and where it may be headed. But one also has to wonder why anyone lives in N’Orleans with all the weird creatures running around.
Declan Winters does a wonderful job. A++ performance.
I was given a free copy of this audiobook in return for an honest review