Review by Alexandre-Marie -- Soul Seeker by Kaylin McFarren
Posted: 27 Nov 2020, 14:56
[Following is a volunteer review of "Soul Seeker" by Kaylin McFarren.]
Soul Seeker is a fantasy novel within which other genres of horror and romance are incorporated. The novel was published in 2020 by Kaylin Mcfarren. She’s won numerous national literary awards and authored other books such as Flaherty’s Crossing.
The novel is to a large part, about Crighton, a soul catching demon from hell, hence the name Soul Seeker. Crighton’s mission on earth is to bring evil souls to heed, especially those who get to escape human punishment for their sins. Gabriel Poe is one such soul whom Crighton has come for but his plans are interrupted when Benjamin Poe, Gabriel’s father comes into the picture. He simply cannot let his son die and despite his deeds, he sets out to fight the demon for his son’s soul. Unknown to him, however, greater powers than his love for his son are at play.
Soul Seeker’s introduction bears much similarity to the narration of a murder mystery documentary. I felt like I could trust whatever path the story would lead me down and my expectations started building up. From Poe’s marital conflicts to his rebellious son to the chilling moment when Crighton walks in and chaos descends, the suspense, fear, intrigue and emotion are palpably high.
I enjoyed reading about Poe as his is a catchy tale, made more so by his loving devotion to family, characteristic of family-based horror stories that makes them all the more devourable. The fact that Poe is determined to save his son’s life and not his own despite their conflict brings the story startlingly close to home and emotions are evoked at every turn of the page. His troubles made me wonder, is the monster within the family or without?
However, when the plot takes a dramatic turn and the story centres on Crighton’s love story, my interest dimmed significantly. The second part contains all the components of cliche teen fiction romance, where the demon struggles to accept his part in the predestined love story, but the flawless sweet angel helps him come to terms with it and eventually they end up united and eternally happy. A tale that culminates in the ultimate battle against and defeating of the antagonist, who in this story, is Lucifer himself.
This second part is a contradiction to the first. While the first part is action-packed and captivating, the second is a romantic tale that is all talk and no tale, riddled with too many characters and lack of intrigue. Crighton’s intimidating, evil, supernatural character contrasted to the humanity of those around him was what had made the story a powerful read for me in the first place.
Despite the plot twists, the story is generally professionally written. The description is vivid and precise while the narration is engaging and objective. The editing is thoroughly done, without grammatical errors or redundancy, the language is standard and pithy, the profanity is moderated and the erotic content kept mild. It is an average-length story that would fair pretty well with fans of the fantasy genre and to some extent Stephen King readers. A proper read for a cold stormy night.
I cannot finish reviewing this book without outlining my like-dislike relationship with the novel because on the one hand there is Poe’s suspenseful, fear-arousing tale and on the other is Crighton’s cliche love story. For this reason, I rate Soul Seeker 3 out of 4.
******
Soul Seeker
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Soul Seeker is a fantasy novel within which other genres of horror and romance are incorporated. The novel was published in 2020 by Kaylin Mcfarren. She’s won numerous national literary awards and authored other books such as Flaherty’s Crossing.
The novel is to a large part, about Crighton, a soul catching demon from hell, hence the name Soul Seeker. Crighton’s mission on earth is to bring evil souls to heed, especially those who get to escape human punishment for their sins. Gabriel Poe is one such soul whom Crighton has come for but his plans are interrupted when Benjamin Poe, Gabriel’s father comes into the picture. He simply cannot let his son die and despite his deeds, he sets out to fight the demon for his son’s soul. Unknown to him, however, greater powers than his love for his son are at play.
Soul Seeker’s introduction bears much similarity to the narration of a murder mystery documentary. I felt like I could trust whatever path the story would lead me down and my expectations started building up. From Poe’s marital conflicts to his rebellious son to the chilling moment when Crighton walks in and chaos descends, the suspense, fear, intrigue and emotion are palpably high.
I enjoyed reading about Poe as his is a catchy tale, made more so by his loving devotion to family, characteristic of family-based horror stories that makes them all the more devourable. The fact that Poe is determined to save his son’s life and not his own despite their conflict brings the story startlingly close to home and emotions are evoked at every turn of the page. His troubles made me wonder, is the monster within the family or without?
However, when the plot takes a dramatic turn and the story centres on Crighton’s love story, my interest dimmed significantly. The second part contains all the components of cliche teen fiction romance, where the demon struggles to accept his part in the predestined love story, but the flawless sweet angel helps him come to terms with it and eventually they end up united and eternally happy. A tale that culminates in the ultimate battle against and defeating of the antagonist, who in this story, is Lucifer himself.
This second part is a contradiction to the first. While the first part is action-packed and captivating, the second is a romantic tale that is all talk and no tale, riddled with too many characters and lack of intrigue. Crighton’s intimidating, evil, supernatural character contrasted to the humanity of those around him was what had made the story a powerful read for me in the first place.
Despite the plot twists, the story is generally professionally written. The description is vivid and precise while the narration is engaging and objective. The editing is thoroughly done, without grammatical errors or redundancy, the language is standard and pithy, the profanity is moderated and the erotic content kept mild. It is an average-length story that would fair pretty well with fans of the fantasy genre and to some extent Stephen King readers. A proper read for a cold stormy night.
I cannot finish reviewing this book without outlining my like-dislike relationship with the novel because on the one hand there is Poe’s suspenseful, fear-arousing tale and on the other is Crighton’s cliche love story. For this reason, I rate Soul Seeker 3 out of 4.
******
Soul Seeker
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon