4 out of 4 stars
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The book Raven's Peak by Lincoln Cole is a well knit, fast paced book that will keep you hooked till the end. This book seems to be the first of many paranormal series by Lincoln Cole. The writer uses simple language making comprehension easy.
I had no idea what this book was about. So at first I was not sure I wanted to read and review it. I decided to go for a toss. Boy! What a toss it was! I absolutely loved the book. Three short bursts and the book was finished. I was surprised that I had finished it so quickly. It was action, action and more action.
The story deals with paranormal activity that happens in everyday life. The book starts with a prologue that gives us an insight of what to expect in the coming chapters. Since the plot is about demons and demon hunters, the book describes some of the ways employed by the demon hunters to catch the demons. This looks a bit like the Harry Potter Series in the way these demon hunters are disguised as normal people. The similarity ends there.
There are certain aspects in the story that are not convincing. First, the protagonist, Haatim Malhotra, is from India. He is supposed to be in the dark about all the demons and demon hunters till he comes into contact with demons. This is unconvincing. A person brought up in India would not be so shocked to believe the existence of demons. But he/she would be shocked to actually meet a demon. The concept of dealing with demons is completely different in Hindu mythology. There is no concept of banishment. The strongest demons are dealt with by their nemesis who is born entirely for the purpose of killing them. The only exception as far as I know is Emperor Bali, who was banished by Lord Vishnu's incarnation, Vamana, into the underworld. So Haatim's banishment of Belphegor is a bit unconvincing. Second, in India, the demons and demon hunters are not rejected like in the west. Though these concepts are dismissed as superstition, a solution is sought as soon as possible. Here, the immortal or seemingly immortal demons are bound in a vessel and buried deep with strong containment devices. The problem arises when these containment devices are broken and the demon is released. I think that is what happened in the case of Belphegor. Third, The Council is supposed to be an all religious council. If that is the case, would The Council members not use methods they know best to combat demons? This is a bit unclear.
I concede that the book is written by a person brought up with the western concepts of mythology and lore. So that is bound to reflect in the story. I feel that the protagonist should have remained a Christian to keep it convincing. Perhaps a little bit more research into the methods employed by demon hunters of other religions could have been helpful.
I rate this book 4 out of 4 stars since it is very engrossing and the reader cannot keep it down till it is over. I will definitely recommend this book to all readers. Parental discretion might be useful though the book has no gory details. Lincoln Cole has done a very good job.
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Raven's Peak
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