3 out of 4 stars
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There are two kinds of books that leave you thinking about it for days once you’ve finished reading it: ones that you just can't get enough of and ones that you simply can’t make any sense out of. Raven’s Peak, by Lincoln Cole, was a bizarre mix of both. I think the best way to describe this action packed, supernatural, fantasy novel is to say that it will definitely take you on a rollercoaster – not only in the story, but also the reading experience altogether. Through the ups and downs of reading this book, there were moments in which I questioned the believability of the storyline and the characters’ actions, and then there were moments in which I was so absorbed into the story that I couldn’t peel my eyes off the pages. I believe this book is very much deserving of a 3 out of 4 stars.
The book begins in the most fascinating way possible. Reverend Arthur, one of the greatest demon hunters of all time, has spent years in isolation in a cell, cleansing himself of a past mistake. He is brought a visitor from the Council, Freida, who begs him to help find the cause of the death of a group of demon hunters, one of whom she claims was his stepdaughter, Abigail. Hearing her name, he is fazed and sets off on the mission to avenge her death. But while looking for the dead hunters, he finds Abigail alive, but possessed by a powerful demon. He ends up having to make a deal with the demon and supposedly giving his life to save Abigail’s.
Five months later, a depressed boy, Haatim, who’s fresh out of university with a theology degree, is going through a tough period in his life and ironically questioning his faith and beliefs after his sister’s death. Right when he is at a point where he feels like there is no purpose to his life, everything changes. A strange man lures him into a job as a private investigator to spy on and take photos of a woman that he claims is out to kill him. But soon, the story flips when he meets the woman, Abigail, and is introduced to an entirely new world of supernatural demons and secret councils that he had only read about in his theology classes. He begins to unravel mysteries surrounding his own family, as well as helps Abigail with mysteries of her own as they investigate Raven’s Peak - a small town with strange happenings. Their journey puts them to a test of their strength, courage, and trust as they overcome obstacles after obstacles while building their relationship, hiding and uncovering secrets, and trying to save Raven’s Peak all at the same time.
I think Lincoln Cole did a fantastic job of fabricating an entire supernatural world and sliding it into the foundation of the story. Though there were a lot of holes in this fantasy world, as well as in the plot of the story, I felt like they were intentionally put in order to leave the reader hanging and that they will be touched upon in the sequel(s). The book, overall, was beautifully written and had a good mix of sentiment, humour, horror, drama and action. The characters’ emotions were so well described that I could swear I felt them oozing off the pages. Also, many books try the whole ‘switching perspectives’ thing and end up simply ruining the flow of the book, but I thought Cole wrote in the different perspectives pretty well. In fact, I genuinely thought it only added to the smooth transitioning of scenes in the book.
One thing I noticed, though, was the dullness of the character descriptions. I do not want to be told that a character had “deep black skin, high cheekbones, and brown eyes.” I don’t want to be told that a character had “deep blue eyes and a mole of her left cheek.” Amidst paragraphs of exquisite writing, coming across raw facts like that being thrown at you simply breaks the mood. It seems as though after writing the entire story, Cole realised he never mentioned what any of the characters look like, so he decided to stick it right in there at the last minute.
The pace of the story was also another major drawback. There were parts of the story that went by so fast and had me at the edge of my seat, while there were other parts that droned on and on and never seemed to end. Some parts, like the fight scenes and the chase scenes, I thought, would have done much better if I wasn’t told of every jump, punch and jab that each person makes. Sure, it adds a lot more detail and makes it seem like there is so much happening, but in the end, each uppercut he throws or avoids is pretty much the same to me.
Religions can be a difficult topic to incorporate into a fantasy novel without it being controversial or overly critiqued by people, but Raven’s Peak does a pretty incredible job of staying modest about it, while still making it shine through its pages. It is clear that Lincoln Cole put in sincere effort in researching for and carving out this brilliant story in order to make everything fit in just right. Although a bit cliché, the plot is certainly a memorable one and it will leave you pondering over it for days. It ends abruptly with quite an enormous cliffhanger that is sure to mess with your mind. I can't wait to read the rest of the series and find out more about all the mysteries surrounding this fantasy world. Anybody with a taste for demons and the supernatural will definitely enjoy this book. But be warned, it is not for the faint-hearted.
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Raven's Peak
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