3 out of 4 stars
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I read Raven’s Peak by Lincoln Cole. It is a fast-paced fantasy with some gory elements not for the weak of stomach. Demon hunter Abigail suffers through an especially traumatic encounter with a cell of demons. Leaving some of her fellow hunters dead and her mentor missing, perhaps dead as well. Abigail’s quest to discover what happened to Arthur, her father-figure and trainer, leads her to Haatim. A seemingly normal recent college-grad, who may be much more connected to the super-natural world he is thrown into than he realizes. The pair first encounter each other when Abigail rescues Haatim from demons he previously thought non-existent. Reluctantly at first, she allows him to join her on an assignment.
They travel to the small town of Raven’s Peak where a demon is wreaking havoc with the townspeople. Abigail’s strong character is put to the test in battle and Haatim finds strength he didn’t know he had. The duo makes a sort of odd couple demon fighting team. I love that both main characters in this book are people of color. Abigail is a strong black woman, someone to be respected. Although the demons of her past haunt her, she continues to fight actual demons to protect humanity. She becomes a very real full character as pieces of her past come to light.
I very much enjoyed the descriptive writing in this book. Lincoln Cole gives us descriptions of fights and their aftermath that come to life in the mind. Graphic word depictions of blood and entrails strewn about that will stick with you. He makes it so that you can almost smell the rotting flesh of possessed bodies. Perfect for those of us who need a macabre distraction from the mundane, less colorful horrors of everyday life. It is easy to get lost in the imagery of this story.
The friendship between the two characters develops slowly. Both are reserved, dealing with past trauma and family issues. They come to trust one another after being put into situations in which they have to. I would like to see how their relationship develops over the course of the series. I was afraid that some sort of forced romantic situation would arise to gain those readers who need everything to be a love story. However, because their relationship is developing in what seems a very organic way, a romantic pairing may not seem so forced.
I would give Raven’s Peak 3 out of 4 stars. It is an excitingly descriptive read. For those who enjoy graphic action and character’s you feel you really start to know. There is enough intrigue to make readers want to know more and continue the series. Yet the end is satisfying as a stand-alone book.
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Raven's Peak
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