3 out of 4 stars
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Raven's Peak is the first book in a series by Lincoln Cole. It follows Haatim, a young blogger, as he accidentally gets sucked into the world of demon-hunters and ghoul-chasers. He reluctantly teams up with Abigail, who was born and bred in the business, when things in his life, and in the little town of Raven's Peak, get a little too supernatural for mundane life to handle.
(I'd like to make a quick note before I get into the thick of the review. The obvious thing to do here is to compare this book to the TV show, Supernatural. It's a preeminent source of modern monster-hunter media, and much of the action is driven by the battle between demons and angels—like this book. I am a huge fan of the show, and I see some parallels to it here. However, they are two different experiences, and I'll try to steer clear of too many comparisons.)
The best thing about this book is its rich descriptive language. Granted, at times, it can get a little clunky and purple (I'm looking at you, “shredding the stillness of the air with his dulcet tones”). But when you sift through the grit, the language in this book is engaging and inventive. That opening prologue was downright mesmerizing to experience. You can practically taste the blood in the air—and that's what you're aiming for in this medium, especially with this genre. You want to see and feel the action, and you get that satisfaction here.
The characters are also pretty well-rounded. One thing I will applaud this book on is its representation. The two main protagonists are and Indian man with no clue what's going on, and an African-American woman who knows the ins and outs, but still has some vulnerability. Now, I shouldn't have to make a point of mentioning this—it should just be commonplace to have people of color as protagonists, not just token characters. But, the point remains. The two of them are engaging enough that I looked forward to reading the book so that I could get to know them better.
One thing that holds this book back, though, is its world-building. For its first half, Raven's Peak seems to hold to the more rugged, salt-of-the-earth aesthetic that most supernatural fiction tends toward nowadays. However, in the middle of the narrative, the author introduces hologram-glasses that let the Council of hunters have remote meetings. Now, am I against the techno-hunter vibe? Absolutely not. In fact, I think the genre needs some more stories with futuristic demon hunters—it's an interesting concept that deviates from the norm. But in this book, it gets dropped in your lap. And even worse, that technology isn't mentioned again, so it seems pointless.
Overall, I'd say it's a fun romp for people looking to bring that Supernatural energy to the page. Expect to finish this book quickly—it's a page turner.
I give this book 3 out of 4 stars.
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Raven's Peak
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