3 out of 4 stars
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"He'd always assumed he'd faced the worst the world had to offer. He'd been wrong." (Cole 39) Lincoln Cole's 2016 Gothic fantasy novel, Raven's Peak is a paranormal take on religion, faith, and the ambiguous definition of evil. Cole provides his readers with two leading protagonists, Abigail Dressler and Haatim Arison. Cole's novel begins in modern-day Arizona, following the naive college graduate, Haatim, as he is thrust into a world where murders are a daily happenstance, and demons infiltrate mundane society. Abigail, a demon hunter, becomes Haatim's personified hero, protecting and allying with him in order to navigate materializing threats. As the plot progresses, new evils lurk around each corner, allowing for Dressler and Arison to become unlikely partners. Faced with rumors of strange happenings in Raven's Peak, Tennessee, they travel to the isolated town to discover new, life-changing perils. Cole's Raven's Peak is a suspenseful work that brings to life a metaphysical world in common culture.
While reading Cole's novel, I really enjoyed the realistic sense in which characters and scenes were constructed. Cole provides his readers with characters that are similar to the ordinary person. Cole's protagonist, Haatim, utterly ignorant, is introduced to the paranormal world surrounding him. Instead of glorifying his character, and turning him into an instantaneous hero, Cole portrays Haatim with almost every normal human reaction to such huge change in his concept of reality, such as cowardice, terror, weakness, and anger. Along the same lines, Abigail grew up in the world of demon hunting, therefore, her character is somewhat callous, arrogant, and hardened to life. Starkly realistic juxtaposition between Cole's protagonists allows his readers to not only sympathize, but also empathize with each character, creating a bond with readers and the plot.
Throughout the course of Raven's Peak, the author demonstrates a clear consistency of themes and ideas. Religion is a key motif in the entirety of the novel. From start to finish, Cole depicts concepts from an array of religions and ideas, such as Catholicism's belief in demons, and Islam's worship of Allah and the Koran. Faith, as well as various forms of prayer, are portrayed as ways to kill and banish demons. The consistent usage of religion in Cole's novel increases both its reliability and credibility.
Although Cole provides his readers with a highly dependable novel, the climax was somewhat unclear, and leaves several loose ends. A thrilling showdown in Raven's Peak appears to be the apex of the plot, however, the author follows this acme with another scene that is essentially another climax. This second scene is left oddly unfulfilling, and leaves the reader slightly confused. After finishing the entirety of the novel, I found myself feeling as if this double-climax was unnecessary, and lessened my overall opinion of the plot. Knowing that this novel is the first in a series, I would not have added this last scene into the end book, but placed it either before the climax, or saved it for a later sequel.
Overall, I would easily give Lincoln Cole's Raven's Peak 3 out of 4 stars. From the beginning to the end of the novel, Cole provides his readers with engaging characters, realistic scenes, and consistent themes. The plot is easy to follow, with few grammatical errors. Readers that look for paranormal activities, modern settings, and high suspense should enjoy this novel. All together, Raven's Peak is a quality and thoroughly entertaining read.
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Raven's Peak
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