“You’ll think I’m crazy. That much is certain. You might even demand that I plead insanity after you hear my explanation. All I ask from you is to hear me out. Nothing more. Then you decide if the devil was there… or if he is sitting in this room right now.”
Benjamin Poe ends up murdering his only son, Gabriel, and the motive behind this murderous act is quite unusual. But he is ready to confess his story to his lawyer, Pierce Beaudoin, who took over his case. Poe had been leading a stressful life with his wife and son after the death of his beloved five-year-old daughter, Riley. The events in the story begin to unfold when a fire erupts at Gabriel’s workplace. Poe becomes suspicious that Gabriel started the fire, which resulted in the death of three people. A few days after the incident, Poe is called to the police station because a person named Crighton, who has big green eyes and seems to know everything about everyone, kept asking about him. Later, it dawns upon Poe that the person with green eyes was a manipulative, soul-collecting demon who had come to take hold of his son’s soul. Though protecting his only son from this evil, what grotesque phenomena made Benjamin Poe commit the heinous and cruel act of murdering his own blood, causing Poe to end up in prison and face capital punishment? What was the reason that a loving husband and a protective father became “the most hated and feared man to ever live” as the people of Lochton, Illinois have named him? And how does this first part of the book connect with the second half during which the soul-seeker brings the reader into the center stage of a conflict between good and evil?
Crighton, Lucifer’s best soul-catcher, is on one of his missions with a goal of bringing the soul of an angel, Ariel, to his master. Instead, he is captured by members of The Sovereign Sector – a group of scientists infamous for experimenting on supernatural creatures. A series of challenging and twisted happenings place both creatures, Crighton and Ariel, at a crossroad where difficult choices must be made before it’s too late. The budding romance between these two supernatural creatures echoes the earthly, tender love of mortals. Will Crighton’s evil nature relent before the fragile, beautiful yet determined Ariel or will he remain faithful to his master and hand her over to the ruler of Hell?
Soul Seeker: The battle between good and evil resides with… by Kaylin McFarren is a supernatural mystery novel that dwells between romance and horror, focusing mostly on Crighton and Ariel in this first book of the Gehenna series. These two main characters are developed in a writing style that delivers a frightening elegance. Crighton, who finds satisfaction in collecting souls to satiate Lucifer’s famished nature of devouring them, is developed at an exhilarating pace. The storyline was thoroughly engaging, and the active exchange of the dialogue made the characters seem as if they were having their private conversations in front of me.
The supernatural beings are presented in such a humanized fashion that, when both the demon and the angel flew into the vortex of space to heaven and hell, it left me in shock as I completely forgot they can do that. In contrast, the funny moments were those such as the realization that they still needed to comb their hair, despite their supernatural powers. The crossover themes and fantasy-based, forbidden romance aspect are both wonderfully imaginative. The only thing I disliked was the time when I needed to get up and switch on the light because of the ghostly, frightening moments described in the scenes. Nonetheless, I can’t wait to read the sequel to this cliffhanger.
The creativity by which the love scenes are presented throughout the book compliments the whole story and leaves a sense of delicious pleasure. I failed to find any unprofessional editing, which was a plus while reading. Any fantasy lover, supernatural enthusiast, and mystery-craving person would find him or herself completely engrossed in the story. However, any reader sensitive to “the bloody spectacle” should keep a protective distance. A handful of swear words were used enabling me to distinguish between the emotional reaction of anger or disgust. This book charts a complex thematic course of mystery, fantasy, romance, and supernatural and decidedly earns the excellent rating of four out of four stars.
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Soul Seeker
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