Very confusing. Plot very hard to keep up with. Situations didnt leave me wondering what will happen next. Behavior of characters didn't always make sense based on previous choices. The writing didn't flow and sometimes felt off. I just needed the book to be over. The ending left me numb.

Is Jack a thirteen-year-old boy or a middle-aged family man? He is convinced that he’s the latter after recovering from a devastating fall even though his body and everyone around him say otherwise. Not only does Jack remember a completely different life, but he’s also become attuned to the spirit world and can see ghosts and demons with disquieting regularity. And who is the man in the window across the street from his school classroom?

It’s easy to get lost in this horror tale set against the backdrop of the New York art scene of the early seventies. Jack’s struggle to understand his current situation and determination to solve the mysteries of his new abilities keep the pages turning. His encounters with the supernatural send shivers up your spine as you teeter on the edge of your seat while he works through the clues he picks up in his search for the truth about the man in the window.

Read this one if you enjoy a good paranormal horror story with a mystery to unravel. Be prepared to be disturbed yet intrigued by the paranormal plot elements and colorful characters that surround Jack on his quest for answers for a satisfyingly chilling read.

My Thoughts 💭

DNF @ 8%

Ummmmmmmm, why does this read like the summary of a ghost Lifetime movie not a novel????? The writing doesn't entice me and isn't creepy at all. I'm not interested in continuing.

This is Kevin Moore's first novel but nothing in the reading gives you that impression. I loved, loved, loved this book.

Jack Kelly is a father whose son is under attack by what he can only describe as demons. He fights to save his son and is suddenly transported to a time when he is 14 years old and had just fallen through the rotten floor of an abandoned building.
He is hurt badly and knows he is dying and the demons are waiting to take his soul. He is saved, no spoiler there because without that fact there is no book. But he does not come back the same. For one he remembers his wife and three children, something a 14-year-old could not have. And he sees what others do not.

The story is addictive. Just enough of the creepy and spooky to make even a die-hard horror fan like me happy. You need to know what is going to happen next, who are the shadows, and will Jack ever get back home.
This is part one of a two-part series and I can't wait to see where Jack ends up next or what demon he must face

Thanks to @netgalley, Books Forword, and Kevin Moore for the opportunity to read this eArc in exchange for my honest and unbiased opinion.

I unfortunately DNF'ed this book. I couldn't get into the story and struggled with the writing style. But just because it's not my kind of book doesn't mean it isn't someone elses' future favorite read!

Today I want to shout out The Book of Souls by Kevin Moore. This book is part 1 of a horror/paranormal duology that definitely keeps you on your toes.
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I’ll admit that I struggled a bit with the writing style at first, but that’s probably because horror is not my go to genre. Regardless, once I settled into the story it definitely took off. This book was the right amount of intriguing, suspenseful, and at times creepy. Some scenes had me even questioning if the narrator, the people around Jack, or even My own mind was unreliable 🤣.
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I enjoyed this book and I would like to read the next one to see how it ends.
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Thanks to the author, the publisher, and @booksforwardpr for the ARC.

I felt some Stephen King vibes at first but it ended quite unexpectedly.
I hoped there will be a resolution as to how Jack ended up in a different life, but it looks like there has to be a sequel to solve that.
A creepy haunting read.

We follow Jack Kelly who is living his best life with his wife and kids when his son, Stevie, falls ill Jack puts his own life on the line fighting off the demons only he can see. When those demons overtake him Jack wakes up in his 13 year old body.

While trying to navigate his new life, where everything he knew before was deemed a result of a bad concussion, Jack discovers he had the ability to help people by listening to their thoughts and hearts desires. He can help people move on.

I loved the demon horror aspect to this book. I could very clearly picture the demons crawling on the ceiling clawing at Jack. It played as a movie in my head. I also enjoyed the narration. It gave off Neil Gaiman vibes. Unfortunately I did find that the books dragged at times. The parts that I did like were few and far between with a lot of filler that just added length to the book. I like Jack’s chapters where he interacted with Peter Cairo but didn’t care for Peters chapters, they felt like different characters.

Overall I enjoyed the book but not enough to continue with the next.

Jack Kelly is 14 years old when there is an accident that send him back to his 13 year old body. Jack keeps asking for his wife and children in the hospital not realizing what has happened to him. When he does, he can’t believe it. Now he has the ability to talk with dead and battle demons. The first half of the book is about Jack’s real life and how he could do lucid dreaming. Will he go back to his 40 year old body or will he had to grow up again?

This is a different type of ghost story. It’s scary and eerie. I enjoyed the novel and can’t wait to read the second one when it’s published. It is an unusual ghost story written expertly. I’m glad I got to read it.

This was a great dark fantasy read! I think I'm running on fantasy burnout right now, so I couldn't appreciate it quite as much as it deserved, but I think the right reader would have a very good time with this one. Thank you for the opportunity to read it!!

The Book of Souls by Kevin Moore is a horror mystery thriller. The plot starts with a very mysterious tone, but, I was really disappointed as the story advanced. I felt that it lost its original track and gone haywire. I had high hopes with the book. It is really hard to find a good horror book. Also, I was also not able to connect myself with the characters. They seem to be very different and distant. May be the book was not for me.

I would like to give the book 3 stars, and, it is totally my own opinion. You may have a different opinion after reading it. Thanks to Netgalley for providing me an opportunity to read and review the book.

I found the beginning of this book to be pretty action packed and interesting. Jack is a happily married man...and then he isn't. There are specters and tension...and then there is not. Then there is a young Jack who is psychic. At times the narration became interesting...and then it was not. Often it dragged and I lost complete interest. This was helped when I completely abandoned the audiobook and stuck with the print. Not completely, but better. I think the execution spent far too much time with over-explanation and scenes that could have been cut altogether.

The Book of Souls is a fascinating little work. The book follows the story of a 14 year old boy named Jack Kelly who awoke from a coma caused by a fall with memories of a completely different life. The reader is taken on a journey as young Jack Kelly tries to make sense of everything happening in life.

He finds out that he can see the dead, and demons. This book is has many interesting themes in it, primarily religious themes. This book seems to in some sense be an apologetic against organized religion. It takes many different aspects of religion and puts them together to create a very interesting world for Jack kelly—and the reader—to explore.

This book does need another run with an editor however. It has many editing flaws and spelling errors and weird grammar choices. However, should that be done, this could make a very fantastic little novel.

I just think this book wasn’t for me and it was a mistake to request it. I don’t necessarily think there’s something wrong with it and my rating solely reflects my enjoyment of it. I’m tired of forcing myself through things I don’t like out of obligation. The premise certainly sounded creepy, but I didn’t feel that way about the story itself and I did not feel pulled in by the writing style.

I am immensely grateful to Books Forward, Books Fluent, and NetGalley for my digital review copy.

Thank you so much for my copy of The Book of Souls! I enjoyed this thrilling story and I am looking forward to reading the follow up. If you love horror stories with a plot that will keep you engaged from start to finish, then this is the perfect story for you!

The book of souls was an atmospheric read from the very beginning. I don't like to regurgitate the synopsis for reviews - you can find that anywhere -, but all i can say is that I'm really grateful for the opportunity to read this book.
An interesting premise and an easily flowing scary read. I'm really looking forward to the continuation.

Jack Kelly was happily married to his wife, Katherine. He and Katherine had three beautiful children — Stevie, Lily and Mike. They were the perfect family. But their idyllic family is upended when Stevie falls ill with a strange sickness that had doctors befuddled. It is Stevie’s illness that would be the turning point of Jack’s life as he knew it.

On that fateful day in Jack’s life, Jack is besieged by shadows and is knocked unconscious. When Jack wakes, he is no longer the man and husband, but a mere teenager. A man trapped in a 13 year old body. Along with that, Jack now has the uncanny ability to see, hear, and feel otherworldly connections. And those connections would be the start of Jack’s new purpose in life.

The Book of Souls is the first book in the horror duology. It is mildly terrifying but not enough to keep you awake all night.

The characters are developed enough. And for their part in a horror genre, they don’t need to be fleshed out as much as if they were in a historical fiction novel. The character of Jack was the most interesting because here you have a grown man in a boy’s body. And Jack’s stature belies his vast knowledge, intelligence and maturity.

As for the story, it is a satisfying read if you are a fan of horror. However, the transitions were a little rough, and the narrative seemed a bit disjointed throughout.

Overall, The Book of Souls is an average and decent read. I’m probably the minority of opinion with a three star rating. The story will conclude with author Kevin Moore’s upcoming novel, The Book of Demons. But I probably won’t be in line for that one anytime soon.

I received a digital ARC from Books Fluent through NetGalley. The review herein is completely my own and contains my honest thoughts and opinions.

When I started this book, it was early evening and I was tired. I thought I would read the foreword and then start chapter one in the morning. Well that didn't happen!!. I was halfway through the book before I knew it and I had to sleep!!. It was a gripping story from start to finish!!. I love ghosts and otherworldly tales so this was right up my street and written so well I could not put it down for long!. I read it in 24 hours!!.
The story follows Jack who is a happily married family man nursing his son in the hospital and is fighting shadows that could be angels or demons coming to take his sick son away to the other side. He takes him home but the shadows are never far away....He has a lovely dream of being at the seaside with his family and holding hands with his wife then it's his dad's hand and he's his 13 year old self in hospital swapping places with his brother who had an accident from falling through a derelict building's roof and all he believed to be his life is not true. He finds all this very confusing but has to make the most of his life without revealing his pain over the loss of his wife and children without people thinking he's mad!. He can read people's minds which confuses him but also gives him terrible migraines and he is sent to different people to help. It's not until he goes with his Aunt to a psychic that he feels like he's understood and things start to make sense, and so the lessons begin.....
There's lots of ghost action and lots of demons too but the story is mainly about Jack and how he uses his gift to help people, but all roads lead back to his near death experience._...Could he find a way back to his family??
I know there's going to be another book in this series and I can't wait to read it!. I'm sure it'll be excellent just like this one was!!!
Many thanks to Netgalley for the free ARC book for an honest review.
#Netgalley, #

Where to start?

The prologue in The Book of Souls grabbed my attention. For me, I was wondering "what is going on"? As it progressed I wanted more and to know more. Then the prologue ends and we finally make our way to the first chapter. Which takes place in a different setting that is completely normal. Talk about an attention grabber. Loved it.
As I devoured the rest of this book (without giving too much away), this book kept me wanting more.
One scene that stuck out to me the most was Jack calling for help but instead, he was told to let the holy spirit in. I felt that. That pain of relying on someone but never receiving help except in the phrases of "God heals" or "believe in god". That scene made me emotional because I have been there. I am glad the dad did help jack come morning.

This book was thrilling from start to finish. It is a fast-paced read. Overall I would rate this book 4.5 stars.

This book was thrilling from the beginning up to the end. Jack started out as a family man, and after a terrible experience with his son in a hospital he astral projects back to when he was 13 years old. He had a bad accident that almost took his life. Waking up from a coma, he is mourning the loss of his family. That near death experience gave him a super natural ability to see and feel things no other person can. It becomes so bad he seeks help from older spiritual people who help him find ways to deal with these dark forces, and hopefully find a portal back to his family. He has to battle demons and shadow people, while helping lost souls find the light. I'm excited to read the next book!