One sitting read interesting
Characters and plot keep me gripped
Enjoyed this read as well as the cover just a soood book!

🪞Book review: Old Soul by Susan Barker🪞

For fans of Stephen King’s The Outsider, but make it…

Haunting
Ethereal
Beguiling

•SYNOPSIS•
When a missed flight connects two grieving strangers, they discover they share more than a disrupted destination. As they swap stories of losing their loved ones under bizarre circumstances, they find disturbing parallels, like their loved ones’ strange encounters just before their deaths. Both had met a mysterious woman with black eyes who took their photo and maybe their lives…

Who is this mystery woman?
Is her camera the kiss of death or a mere coincidence?
And, most importantly, can they stop her before it happens again?

•THOUGHTS•
A tale of morality, greed, and sacrifice, Old Soul is supernatural, literary horror that’s fast-paced and fun (in a morbid way 😈). Barker brilliantly bobs between narrators and timelines, weaving a deliciously demonic web for readers to untangle.

Shout-out to @shannonkirk_books for getting this on my radar 🖤 I was hooked from the first page, savoring the rush of this free-fall into hell.

Thanks @netgalley and @putnambooks for the ARC. Old Soul hits shelves in January ✨

#oldsoul #netgalley

I will start by saying I would absolutely read another book by this author in the future. I was rapt right away when I began this book. But I quickly grew bored. The format of the storytelling: each incidence where our evil protagonist/antagonist takes another soul for the Tyrant. I didn't feel like I learned anything new with each telling. I was just a slightly different version of the same story: Find someone vulnerable, engage, entice, photograph, show photo to subject, let the Tyrant in to ruin the life within a few weeks, the main character (Eva, Marion, etc) carries on. There was no resolution in the end, which I might be okay with, but the entire book felt unfulfilling.

Brilliant and haunting--a mix of literary horror, thriller and Western I didn't know I needed in my life! I genuinely didn't want to put this book down which has been tough to achieve lately. Fantastic usage of multiple POVs by way of testimonials connecting each one to a single individual. Idk guys, this just did it for me...frightening, eerie, tragic, upsetting, yet beautiful and poetic all at once. The horror element is certainly not your typical horror, yet it is still ABSOLUTELY horror; I don't know how to explain it.

One of my favorite books I've read this year!

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of Old Soul.

Whenever a book is categorized as literary horror, I know its means two things:

1. It's going to be really well-written

2. The story is going to be really boring

And I was right with Old Soul.

This is more of a character driven story, revolving around Jake and Mariko's serendipitous meeting, which leads Jake on a dangerous pursuit of a mysterious person who has left a trail of broken bodies and shattered families behind.

The backstories are well-written but wordy and long. You get to meet many different kinds of people from all walks of life but, as a result, you don't really bond or relate to anyone.

I'm all for exposition and world building, but as a result, the narrative sacrifices suspense and excitement as readers are pulled into each testimonial after another.

At the same time, this mysterious person is on the hunt for another soul and soon she and Jake will collide.

This is not horror, but it does have supernatural elements, which I love and wished the author had spent time on.

Some scenes are creepy and unsettling, but me being me, I wanted to know more about this mysterious person.

Where does she go when she's not hunting a soul? What does she do, how does she spend her time?

Is her life nothing more than hunting innocent people for their essence?

How has centuries of seeking prey warped her mind and 'soul?' And does she have one after all these decades?

Who or what is the Tyrant? Is it Satan? A demon? An entity of unknown and even older origins?

I didn't like or sympathize with Jake or anyone else; I actually felt Jake's characterization was off-putting, I can't quite put my finger on why.

Despite the well written but monotonous backstories, the globe trotting and diversity of characters, the narrative lacked substance and depth.

Old Soul is one of those books that just pulls you in right away. The story kicks off with Jake and Mariko, two strangers who meet by chance, both dealing with their own deep losses. What’s wild is how their pasts are connected by this mysterious woman who seems to be behind it all. The way the book unfolds, with twists that take you across different times and places, keeps you on the edge of your seat. It’s haunting, but in the best way—like you can’t stop thinking about it even after you finish. If you’re into horror stories that mix emotion with a bit of a chilling mystery, you’ll really enjoy this one.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!

This a well written book for sure, but it didn't grab me the same way as others. I went a little over the half way mark not understanding the point and the chapters before didn't hold my interest enough to find out. I'm sure this will be well regarded, just didn't work for me.

I did appreciate the Criterion reference.

"The shimmering limbs, chubby and delectable in the heat".

Another excellent take (#bloodlikemine is another for 2024) on what I originally thought was going to be the vampire trope, but it's not. Not quite. What Barker has created here is something altogether different, actually. And I was fascinated. #OLDSOUL is a compelling read, so well written and packing plenty of scary and eerie moments. I appreciated the various "testimonies" that Jake endures to find out what happened to his friend Lena. My ONLY quibble is I would've liked a little more backstory, but still, not knowing doesn't take anything away. I hope Ms. Barker doesn't mind me comparing her story to the first few books by Stephen King.

It's SOOOOO good. REALLY good. Read it, y'all.

P.S. Thanks very much to #netgalley for the ARC.

This was a very interesting book. It hooked me right from the start and when I wasn't reading it, I wanted to be. The story alternates between The Woman's current story and testimonies about others that have crossed her path, all coming together in the end quarter of the book.

It starts with two people missing their plane and figuring out that they both lost loved ones in a similar way. One of those people is Jake and he ends up doing all this digging into this mysterious woman. He meets with the ones left behind in her wake, that's the testimony chapters. You don't know too much about him but he's more just the carrier of the story. The Woman chapters are focused on her newest victim. She's lived for a very long time and you learn how she's doing that fairly quickly. The story has supernatural elements but more demonic or old God than ghosts or jump scares.

The last quarter to third of the book is focused on one person and how she came to meet The Woman. I liked that there was so much back story with alternating perspectives that led into what almost feels like the main story. But then it ended. There was a big scene, sure, but it felt very abrupt. There wasn't much closure, like the story just kept going but not in a sequel coming kinda way. Until the ending, this would've easily been a five star book, but now it just feels unfinished. I would still recommend it, if you love a good story and are okay with a blah ending. There are still so many good points in the book and I'd read more stories of the people The Woman has encountered. So I'll give this 3.5 stars but rounded down because I need an ending.

While this book is characterized as horror, I felt it was a bit light on the horror. I wasn't mad at it though. This book is a bit reminiscent of Addie LaRue and the Age of Adeline. Phenomenal! The writing style is unique from anything else I have read, and I enjoyed it. Definitely a unique story and the ending was...wow! I definitely recommend this to anyone who wants to dip into horror.

I have been sitting on this review for quite a while. I absolutely took my time reading this book. There was so much going on, but I loved every minute of it. I cannot even compare it to any other book that I have read, in relation its style and how Susan Barker writes.
It’s not horror but it was scary in parts. It's creepy. The story is told in many timelines, in the past and present and all the tales involve interactions with the same entity, preying on them. The entity never seems to die just takes from others to subsist.
There were such interesting characters that on their own seem like they’d never fall for such trickery but what do you know, they all do.
I’m definitely reading again.

Listed as horror, this book is more suspenseful than horror, and add in the psychological aspects and this is a literary fiction masterpiece that brings new elements to literature. The author blends together literary genres and elements that give Old Soul a truly unique premise and writing style. As the story unfolds between two different time frames, each section pulls the reader deeper into the unraveling of a character who is terrifying to read.

Readers will not be disappointed in this one, and the best part of this book is the ending, which is one I promise that you will never forget!

What a unique take on horror. It was definitely heavy on the literary fiction, with lots of unsettling and creepy moments thrown in. The writing style was really, really different from anything else I've read, and I feel like it helped contribute to the atmosphere a lot. It was interesting that this book didn't have a main character. I enjoyed the plot and characters a lot. This is definitely a horror novel with deeper themes, such as love and humanity, to explore. Now I'm going to stare at my hands every morning to make sure they haven't switched…

Thank you to Penguin Publishing Group and NetGalley for the ARC.

It took me a while to get through this one. I didn’t love it or hate it. While not slow paced, it wasn’t fast paced either. While not scary per se, it had moments that were disturbing. And I didn’t love all of the characters either, I found some to be obscure and unrelateable. Overall, I’m glad I sought it out and finished it, but it won’t end up in my “best of the year” list.

*Old Soul* is a genre-bending tour de force that combines the chilling suspense of literary horror with the atmospheric intensity of a Western thriller. Drawing comparisons to *The Historian* and *Under the Skin*, this novel by [Author’s Name] offers a hauntingly original exploration of predation, morality, and the quest for redemption.

The story begins with Jake and Mariko, two strangers in Osaka who, after missing a flight, find themselves entangled in a shared nightmare. Both have lost loved ones in connection with a mysterious and elusive woman whose influence has left a trail of devastation. As Jake digs deeper into the enigma of this woman, his search takes him across the globe, gathering harrowing testimonies from those whose lives she has shattered. His journey leads him to Theo, a dying sculptor in rural New Mexico who holds crucial insights into the nature of this enigmatic figure.

The novel masterfully blends elements of horror, Western, and thriller genres, creating a narrative that is as unpredictable as it is engrossing. The woman at the center of the story is more than a mere antagonist; she is a force of nature, representing a malevolent presence whose influence has spanned centuries. Jake’s quest to unravel her identity and end the cycle of destruction is both a deeply personal and an epic struggle against a seemingly unstoppable evil.

*Old Soul* excels in its ability to evoke a sense of dread and suspense while also delving into profound themes of predation and human nature. The novel’s horror elements are juxtaposed with a Western sensibility, highlighting the stark, rugged landscapes of New Mexico and the solitary, grim determination of its characters. This blend of genres creates a unique and compelling reading experience that challenges conventional boundaries.

The character development is particularly striking, with Jake’s relentless pursuit of answers revealing both his vulnerabilities and his strength. Theo, as a key figure in the narrative, provides a crucial perspective that adds depth to the mystery. The psychological and existential dimensions of the story are explored with a deft touch, offering readers a thought-provoking and unsettling examination of the nature of evil and the limits of human endurance.

*Old Soul* is a bold and imaginative work that stands out for its fearless genre experimentation and its ability to engage readers on multiple levels. It is a gripping tale of horror and suspense that will resonate with fans of dark and literary fiction alike. With its intricate plotting, atmospheric settings, and complex characters, this novel is a must-read for anyone interested in exploring the darker corners of human experience and the supernatural.

“Old Soul” by Susan Barker is a literary horror novel that attracted me immediately by its description. It opens with its two main characters meeting in the Tokyo airport where they just miss getting onto their flight. While having dinner and drinks together, they begin to discuss the tragic losses in their lives and find some eerie common threads that cause them to pursue their pasts. This sets the stage for the mysterious force the “Old Soul” to surface as we travel the globe meeting the victims.

Unfortunately for me the writing style, and lack of punctuation really put a damper on my ability to enjoy the book. Also for me, this book is more of a character driven fantasy than a horror story and perhaps would be better described that way.

I do think this book will appeal to anyone interested in a debut novel with a contemporary twist on a complex and chilling theme.

Thank you NetGalley and Penguin Publishing Group for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

→ 3 stars

this one is perfect for fans of sally rooney because the author also has bad blood with quotations marks. it surprisingly didn’t bother me as much as i expected to, but it was still annoying at times. “old soul” is marketed as a literary horror, and while the writing fits the literary aspect, i did not see the “horror” it promised. i think it does the book a disservice, because it’s a good book, but it’s definitely not a horror – somewhat of a thriller with paranormal moments, but not a horror.

the book is split in two – one part is a recollection of the memories other people have of the villain and their interactions with her and in the other we see the woman in the current time, trying to get another victim. i think this juxtaposition worked well, but i enjoyed reading the “interviews” more.

i don’t think any of the characters were fleshed out enough that, as a reader, you’ll care about what happens to them. i liked reading about what went on in their pasts, but i didn’t have a connection to any of them, not even the villain. theo, whom we meet towards the end of the book, was the one that had somewhat of a personality. so if you’re more of a character-driven person, don’t pick up this one, since it’s more heavy on its plot.

i disliked the ending as i was hoping the book would go in a different direction, but i can see why it ended the way it did. however, the epilogue missed the mark for me, as it relied too heavily on lyricism, to the point i simply didn’t understand what i was reading.

overall, it’s a solid debut and i liked the writing style quite a lot, so i will probably read the author’s future works as well.

Mysterious and steeped in dark romance, Old Soul resonates with an enduring sense of dread and a slow, simmering terror that will captivate, disturb, and envelop readers until the final, haunting conclusion.

This gothic folktale spans continents and epochs, unraveling the tale of a black widow figure ensnared by a sinister, otherworldly force, forever tied to the cyclical fate of Venus.

Susan Barker’s debut novel Old Soul is a multi-layered, engrossing ghost story of sorts—a slow burn, spiritual ghost story through the vein of a Faustian bargain.

Old Soul truly does start out like a trippy story you hear at a party and spins out in a multitude of directions. I use “ghost story” in a loose sense—some might even be annoyed by my use of the term ghost story—but both death and life are pervasive throughout the book.

Barker pulls the reader in with a story of a chance encounter at the airport. A Englishman and a Japanese woman find they have more in common than just a missed flight. They’ve both lost someone dear to them and both in the oddest circumstances. Jake, the Englishman who has lost a dear friend named Lena, then becomes one of the main figures, as he tries to tie together other stories of loss with similarly bizarre circumstances.

All in all, Old Soul isn’t a run-of-the-mill horror or mystery, though it has elements of both genres. The book is structured in multiple layers, so that one could easily revisit it in a second reading and find added enjoyment. A number of the story threads cross paths, which makes things more interesting. On the surface, the book is the story of Jake trying the figure out what happened to Lena and if he can find a way to stop it from continuing to happen to others, while others, such as Mariko—the Japanese woman who also lost someone—simply walk away because the loss affected them too greatly. That alone is the start of an intriguing plot line, but the book is even more intriguing than that (trying to keep spoilers to a minimum).

This reader enjoyed the deeper thematic concerns, especially the spiritual elements, as most of the characters are grappling with spiritual elements in one way or another—whether a Catholic faith, a Luciferian faith, a Buddhist faith or even a more loosely structured faith base. Such a quality seems more and more absent in recent books. Regardless of our faith system, most of us look for answers beyond ourselves—even if our chosen God happens to be social media adulation and a New Age spiritualism (yes, such a character exists within the confines of this book). You’ll think about Old Soul long after reading it. Highly recommended.

Good, not great. The story has a "Picture of Dorian Gray" vibe with a genuinely creepy subject. The frequent changes of time and point of view make for a choppy reading experience but I was still interested enough to finish the book. There were a couple of spots where there could have been a bit more background research for verisimilitude, if the author was trying for that.