This is a gorgeous and well-rendered amble through many periods and landscapes. Some may find it slow in the middle, but I appreciated the additional testimonies for their lyricism. Since the testimonies were inserted with no apparent focus on linearity, they reinforced the sense of timelessness while still leaving me feeling like I was building up to something. This is harder to achieve than it may seem. Overall, a venusian meditation on humanity.

This book was just okay. I didn't care for the writing style, so that's why I gave this novel only 3 stars. I don't think I like this genre as much as I used to. The story was a little confusing and I didn't feel connected to the main character. Also, this book wasn't suspenseful enough for me. Just a decent and average read. Nothing spectacular. Ho-hum.

Susan Barker's Old Soul is an eerie slow burn of a novel that transcends genre. Playing with elements of horror, speculative and literary fiction, character study, and being told through a collection of narrators, it's a book that is very difficult to define. This book will certainly not be for everyone, but I suspect that with the right audience, this book will be hailed as a masterpiece.

But what did I think? Well, let's get into it-

-Characters: this book has A LOT of them. After missing his flight, our main character, Jake, connects with a woman and comes to the realization that both of them lost a loved one in a suspiciously similar way, and begins to wonder if the strange woman in both of their stories might be one and the same. This leads him to start tracking down others who have similar stories. The book becomes a chronical of these stories, which is a fantastic concept in my opinion. The problem is, it's easy to get a bit lost in all of the narratives. Despite having finished this book only a few days ago, and having taken notes, I'm struggling to keep the characters, and their respective arcs differentiated in my mind. I think part of this might be due to the fact that I was not going into this book expecting this scope of a story. It also could be attributed to some of my issues with the pacing in this book (which I will get to). Whatever it is, I had a difficult time keeping the characters straight. I felt that Jake was a bit bland as a main character, but I think that serves the story well enough, since he mostly serves as a conduit for everyone else's accounts of "E" (which is how I will refer to 'the woman' since she has many different names throughout the story (which didn't help my confusion, of course)). I thought that E was well done as the villain, although I would have enjoyed getting just a bit more of her past. The small bit we did get was very effective for me in understanding her motivations, and I can appreciate that. I'd say that overall, I enjoyed the main players of this story quite a bit. I particularly liked The Sculptor, and I felt that her parts of the book were the most interesting. Getting to see E's vulnerability through her served as some much-needed humanization for our villain, and I think that the juxtaposition between these two characters and their philosophies about life and death were fantastic. And of course, The Tyrant was horrifying and was just mysterious enough to be a very effective means of delivering that dose of horror I came for. And I want to backtrack a bit here and state that even the more minor characters that I had difficulty distinguishing at times: they were all written and characterized very well, the confusion for me mostly came from the layout of the story. So, all of that said, I'd give the characters a strong 4.5!

Pacing- Oof, okay, before I get into my issues with this, I do want to preface by saying that slow burn stories are not my thing. I think that like 80% of my problems with the pacing are very much a "me" thing, and not a "the-author-doing-a-bad-job" thing. But full disclosure: this book is SLOOWWWWWW. I considered not finishing this book several times but then would talk myself into giving it another chance. And in the end, I am glad that I stuck it out, however, I do think there is a point in which a book can take too long to get going, and Old Soul was really pushing that limit for me. I don't think I started truly enjoying this book at all until I was past the 55% mark. That means that I felt this book was really slogging along for over half of its 350ish pages. Those numbers just don't do it for me. If slow burn is not something you enjoy, then honestly, this book is one you will want to skip. If you are a reader who likes slow burn, then disregard this completely. Like I said before, this all comes down to my personal preference, and I will say that the payoff worked pretty well in the end, but if I hadn't been reading this as an ARC, I would not have finished it, and I have to be honest about that. I'm giving the pacing a 1/5.

Horror- Once again, this is an aspect of the book that I suspect might be a bit divisive. How was the horror? Well, as I said in my character review, I found it fairly effective. I thought The Tyrant was quite upsetting, I mean, it's an omnipresent, malevolent being that is basically impossible for humans to stop. The sense of hopelessness that it inflicts is horrifying. And there are other details and story beats throughout the book that I found to be very effective. The blind cousin who could see the tyrant in the voids of his vision, the rearranged organs in the victims' bodies, the entire scene of that dad taking his kid out into the woods and playing 'death god', these were all fantastic moments of horror for me. But the horror here is subtle, and that's not what some readers are looking for in their books. I can appreciate it though, so I'll give the horror elements of this book a 3.5

Writing- This is my first time reading Susan Barker's work, and I was quite satisfied in this department. It felt like the author had a clear vision for this story and where she wanted it to go, which makes it easy as a reader to just sit back and enjoy the ride. 4/5

The Ending- after the slow descent into the first half, I was surprised to find myself invested in this story. As the different elements of the book began to weave together, and the ending drew near, I had a hard time putting this book down, which was a pleasant surprise after forcing my way through the first 175 pages. I will say, however, that the ending gave me a bit of whiplash. It all comes together so fast, and because of how slow the beginning of the story is, it doesn't feel like a very smooth finish. There were details that I felt would have been better off if they were delivered in a different order. For example, when E is in the desert with Rosa, we find out that The Sculptor's son is stalking them, but it isn't until a while later that we learn that Jake and The Sculptor's son are working together to try and stop E. I felt that if we had learned this first, and then had E figure out she was being hunted, the tension would have been much more effective. Also, the final bloodbath came together so quickly that I had to reread it a few times to figure out who had died when, and it just wasn't that satisfying to me. I wasn't expecting a happy ending for these characters, in fact, I think I would have been disappointed if the author had tried that, because The Tyrant is written to be so powerful that having it get outsmarted by the characters would have felt a bit cheap. I just think that the book would have been well served to spend a little less time with its setup and more time with its ending. As is, the book feels unbalanced. 2/5 for the ending.

Final thoughts- Old Soul is bound to be a love it or hate it type of book. My recommendation is that if you are an enjoyer of slow burns and subtle horror to give it a shot. If slow pacing is not your thing, skip this one. Thats really what my review boils down to.

I want to thank Netgalley and the publishers of this book for providing me with a free digital ARC in exchange for an honest review!

She is a mysterious woman who never goes by the same name, never ages, never stays too long, and never dies. She is an old soul. This is a different one folks and yet it is mesmerizing, gripping, intriguing, and horrific. It is also uniquely and wonderfully written and eerie.

When Jake and Mariko meet at an Osaka airport, they are complete strangers but over drinks learn that they have something in common - they both lost someone close to them in an unimageable and bizarre manner. Jake lost his best friend, and Mariko lost her twin brother. As they talk, Jake and Mariko learn that the ones they lost both met a dark-haired woman days before their deaths.

Jake sets out on a mission which takes him around the world, to find this elusive woman and along the way, learns the disturbing and unsettling stories of her victims. How they met the diabolical dark-haired woman and how meeting her changed their lives forever. The author weaves the victim's testimonies/stories expertly together with the dark haired woman's present day hunt for her next victim!

This was a riveting and captivating book that is more horrific than horror. It is unsettling, evokes unease, and dread. I enjoyed the writing, the descriptions, and the ominous vibe of the book. With each page turned, I wondered if Jake would ever find her and what would happen if he did. Would he get the answers he was looking for?

Old Soul is an original blending of horror and literary fiction. As I mentioned above, it is more horrific than horror. Plus, the ending! I found it to be very well done.

This was a creepy, atmospheric novel that spanned from the US to Europe to Asia. Jake and Mariko have just missed their flight in Japan. They decide to go have drinks and discover they both have lost people close to them in very weird circumstances. With the information Jake receives from Mariko he begins to dig further into their deaths. The book is broken into testimonies of other people who have lost loved ones in the same tragic way. He discovers there is a woman at the center of it all who all of the victims have come in contact with and have had their photograph taken. Who is this woman and how is it possible that she appears to never age?

The writing is excellent. With each country and testimony received, the author incorporates a good bit of the local dialect. I like this as it made it seem more authentic as Jake is traveling around the world however, it did hinder how quickly I could read the book. It slowed me down a bit, but I think in a good way as I was able to appreciate the cultures along with the main story.

While some testimonies seem to drag a little bit, I liked how it all connected. I think my favorite portions were those of the sculptor and her relationship with the woman. Overall, this was a highly enjoyable read and is one that I can’t stop thinking about.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my ARC in exchange for an honest review

Wow. This book really surprised me. Initially, I had a hard time getting into it. I was kind of confused about what was going on and not a huge fan of the layout, but eventually, once things started getting revealed, I couldn't put this down! The way this book is set up is unique and works so well for this story. This isn't horror in a traditional sense. You're not going to be unable to sleep or anything. But it still has a lot of horror elements, in my opinion. The writing is beautiful and engaging. The characters, even the small ones, are memorable.

This two is told in two pieces, one is from Jake who, after meeting a woman at an airport and learning her brother died in a strange series of event that were similiar to how his own friend Lena died, takes off around the world collecting stories of other individuals who share the same story. Each story share a few similarities, they all meet a woman who takes their photograph, they all start acting a little strange, and it's like their bodies have been rearranged, and then they all die. Because this part is all these "testimonials," we don't really learn much about Jake for a while. He is more of a messenger than a true MC. It's almost in a way a collection of short stories.

The other piece of this story is told by the women herself as she meets her new victim. I really loved this part of it because it was so interesting to see it unfold as you learn what exactly has been going on.

I loved this book when I honestly thought I wasn't going to. And that epilogue! It was perfect.

Thanks to Netgalley and GP Putnam's Sons for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Old Soul by Susan Barker is a strange and slow story of one being's desperation to live and the destruction left in her wake. After Jake and another passenger both miss the same flight, a haze of alcohol and darkness lead to them both revealing they lost loved ones in similar circumstances. Jake then sets out on a journey to find out more, encountering individuals across the world who all experienced similar tragedies. At the center of the death and destruction is a woman who goes by many names and faces and serves at the hands of something otherworldly. It's a slow-paced, at times odd and stiff novel that may have worked better had there been fewer characters and stories involved.

This is a book that will stick to your bones. For the horror reader that is tired of formulas in their stories and wants a solid creature. The pacing is right about perfect, feeling almost like it’s dragging at the 50% mark before kicking you in the teeth.

Susan Barker excels in bringing multiple timelines and settings together into a big story populated by incredibly developed characters. In Old Souls, readers are treated to a global adventure in interludes that follow the terrifying persona of the dark woman. She speaks multiple languages and has such an intense charm that she lures people into her traps. Finding out how it all happens, and why, is the hook; propulsive writing and gradual revelation is the reward. And we get to see multiple characters in their specific times/places as they react to their situations and relationships. This horror novel will keep readers going forward to the climactic end.

This book is simply gorgeous. I really didn't know what to expect when I went into it, as I almost always go in blind, and it truly exceeded all my expectations.

The writing is beautiful, the imagery is so vivid - this is one I was definitely able to get lost in. This is true literary horror, it's deep, it's visceral, and it had its moments when it genuinely shocked me with its abruptness (in a good way).

The ending was also perfectly poetic and heartbreaking and honestly, after some reflection, I really feel that it was the only appropriate way for it to end.

My only criticism is with the lack of quotations to indicate dialogue. Occasionally, I had to reread sections because I couldn't tell what was what. Other than that, I high recommend picking up this stunning read.

Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for an early copy in exchange for an honest review.

Review: This book is not going to be for everyone. I ended up DNFing it around 55 percent and was informed of the ending. After knowing how it ends, I am glad I didn't finish it. The first 30 percent was really strong. It felt vast, expansive and unique. At the point I DNF'd it, it just lost it's charm and I didn't really care what happened. Let's start with what went well.

*It's unique and the writing is actually quite good
*It is told in sections almost like short stories and that usually doesn't work well for me but I appreciate the varying degrees of perspectives and they were all quite different.
*The author doesn't back away from some really tough topics which I respect. That being said, I highly, HIGHLY recommend looking into trigger warnings.

However, it just lost my interest over time and now that I know the ending I would have been livid. I am so curious to read what others are going to think of the ending. I do think some will enjoy it. Maybe I've peaked your interest because of that ;)

This book has an originality that I appreciated. Combining Japanese horror motifs with more traditional supernatural elements and body, horror this is a book I won’t soon forget. I love a good possession story and this one delivers in a unique and untraditional way. The writing has an elegance not often seen in horror that I appreciated even though I do think the overly descriptive style did slow the story down at times. And the quotes without quotation marks I know can be confusing for some readers, although it doesn’t really bother me.

This book asks big questions. Most notably, what is the meaning of life. It’s cerebral and really makes you think. I liked seeing how all the people’s stories connected as we jump through various times and places with the mysterious woman being the thread that connect them. It has somewhat of a folktale quality about it that appealed to me. And the ending for me was perfection. Not perfect, but a darn good read and one I think will stay with me for a while. Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Publishing for this arc.

Old Soul follows Jake as he tries to unravel the mystery of his friend Lena's death. A chance encounter with a woman in Japan whose brother died in a similarly violent manner leads him on a globe-trotting pursuit of the mysterious woman he believes to be responsible. On this journey he collects testimony from the loved ones of other victims, creating a grotesque record of the horrors they've experienced. In these testimonies we see everyday domestic problems merge with the supernatural and how the mystery woman exploits insecurity to capture her victims.

Ultimately, not for me. The characters are all flat and cartoonish and the supernatural plot reveals nothing interesting about them. The novel's structure becomes redundant and dissolves any kind of tension and mystery.

This was a very interesting literary horror read, filled with possession and body horror! 🙌

There are quite a few characters to keep track of but we don’t get much character depth, with the exception of the Sculptor, Theo, who I liked. I also really had a hard time getting used to the lack of quotation marks throughout the book. But in all, I did enjoy the read! 👏

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Publishing Group for the opportunity to read the eARC in exchange for my honest review! ❤️

The premise sounds so fascinating but I feel the story itself dragged a bit & I never understood it. We have several shirts stories of a characters experience with a woman, but we never really get to know who or why she is that way.

This much-anticipated next novel for fans of Suasn Barker's Incarnations was a decent novel with an attractive premise that was at times awkward and included repetitive and seemingly irrelative detail in terms of the plot. The style and format reminded me of "Dracula," so that nod to one of my favorite classics added a bit of reward for the reader. Thank you to the author, Netgalley, and the publisher for allowing me to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

Susan Baker's "Old Soul" is a gem you must add to your reading list! It's raw, unique, compelling, and unsettling, with dark Japanese horror themes that guarantee nightmares!

The book weaves together multiple character testimonies, each horrifying, intense, dark, and sad in its own way. Lena's story touched me deeply, while Ursula's strange and heart-wrenching tale left me devastated.

This masterful paranormal horror follows an old soul hunting people to feed her eternal existence, but the background of this sinister being holds many mysteries. Through her victims' horrific stories, we piece together information about her: she appears to be in her mid-thirties, an enigmatic, charismatic woman with a German accent who never ages, moving from place to place. She takes Polaroid photos of her victims, who slowly become imposters of themselves, appearing possessed by an unexplained entity before losing their lives.

The story begins with a fateful intervention when Jake and Mariko miss their flight to London. Over dinner and drinks at an Osaka bar, they discover a chilling connection: both Mariko's estranged twin brother Hiroji and Jake's childhood friend Lena died under similar strange circumstances after encountering an eccentric woman who stripped away their sanity.

Jake's meeting with Mariko leads him to Germany, where he meets Hiroji's wife Sigrid, who sheds light on the strange circumstances of her husband's death. As Jake investigates similar cases, his search leads him to Theo, a dying sculptor in New Mexico, who might hold the key to these mysterious deaths and have an inexplicable connection to the woman.

Meanwhile, the woman, struggling with power issues, takes Rosa, a young influencer in her twenties who works as a hotel maid, to the badlands to film YouTube videos - but with a sinister hidden agenda.

Can Jake track down this woman who claims lives to maintain her immortality, or will he become her next victim? Who is she really? What are her capabilities? Is she evil, or something even more terrifying?

Overall, I was captivated by the unique storytelling and expertly crafted testimonies, each a perfect scary story for dark nights around a campfire. This strong 4.5-star read easily rounds up to 5! I recommend putting this book on your radar - but don't read it when you're home alone!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Publishing Group/G.P. Putnam's Sons for sharing this brilliant book's digital reviewer copy in exchange for my honest thoughts.

A slow supernatural horror about an entity that possesses people after they look at a photo of themselves taken by a mysterious and alluring woman.

We hit multiple points in the past where this entity posssesses different people, and someone in current day connecting all of these people together. I think the body horror in this story really worked for me, but it got a little repetitive and slow with how many possessions we wittnessed.

A chance meeting and a disturbing connection between two strangers at an airport in Osaka, Japan, lead a man down a strange, dark path where a mysterious, ageless woman waits – a path with frightening revelations at its end…and there are implications for all of humanity.

This is going to sound strange, but Old Soul is exactly the kind of horror novel I sometimes crave: one that embraces nihilism, offering up utter devastation and desolation without a speck of light or hope to be seen; one that demonstrates the visceral nature and range of horror and how deeply and widely it can affect the reader’s emotions. Old Soul is not traditionally scary, but it is one of those gut-punch sorts books – the kind you finish and then have to sit with for a while, or that makes you want to curl up in a ball as you work through your thoughts about it. Susan Barker’s writing is atmospheric and literary, combining impeccably detailed writing and textured character work with elements of body horror and existential horror. The woman at the center of the story is such a compelling and frightening character – clearly a villain but one that, throughout the course of the book, you come to understand and almost sympathize with.

Barker raises some thought-provoking questions about the meaning of life (quality vs. quantity) and art as a form of immortality, as she explores themes surrounding addiction, sacrifice, mental health issues, friendship, parenthood, and symbiotic/parasitic relationships of all kinds. I don’t think I’ve ever read a book quite like this one before, and the concept was so brilliantly executed that Barker had me hanging on every word, even through parts in the middle that became somewhat repetitive. This was my first book by Susan Barker, and I can’t wait to dig into her backlist. Thank you to G.P. Putnam’s Sons for the early reading opportunity.

A mysterious woman takes their photo, and not long after, they’re dead. Jake, childhood friend of one of the deceased, meets a woman who has a similar story about her brother, setting him off on a journey to track down and collect similar stories. Meanwhile, the woman is still out there, taking people’s photos.

This one was a little weird, even for me. I loved the concept and the mystery of how this woman seemed not to age over many years of photographing her victims. They die soon after meeting her, but by this point she’s long gone and hasn’t laid a hand on them. It’s a fascinating riddle. However, some of the things described in the book were gratuitous and didn’t do anything for the story (for example, mysterious woman’s yeast infection… no thank you).

I liked the book, but I think most people I know would be put off by the writing style (quotes without quotation marks, gratuitous descriptions of gross things). It would make a great movie, though.