A woman has been able to stay alive for nearly three centuries thanks to a deal with a diabolical force known as the Tyrant. The cost is a trail of death across centuries and continents. As she prepares her next victim in the New Mexico desert, one man on a quest to stop her is closing in. The drama in the desert is interspersed with the stories of her previous victims. This horrifying, sinister story is impossible to put down and leads to a devastating conclusion.

I read the uncorrected proof of OLD SOUL by Susan Barker on my Kindle.

As the story opened, two women were in the desert. One is an artist, the other the subject. They have become lovers for the time being. Soon one will leave and live her life eternally. The tyrant will choose each victim and grant that eternity.
Two strangers meet in an airport and get to talking. Before long, the two discover they knew people murdered by the same person. The catch...they were thousands of miles apart and the killer is not aging.

I am not sure what I feel about OLD SOUL. In the beginning I couldn't stop reading, but then I lost interest and just couldn't seem to get into it. To me, it became too repetitive with people missing and not enough within the story. For instance, I would have preferred more information about the tyrant and his origins. What does the tyrant get from the arrangement? The epilog was well written, interesting, but it seemed as if it should be the beginning instead of the end to a story.

Wow... I had a great time with this one. Kind of like being caught in a spiral I couldn't put it down once I started.

The writing is quite lovely. It does read very much as a contemporary literary fiction novel, whatever you picture that to be, (complete with lack of quotations; though I didn't find this distracting or confusing) with just enough grotesque imagery and cosmic horror themes woven it to make it a bit unnerving and chilling at times. While I found it occasionally unsettling I could see how if you went in specifically for horror it's a little light.. so it could be disappointing. (Though that epilogue ... what's more horrific than that....)

It did reach a small point around the 60-75% lulled a bit for me, while it was trying to lay out the framework for the ending. I was a bit unsure how I would ultimately rate it, especially if the landing was flubbed, but the enjoyment I had while reading as a whole was pretty overwhelming and I personally liked how it wrapped up.... so I happily would recommend this title to the right person. 4 stars :) I support women's rights and wrongs

Thanks NetGalley for the digital ARC this was a treat. Definitely need to check out Barker's backlog

A chance encounter leads two strangers to realize that they have an unusual connection- both of them had someone close to them die under the same peculiar circumstances. Jake's best friend and Mariko's twin brother both met a woman, matching the same description, then days later violently die. After meeting Mariko, Jake decides to learn more about this mysterious woman. He tracks down other people who had loved ones die in a similar fashion.

The chapters flash between the people that Jake meets and interviews, and the mysterious woman herself.

This book is intense, mysterious, and gripping- I completely recommend it!

To what lengths would you go to live forever? As the mystery unravels around the Old Soul in Susan Barker's brilliantly haunting novel, questions that would seemingly come into focus get only murkier.

Jake meets Mariko in an airport and the two bond over a shared grief of losing a loved one. Jake has recently lost his best friend, while Mariko has lost her brother. They soon find out there is more than grief linking them: the same enigmatic woman possessing some kind of malevolent energy had a connection with each of their lost loves. As Jake unravels the mystery of this woman, he finds evidence of her malice spanning the globe and reaching decades into the past. As she moves through the world, the women never ages and never faces consequences for the wake of despair and destruction she leaves behind. As Jake draws closer to knowing who, or what, she is, he is confronted with truths about the universe he will struggle to comprehend and accept.

This book is a gorgeous exploration into grief, vengeance, love, and the passage of time. The prose that weaves this vast, yet intricate story is utterly captivating. While not outwardly a horror story, Old Soul is many dark tales wrapped up into one story of an unstoppable dark force and the layers of complicated mess it leaves behind. I highly recommend this book for lovers of literary horror, mystery and the supernatural. This book truly transcends genre and will be hard to put down.

This is a unique story. A bit out of my personal range of books, due to it being a tad bit to extraterrestrial for me. I loved the concept of a woman trying to live forever through any means necessary, however the way the story played out just didn’t engage me or keep me in the story as much as I wanted to be. This book is very creepy and is perfect for anyone who likes a little bit of horror, including a twist of mysticism.
Thank you to Penguin Publishing House and Netgalley for allowing me to read an advance copy of this title.

There is a woman who is always on the move, never ages, or goes by the same name.

If you see her, your body and your life will be in extricably changed.

After meeting fellow passenger Mariko at the Osaka airport, Jake learns that both of them have lost loved ones after encountering the same peculiar woman. She took their photographs and then they slowly lost their minds and lives. Only after an autopsy is performed did they learn that their internal organs had been reversed.

Who is this mysterious woman?

Jake sets out on a journey to find her. Through seven testimonials, individuals from all over the world detail their encounters with this same strange woman.

Can she be stopped?

Susan Barker is a new author to me, and I am impressed with her captivating writing. The chapters are very long, some more than hour, but each story kept me fully invested the entire way through. I really enjoyed how this plot came together, but really needed a few more answers at the end.

If you enjoy literary horror, you will devour this book!

3.5/5 stars rounded up

Expected publication date: 1/28/25

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin publishing group for the ARC of Old Soul in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 stars.

This is a horror/thriller with a vampire creature thing that reminds me of The Ring in some ways. It's very slowburn and is a mystery of sorts. Like The Ring, you know what the monster's doing, but you're also following a second POV with a character who's unraveling the monster's history and secrets.

There's a reasonable amount of body horror to keep you on your toes, along with the villain's POV so that the story doesn't get too stagnant. (Jake's POV was a bit too dull and forgettable for my tastes, which is why I didn't rate this higher.)

I didn't mind the lack quotation marks for the dialogue, but only because I've read some of Cormac McCarthy's books. The beginning was a little confusing, but I liked how the multiple storylines started merging together by the end of the novel. I loved the climax and the aftermath. (And honestly? Good for her.)

Thank you to G.P. Putnam's Sons and NetGalley for this arc.

Thank you to NetGalley and G.P. Putnam Son's Publishing for the opportunity to read and review Old Soul by Susan Barker. All opinions are my own.

This story is labeled as a literary horror with settings and characters that take you all around the world and back. Jake has a conversation with someone on a plane that leads him on an investigative undertaking to discover what happened to his best friend Lena, who died under mysterious circumstances. As he follows one person/story to another he gets closer and closer to a woman of many Alias' that may have a part in her death. This woman also has a story of her own waiting to be told. He travels all over to these interviews putting each piece together of this long story. Once he learns the truth he will never quit until this trail of depravity, death, grief, and loss stops.

Going into this book you need to know that this is "lite horror" and much more on the literary side, with pieces of thriller, mystery, and character analysis. We come across many characters throughout book with the how and why if how came in contact with this woman. Towards the middle of the book, I felt it was dragging a bit while waiting for the plot to drive forward more. Once I hit the 70 percent mark, I couldn't put it down till I found out what would happen to all the involved characters. Old Soul comes out January 28th and can be purchased at any major book retailer. Happy Reading!

Wow, I really liked this. I found it very unsettling, very creepy. Just disturbing enough without me needing to keep the lights on while I read it. I thought that the vignettes were going to end up feeling redundant - every time there was a new case study I thought, Geez, I am not sure we need another one - but they didn't. Each added something new, and each felt creepier than the last. The reversal aspect was haunting, so was the idea of seeing a picture of yourself possessed, and the Tyrant began to feel like a real force to me, in a way I didn't expect.

Really impressed with this, and will recommend it - to those who I think can handle it!

3.5 stars

Two strangers, Jake and Mariko, meet in an airport after missing their flight and discover an eerie connection: Their loved ones were both victims of an immortal woman who never goes by the same name. Jake embarks on a journey across decades and continents to reveal the truth behind the woman’s haunting existence and ancient rituals.

Old Soul blends genres such as horror, thriller, supernatural, mythology and literary fiction. I have a difficult time assigning a star rating because I loved the first chapter and enjoyed the last two chapters, but I found the middle to be a slog. I only got through 15% of the book before needing a break and restarting from the beginning. While Susan Barker is a talented writer, her lack of quotation marks and abundance of characters made it difficult to follow along.

Thank you to #NetGalley and Penguin G.P. Putnam’s Sons for the advanced reader copy of #OldSoul. To be published Jan. 28, 2025.

Comparisons to The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova are quite apt - this compelling story weaves back and forth through time and characters and setting. Perhaps the only element of the story that detracts from the overall concept is the somewhat far-fetched explanation for the origins of the titular "old soul." Otherwise, a highly readable and entertaining story, with a strong atmosphere of creepiness.

Thanks to Netgalley and G.P. Putnam's Sons for letting read an eARC of Old Soul by Susan Barker. The unique plot held this literary horror tale together enough that I was able to finish it. However ultimately it was a struggle for me to get through because of how the novel structure jumped around so much. If you are wanting a very different horror tale with a gothic twist you may enjoy reading Old Soul.

What a unique story! More of an eerie horror than a thrilling one. I thought the plot was very clever and appropriately slow, building an even more stunning crescendo. I did struggle with the sheer amount of names in the book - we were introduced to 3-5 more characters every chapter, so I frequently got confused or couldn't tell people apart. Overall I enjoyed reading this, and even though I wish there was a different ending, I respect the author's choice because it's raw and fitting.

Old Soul is an intriguing mix of dark mystery and introspective exploration. While the plot kept me on my toes, I found the pacing a bit uneven at times, especially when the more metaphysical elements started to dominate. Barker’s writing is atmospheric and often quite haunting, but the story can feel a little convoluted for readers looking for straightforward thrills. The central character’s journey through time and space adds an unusual twist to the genre, though it might leave some readers scratching their heads.

For those who enjoy deep, layered stories that challenge the norm, Old Soul could be a solid pick, but it's definitely not for everyone. Rating: 3/5.

There is no horror deeper, more profound, or more universal than losing a loved one. It is an experience we will all share in common, in time, no matter how virtuous, strong, or smart we are. Death is relentless. And once it sets its sights on a victim, there is no force that can intervene.

Susan Barker’s Old Soul is a literary meditation on this concept dressed in the trappings of an old fashioned horror story. At the novel’s start, two strangers discover they have a chilling commonality. Both have lost someone they love to a death that left their bodies reversed. Freckles and scars that were once on the right side of their bodies suddenly appeared on the left. Eyes, teeth, and hands – everything had changed positions, and their autopsies revealed their organs were also on the opposite side. Compelled by this chance meeting, Jake, our ersatz protagonist, sets out to track down others who share this story. Meanwhile, the woman responsible for these horrific deaths comes ever closer to her next victim.

Old Soul alternates between the testimonies Jake collects and the actions of the villainous woman responsible for the horror. Barker’s premise is compelling and her characters equally so, but it's her mastery of prose that will draw readers into this story. Descriptions of the everyday (“her collarbone seemed excavated by shadow”) and the supernatural (“But something other than the woman’s deterioration disturbs her now, some presence she can sense lurking beneath the appearance of things”) ring with truth under Barker’s pen.

And yet, reading Old Soul is not without its challenges. The testimonies Jake tracks down are fascinating snapshots of fully realized lives. The characters he encounters are exquisitely fleshed out and grounded in deeply considered settings, but these chapters don’t always advance the plot. As a literary novel, this is not a prerequisite; however, after the third or fourth account, the story begins to lose momentum under its own weight. The same can be said for the chapters that follow the antagonist. Her perspective, which is told in present tense and details her actions over the course of a single day, begins with a delicious tension readers will love. Can the villain trap her next victim before it's too late? It's a wonderful set up and a delight to watch the cat-and-mouse game unfold. But by hour five in-narrative, readers may feel the story is treading water while it waits for the rest of the story to catch up.

Fortunately, it’s at these moments Barker injects Old Soul with its most compelling chapters. Jake’s account of his best friend’s death is rich with complicated relationships, poignant detail, and unsettling imagery. While the antagonist’s story is made more complex with the introduction of a character that quickly becomes the beating heart of the whole narrative. Barker’s love for her cast cannot be denied, and it's that genuine care with the crafting of their stories that will keep readers turning pages until Old Soul’s shocking conclusion.

I couldn’t put this down! Written with just enough ambiguity to pull me through the whole plot.

Being a photographer myself, I’m a little biased, but the idea that the photograph literally flips the subject’s intestines is such a cool idea. It plays with the historical fear of photography as a type of sorcery (because photographs were always reflected in-camera!)

Susan Barker's Old Soul begins in an Osaka airport, where a missed flight leads Jake and Mariko to discover they share a haunting connection - both have lost loved ones under inexplicably similar circumstances. Their paths crossed with a dark-haired woman who moves through time collecting photographs and leaving broken lives in her wake. Jake's search for answers takes him through neon-lit cities and across sun-bleached deserts, gathering testimonies from those who've encountered this ageless wanderer as she shifts between names and identities. In New Mexico, an ailing sculptor named Theo holds pieces of her story that reach back through centuries. Barker weaves these testimonies into a mesmerizing tapestry, each account adding layers to a mystery where immortality and predation twist together in the shadows of human grief. The novel unfolds with patient, elegant menace, delivering what I felt to be one of the year's most original and compelling horror stories.

a missed flight. two unfortunate passengers. shared dinner for solidarity. solidarity turns to relatability. relatability into determination. determination for truth. truth seeking turned to vengeance. a vengeance that was not only theirs to serve.

my compassions were suavely misguided and my sympathies painstakingly toyed with as Susan Barker delivered this riveting genre defying journey. i felt so engaged by how this story was told through different character testimonies, chronicling their shared experiences with the proclaimed antagonist. my advice is to read slower to really digest the writing style & character intricacies. this one’s beautifully thought provoking and one my mind will definitely be venturing to from time to time.

would love to see this adapted for tv! every chapter read like a black mirror episode and i returned to every reading session with rapt attention.

Old Soul provided me with a mixed bag of feelings. This was my first experience with Barker's work and I really admire her literary voice. There is something to be said about slow, creeping horror that isn't just IN YOUR FACE that feels really delicious and special to me and I think Barker really captured that essence in this book. On the flip side, I never felt particularly invested in the characters and if a reader can't invest in the characters, it can be challenging to invest in the book. This novel fell middle of the road for me but I am excited to see what Barker does next.

Thank you Putnam Books for the early copy in exchange for an honest review. Available Jan. 28 2025