Susan Barker's Old Soul is a captivating blend of Gothic horror and mystery, weaving historical intrigue with modern settings. Each chapter is a standalone tale that contributes to a larger, eerie narrative.

While I yearned for a more resonant conclusion, Old Soul is an immersive read that will appeal to fans of literary horror. It's hauntingly good, even if it teeters on predictability. A satisfying, if not perfect, journey into the supernatural.

Read this as an arc from Netgalley and unfortunately I had to dnf it, which is a shame because I loved hearing about Japan. But I couldn't take the constant jumping around from Jake's travels to conversations with ppl he met, then later on 2 characters were added and I realised I had no clue who they were or what they were there for. By that time I'd lost interest.

Unfortunately I think I should have dnfed this one.

Old Soul tells the story of Jake, a man who is desperately seeking answers for what happened to his childhood best friend after her suspicious death. He discovers similarities between his friend’s case and other deceased people from all over the world, all of whom have had strange encounters with a mysterious and seemingly ageless woman. But it’s also not really about that at all.

This book took me a long time to get through, despite being less than 300 pages long, and at times felt like a bit of a slog. We go back and forth between Jake’s travels, accounts from the people he’s meeting, and even the strange, ageless woman herself. I felt most compelled by the sections with the woman in the Badlands, and the journal entries from the Sculptor, but overall found the narrative difficult to follow. I understand that “the woman” had many different aliases, but trying to keep them all straight while also trying to keep track of a lot of a LOT of other characters and accounts was quite confusing. I found myself flipping back to previous sections to remind myself of who different characters were, or if a name had been mentioned before.

Aside from that, I felt the amount of information and different characters also kept me from connecting to any of them. Apart from the woman and the Sculptor, I didn’t feel particularly attached to anyone. I wanted less repetitive stories of how the woman was “killing” and more about her motivations, her life story, and her time with the Sculptor. I think the emotional payoff would have been much more satisfying if we saw more of the brief glimpses of humanity from the woman. By the end I was left wondering what her motivations were for surviving as long as she had, and why she never tried to find a successor or break free from the Tyrant.

And speaking of the Tyrant… there was nowhere near enough explanation as to what he was, why he existed, how often he chose his victims, and how he targeted them in the first place. At times I felt as though his inclusion and the way the characters talked about him was just a little goofy.

Overall, this was unfortunately not at all what I was expecting and left a lot to be desired.

Jake is searching for the strange forced which invaded his childhood friend’s body and ultimately we go on to experience various similar stories which occur throughout the globe. I kept reading until 75% when a character called Larry suddenly appears together with Theodora Waite and I realised I had no idea who they were, where they had come from and that unfortunately I really no longer cared! Sorry, I did try but I’m afraid it all became rather tedious. Intriguing yes but too repetitive and frustrating.

This was a different read and not the genre I'd normally go for.
It was a little creepy, maybe unsettling, but not horror.
I enjoyed it and I enjoyed reading something different.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is the first horror book I have read which is surprisingly as a horror movie fan. After reading this one I feel I should add more from this genre.
I found the way it moved through the years built the story well gathering atmosphere and pace as it went, with many chapters telling stories of different victims.
I would recommend this book to any horror fans.

This book has been classed as a horror and whilst I cannot disagree with that I found it’s more of an atmospheric horror than a slasher or gory horror. Saying that it is a great book and I enjoyed the way it was written with going through the decades/centuries of “the woman” and her victims from testimonies of those who witnessed her integrating with their loved ones. The MMC Jake is the one gathering the testimonies after a chance meeting with a woman whose twin brother died in a similar way to Jake’s best friend and he sets out on a journey to find out the truth behind the woman who links the deaths of not only his best friend but many others.

Overall I did enjoy the book and would definitely recommend it. It is creepy and a good read.

Not all monstrous immortals in literature conform to the trope of the sharp-toothed, bloodsucking vampire. The female protagonist of Susan Barker’s Old Soul is a case in point. Born (or resurrected) in the 18th century, the “old soul” of the title lives on at the bidding of a demonic entity called the Tyrant, for whom she procures sacrificial victims in return for a new lease of life. She goes by many names – Vera, Eva, Marion, Katherina – but perhaps the title which suits her best is “the woman”, at once anonymous and universal, suggesting her shadowy, elusive character. Around this figure, Barker builds a novel which combines elements of supernatural/Gothic/cosmic horror and crime/mystery fiction with a “literary” edge.

The novel starts enigmatically, with a brief introductory chapter featuring a dialogue between two lovers, whose significance will only become evident later in the book. The main body of the novel is made up of two narrative strands. The segments titled “Testimonies” follow Jake as he investigates the mysterious circumstances surrounding the death of his close friend Lena, and particularly the figure of a beguiling thirty-something photographer who insinuated herself into Lena’s life before Lena’s sudden descent into madness. Jake has a serendipitous (is it?) encounter at Osaka airport with a woman called Mariko, whose twin brother also died in similar circumstances. Jake pursues the pointers provided by Mariko and meets other acquaintances of the enigmatic woman’s victims. Their chilling stories are presented in the “Testimonies” chapters.

These segments alternate with the chapters entitled “Badlands”, in which the focus is on the immortal as she leads her latest victim to her sacrifice while desperately battling the decomposition process eating her from within. The two storylines eventually combine in the fast-paced finale.

Barker has an impeccable control over narrative pace. This work is far from being a “thrills-only” novel. We get insights into the tragic characters, particularly the protagonist herself who, while inspiring revulsion, still manages to elicit some sympathy from the reader – always a challenging feat to bring off. Yet, this never slows down the momentum of the narrative, which doesn’t up.

Some readers have favourably compared Old Soul to Barker’s earlier novel The Incarnations – which I need to look up and read. Its structure and basic premise reminded me of two other books I read and enjoyed – Sarah Perry’s Melmoth (based, in turn, on Maturin’s Gothic classic) and Marc Joan’s Hangdog Souls (also highly recommended, by the way). But it also hearkens back to the Gothic classics of yore with their merger of literary and genre elements. Under its slick, contemporary voice, this novel, much like its protagonist, hides an “old soul” and is so much the better for it.

https://endsoftheword.blogspot.com/2025/02/old-soul-by-susan-barker.html

Old Soul is a globe-trotting story that treads the line between folklore and sci-fi. It tells the story of the Tyrant, a dark primordial force that consumes individuals it inhabits. The Tyrant is enabled by a mysterious European woman who befriends the Tyrant’s victims before capturing their life force to feed her own. When a chance meeting in Osaka connects two loved-ones of the Tyrant’s victims, events are set in motion to try and stop this devastating phenomenon.

I found this story fascinating. I like how the chapters told the stories of the different victims to create a collection of short stories. It built up the picture of the Tyrant and captured the vulnerability of each of the characters, with even the enigmatic woman not escaping it in her role as the Tyrant’s facilitator. Without spoilers, the ending was great. If you’ve read it, you’ll know. I think it could be decisive but the feeling I was left with after finishing it seemed to fit well with the tone of the book. Really recommended!

Thank you NetGalley and Penguin for this eCopy to review

Reading Old Soul by Susan Barker was a haunting experience. The novel follows Jake, a primary school teacher, who is trying to understand the mysterious death of his best friend, Lena, whose organs were inexplicably reversed. His quest leads him to Osaka airport, where he meets Mariko, who shares a similar story about her twin brother. Together, they uncover a disturbing connection between their loved ones' deaths and a mysterious, dark-haired woman who seems to be at the centre of it all.

The story weaves between Jake's investigation and the eerie life of the woman, who never ages and goes by many names. Barker's writing is atmospheric and unsettling, creating a sense of unease that lingers throughout the book. The concept of immortality and the macabre quest for it is both fascinating and chilling.

It’s a compelling read with a unique premise, eerie atmosphere and dark and mysterious vibe.

I received this book as an ARC via Netgalley. It is set across different countries but predominantly Japan and the US. It follows the many lives of a woman who has made a deal with the tyrant which allows her to live eternally but all her interactions cause the people she meets to be inverted / flipped side to side. Jake notices similarities in two stories associated with her and goes off to investigate
In effect this is the same story told over and over and over again with different but similarly plasticised characters for whom I failed to feel anything.
Supposedly literary - for this read turgid but potentially good for inducing sleep. This Horror story (according to it's identified genre) really failed to produce anything approaching terror or suspense.

I was genuinely just bored by the book and would not seek out anything by the same author. I think it could have been told in half the number of pages, potentially increasing the momentum of the narrative and creating that horror it lacked

There's something fresh about this book. It's dark, sometimes disturbing, but it feels like a breath of fresh air in the genre. The stories wind their way across time and space as the Old Soul slithers her way, first enchanting and then destroying those she selects. I found the story set in Wales genuinely unnerving. My mind kept returning to it.
My only gripe was that I thought the book was maybe just one story too long. I was starting to lose interest at the end & that's a shame for such a great read

3.5 Stars

Every once in a while, I like to try out books that are different than all I’ve read so far. Old Soul was one of those. This was marked as General Fiction, but the premise itself promised something darker: A mix of Mystery with Thriller, General Fiction and a touch of Horror. It also sounded interesting and just the right amount of Mysterious to make me excited.

This book started with a chance meeting between two strangers, who seem to have nothing in common, when they both miss the same flight at the airport. They soon realise that they have something in common thought: They both lost people they loved in the exact same gruesome and unbelievable circumstances, but in very different years and places. Jake, our main character, is determined to get answers when this pattern is discovered and follows all strings that lead to other murders that happened in the exact same circumstances all over the world, albeit years and even decades apart, and all connected to the same women who is, somehow, always close when these deaths happen. The author takes us on a journey through space and time, while we slowly try to put the pieces together.

It took me one or two chapters to get used to the writing, since the dialogue lacks punctuation, but after that I ended up thinking that this fit the overall storytelling of this book that is filled with short stories that allow us to be immersed in what is going on, exactly in the same way that our main character is.

While Old Soul definitely started on the right note, it reached a point where the short stories became a bit repetitive and because of that, I got the feeling that this book goes on way longer than it should. I loved that Jake's investigations felt like a series of short stories, but in the end, there were too many of them and the eerie, mysterious woman became not so mysterious after all. While the stories in themselves are interesting, after getting the story with Lena, I was a bit bored until we get to the story with Theo. The lack of interest on what was happening in these stories after a certain point made me loose my pacing, even if I was really curious about how everything would be wrapped up and how it would end.

Overall, this was an enjoyable read, even if it would have benefited from some cuts to improve the pacing. It’s haunting, intriguing and I couldn’t read it at night because of how creepy (in the best way) it was in some parts (specially in the beginning, as it becomes a bit repetitive after a while, but still enough for me not to risk it since I have a very vivid imagination). The epilogue somehow made me think of a dark high fantasy novel, in a very good way and I’m really happy to have read something so different and out of my comfort zone. Would definitely recommend it if you like horror in a mystery and appreciate a short story format.

Thank you so much to Penguin General UK and NetGallery for providing me this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I hate to say it but I really didn't enjoy this. I recognize the artistry and the quality of this book, but it just was not for me at all. I am echoing a sentiment I saw in another review that said each chapter felt like a short story if its own- I totally resonate with this. Additionally, I don't like short story collections! I just really couldn't bring myself to be invested and everything felt so disjointed. I do think this was all down to personal preference though.

Old Soul is a book that starts strong and compelling but I felt it went on way longer than it should have done. I felt a bit of a lull in the middle.

This book is about the story of a woman who is involved in a series of mysterious deaths spanning decades. At the same time, Jake, is trying to make the connection and solve the mystery of this woman after he meets someone who’s brother died in a similar way to his friend,

From the blurb, I thought I would love this book, but I only liked it due to the supernatural element, and the story going on and on. I enjoyed the sub stories but I don’t think we didn’t as many in detail as given. They felt a bit repetitive,

Thank you to the author, publisher and Netgalley for an advanced copy for an honest review.

Old Soul by Susan Barker is a haunting, multi-layered mystery that follows two strangers, Jake and Mariko, as they uncover a chilling connection between their loved ones’ deaths. Both victims encountered a mysterious woman before their untimely demises, and her presence ties together a series of deaths spanning across time and continents. As the two embark on a journey to unravel the truth behind the enigmatic woman who never ages, the novel explores themes of grief, loss, and the unsettling forces that linger just beyond understanding. With eerie suspense and a thought-provoking plot, Old Soul keeps readers questioning what is real and what lies beyond life’s mysteries.

Living is her art. Photography is a means to sustain it. And she has a lot of names to go by but one thing is for sure: if you meet her, you will fall under her spell and it won’t end well.

I really liked the premise of this book. It starts with a chance meeting between two strangers, Jake and Mariko, who soon realise that people they cared about died in very similar, gruesome circumstances albeit 6,000 miles apart. Whilst Mariko cannot bear to think about the circumstances in which she lost her brother, Jake is determined to get to the bottom of what is going on. We are taken through a journey not only spanning countries and continents but also time and we slowly start to piece together what is going on in this gothic story with a huge evil at its centre.

In all honesty, I was a little lost at first as to who was who and how they were linked to each other (and I ended up having to reread sections and then decided to make a few notes in the end - probably the disadvantage of reading it on a Kindle with stories like this) but before too long, I settled into the story and I was intrigued to find out how it would all end.

Unfortunately it got a bit repetitive for me at one point but I carried on to find out how it would all be resolved. Whilst I think the ending was probably the right choice for the book, I wish it could have been different.

I love the concept of this book and the gothic vibes that it has - I just think it's not my specific vibe.

This was eerie and spooky and atmospheric and I loved it! I wish that I had found out about this one sooner.

Although the blurb of this book sounded really interesting and I really enjoyed the start, the book lost its way and me the further into it I got. It felt repetitive and was very confusing as there were no speech marks through the book. I managed to get to 50% but then gave up and unfortunately its is now a rare (for me) DNF.

The three star rating is for the good start