This was an unusual pick for me but I fancied a change so gave it a go. Surprisingly I really enjoyed it! The storyline was sufficiently menacing to keep me reading but not too gory that I couldn’t finish. I could really see this being made into a film.

Old Soul by Susan Barker is a novel I would not have normally picked up with the description of literary horror. And, I did find that after about 45 pages I put it down, just could not follow let alone understand what I was in fact reading.

But there is something about this novel that made me want to continue and few days later I decided to start again.

The story is of one woman wanting to stay alive at all costs, travelling the world and changing her name as she goes.

Jake followers her trail and gathers testimonies from troubled souls that have encountered this woman.

In New Mexico, Jake comes across a sculptor who knows her better than anyone, may just know who this woman is and how to find her.

It is a story that is dark, grim and yes, romantic, though I would not describe it as a novel of romance nor would I say the horror content is very strong.

However this work is very well written. It is irresistible and compelling, exciting and unnerving, totally exhilarating.

The best novel of my reading year?

Well yes, so much so that Old Soul sits in my number 1 spot of all time favourites, having replaced a book that had been there for some years.

Books like this don't come along often.

A totally absorbing and page turning novel, a must read that took Susan Barker 8 years to complete.

I am so pleased that I picked up the novel again for the reward was beyond my expectations.

My thanks go to NetGalley and Penguin General Uk - Fig Tree for this advance copy in return for my honest review.

I’m a third of the way through this book and I have no clue as to what it’s about! There are no plot lines that I can decipher and I don’t know if it’s a thriller, a mystery it definitely wasn’t a comedy because there was nothing funny in what I’ve read so far. I didn’t get to know the characters or what they stood for, or where they were going. There are a few names that are given but, that’s about it and some of the characters die, but for no apparent reason and there’s one dying or decomposing with no reasoning as to why or how. There’s even the obligatory sex scene and I have no idea who is having sex with who because there are no names mentioned. There are no speech quotes anywhere, so you have no idea who is speaking about what and to whom and a lot of the reading time is spent trying to figure out what speeches are being made.

I thank NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this book early but, I really did not enjoy it at all and I’m very sorry, but for that reason I’m giving it a one star. They need to go back to the drawing board with this one and start over before the release date or maybe even push that back.

Jake still feels guilt and grief 10 years after the death of his childhood friend Lena. In a chance meeting with a Japanese woman he realises that the circumstances of her twin brother's death were eerily similar - a meeting with a young woman, the taking of a picture and then a death or disappearance.. Jake begins to track down and catalogue an increasing number of similar cases, spread across continents and time. As he gets closer to the truth he wants revenge - but will he be strong enough to overcome the dark forces? As a detective story its a good plot and very readable, but the supernatural element turns it into a sort of horror/fantasy genre that doesn't quite do it for me.

*** Thank you NetGalley and Penguin General for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own ***

Old Soul by Susan Barker is a haunting and hypnotizing read. We follow the main protagonist, Jake, in his quest to uncover the truth behind the mysterious circumstances of his childhood best friend’s death. As his interviews with similarly grief-stricken individuals progress, the threads of their stories start weaving a dark and menacing tapestry at the centre of which stands a woman. Maybe Jake is not the main protagonist of the story after all, but a mere character in hers.

Old Soul is primarily character-driven. Though at times slow, the story pulls you in and does not let go – an apt mirroring of the force at the heart of the novel. The story crafted through the interviews manages to remain interesting thanks to the fresh perspective and personality of each character. The pace is controlled and the story unfolds satisfyingly until its shocking climax.

There is a strange, meditative, and dreamlike quality to Barker’s novel. Appropriately, it is many things, constantly reinventing itself along the way. Old Soul is a feverish road trip, a meditation on loss and grief, a slow-burn thriller against the backdrop of the Badlands, and – in more ways than one – a love story.

I was on edge the whole time I was reading this, and the writing style was so beautiful, but I did struggle with aspects of the dialogue as I sometimes find it hard to follow, but it is overall a good read and would be enjoyed by any horror fan!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC!

I was really hopeful for this book. A soul-stealing entity that infects people and slowly chews them up from the inside out sounds like my idea of a fun Friday night. Alas, this book was just not a good one for me. I think the prose got a little too caught up in itself and it ended up meaning that the story got lost in itself.

There's a fine line between poetic and losing the meaning in words, and this book tilted a bit into the latter for me this time. It's a shame, because the concept was great, but sadly this book just didn't deliver on the scare for me. I also found it really hard to connect to the characters, particularly given I felt I should have had more sympathy for them but just could not summon it up.

Squirming in fear i read into the night until i got so scared i had to put it down until morning light. Fear factor 10/10 so imaginative and thrilling all the way through. Very original i really enjoyed it.

I was intrigued by the cover of this book and the first chapter had me hooked. It’s a complex story moving between different characters but with each one linked in some way. The stories of the different characters are interspersed with the story of the Old Soul. I found that made t slightly difficult to follow at times, and I was getting a bit mixed up as to what was happening. However, I was quickly drawn in to the plot and once I got my stride I found it a book that I just wanted to keep reading

The device of different characters stories meant that it moved along at a pace, and made it easy to read in small chunks of time.


It’s not easy to make you feel sympathy for a monster but this book did that.

After a fateful encounter at an airport, Jake and Marika discover a chilling connection: their loved ones perished under eerily similar and sinister circumstances, all tied to a mysterious woman. Driven by determination, Jake embarks on a relentless quest to find others who have suffered the same eerie fate. The narrative masterfully intertwines his present-day investigation with haunting testimonies that he uncovers, all pointing towards the enigmatic woman and a terrifyingly powerful force lurking behind her.

The novel brims with spine-tingling moments and unsettling ideas that kept me on edge. The writing is superb, crafting an atmosphere of dread and suspense that lingers long after you've turned the last page. If you're a fan of literary horror, this is an absolute must-read. A huge thanks to the publisher for the proof—this book is a thrilling addition to any horror aficionado's collection!

DNF halfway through. The concept sounds interesting, but it didn't work for me. I like the writing style, delicate and somehow poetic, it adds a vibe of innocence to the story. Maybe I tried to read this at the wrong time, perhaps I will give it another try later.

I have so many thoughts about this book. Old soul begins with two strangers sharing history and stories as they miss their flight and begin talking. Realizing, that someone close to them died under similar and mysterious circumstances, thus began the journey of this novel, that has an underlying creepy- ness to it as the story moves forward.

To be honest, I struggled with this one in the beginning but as things kept moving along, the unnerving and unsettling feeling by it was just one of those that I needed to read rom coms to balance out the darkness of it. The novel moves back and forth between present setting and past victims of this woman that MC Jake is trying to track. Moving across time and years, the past is revealed through interviews. It was smart to have Jake as the connecting thread between all trying to piece the stories and track this woman. The plot moves from across timelines and cultures.

The prose is simple hauntingly poetic and effective… it has a very intriguing premise and propelled by narrative that keeps the reader going however it loses some steam in the middle. With seven stories with similar outcome it became a bit repetitive and I could have done without some of the stories.

However, credit to Barker to weave these narratives intricately moving from one story to next, leaving clues that allows the MC to move forward reminded me of Cloud Atlas.. with stories within stories it does make a bit difficult to keep track of it all but it is worth the payoff. However, When the past and present timelines collide in a crescendo of a gory climax, the journey that takes you on such a high that it is well worth the wait

Then there is also the moment where you are rooting for the other side and you get the back story of the titular “Old Soul”, wherein then the story becomes that of loneliness and finding the power and liberation within but realizing that it comes at a cost. The collateral damage the “old soul” left in the wake of it all, the writer does not leave you in a comfortable position for too long as to where you stand. Feel there were moments of female empowerment and taking your own power in a patriarchal society was also alluded to, but wish that was fleshed out more.

It plays with its genre bending narratives and plot but in the end it is firmly rooted in horror. It is one of the better ones in the genre where the literary artistic narratives are well worth your time.

Thank you Net Galley and Penguin UK for the eARC

I really like the premise of this book, the whole idea of it. The basics are there but unfortunately, it just didn’t quite gel together.
It was a bit too much of a poetic prose style of writing at points, which completely detracted from the book being scary/ horror related.
I just don’t think the story delivered what it intended too for the reader. All in all it was a bit disjointed, this also interrupted the flow of the story and took me out of it any time I started to settle in and to feel immersed.
I would definitely read me from the author in future, as like I said, her ideas are spot on and the writing style may work better in a different book.

3,5 stars rounded up.
Jake and Mariko meet by chance. It turns out they have something in common and this leads us to an investigation and study of several years and people.
The chapters are each stories that interconnect and give us clues as the what is happening in the characters lives.
The success of Old Soul lies in Baker’s excellent craft; her mastery in creating atmospheric, moody and unsettling scenes and sharp descriptions.
I enjoyed the style immensely. 5/5 for that.
I will read this again in a year or so to get back into its story world.

Again, another book for 2025. Old Soul is an artfully written book, dark and scary about a demonic presence called The Tyrant, technically hundreds of years old (but possibly thousands) as it inhabits the souls of people in different time periods.

It’s an artfully written book, but the prose is some too prolix or allusive to be truly scary. However, it is an assemblage of styles and formats that doesn’t quite work. The connections between each chapter flash back and forward, with the odd shiver here and there to keep the cauldron boiling.

I would say the book’s biggest flaw is for such an expansive plot, the book seems to have too much of a butterfly mind to truly succeed. And in the novel’s epilogue, a particularly gory final chapter is retconned. It’s a technically efficient book, but one that is too artfully constructed to be truly scary. It’s published by Penguin on February 6th, 2025 and I thank them for a preview copy. #oldsoul

I started this book yesterday and made it 35% through before going to bed and I had nightmares from some of the imagery that the author created around the Old Soul. I can’t remember the last time that happened in a horror book… occasionally it happens with films but rarely with a book!

What worked for me:
• The cover art is awesome and fits the story beautifully!
• The lore and the backstory of the Old Soul was expertly crafted. It’s a slow burn finding out the lore but learning about the Old Soul is addictive and propulsive read!
• I enjoyed how we traversed the globe across the years and the time periods and places all had a distinct feel!
• Jake was a great leading character and, even though we didn’t spend loads of time with them, many of the other characters had identities and complexities of their own. The characters felt real.
• The author managed to make me feel empathy and pity toward the Old Soul?!

What I wasn’t so keen on:
• Some of the stylistic choices interrupted the flow of the book: no speech punctuation, script-like dialogue in some sections, and ampersands (&) instead of “and” in some sections.
• The book cadence and pacing was slightly off. Sometimes, it felt like we were retreading old ground in each person’s story and, as time went on, they didn’t hold my interest the way that the earlier ones had.
• Many of the sections focused on various forms of art (painting, photography, sculpting) and while some folks might really enjoy this, that’s not a topic that I find personally interesting so I found that a bit slow going at times.
• I found the first half really scary but once my understanding of the Old Soul was filled in more, the book started to feel really sad instead.
• The character of Rosa was insufferable. I think that’s the point but it wasn’t easy to spend so much time with her as a character.
• A bit too much gratuitous explicit sex and urine for me.
• There were a distracting amount of spelling and grammar issues that will likely be corrected in the final proof.

I think there’s a solid story here and I love the lore around the Old Soul but there was enough that detracted from my enjoyment while reading that stopped this from becoming a new favourite.

I was privileged to have my request to read this book accepted through NetGalley. Thank you, Penguin General UK, Fig Tree!