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!