Review by Shein30438 -- Raven's Peak by Lincoln Cole

[Shein30438]

[Following is a volunteer review of "Raven's Peak" by Lincoln Cole.]

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3 out of 4 stars

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Have you ever thought, “How are there people in this world that could hurt or even kill another”? Do you think there is ever a circumstance that would make this act acceptable? If a person was under the control of a demon, would it be acceptable to hurt them or possibly even kill them to rid the world of this demon? If it came down to the Reverend or Abigail, from the novel Raven’s Peak by Lincoln Cole, the sacrifice of injuring one person is better than a demon killing or inhabiting another.

In Raven’s Peak, we first meet a demon hunter named the Reverend. When we meet him he is incarcerated for his murderous attempts at riding the world of demons. If only he had listened to his friend when she told him, “Whoever fights monsters should see to it that in the process he does not become a monster”, as quoted from Raven’s Peak by Lincoln Cole. After years of imprisonment he was released in an effort to right his wrongs and save lives by taking on an incredibly strong and dangerous demon. The demise of the demon inadvertently was the demise of the Reverend; for the fact, in order to send the demon back to hell and save his “adopted daughter” Abigail, he had to go with the demon. With his sacrifice, Abigail was able to make a full recovery and continues to hunt demons in an effort to one day bring back her father. In this pursuit, Abigail gains an ally named Haatim. Haatim is a reserved young man, who had recently lost the value of his faith after the recent loss of his younger sister.The two were united after she rescues him from being captured by demons. From there he was inducted into the world of demon hunters.

This novel has one of the most engaging prologues I have personally ever read. It feels as though you are entering the deep soul of the Reverend. Like you are about to learn about the history of why he was imprisoned, but in reality it is just a lead into into the story of Abigail and Haatim’s journey. The Rev is the type of strong character you would traditionally find as a lead character. Yet I appreciate the author’s idea of leading into the unexpected by having a strong female leading role, and at the same time having a feeble male lead that is constantly unsure of the situation. In this story Haatim is the “damsel” in distress, while Abigail is the knight in shining armor. I am all for women empowerment. Not only is Abigail the lead in this story, but God is referred to as a female. I feel it is refreshing to have a different perspective on a traditional value. Also, the relationship between Haatim, his father and God is a relatable one. After the loss of his sister, he found it easy to put the blame on his father for leaving her recovery in God’s hands. Then, putting blame on God for not saving his teenage sister when the time came.

Even though there were several ideals that I agree with, there were also a few I thought were more of a negative to the story-line. Lincoln Cole created Haatim to be a more delicate character, who keeps to himself and is always questioning his surroundings. Although I accept this diverse ideal, it is also a damper on the banter between the characters; for the fact, he is asking questions all the time about every aspect of their situation. Abigail is trying to save his life throughout the majority of the book and he is always stopping her to ask why he should follow her. I understand trust needs to be built between strangers, but I think if someone is trying to save my life, I would happily do what they ask. Also, the vague definition of time throughout the novel makes it hard to keep track of when things are happening. Specifically an occasion quoted from Raven’s Peak by Lincoln Cole, “They reached Raven’s Peak after only a little while longer.” The major story-line of the book is only a course of about two days, but seems as though the terminology used makes it hard to follow. I kept picturing it over a course of about a week rather than just a couple of days.

Overall, I would give Raven’s Peak 3 out of 4 stars. I found the characters to be relatable in terms of their personalities and their struggles. With the author’s previous experience in writing horror/thriller novels, the information was accurate pertaining to demons and the adventure of hunting them. The connection between characters developed seamlessly and provided many “ah-ha” moments. Plus, the ending leads you flawlessly into a second novel. Unfortunately, there was editing errors throughout the book that caused a lack of fluidity. I would recommend this novel to anyone who enjoys a good tale of the supernatural. With a little bit of gore and plenty of action, this story of demons will leave you in suspense.

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Raven's Peak
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