Review by jenabrownwrites -- Raven's Peak by Lincoln Cole
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- Latest Review: "Raven's Peak" by Lincoln Cole
Review by jenabrownwrites -- Raven's Peak by Lincoln Cole
[Following is a volunteer review of "Raven's Peak" by Lincoln Cole.]
3 out of 4 stars
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Raven's Peak by Lincoln Cole is a suspense thriller with a horror edge.
We open the book with a focus on Arthur, or The Reverend. He is in a prison, the sort of place we are led to believe only the worst of the worst are sent. The introduction was stunning. Immediately, I was gripped by wanting to know who this man was, why was he so conflicted, and what did he do to end up in prison. He ends up being asked to leave the prison for one final mission, where the stakes are personal.
Before we find out anything more on The Reverend, we are introduced to Haatim. This is a man waffling in life. He is struggling with loss of faith, but also the more significant loss of his sister. I think it is normal for people to go through a period, especially in their 20's, when faith in their parents is shaken, so I found it quite believable when Haatim was pushing his parents away while trying to find himself.
Haatim finds himself in the employ of a man named George, who wants him to take pictures of a woman following him. Very quickly, he finds himself over his head, and not just because he has no experience as a private detective.
This situation leads us to Abigail, The Reverends daughter, whom we briefly met in the beginning.
Abigail is seemingly the main driver to the plot. She is the reason The Reverend left his prison in the first place, and the reason Haatim ends up involved with George. She is also the only connection we have to The Council, the authority who requested Arthur help them in the first place, and the organization that employed him before his imprisonment. However, as we learn, there is more to Haatim than meets the eye.
Abigail is successful in rescuing Haatim from George. The Council wants her to leave him and proceed to the next town, Raven's Peak, where mysterious activity is being reported. After learning who Haatim's father is, along with his refusal to simply be dropped off, ends up taking Haatim with her.
Rather than heading directly to Raven's Peak, they make a detour to interrogate a demon. At The Reverend's old cabin. Abigail does this without notifying her superiors, on a mission to find information about The Reverend and what happened to him.
Raven's Peak is an old mining town, lost in the mountains, abandoned and then rebuilt. And evil is lurking.
Abigail and Haatim find themselves facing a powerful demon. Haatim has to figure out what is important to him, and who he actually is as a person, who he wants to be. He must find how far his loss of faith extends.
There were a few grammatical errors. Not enough to really distract or take away from the reading, but enough to take note. One more full edit could have eliminated the errors.
I also couldn't give this book a full four stars for some plot points that I thought could have been wrapped up. The book was short, only 219 pages. I understand the desire to use the first book to launch the series, and leave enough to build upon in future books. However, these foundations could have been solidified a little better.
I would have liked to see the plot point of Haatim's father developed a bit more. The demon Abigail interrogated was locked in the cabin but we don't hear anything about her again. Haatim's future was left up in the air. The only thing we know for sure is the next chapter for Abigail as the book ends.
There were also small details, like Haatim turning his cell phone on throughout their drive. Those details would have been important if they led to Haatim being tracked, or some other plot twist, but they simply seemed to be trivial details. It felt like they had been placed there for a reason, but maybe was forgotten, or didn't fit anymore.
Overall, it was a good first book. The story was good, moved forward at a fast pace, and had good writing. It had the potential to be outstanding with some minor editing and perhaps flushing the story a tiny bit more. I give this book 3 out of 4 stars.
******
Raven's Peak
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3 out of 4 stars
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Raven's Peak by Lincoln Cole is a suspense thriller with a horror edge.
We open the book with a focus on Arthur, or The Reverend. He is in a prison, the sort of place we are led to believe only the worst of the worst are sent. The introduction was stunning. Immediately, I was gripped by wanting to know who this man was, why was he so conflicted, and what did he do to end up in prison. He ends up being asked to leave the prison for one final mission, where the stakes are personal.
Before we find out anything more on The Reverend, we are introduced to Haatim. This is a man waffling in life. He is struggling with loss of faith, but also the more significant loss of his sister. I think it is normal for people to go through a period, especially in their 20's, when faith in their parents is shaken, so I found it quite believable when Haatim was pushing his parents away while trying to find himself.
Haatim finds himself in the employ of a man named George, who wants him to take pictures of a woman following him. Very quickly, he finds himself over his head, and not just because he has no experience as a private detective.
This situation leads us to Abigail, The Reverends daughter, whom we briefly met in the beginning.
Abigail is seemingly the main driver to the plot. She is the reason The Reverend left his prison in the first place, and the reason Haatim ends up involved with George. She is also the only connection we have to The Council, the authority who requested Arthur help them in the first place, and the organization that employed him before his imprisonment. However, as we learn, there is more to Haatim than meets the eye.
Abigail is successful in rescuing Haatim from George. The Council wants her to leave him and proceed to the next town, Raven's Peak, where mysterious activity is being reported. After learning who Haatim's father is, along with his refusal to simply be dropped off, ends up taking Haatim with her.
Rather than heading directly to Raven's Peak, they make a detour to interrogate a demon. At The Reverend's old cabin. Abigail does this without notifying her superiors, on a mission to find information about The Reverend and what happened to him.
Raven's Peak is an old mining town, lost in the mountains, abandoned and then rebuilt. And evil is lurking.
Abigail and Haatim find themselves facing a powerful demon. Haatim has to figure out what is important to him, and who he actually is as a person, who he wants to be. He must find how far his loss of faith extends.
There were a few grammatical errors. Not enough to really distract or take away from the reading, but enough to take note. One more full edit could have eliminated the errors.
I also couldn't give this book a full four stars for some plot points that I thought could have been wrapped up. The book was short, only 219 pages. I understand the desire to use the first book to launch the series, and leave enough to build upon in future books. However, these foundations could have been solidified a little better.
I would have liked to see the plot point of Haatim's father developed a bit more. The demon Abigail interrogated was locked in the cabin but we don't hear anything about her again. Haatim's future was left up in the air. The only thing we know for sure is the next chapter for Abigail as the book ends.
There were also small details, like Haatim turning his cell phone on throughout their drive. Those details would have been important if they led to Haatim being tracked, or some other plot twist, but they simply seemed to be trivial details. It felt like they had been placed there for a reason, but maybe was forgotten, or didn't fit anymore.
Overall, it was a good first book. The story was good, moved forward at a fast pace, and had good writing. It had the potential to be outstanding with some minor editing and perhaps flushing the story a tiny bit more. I give this book 3 out of 4 stars.
******
Raven's Peak
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
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Latest Review: "Raven's Peak" by Lincoln Cole
