Review by jaym_tan -- Soul Seeker by Kaylin McFarren
Posted: 14 Jan 2021, 02:38
[Following is a volunteer review of "Soul Seeker" by Kaylin McFarren.]
The town of Lochton, Illinois may seem like a tranquil place, but behind this seemingly quiet town, there are strange things in its midst. Many have probably heard stories about demonic forces seeking to corrupt us, and how good must triumph over evil. However, in Soul Seeker, by Kaylin McFarren, it tells a different tale where two opposing forces come together in the most unexpected way.
Benjamin Poe was a devoted Christian man who strived to be a good husband and father. Despite having an upstanding work in the community, Benjamin’s marriage had been on the rocks after the death of his beloved daughter, Riley. The tragedy was too much for the family to bear, and it didn’t help that their son, Gabriel, had been acting oddly for a long time. One day, a mysterious fire broke out at the College Inn resulting in the death of three people. Knowing Gabriel’s bizarre behavior and the fact he despised working there, Benjamin suspects he might have something to do with the incident. Benjamin feels conflicted about what to do and on top of that, a strange man with big green eyes seemed to be looking for him. Eventually, he learns that the man with green eyes was a demon who had come to take his son’s soul. Despite his suspicions, Benjamin will still do whatever he can to protect his son from harm. Unfortunately, his attempts only made the situation even worse. Did the once protective father turned into the very monster he despised?
Crighton was sent on a mission by Lucifer to capture an angel, Ariel, and bring her soul back in Hell. Being one of Hell’s best soul catcher, Crighton was determined to see this mission through. Things began to go south as Crighton was suddenly captured by an organization of rogue scientists and to his surprise, the angel he was tasked to hunt was captured along with him. During their captivity, they developed feelings for each other, and now Crighton must make an impossible decision between fulfilling his duty and giving in to his newfound love. The choice he makes may make or break him for the rest of his life. Will he follow his heart, or will the devil make him pay in due time?
The beginning of the story immediately got me hooked. There was never a dull chapter, something exciting was always happening as I kept turning the pages. The supernatural world and its beings were described so vividly that it almost felt real. Whenever there was an action scene, I could visualize what the characters were doing at that moment. I was so immersed in the story that my imagination was running wild as every twist becomes intriguing, and new revelations about the characters were made. The writing came naturally, and I did not find any trace of unprofessional editing and grammatical errors. I commend the author for dividing the story into two parts for it delved deeper into the life of Poe and Crighton.
The author did both of their stories justice by showing that their motivations and actions were shaped by a lot of factors which add depth to their characters. In the first part, Benjamin Poe’s story captivated me because of his tragic back story. It really showed how he struggled with coming to terms with Gabriel’s true nature, and the rift it created with his family. Reading Poe’s story had that thriller and suspense feel because there were many twist and turns. Crighton’s story leaned more towards romance with a paranormal twist yet it didn’t deter me from reading it. The romance between the demon Crighton and the angel Ariel was well-written, the dialogues and erotic scenes were written tastefully unlike other fantasy stories where erotica is overdone.
I honestly could not find any other reason to dislike the novel. McFarren definitely showed her writing prowess in this one. Still, I did find some certain parts odd though like how angels and demons got easily shot by bullets. Nonetheless, this is only trivial and did not negatively impact my experience in reading the novel.
I can confidently say that Soul Seeker deserves a rating of 4 out of 4 stars for the complexity of its plot and characters. The book never failed to amaze me! I highly recommend it to those looking for fantasy stories with biblical elements. I would not recommend this to younger readers because there are profanities and mature scenes, as well as those with an aversion for violence. For those with an immense love for suspense, mystery, crime, supernatural, and romance, this book is definitely for you!
******
Soul Seeker
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
The town of Lochton, Illinois may seem like a tranquil place, but behind this seemingly quiet town, there are strange things in its midst. Many have probably heard stories about demonic forces seeking to corrupt us, and how good must triumph over evil. However, in Soul Seeker, by Kaylin McFarren, it tells a different tale where two opposing forces come together in the most unexpected way.
Benjamin Poe was a devoted Christian man who strived to be a good husband and father. Despite having an upstanding work in the community, Benjamin’s marriage had been on the rocks after the death of his beloved daughter, Riley. The tragedy was too much for the family to bear, and it didn’t help that their son, Gabriel, had been acting oddly for a long time. One day, a mysterious fire broke out at the College Inn resulting in the death of three people. Knowing Gabriel’s bizarre behavior and the fact he despised working there, Benjamin suspects he might have something to do with the incident. Benjamin feels conflicted about what to do and on top of that, a strange man with big green eyes seemed to be looking for him. Eventually, he learns that the man with green eyes was a demon who had come to take his son’s soul. Despite his suspicions, Benjamin will still do whatever he can to protect his son from harm. Unfortunately, his attempts only made the situation even worse. Did the once protective father turned into the very monster he despised?
Crighton was sent on a mission by Lucifer to capture an angel, Ariel, and bring her soul back in Hell. Being one of Hell’s best soul catcher, Crighton was determined to see this mission through. Things began to go south as Crighton was suddenly captured by an organization of rogue scientists and to his surprise, the angel he was tasked to hunt was captured along with him. During their captivity, they developed feelings for each other, and now Crighton must make an impossible decision between fulfilling his duty and giving in to his newfound love. The choice he makes may make or break him for the rest of his life. Will he follow his heart, or will the devil make him pay in due time?
The beginning of the story immediately got me hooked. There was never a dull chapter, something exciting was always happening as I kept turning the pages. The supernatural world and its beings were described so vividly that it almost felt real. Whenever there was an action scene, I could visualize what the characters were doing at that moment. I was so immersed in the story that my imagination was running wild as every twist becomes intriguing, and new revelations about the characters were made. The writing came naturally, and I did not find any trace of unprofessional editing and grammatical errors. I commend the author for dividing the story into two parts for it delved deeper into the life of Poe and Crighton.
The author did both of their stories justice by showing that their motivations and actions were shaped by a lot of factors which add depth to their characters. In the first part, Benjamin Poe’s story captivated me because of his tragic back story. It really showed how he struggled with coming to terms with Gabriel’s true nature, and the rift it created with his family. Reading Poe’s story had that thriller and suspense feel because there were many twist and turns. Crighton’s story leaned more towards romance with a paranormal twist yet it didn’t deter me from reading it. The romance between the demon Crighton and the angel Ariel was well-written, the dialogues and erotic scenes were written tastefully unlike other fantasy stories where erotica is overdone.
I honestly could not find any other reason to dislike the novel. McFarren definitely showed her writing prowess in this one. Still, I did find some certain parts odd though like how angels and demons got easily shot by bullets. Nonetheless, this is only trivial and did not negatively impact my experience in reading the novel.
I can confidently say that Soul Seeker deserves a rating of 4 out of 4 stars for the complexity of its plot and characters. The book never failed to amaze me! I highly recommend it to those looking for fantasy stories with biblical elements. I would not recommend this to younger readers because there are profanities and mature scenes, as well as those with an aversion for violence. For those with an immense love for suspense, mystery, crime, supernatural, and romance, this book is definitely for you!
******
Soul Seeker
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon