Review by Dawn_360 -- Raven's Peak by Lincoln Cole
Posted: 12 May 2017, 06:14
[Following is a volunteer review of "Raven's Peak" by Lincoln Cole.]
3 out of 4 stars
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Summary: Ravens peak is a city with its fare share of strange, and beneath the abandoned mining town, lies something far more disturbing. In this book about will power, faith and a hell of a demon chase, Arthur- a highly ranked demon hunter- makes an ultimate sacrifice in order to save his daughter Abigail, from herself. Consequently, she is determined to find a way to save him from the depths of a darkness she is only beginning to understand, all while saving a world that is on fire.
Cliché delivered with a twist. From the first chapter, this book read cliché to me, but I was often caught midway of an eye roll with a delivery to the plot that I did not expect. This is what I liked most about Ravens Peak. I think that we have grown so accustomed to clichés in books and movies that we have more leniencies to them, and writers are finding ways to integrate cliché stories with original twists. I’d much rather that than it being the other way round, because I essentially kept reading the book to discover what the character would find behind the shower curtain, and it definitely wasn’t a Looney with a knife.
Fill-it-in-for-yourself. There is usually a typical kind of format that is common with sci-fi/supernatural themed books, movies/series. This format can usually then progress to having a 30 minute period where they feel the need to explain the meaning of certain terminology and plot with tactless distaste, which can be quite annoying if it is obvious what they’re trying to do. Then there’s the format that doesn’t bother explaining and goes filling in the details as the plot progresses, this can be quite annoying as well if executed again…with tactless distaste. On the other hand, it can be quite satisfying and even involving as you don’t feel as much of an outsider and may find yourself more indulged as ‘part of the team/experience’. Ravens Peak, succeeded at disintegrating the information, like, the writer trusted that ‘you will know when the time is right’ and I- in turn- as the reader, learnt not to expect an immediate explanation but trust that it shall unravel itself in the plot. And boy the way things unravel in this plot.
The missing link? As much as there were interesting twists and takes on certain scenarios, throughout the plot, there was something that felt amiss. There were times when the plot felt like watching a piece of paper floating mid air and waiting for it to land on solid ground, then curiously picking it up to find three dots in form of tiny holes. That is what we are going to call ‘plot holes’. There was redundancy in experiences, and often when the characters would feel exhausted, I would too. Though I give props to the writer for representing genuine real life scenarios that show life struggles experienced globally, the human characters were at times (though few) a bit too bold and while demon fighting humans are allowed that by virtue of the fact that their fighting freaking demons, there was a disconnect in their emotions and how they handled them.
Who ARE these people??(Obscure character development) The best way I can summarize this is the two main characters relationship, which seems more like a babysitting gig to me than a team up. Which is why this is what I liked the least about Ravens Peak. There are truly cringe worthy moments at how the characters interacted with one another. Haatim was extremely irritating with his naivety and endless questions and I sure wouldn’t want to be stuck with him during an apocalypse. Abigail was, on the other hand just plain bland in character. Though the writer tried to show how their relationship helped each of them grow, their communications and experiences became redundant at some point and it was like reliving the previous chapter of their interaction all over again. For these reasons, it was easier for me to connect with how they experienced their various situations rather than the characters themselves.
For the reasons mentioned above, I rate this book a 3 out of 4. Though not entirely, the writer was able to keep me there, in the moment and I can see how his influence by Stephen King comes across in his strange but interesting writing. I might even say there were 2 or 3 good quotes I picked from the book (which is why the book didn’t rate at a 2). Upon finishing the book however, it felt more like a fading memory than an experience (which is why the book did not rate at a 4). Would I be inclined to read the next book in the series? Possibly. Would it bother me if I did not read the next book in the series? Absolutely not. If you’re a reader who, more often than not, would like to fully experience a book this might not be the best pick for you, but if you’re willing to accept supernatural, no questions asked, then hop on for an adventure that will surely possess you!
******
Raven's Peak
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
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3 out of 4 stars
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Summary: Ravens peak is a city with its fare share of strange, and beneath the abandoned mining town, lies something far more disturbing. In this book about will power, faith and a hell of a demon chase, Arthur- a highly ranked demon hunter- makes an ultimate sacrifice in order to save his daughter Abigail, from herself. Consequently, she is determined to find a way to save him from the depths of a darkness she is only beginning to understand, all while saving a world that is on fire.
Cliché delivered with a twist. From the first chapter, this book read cliché to me, but I was often caught midway of an eye roll with a delivery to the plot that I did not expect. This is what I liked most about Ravens Peak. I think that we have grown so accustomed to clichés in books and movies that we have more leniencies to them, and writers are finding ways to integrate cliché stories with original twists. I’d much rather that than it being the other way round, because I essentially kept reading the book to discover what the character would find behind the shower curtain, and it definitely wasn’t a Looney with a knife.
Fill-it-in-for-yourself. There is usually a typical kind of format that is common with sci-fi/supernatural themed books, movies/series. This format can usually then progress to having a 30 minute period where they feel the need to explain the meaning of certain terminology and plot with tactless distaste, which can be quite annoying if it is obvious what they’re trying to do. Then there’s the format that doesn’t bother explaining and goes filling in the details as the plot progresses, this can be quite annoying as well if executed again…with tactless distaste. On the other hand, it can be quite satisfying and even involving as you don’t feel as much of an outsider and may find yourself more indulged as ‘part of the team/experience’. Ravens Peak, succeeded at disintegrating the information, like, the writer trusted that ‘you will know when the time is right’ and I- in turn- as the reader, learnt not to expect an immediate explanation but trust that it shall unravel itself in the plot. And boy the way things unravel in this plot.
The missing link? As much as there were interesting twists and takes on certain scenarios, throughout the plot, there was something that felt amiss. There were times when the plot felt like watching a piece of paper floating mid air and waiting for it to land on solid ground, then curiously picking it up to find three dots in form of tiny holes. That is what we are going to call ‘plot holes’. There was redundancy in experiences, and often when the characters would feel exhausted, I would too. Though I give props to the writer for representing genuine real life scenarios that show life struggles experienced globally, the human characters were at times (though few) a bit too bold and while demon fighting humans are allowed that by virtue of the fact that their fighting freaking demons, there was a disconnect in their emotions and how they handled them.
Who ARE these people??(Obscure character development) The best way I can summarize this is the two main characters relationship, which seems more like a babysitting gig to me than a team up. Which is why this is what I liked the least about Ravens Peak. There are truly cringe worthy moments at how the characters interacted with one another. Haatim was extremely irritating with his naivety and endless questions and I sure wouldn’t want to be stuck with him during an apocalypse. Abigail was, on the other hand just plain bland in character. Though the writer tried to show how their relationship helped each of them grow, their communications and experiences became redundant at some point and it was like reliving the previous chapter of their interaction all over again. For these reasons, it was easier for me to connect with how they experienced their various situations rather than the characters themselves.
For the reasons mentioned above, I rate this book a 3 out of 4. Though not entirely, the writer was able to keep me there, in the moment and I can see how his influence by Stephen King comes across in his strange but interesting writing. I might even say there were 2 or 3 good quotes I picked from the book (which is why the book didn’t rate at a 2). Upon finishing the book however, it felt more like a fading memory than an experience (which is why the book did not rate at a 4). Would I be inclined to read the next book in the series? Possibly. Would it bother me if I did not read the next book in the series? Absolutely not. If you’re a reader who, more often than not, would like to fully experience a book this might not be the best pick for you, but if you’re willing to accept supernatural, no questions asked, then hop on for an adventure that will surely possess you!
******
Raven's Peak
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
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