Review by Mtracey -- Soul Seeker by Kaylin McFarren
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Mtracey
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Review by Mtracey -- Soul Seeker by Kaylin McFarren
[Following is a volunteer review of "Soul Seeker" by Kaylin McFarren.]
Soul Seeker by Kaylin McFarren is a riveting tale that takes the reader on perilous journey from a psychopathy young mans arsonist ways to Hell and then back again. It insists you suspend your disbelief, if you are non a believer, and, strangely, that you occasionally take the side of the devil and his demon children. You meet memorable, likeable and damnable characters as you try to ascertain just who Crighton is, how the Poe's are tied to him, and whether or not he is dastardly as he seems. Prepare to meet impossibly beautiful angels, secret societies of blasphemous humans, murders, mad men and more in this dark novel.
The author, Kaylin McFarren, is able to draw the reader into her story at first by lulling them into a false sense of security. Then, slowly, the author reveals puzzling information, death, destruction, and, finally, begins to lay blame. What is most captivating about the novel is how McFarren successfully depicts everyday life in a small town and then pulls back the curtain to show the audience exactly what is happening in a seemingly idyllic place. Did 5 year old Poe murder his 2 year old sister? Did his father kill him on purpose or accidentally? What does Crighton really want with this family, really with any humans? Tainted souls are lined up for judgement in this novel for the reader to decide alongside the angels, devils and demons. This book will make you believe that no one is really good, but maybe some people are really truly rotten.
The novel changes narratives part of the way through. McFarren focuses not on the Poe family and their evident woes, but on the creature Crighton. As a reader, I have been made to feel empathy for a plethora of differnet creatures, but in this case McFarren far overestimates the empathy readers will feel for this blight of a thing. Although has redeeming qualities, even befriends an ethereal angel, he never does anything that would make me forgive his actions against some of the characters in the book. He also despises humanity regardless of the fact their souls are exactly what make him relevant in the first place. He enjoys destroying youthful innocence and watching perfectly ordinary people suffer. I prefer him when he is bringing twisted justice to the already damned, like the serial killer he destroys. the shift to his point of view takes something away from the genius of the earlier pages because it places McFarren in the seat of describing a monster when the author's obvious gift is the understanding and telling of the torture's of the human soul in a way that causes empathy to grip her audience.
I would rate this book 4 out of 4 stars because the author has gripped me, the book has almost no grammatical errors, and the novel encourages readers to examine their humanity, something people spend far too little time doing these days.
Do not read this book if you are especially religious and believe that good and evil are separate, they never mix, and the world cannot ever suffer a gray area. You will be offended if you have strict and immovable understandings of God, the Devil and religious in general.
******
Soul Seeker
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Soul Seeker by Kaylin McFarren is a riveting tale that takes the reader on perilous journey from a psychopathy young mans arsonist ways to Hell and then back again. It insists you suspend your disbelief, if you are non a believer, and, strangely, that you occasionally take the side of the devil and his demon children. You meet memorable, likeable and damnable characters as you try to ascertain just who Crighton is, how the Poe's are tied to him, and whether or not he is dastardly as he seems. Prepare to meet impossibly beautiful angels, secret societies of blasphemous humans, murders, mad men and more in this dark novel.
The author, Kaylin McFarren, is able to draw the reader into her story at first by lulling them into a false sense of security. Then, slowly, the author reveals puzzling information, death, destruction, and, finally, begins to lay blame. What is most captivating about the novel is how McFarren successfully depicts everyday life in a small town and then pulls back the curtain to show the audience exactly what is happening in a seemingly idyllic place. Did 5 year old Poe murder his 2 year old sister? Did his father kill him on purpose or accidentally? What does Crighton really want with this family, really with any humans? Tainted souls are lined up for judgement in this novel for the reader to decide alongside the angels, devils and demons. This book will make you believe that no one is really good, but maybe some people are really truly rotten.
The novel changes narratives part of the way through. McFarren focuses not on the Poe family and their evident woes, but on the creature Crighton. As a reader, I have been made to feel empathy for a plethora of differnet creatures, but in this case McFarren far overestimates the empathy readers will feel for this blight of a thing. Although has redeeming qualities, even befriends an ethereal angel, he never does anything that would make me forgive his actions against some of the characters in the book. He also despises humanity regardless of the fact their souls are exactly what make him relevant in the first place. He enjoys destroying youthful innocence and watching perfectly ordinary people suffer. I prefer him when he is bringing twisted justice to the already damned, like the serial killer he destroys. the shift to his point of view takes something away from the genius of the earlier pages because it places McFarren in the seat of describing a monster when the author's obvious gift is the understanding and telling of the torture's of the human soul in a way that causes empathy to grip her audience.
I would rate this book 4 out of 4 stars because the author has gripped me, the book has almost no grammatical errors, and the novel encourages readers to examine their humanity, something people spend far too little time doing these days.
Do not read this book if you are especially religious and believe that good and evil are separate, they never mix, and the world cannot ever suffer a gray area. You will be offended if you have strict and immovable understandings of God, the Devil and religious in general.
******
Soul Seeker
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Latest Review: Shadow Game by A.M. Adair
