Another amazing book by Baker. I really enjoyed her first book, but this one absolutely blew me a way. I hope this book ends up getting the deserved recognition it has earned. It's really a great , creepy read.

This was my first read by Susan Barker and I was very impressed. Impressed with the writing style, the storyline, characters and the genre is what drew me in. It seemed so unique and boy was it. I loved that this book felt dark and eerie with some thriller aspect and some secluded wild wild west tones as well…I was taken in by this book by the very first page.

The characters were very well developed and I enjoyed each of them. I loved that this book as written with multiple POV’s and the entirety was very easy to follow. The ending, honestly I could not have asked for a better ending. I will now be on the lookout for more by our author because I need more of her writing! Would highly recommend this to my bookish friends and family.

Pub Date: January 28, 2025

Thank you @netgalley , @penguinpublishing and author for the arc in exchange for my honest review.

“Old Soul” is a story told from several different perspectives, as a man who tragically lost a childhood best friend decades ago chases the woman who caused her demise across continents and centuries. The woman has many aliases, and a dark presence pervades her soul and demands routine sacrifices.

Beautifully and lyrically written, with a refreshingly original plot, rich characters with realistic human flaws, and a pervasive atmosphere of burgeoning dread, this book is unsettling in the best way. Epic, deep, and insightful, this book will linger in your mind long after you finish the last page.

I was completely blown away by this one. This was a phenomenal read. The opening is stunningly frightening, and the story progresses through alternating POVS of MC Jake and the testimonies of those he encounters in the journey to find out the truth of what happened to his best friend Lena. Each chapter is like an excellent meal with a very satisfying conclusion. I’m so happy to have gotten an ARC on NetGalley to review, but now I’m so eager to talk about this with anyone and everyone!

This book is a slowburn into true terror. I didn't want to stop reading==had to know how it was going to end! Very creepy, very scary, and totally thrilling.

There should be way more reviews for this book. This book is brilliant and deserves a wide readership. Though, of course, it won't be to everyone's taste.
For one thing, it's relentlessly, intensely dark. For another, perhaps more important one, it's way, way too smart for an average genre offering. It's even--beautifully!--unconventionally moralistic. Until the very ending, because it seems the moral police must have its pound of flesh.
Anyway, Old Soul is a story of a woman who refuses to die. And why wouldn't she? Who wouldn't want to live forever? Immortality has been largely rendered wrong by the puritanical attitudes equating it with evil, but what is immortality but extreme love of life? 300 years is a long time to be alive, especially when it comes at a terrible cost, but she can't seem to give it up. And now there's a real and present danger on her tail.
Told wonderfully through alternating perspectives, this is a tale of two quests--one man's journey to find and punish the woman responsible for the death of his best friend and one woman's journey to stay alive, no matter what.
Propulsive, magnificently written, literary in the best possible way, this book is a smart reader's dream. Recommended. Thanks Netgalley.

4.5 stars

This is a book you can really get lost in. It reads like a loved classic horror. I felt emotionally invested and did not want to put this book down, while at the same time wanting to savor it and make it last longer.

Holy crap! This book is spectacular. Spectacular in the way that Ghost Story, The Shining, and The Damnation Game are spectacular. I could go back and read this over and over. It’s a story of one man’s search for the ultimate evil. Sound simple? It’s not.