This was not what I was expecting but not uninteresting. This is a horror fiction, though more creepy than scary, and had fantasy/mystery/thriller components.

The story had multiple POVs spanning across several years. We begin with a chance encounter between two people who discover they have both lost loved ones to a similar and mysterious circumstances. One of them, Jack, decides to investigate the deaths and attempts to uncover the sinister tale. This begins a journey back through several of "Marion's" victims and the fantasy elements of her mission.

The pacing felt odd, likely a result of switching back and forth between characters POV. The writing felt kind of artsy for my taste and it made it a bit difficult for me to stay engrossed in the story. Otherwise, the plot was interesting and the ending was climactic, especially the epilogue.

This book, despite its amazing premise, was not for me. I was lost in the words and the delivery. It didn’t bring enjoyment—quite the opposite. I think Susan Baker wanted to give us something special but just overdid it with the presentation and experimentation with language. Too bad.

Blending reincarnation, history, and intimate storytelling, Old Soul explores how lives echo across time. Barker’s lush prose and philosophical bent make this both a sweeping narrative and a meditation on destiny. Thoughtful, layered, and hauntingly beautiful.

Thank you Net Galley for providing me with an arc of this title. This felt like an A24 film that does't exist but should. Haunting. Devastating. Somehow still beautiful.

An eerie, genre-blending ride that hooks you from page one, Old Soul begins with a missed flight in Osaka and spirals into a chilling, globe-trotting investigation of a mysterious woman who leaves heartbreak and horror in her wake. Part horror, part thriller, part western, Barker weaves a haunting tale of grief, obsession, and the darkness that lingers across generations. It is unsettling, thought-provoking, and impossible to put down.

🕯️ If you like literary thrillers with a supernatural twist and morally complex characters, Old Soul is a must-read.

I hate to DNF on a Netgalley book, but I just have to. This book has so many characters, too hard to follow along, I am hours in I and have no idea what this book is about. I have just completely lost interest.

Thanks NetGalley for the ARC.

It was interesting to follow the plot and learn how the characters connect and unfurl the mystery. However, the pacing felt slow in some areas and the bouncing between characters and timelines was hard to follow sometimes. This is an interesting take on a suspenseful horror-type book.

Her name, her hair, her story... they all change. But her goal never does. When Jake misses a flight out of Osaka, he runs into a fellow traveller, Mariko. They get to talking and through the course of their conversation they realize they have both lost people close to them under the very same circumstances. Jake is horrified to uncover this seeming conspiracy and begins a manhunt for the woman who killed his best friend, Mariko's twin brother, and however many other countless individuals throughout the centuries. As Jake uncovers other victims, their stories are related to the reader through the accounts of their loved ones who survived them. Not quite a vampire story, not quite a demon story... Old Soul is a lyrically written and thoughtful examination of humanity and love. Highly recommend for fans of quiet and creeping tales of dread.

Definitely enjoyed this one!

I read 50% and gave up. I felt like I was reading a text book. People are being reversed and disappear. An entity is consuming them to stay alive.. the tone is long and no highlights to instill me to contine reading.

My thoughts:

This story centers around a woman—who never ages, never stays, and always takes something with her. If you see her, your life will change forever. Jake and Mariko’s search for the truth takes them through time and across the miles, uncovering stories of people who were left behind—confused, grieving, and haunted by what they saw but couldn’t fully understand. The writer does a great job of submerging us into a fever dream and then lifting us out over and over again. I really appreciate this style of writing - character development was executed so beautifully. The ending was unexpected and harsh but I was at peace with it too.

Old Soul is a haunting, atmospheric tale that will stay with you long after you finish it. It’s perfect for anyone who enjoys a quiet, slow burn, psychological horror that gets under your skin.

Thank you so much to @netgalley , #penguinpublishinggroup and G. P. Putnam’s Sons for the gifted digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Rating: 3.5 ⭐️ rounded up

OLD SOUL feels like quite an epic read,

There is a lot of story in OLD SOUL, so it was not a book that I felt like I could relax in. There was a lot of story and a lot of plot, but I ended up really liking that the story was so detailed. I had to keep telling myself to slow down to really enjoy the story and not try to go through the story too quickly to find out what happens.

Thanks to the author and publisher for the e-arc I received via NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion, this review is all my own.

When I read the blurb comparing this book to The Historian, one of my favorite books, I was thrilled to get a copy on NetGalley. It’s well written with an interesting premise, I just wish I’d enjoyed it more. I did like the different testimonies of people who had come into contact with the lady. I hated not having quotation marks and wasn’t thrilled with the epilogue. This is more supernatural than horror as well. Again, not a bad book just wasn’t the book for me.

This is definitely one of my favorite horror novels I’ve read. The premise was very interesting, and I was hooked throughout the story trying to figure out what was happening and how it was going to end. This wasn’t very scary as far as horror books go, but it was quite unsettling in the best way.

I saw some reviews that said they felt the story went on for too long, but I didn’t think so. Each chapter felt important to me as we got to know more and more about the characters and piece things together. The different characters introduced all felt believable, and even though many of them weren’t likable, I found myself feeling sorry for them and everything they were put through.

Overall I highly recommend this book and will have to check out more by this author!

This was one of my most anticipated for January! May have been my fault as I had really high expectations.

There was SO much to keep up with. We follow Jake on his journey to try and find answers as to what happened to his best friend a decade ish earlier. On this journey we meet a lot of different people who have their own individual experiences with this entity. And each story is very fleshed out. That is unfortunately how the story lost me.

With each persons story, I found myself become less invested instead of more... I felt like we would never get to our final destination and with each chapter it seemed to lose all horror/intensity/dread that it had in the first bit. It picked up a smidge around 80% where we got some answers but it felt like a super long hike where the end just didn’t seem to be worth it. I wasn’t thrilled with the ending but I get it.

May be better for readers who enjoy character driven literary fiction possibly as there, in my opinion, was not as much horror involved? I didn’t feel anything that I usually feel when I read horror and maybe if I went into it with a different mind set, it would have been a different review? I’m a mood reader and I went into this with a certain mood. I didn’t get what I thought it was going to be.

That by no means it was bad, it’s definitely worth a read and it will find its audience for sure.

OLD SOUL
By Susan Barker

Published by G.P. Putnam’s Sons (January 28, 2025)
Hardcover $26.97
Audiobook $14.18

Reviewed by Ashley Riggleson

I loved Susan Barker’s earlier novel, The Incarnations, so I requested her newest work, Old Soul, without even reading the synopsis. And although Old Soul, a literary horror novel, feels like a departure from her earlier work, I loved it. Barker is a writer to watch.
Old Soul has two plotlines. One is told as a set of testimonies transcribed and compiled by a man called Jake who is interested in learning more about a very dangerous woman. This quest starts in Japan, where he meets a woman called Mariko. Mariko’s brother has died under mysterious circumstances after meeting a female photographer. And as with all her victims, his organs, upon examination, are shown to be reversed.

Doctors later claim that this is a terrible genetic condition, and Jake and his interviewees are the only people convinced that anything criminal or otherworldly has occurred. Yet as the novel continues, readers see the same pattern play out with multiple people in different parts of the world, including in Jake’s own life. The question then becomes, “Can Jake stop this woman before she kills again?”

The other plotline of the novel follows a young woman called Rosa. Rosa is in danger, that much is certain, and readers follow her as she is lured into the Badlands by a woman with sinister purposes in mind. Despite the woman’s many experiences manipulating her marks, it soon becomes clear that some can intuit her true nature. As the novel unfolds, Barker builds heart-pounding suspense that will keep readers burning the midnight oil to reach what promises to be an epic conclusion.

Although Old Soul is a horror novel, it was the prose that appealed to me first. I am primarily a literary fiction reader, and Barker’s style, as well as her confident use of imagery, drew me in immediately. I am convinced that Barker could write about any setting at any time, and her sense of atmosphere would always be on point.

So, reading Old Soul put me in a unique conundrum: Should I read the novel quickly to find out what happens? Or try to slow down and savor a novel that brings readers so completely into its world while deftly exploring themes of power and mortality? I did a little of both until finally I was so in thrall that I could not put off my curiosity any longer and read the last third without coming up for air.

I do not know whether highbrow readers will consider Old Soul to be an “important” novel, but I maintain that Barker’s style, sense of atmosphere, prose, and character development are flawless. This novel is well worth your time. Old Soul is one of my favorite novels of the new year, and I hope that many readers will discover its many pleasures.

Ashley Riggleson is a free-lance book reviewer from Rappahannock County. When she is not reading or writing book reviews, she can usually be found playing with her pets, listening to podcasts, or watching television with friends and family.

This review was originally published in FXBG Advance,

This book had me on the edge of my seat. The artistry it took to build this story is stunning and the suspense made it very hard to put down.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing this advance copy in exchange for honest feedback. A unique horror story, done well.

Old Soul by Susan Barker follows Jake and Marika who both missed their flight. During the conversation they soon realised they are connected in a very mysterious way. They both have lost loved ones under similar circumstances after meeting the same woman.
This was soooo creepy and intriguing I loved it! Highly recommended.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I love a good timeline switch novel, with different POVs and strong character development...this book had all of that. This was a thrilling, gripping and eerie novel that was so poetically written. The story was so unique as well, which I loved as a horror fan!

"Old Soul" by Susan Barker is hands down one of the best books I’ve read this year. It’s the perfect mix of literary horror—dark, unsettling, and completely gripping. But what really makes it stand out is the writing. Barker’s words paint such a vivid, eerie picture that I was completely hooked. I stayed up way too late, flying through the pages, both scared and unable to put it down. The prose has this almost dreamlike quality that pulls you in, making the whole experience even more intense. This one is going to stick with me for a long time, and I can’t wait to check out more of her books!