Name: Raven's Peak
ISBN: 9780997225976

Lincoln Cole

A quiet little mountain town is hiding a big problem. When the townsfolk of Raven's Peak start acting crazy, Abigail is called upon to find out what is happening. She uncovers a demonic threat unlike any she's ever faced. She is aided by Haatim Arison. Can they discover the cause of the insanity and put a stop to it before it is too late?

Raven's Peak

Eleanor Luhar

I recently signed up to OnlineBookClub and requested this book as my first to review on the site. It's a paranormal thriller, focusing on a "hunter" who tracks down demons. It begins with an epilogue following another character, who we later learn more about. The protagonist is a young man called Haatim, completely ordinary and unaware of the paranormal activity in the world. Strange circumstances send him and Abigail - the hunter - off to Raven's Peak together.

The beginning was rather interesting; Haatim was hired by a complete stranger to track down a suspected stalker. It soon became clear that this was no ordinary stalker, and the situation was definitely unique. However, the following plot felt a little slow to me, taking a while to really develop. It's possible that the intended peak was earlier than I felt, but I personally felt like the main story only really started when the pair arrived at Raven's Peak. This did not happen until much nearer the end. This meant that the "main" sotry only lasted for a few short chapters. There was a section between Haatim's stalker mission and the arrival in Raven's Peak that felt painfully slow and, quite honestly, boring.

The characters were okay, but I didn't connect with them emotionally. Haatim was given an emotional backstory - as was Abigail, in fact - but I just did not feel anything for them. Their speech felt a bit disjointed and artificial, and they just didn't feel particularly real to me. It would've been nice to develop the characters' relationships more, both with each other and their own families.

Many books in the paranormal/supernatural genre feel very similar, and this book is sadly included. There was nothing about it that particularly stood out to me. Some of the ideas in the book are very interesting, though. I am intrigued as to how Haatim's father is connected to the Ninth Circle, and I also want to know what happens in Abigail's quest for saving Arthur. But this book didn't fill me with anticipation or excitement to read on. In fact, it barely mentioned the Ninth Circle, and without that being the series title, I'd never have picked up on it.

I also noticed a few typos and grammatical errors, which would be the result of insufficient editing. While a few errors are often found in books, this felt quite amateurish and unfinished.

Overall, the book wasn't particularly special or exciting, and didn't feel as fluid as it should. It wasn't bad, but it was not outstanding. 2.5 stars.