Dead Souls

by J. Lincoln Fenn

From the award-winning author of the acclaimed novel Poe comes an edgy and bone-chilling new novel.When Fiona Dunn is approached in a bar by a man who claims he’s the devil, she figures it’s just some kind of postmodern-slash-ironic pickup line. But a few drinks in, he offers her a wish in exchange for her immortal soul, and in addition, Fiona must perform a special favor for him whenever the time comes. Fiona finds the entire matter so absurd that she agrees. Bad idea. Not only does Fiona soon discover that she really was talking to the devil incarnate, but she’s now been initiated into a bizarre support group of similar “dead souls”—those who have done the same thing as Fiona on a whim, and who must spend their waking hours in absolute terror of that favor eventually being called in...and what exactly is required from each of them in order to give the devil his due.

Genres: Horror, Fiction, Fantasy, Thriller, Mystery, Supernatural, Paranormal

354 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 20, 2016

About the author

J. Lincoln Fenn is the award-winning author of the bestseller POE, which won the 2013 Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award for Sci-Fi/Fantasy/Horror, and the acclaimed novel DEAD SOULS called 'wickedly entertaining' by The New York Times Book Review.

Fenn grew up in a small New England town and graduated Summa Cum Laude from the University of New Hampshire, studying with poet laureate Charles Simic, and author John Yount, a mentor to John Irving. She's lived in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Los Angeles, the San Francisco Bay area, and Maui. Currently Fenn lives with her husband in Seattle.

https://www.jlincolnfenn.com

"This book is one of the scariest and best to come down the pike in ages....The narrative twists and turns are reminiscent of Dean Koontz or Stephen King at their finest. This story is horribly, horrifyingly awesome." PUBLISHERS WEEKLY starred review for DEAD SOULS

Reviews

[Melissa ♥ Dog/Wolf Lover ♥ Martin · Rating 4 out of 5]

My friend Shelly starts her review off with, the devil walks into a bar :-D Mine is a little different but the same idea ;-)



So, an atheist walks into a bar . . . <---I think we all love the chance to use that opening. Well, us nuts at any rate!

But she really does, Fiona stumbles into a bar one night in her night clothes and no shoes. She thinks her husband is cheating on her and she just wigs out and wanders off. I bet she wished she stayed home.

Fiona meets Scratch and he tells her he is the Devil. Really? Actually if you're ever in a bar and someone says they are the devil, just get up and leave, do not pass go. Trust me!

So Scratch and Fiona sit and talk for hours and Fiona gets drunk. I mean obviously the devil doesn't get drunk. He offers Fiona anything for her soul. Fiona thinks since she doesn't believe in anything that it will be just fine to go along with the joke. Bwhahaha! Fiona decides she will sell her soul to be invisible when she wants. And she wakes up the next morning at home and in a shite storm.



Now there is a group of people that Fiona meets and I can't remember all of their names but the leaders name is Alejandro. They are in a tribe called the dead souls. They have all sold their souls to the devil for something or other. Mostly it's stupid crap, but I guess if your stupid enough to sell your soul, your stupid enough to make stupid wishes.

Everyone in the group is freaking out because they are just waiting for their ticket to be called in a sense. If you don't do the favor the devil asks of you, well your in for a world of hurt.

And let me tell you, when the devil starts to slowly call in everyone's ticket, there are some macabre stuff going on. Well, it is the devil! And all of this is going on at Christmas so he has to bring in a Christmas theme! But it's not, uggg I can't say without giving a spoiler so lets move on.



I will never look at ornaments on the Christmas tree in the same way again! When mom is putting them up this year (because that's her thing) and I'm watching, I'm going to be thinking about certain ornaments that I can't get over in this book! OMG! You all have to read this book if you like horror stuff, I'm telling you.



There's not a big climatic ending, there's just a simple little wrap up. Uh, as simple as you can get with the devil involved!

All in all I thought it was a good book. I wish I could tell more but I might end up slipping in some spoilers and I don't want to do that. I want you to walk into this horror story fresh and ready to go!

*I would like to thank Netgalley and Gallery books for a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.*

MY BLOG: Melissa Martin's Reading List

[Chrissy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Woman gets drunk and makes a Faustian deal, doesn't end well, no surprises there. Could happen to any of us after a few beers. Solid supernatural horror with some blood and guts.

[Shelby *trains flying monkeys* · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fiona is having a bad night, she suspects her live in boyfriend Justin is cheating on her and her assistant at work is way too eager about pointing out anything Fiona does wrong. So she heads off to the bar.
She is approached by a guy named "Scratch"..she really can't see his face clearly but he is buying the drinks.
Then she wakes up naked the next morning with a card that can't be destroyed. Seems like she made a comment about selling her soul for the chance to be invisible sometimes.


There is also a catch. Not only did she sell her soul..Scratch also gets a favor later on that he can cash in on at any time.


This crap will make you re-think that late night drinking.

Fiona then realizes that she now has a dark shadow that haunts her. And she is not the only one. There are a whole lot of Soul salers out there. They come together as a Dark Souls type club. Because why not?


This book did kinda read slow for me. Fiona does so much inner dialogue that the meaness in me got bored at times. Then the author decided to throw in some blood and gore to even make me cringe..the moral of this whole book?


Booksource: I was gifted a copy of this book from a GR friend. She thought it's weirdness would be right up my alley. She was right.

[Carrie · Rating 5 out of 5]

After growing up in a horrible situation Fiona Dunn hasn't let herself become close to too many people in her lifetime. Currently Fiona is in the longest relationship she's ever had but when she sees her boyfriend with another woman Fiona immediately thinks the worst.

Feeling miserable Fiona finds herself in a bar drinking away her troubles when she's approached by a mysterious man. The stranger begins buying Fiona's drinks and chatting with her but before the night is over he tells Fiona he is none other than the devil and wants to trade for her soul.

Dead Souls is a horror read that while it's not based on any new or completely original idea the story just kind of drew me in and worked to grabbed my attention anyway. The idea of Fiona who was a rather flawed character selling her soul and what followed from there had me turning the pages to see where the story would go and what would happen.

The author also tied in real events and people to the tell the story of selling ones soul so that is always a fun way to explain the devil's existence in the world. By the end of this book I wasn't quite sure what to expect either and it had one of those complete gag me moments of an ending that only belongs in a horror story, what a way to wrap things up.

Overall, great horror read that had me engaged all the way through.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

For more reviews please visit https://carriesbookreviews.wordpress....

[Steven · Rating 4 out of 5]

Now THAT was one HELL OF A BOOK.

Thank you, Netgalley, for allowing me to read this nightmare-producer in exchange for an honest review. I just hope I didn't accidentally somehow sell my soul to the devil.

Just like that, Fiona finds herself indebted to the Devil, all because of a casual drunken exchange at a bar after seeing her boyfriend get into a cab with a cute woman in pink. At least she can turn invisible at will now, right? She got SOMETHING out of it, right?

As you slowly learn more and more about our flawed, damaged, and still root-for-able (so not a word!!!) protagonist, we watch her life careen towards the day when her favor will be called in...

This book has some rough material, but was well-written, well-plotted, and extra creepy. Highly recommended to horror and fantasy thriller readers.

Just be careful when talking to random strangers... the devil always calls in his favors...

[Maxwell · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book has an interesting premise and had me intrigued from the first page. I thought the narrator was just cynical and snarky enough to be likeable, but still flawed and detestable at times. She sort of reminded me of Jessica Jones, and I kept imagining Krysten Ritter while reading this. However, the second half of the book fell a little flat for me and felt like a different sort of story than the first half. It moved really quickly so I didn't feel like I got to know exactly why things were happening, and then it was over. Still an interesting read and one I wouldn't have picked up had the publisher not sent it to me (unsolicited). 3 stars

[ᒪᗴᗩᕼ · Rating 4 out of 5]

➙ 4⭐
➙ Narration 😁 = Very Good
➙ Narrated by 🎙️ Julia Whelan
➙ Soul-selling Horror🖤
➙ Devastatingly graphic🩸
➙ Giving the Devil😈 his due, gratuitous favors and all...

I can’t really say what it was that really got to me in this book without giving it away...but it sure did...get me, that is. This story is brutal, it starts off so innocently with a woman at a bar talking up some guy...he’s buying her drinks and whatnot...she thinks he’s trying to get laid...but in reality, he wants something more than a tumble in the sheets. Her soul...he’s after her soul. He says I’ll give you your heart's desire and all I need is a favor in return...The kicker is these favors...they’re not good. Not good at all.

While I didn’t like the ending at all...and I’m not entirely certain what even happened in the end, this story had my interest, throughout...even when I was horrified.


🅒🅐🅦🅟🅘🅛🅔 7.50/❿
🅒haracters ￫ 7
🅐tmosphere ￫ 9.5
🅦riting ￫ 7.5
🅟lot ￫ 8
🅘ntrigue ￫ 8.5
🅛ogic ￫ 6
🅔njoyment ￫ 6

[Bill · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Giving up something you don’t believe in doesn’t cost a thing.”

Well, at least that’s what Fiona Dunn thought, as she was selling her soul to a faceless man who called himself Scratch. Yep. That, Scratch. Funny how after several pints of Guinness and a fois gras sandwich what will sound like a good idea. Soul sold and favor owed. Crap.

I don’t know what I was expecting from this one, but I wasn’t expecting to like it as much as I did. I’ve been meaning to read Fenn’s “Poe” for a long time now and just haven’t gotten around to it. So when I saw this one over at NetGalley, I jumped on it without thinking about it. I didn’t read anything about it, just started reading.

I would be lying if I said I wasn’t a little worried in the beginning, that it was going to go all YA on me…but it didn’t. It just had a super smooth and easy feel to it and Fenn did a great job of keeping the story moving along and creating an interesting and damaged protagonist in Fiona. Well done. 4 Stars!

[Amber · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received a free copy of this ebook from Netgalley, the author, and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Fiona Dunn is a businesswoman. When she starts to drink at a bar and sells her souls to the devil known as Scratch, her life is turned upside down. She hangs out with other "Dead Souls" until her favor comes in. Will she be able to give the devil his due? Read on and find out for yourself.

This was a pretty creepy and pretty good horror story. I enjoyed checking this out. If you like horror stories about dealing with the devil and the repercussions of those actions, then definitely check this book out. It will officially come out to bookstores this month.

[Marvin · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I was more into writing fiction in my 20s and 30s than the seriously more mundane non-fiction writing that would encompass my chosen career of Clinical Social Worker, I would peruse the writer's market books to see what type of stories were being sought. I mainly looked at the horror. science fiction and fantasy magazines. There was inevitably one sentence that was always added to their "want and don't want" lists. It was "No deals with the devil stories!". There was an unanimous agreement with these publishers that deals with the devil stories were done to exhaustion. When you look at them, one must tend to agree. There are really only two possible scenarios. Either there is the innocent soul who is tricked, attempts to outwit the devil and wins or there is the devious soul tries to outwit the devil and gets beat down. The variations within this theme tend to be limited.

That never stopped me from liking them. Now we have Dead Souls, J. Lincoln Fenn's take on that old war horse of a theme. I am happy to report she not only breathes some life into it but manages to take it into previously unexplored territories. Her first change is to make the protagonist, advertising executive Fiona Dunn, neither of the possibilities or, more precisely, both. Fiona is positive that her boyfriend is cheating on her and seems to find clear evidence he is. Retreating to a bar for liquid consolation, she meets a man named Scratch and she eventually agrees to a deal that seems ludicrously overbalanced on the surface and fueled by her temporary bitterness, not to mention she doesn't really believe it's real. But of course, the devil does not play fair. Fiona is both petty and innocent in the existential view of the world.. We cringe at her pettiness but empathize with her emotions.

And here is where the deal with the devil formula takes a twist. Part of the deal is that Scratch will in the future demand a favor. From names on the list of previous dead souls like Charles Mansion and Jim Jones, she know it is a favor of body and soul ripping proportions. She finds a group of "Dead Souls" like her; a Dead Soul Not-So-Anonymous, so to speak. Within this group, there is talk of a elusive "double deal" in which one can break a deal by offering something that may be even more devastating. Fiona is driven to find this double deal but so are the other dead souls.

There are many things that makes this novel so unique. We have the usual deal with the devil but no one in entirely innocent or evil. Fiona is intent on correcting her mistake and her reasons are not totally selfish. Yet the obsession is soon filled with all those emotions and motives that we define as selfish. The plot soon dispenses with the strict boundaries of good and evil, except for Scratch who is deliciously evil, but we see Fiona as being human and in the battle of finding and acknowledging both her altruistic (good?) and selfish (evil?) sides. It is a battle that most can relate to, if they are honest. Whether there is any hope of succeeding in the balance is the question the novel asked and perhap answers in the tense conclusion..

Then there is the group of dead souls. They represent different aspects of humanity. Some are just foolish. Some lean more toward selfish. And some are not what they appear to be. It is this battle of various natures and desires that gives the novel its unique tones. Perhaps their issue isn't really wit the Satanic One but a battle with all the aspects of desires and selfishness within the human condition.

Dead Souls is an exciting and thoughtful book. With all the twists and turns and a surprising ending, we never lose track of Fiona's dilemma and the often conflicting emotions and actions involved. This is one of the best deals with the devil novel I have read but its appeal is not simply with that group of readers. Anyone who enjoys good and complex storytelling should read it.

[Bonnie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Imagine witnessing your boyfriend get into a taxi with another woman after he tells you he’s leaving town on a business trip. You head to the bar to get trashed only to end up unintentionally selling your soul to a man named Scratch, who also claims to be the devil, for a single wish. There’s also the matter of the future favor he’ll be calling in when you least expect it. Bad freaking night. Fiona Dunn is an atheist and doesn’t believe it’s at all impossible, but when clear evidence to the contrary rears its ugly head, she’s determined to find a way out of the deal. Once she discovers that there are far more “dead souls” than just her in Oakland, California, she winds up becoming a new member of a support group for all who continue to walk this Earth, minus a soul. But as time passes, the Devil starts calling in his favors, and they end up being far more horrifying than they ever would have anticipated.

Out of all the wishes Fiona could have made, she made the wish to be truly invisible, to be able to witness all the things she otherwise would have missed. In exchange, she gets a business card with the date she sold her soul burnt into it and a blank space below “Favor.” Once the Devil calls in his favor, instructions will appear and you won’t be able to say no. And this is the part where the otherwise mysterious tale turns dark and gruesome. Very, very dark and gruesome. It is suggested that the mass shootings and otherwise horrifyingly violent acts that have occurred in the past (and even hinting at current events) are nothing more than the Devil calling his favor, performing violent acts in his name. I specifically enjoyed how the author manages to make this story very much set in the real world yet incorporating the paranormal aspects in such a way to make it all seem scarily conceivable.

The story is written in first person which gives it that distressing sense of urgency as Fiona frantically tries to come up with a plan to give out of the disaster she finds herself in. The beginning of the story delves into Fiona’s career as a marketing executive and it’s not until later you realize how relevant it all is in the grand scheme of things. A marketing executive is akin to a salesman and Fiona is determined to sell her plan to the Devil, just as she were to sell an idea to a client, except this time her very soul is at stake.

More horrifying than terrifying, but still immensely satisfying. Fenn knocks it out of the park with this delightfully macabre tale of horror.

I received this book for free from the Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

[☕️Kimberly (Caffeinated Reviewer) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fiona Dunn for all her career success hasn’t had the greatest go with relationships. When she sees her boyfriend get into a taxi with a blonde woman in pink when he is supposed to be on a business trip she falls apart. Feeling dejected she stumbles into a bar and orders a drink before realizing that she forgot her purse and keys to her apartment. She can just add those to the list of things that go wrong because Fiona is about to sell her soul to a faceless man named Scratch.

While the premise is nothing new, Lincoln twisted it and weaved in vibrant, complex characters to engage the reader. When Fiona awakens the next morning, she is completely flabbergasted that she sold her soul even when she discovers her wish was granted. Scratch controls a corps of dead souls in Oakland. All have given their soul and can recognize each other by a darkness or shadow surrounding them. Each carries a card from Scratch, that contains the date they sold their soul and the words Favor followed by a blank space. The favors have devastating consequences and we learn of some very infamous historical figures who owed the devil a favor making us cringe in anticipation. When your favor is called it will appear in the blank space.

Fiona befriends other damned souls. They meet in an old converted church. Ironically, the church is now a bar. They meet each week to share their woes an AA meeting for the damned. Eventually their conversation gets around to escaping their fates. Alejandro is their leader. A photographer who is the oldest damned of the bunch, through him Fiona learns and plots. When Fiona learns of the “double-deal”, she sets her mind to work.

Fiona is the perfect protagonist for this tale. She is flawed, successful, strong and clever. Yet she is insecure and at times desperate. She was easy to root for and identify with even when she is shocking. Fiona is looking for a way to outwit the devil, and get the happily ever after she wants.

We get to witness twists turns and high body counts as Fiona heads towards the day when her favor is called in. Lincoln makes this horror story seem plausible in today’s work by weaving in actual events and people when explaining the devil’s existence and man’s wiliness to sell his soul. As we get further into the story, favors are called and horrific tragedies make the news.

The narrator Julia Whelan was new to me, but I enjoyed her voice. Fiona reminded me a little of Georgina from the Georgina Kincaid series and the narrated picked up on Fiona’s unraveling. I won't hesitate to listen to another book if she narrators.

Audio provided by publisher, This review was originally posted on Caffeinated Book Reviewer

[Leah Bayer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I will admit that I am a huge impulse reader, and I requested this book because the cover looked pretty and it seemed like a fun horror read. After finishing it, I would not use the word "fun" in any way to describe Dead Souls. In fact, the word "fun" probably has a restraining order and Dead Souls is not allowed to be within 100 feet of it.

This is a dark, gritty horror novel. The premise seems like a setup for a horror-comedy: a girl gets drunk at a bar and sells her soul to the devil, and then joins a support group for other "dead souls." It's definitely NOT a comedy, though there are a sprinkling of very dark funny moments. It's a much more philosophical book than I expected, which perhaps the title (a mirror of Gogol's Dead Souls, very intentionally) should have tipped me off to. There's a lot of "what does it mean to be damned, is there any reason to be moral if you know you're going to hell, what would you do to get your soul back, what kind of sacrifice is too big" stuff going on. This book is very much about people wrestling with the idea that they have no future, yet struggling to build one anyway.

This is also a very, very violent book. The dead souls each have to do a "favor" for the devil (named Scratch here) at some point in the future. There are hints about how dark the favors are, but at about 70% of the way we start seeing some of them in person. Imagine the murder tableaus in Hannibal amped up to 11. I actually physically recoiled from the book at one point, so it's definitely not for anyone with a weak stomach. However, while the favors are stomach-churning, there's not even a hint of sexual violence which I really appreciated. I think in the hands of another author this could definitely read as a over-the-top, gratuitous book, but Fenn does such a good job of balancing these moments of disgust with poignant thoughts about the human condition. And our narrator is just as revolted and appalled as we are.

I was pleasantly surprised by Dead Souls: it was nothing like what I expected, in the best way possible. I might bump up my rating to 4.5 after thinking about it a bit more... the ending has really pushed it from "pretty good" to "memorable and amazing."

[arc provided by netgalley in exchange for an honest review]

[Mommacat · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book! Fiona goes into a bar. A man starts buying her drinks. No, it's not a bad joke...but she does end up making a deal with the devil. Doesn't matter that she doesn't believe in him, he wants her soul and a favor.

You say the deal story has been before. Well, it's never been done like this. Fenn's writing moves story at a breakneck clip. With twists and turns....how will it end? Highly unexpected!

Great horror, extreme scenes and highly recommended. I received my copy from the publisher.

[Elaine · Rating 2 out of 5]

Making a deal with the devil for materialistic and financial gain is nothing new in literature.

In Dead Souls, Ms. Fenn introduces us to Fiona Dunn, a, atheistic marketing executive extraordinaire who makes a deal with said devil during a moment of bleak self pity. Once she realizes what she has done, she embarks on a difficult journey to renegotiate her terms with the Dark Lord, (no, I'm not talking Darth Vader) and comes face to face with her own sad realization regarding her self worth and view of the world and humanity.

There are atrocities committed in this book, plenty of blood and gore and terrible deeds and an interesting viewpoint on the age old eternal question, "Are we all bad?" or "Did the devil make us do it?"

Well, the devil did not make me read this book because I enjoy stories with religious and moral overtones and was hoping for an original take on the familiar plot.

At first, I could overlook Fiona Dunn, a boring, selfish, self centered woman damaged by a troubled childhood. I did not know what was worse; that a woman who survived such terrible circumstances was so dull or that such a woman who lived through such events in her life was so hateful of life and humanity. Perhaps that was the point.

All the dead souls do not care for humanity so why would they care about their lives?

Also, I did not believe in her relationship with Justin in that I could not believe the love. Justin was a useless plot device to move the action along, the fake desire Fiona uses to spur her motivation to pursue the double deal. She tells herself she is doing this for her love, but is she really?

I enjoyed the monthly meetings of the dead souls, those unfortunate individuals that signed their soul to the devil for greedy and rapacious gains. As my dad likes to remind me, "If you're not greedy, you can't get into trouble." Well said, Dad. These sad sacks (none of which was fully developed including Alejandro) gather to discuss methods on how to get out of their contracts. Apparently, no one ever saw a movie or read a book in which making a deal with the devil ends well.

But the plot jumped the shark when midway through the story, Fiona f**ks the devil for more time before he calls in the favor he is owed. I made a face or I laughed when I read that part, I can't remember which.

I don't know what offended me most; the inherent sexism in this very act, Fiona turning to the oldest profession in the world to beg for an extension from the most oft written antagonist in literature and popular and religious culture or the blatant disbelief I had in believing this would work with Satan?

I mean, do I really believe Satan would give you an extension for a quick f**k?

Not the devil I know. The devil I know has standards.

Maybe this isn't the devil, but one of his low ranking minions.

Nope, still not buying it.

And that's when the book took a sharp detour and I lost interest. The devil becomes just a horny boy in disguise looking to recruit a knowledgeable assistant with serious marketing skills and Fiona is surrounded by narcissistic and selfish people who seek only to save themselves.

No wonder the devil is so busy.

The ending is anti-climatic but not entirely unexpected, not quite satisfying but I did not expect it to be. Actually, this book was not what I expected it to be at all, and I don't mean that in a good way.

[Marianne · Rating 5 out of 5]

You've probably heard how evil Foie Gras can be...



... But you'll never realise HOW truly evil it is until you share a Foie Gras sandwich with the devil...

Fiona works in marketing, is brilliant at what she does but struggles with depression. Having spent her childhood with druggie parents, she suffers from ptsd and commitment issues. One miserable drunken night, thinking she's lost the one person that means something to her, Fiona unknowingly strikes a deal with the devil. Atheist that she is, she doesn't really believe in the forces of darkness or light. Until she's trapped in a deal of her own.



Trading her soul for invisibility, Fiona is inducted into the world of the dead souls. As you would expect, the dead souls live in constant terror of when their favor will be called in... because these deals are of the truly sickening sort: Mass murder? Check. Killing your own kids? Check. Gnawing someone's face off? Possibly... The jury is still out on that one.



The only way to escape is securing a double deal with old Scratch and that road is paved
with deceit and backstabbing of the worst imaginable kind.



Using all her marketing skills, Fiona can only hope she will be the one soul able to tempt the devil into making that sweet (?) second deal... Unless someone else beats her to it...

Phew, this was a truly creepy and disturbing story. Despite its paranormal elements I would say it's more of a thriller than UF. And a creepy and gruesome one at that.



I listened to the audible version of this story, and I can attest that both the author and the narrator expertly sucked me in almost right off the bat. I've never felt so trapped, teary-eyed and upset by the unfairness of it all while doing my Christmas shopping before - all thanks to this book! (And believe me; I've cried bitter tears in a fitting room more than once!)

I highly recommend this book. Just like Fiona, you will live in constant fear of the favor the devil will demand of her. The nightmarish tension only deepens as the devil starts cashing in favors from her fellow damned.

Oh yes; Fiona is about to learn that there's only one way you can win when you're dealing with the devil... and if you're smart; you might learn a thing or two too...

[Nancy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am not sure what I was expecting when I saw the blurb for this book but it intrigued me enough to want to read it. All I can say is wow, what a roller coaster ride. This book did not disappoint and exceeded my expectations. I finished the book in one day, it was that good. The premise is simple enough, girl in bar meets guy and has a few drinks. Next thing you know he says he is the devil and will grant her a wish in exchange for her soul and a future favor. Without thinking she blurts out a wish thinking this is some crazy pick-up line. Fiona soon realizes she really did sell her soul to the devil and she isn't the only one. Fiona is a likable character despite her career driven, millennial personality. I was on pins and needles trying to figure out how Fiona was going to be able to turn the tables on the Devil and save her soul. There were a lot of twists and turns and the ending was not what I expected.

Copy received in exchange for an honest review.

[Soo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Low end of 3 Star Rating for Story & Narration

The mostly dry narration did not help making the story more appealing to me. However, I can see how that style would seem to be appropriate to portray. Overall, I felt like the writer was trying too hard to make everything reverent and lost the balance of leaving clues and foundation for hammering every detail into place until the bitter end.

My initial response is to leave 2.5 stars but the story is not horrible. It just wasn't very interesting to me. The zombie series is much better.

[Sheyla ✎ · Rating 3 out of 5]

"The First Rule of marketing is desire."

I haven't read a horror book in a while. I wasn't sure what to expect with Dead Souls.

The first few chapters tell you the story of Fiona Dunn. Fiona is successful in her marketing career. She also has a boyfriend she cares for. One night after locking herself out of her apartment she decides to walk to her boyfriend's building. To her surprise, he's with another woman. They get into a taxi and leave together.

Fiona is devastated and what better way to drown her sorrows than with alcohol. She goes to a bar and soon after, a man strikes a conversation with her. He tells her his name is "Scratch" and that he really is the devil. By the end of the night, she has drunk too many Guinness and she has sold her soul in exchange for a new ability but this is not a freebie. She must also do a favor when called upon by him.

As the time passes, it's clear the "favors" are horrible actions with a devastating loss of lives. Some are worse than others. Fiona is running out of time unless she can find a way to do a double deal with the devil.

"Welcome to what?
"To the damned my dear."

Macabre is the only way I can describe this book. Some of the scenes were so graphic and horrifying. I felt bad for all those dead souls. They had no chance against what Scratch has devised for them.

I didn't care much for Fiona. I thought she was selfish, self-centered and uncaring. Yes, she said she loves Justin but she never really showed it. As a human, she was a bad one. Maybe that's why she was chosen.

Overall, Dead Souls had a few good cringing moments with a gruesome ending.

Cliffhanger: No

3/5 Fangs

A complimentary copy was provided by the publisher via netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

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[Ionia · Rating 5 out of 5]

You had better have nerves of steel and a strong stomach if you are going to finish this book. Was that a challenge? Oh! I think so :)

This author is good at producing images that will continue to haunt you long after the book is finished and especially with this book. Religion, marketing and deals with the devil will not only keep you turning pages, but horrified and delighted simultaneously as you do.

From a crumbling relationship to new and dangerous alliances, this book has a little bit of everything. The characters are quirky and interesting and make you want to know them better. Rich with detail, this book doesn't leave a lot to the imagination, until then end, when you are sorry to see it go.

If you like old fashioned horror, where the events are truly terrifying, this is the book for you. I still get chills from it.

This review is based on a complementary copy from the publisher, provided through Netgalley. All opinions are my own.

[Gertie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nah. I can't complain about the way it was written, and I'm sure some of my friends would like it, but speaking for myself, I just don't enjoy books about assholes. I would have enjoyed it better if I'd found Fiona likable and had an outcome to root for, but by the time I got far enough in to truly dislike her, I decided to carry on, to satisfy my curiosity and maybe see her not succeed.

This book is a horror book. While other classifications may apply, do expect the devil to be devil-ish, not just some playful little troublemaker.

2.5

[Brenda · Rating 4 out of 5]

It has been a long time since an author has surprised me with their macabre imagination. It started with Stephen King when I was twelve, and the older I get the less excited I become about twisty and gory things.

J. Lincoln Fenn, a round of applause for you. Not only for creating the best slasher novel of the year, but also for representing Guinness. Guinness was amazing in Ireland, and I am so jealous that Fiona gets to drink the real thing even though she's not in Dublin. She sold her soul for the benefit, but whatever we'll skip that.

Essentially the whole novel is spent on Fiona attempting to use her marketing brain to try and figure out how to escape the devil. Her drawn-out speculations got a big old sometimes; she would go on for several pages about her dilemma and what her options were about escaping her fate. A tad tedious, yes, but luckily the author had enough foresight to break up those bits. I'm DYING to talk about the spoilers so I'm going to do that now because no one else cares about the random other crap.

SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS
Seriously if you want to be surprised no reading because this is good shit

What makes this book are the favors. After each character sold their soul, they had to wait for the devil to come calling. Once he came, they were forced to do whatever sinister thing was in his evil head. A good example: a man sells his soul to have/be the perfect family. His favor? To shoot up his daughter's school recital. A man wishes to be irresistible to women. His favor is forcing an entire sorority to throw acid in their own faces while he watches their skin bubble and melt and listen to their screams. A woman wishes to be able to bear children.... after giving birth to three sets of twins, her favor is called in. She's forced to mutilate and dismember all her children, decorate the Christmas tree with pieces of their bodies, and then take a Christmas photo like that.

It's insane! It's gnarly and unbelievable and completely what I expect from the devil. So the whole time you're reading, you're just dying to see if Fiona escapes without having to do her favor. That finale was so perfectly situated, and I keep picturing it over and over again in my head. When I saw my boyfriend last night the first thing I did was babble on for about ten minutes about this book and when I was done he just looked at me like I was nuts and asked, "What the hell are you reading?"

A damn good book, boyfriend. I should've read it for Halloween.

[Debbie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a VERY creepy book. These people have given their soul to the devil in exchange for a favor. They don't know that the favor is or when that favor will be asked for. They form a group and have regular meetings. Their main topic - what and when will the favor be? When the first member of their group doesn't show up and they read about a mass shooting at a child's school play, they realize that was the member of their group that did not show up for the meeting.

This is when it all becomes real for them. In the case of the main character, Fiona Dunn, she actually doesn't even remember giving up her soul. As Scratch (the devil) catches her on a melancholy night and she has had too much to drink.

The author did a great job taking everyone's wishes and using them in a grand plot at the end for an outstanding event (the devil's idea and opinion). It was just amazing how all the puzzle pieces came together. At first, I have to admit, it was a little slow. However, it wasn't long until the action started and the puzzle pieces started fitting into the grand scheme of things.

This was a very well written book and thoroughly enjoyed reading it. Creepy as it was, I just could not put it down. And all the new additions that kept coming aboard that had sold their soul as well. The number just kept growing. I shudder just remembering about it while writing this review. A creepy, haunting and hopefully a true fiction novel, I highly recommend.

Huge thanks to Gallery, Threshold Books for approving my request and to Net Galley for providing a free e-galley in exchange for an honest review.

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Watch out who you're making deals with...

Okay, to start with, I believe there is a Heaven and because of that I believe there is also a Hell. So this story was just about as creepy as any I've read.

Fiona Quinn considers herself to be an atheist so when a guy (named Scratch BTW) starts talking to her in a bar after she's had a few drinks and offers to grant her a wish in exchange for her soul, she thinks why not, can't hurt.

She very quickly finds out that she did actually make a deal with the devil and now has to try to see if there are any loopholes she can use to save herself.

This is not a story for the faint of heart. There are some scenes in the book that I wish I could unread and I know will be visiting my nightmares.

This is a well-written vividly staged book that definitely fits in the Horror genre.

I received this book from Gallery Books through Net Galley in exchange for my unbiased review.

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Actually 3.5 stars.
***review to come.
"He said his name was Scratch"

I have mixed feelings about this book. It started out great. Then it seems after her meeting Scratch ska The Devil it kinda fell off. I skimmed thru some of the paragraphs. The plot is fantastic. It has so much potential. Dead Souls is nothing like I have read before. I didn't care too much for Fiona Dunn the main herione. She was whiney and bitchy. When I don't care to much for the main character it throws the book off. The ending I kinda of suspected. These are a lot of the reasons I only gave it 3.5 stars. Another thing was way too much detail to certain things. Like a whole paragraph about why a bottle of Guinness had condensation on it. Just small and insignificant matters turned into two or three paragraphs of information. All in all it was good although it could have been a lot better. To me it seems like the author rushed through writing the book.

[Whitney · Rating 2 out of 5]

I guess this author was trying really hard to be Clive Barker, but the plot was too hackneyed and the characters too dull. Even the Devil was boring. The main character was an awful person, but not in a particularly interesting way. I got the feeling that I was supposed to be pulling for her, but I wasn't.

Because I was supposed to be pulling for...who? Her boyfriend was a one-note plot device, and none of the other characters were fleshed out enough to make me care about them either. If I did, the ending might have been extremely disturbing. Instead, I found it gross and over-the-top in a way that made me roll my eyes. Blech.

If splatterpunk is your thing, skip to the end. If it isn't, skip the whole thing.

[Erica · Rating 4 out of 5]

So. Dead Souls.

This is the story to warn you off talking to strangers, no matter how tall, dark and handsome or slight, blonde and dashing [or whatever else you consider your ideal] they are.

Fiona Dunn has just discovered that her boyfriend is cheating on her. She's been suspecting it for a while - he's got a new hairstyle and he's been acting strange, evasive - but today she saw him with The Other Woman.
Not only has her two own eyes just provided her with undeniable proof that the man she loves is cheating, she's also locked out of her apartment. And it's raining. So she goes to a bar.

At the bar, Fiona meets a tall, dark and possibly handsome stranger, though it's hard to tell in a dim bar and with a drink or three downed. He introduces himself as Scratch, he's the Devil, you know.
A few more drinks, and a Guiness, and a couple of hours later, Fiona wakes up in her apartment, with no memory of how she got there and feeling vaguely different... almost a little... empty.

I started off with an almost instant and very strong dislike of the main character (I can't bring myself to call Fiona Dunn a protagonist because to me that word still has a touch of... goodness to it, whether that's true or not and whether that's true of Fiona or not, too).
I'm still not entirely sure if my dislike was justified or simply an indoctrinated response to a woman who seems to do well for herself and knows it - women are so often expected to be demure and grateful for any praise they might get, even if the praise is well warranted. (That this book brought along these thoughts is why I've also shelved Dead Souls in my Feminism bookshelf.)

Whichever the case was, after a while I noticed that somewhere along the story's progression, my opinion of Fiona had shifted. I still found her flawed but she was suddenly much more a human being and not just her (possible) character flaws. This I owe to the well-thought-out character development of J. Lincoln Fenn .
And I like the fact that Fiona wasn't a simple character, I like characters on the gray side of the spectrum, because that's where most people live; few of us are either black or white - as was shown not just by Fiona but also by Fenn's other characters.
I like how Dead Souls showed an example of how the road to Hell is paved with good intentions in one of those characters. And why vanity, greed, lust, envy and desire are among the Seven Deadly Sins in more than a few of the others.

It's also a good lesson in why never to agree to do someone a favor without first knowing what that favor would be.

[A fair warning, there are some pretty graphical descriptions and some very heinous deeds committed in the book.]

[Jaimie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was really enjoying reading this book until I got to the final 100 pages and the favours for “Scratch” started rolling in. The concept of the protagonist selling her soul to the Devil is a typical theme that I’ve read about quite a bit, but that didn’t detract from the story until the author made it clear that any and all of the favours being called in were of an extremely gruesome and violent nature. Maybe I’m just too attracted to the idea of Satan as a misunderstood anti-hero to accept the simple concept that every single “favour” is going to be extremely negative, but making it this simple gives away the author’s true feelings (and ultimate judgement) about the characters and her acceptance of typical Christian interpretations of the mythos surrounding the fallen angel, and ultimately ended up with me being equally grossed out by the atrocities carried out in the story and annoyed with the author for being so typical.

[Cab · Rating 4 out of 5]

I listened to the audible version of this book and I really enjoyed it. There were a couple places where I thought it was just a tad bit slow for my tastes these days but the characters are interesting. I also never really guessed what was going to happen next. Along those lines at the end I put together a couple bits and pieces but I never suspected the story would end the way it did.
This was a good listen.

[Jordan · Rating 5 out of 5]

What the f***, what the f***, what the f***. Read this! But be warned for some messed up stuff