Soul Eater by Michelle Paver

Premise: Soul Eater is the third book in the Chronicles of Ancient Darkness series by Michelle Paver. This installment takes the story much deeper as Torak, Renn, and Wolf find themselves completely ensnared by a group of Soul Eaters. The Soul Eaters are intent on using demons to overtake all the clans. Escaping their clutches and stopping their plans proves much more deadly than they could ever imagine.

Title: Soul Eater

Author: Michelle Paver
Length: 352 pages
Genre: Fantasy
Series or Stand-Alone: Book 3 of 6 in the Chronicles of Ancient Darkness
Content Appropriate for: Grades 5-8

4 stars

3 adjectives that describe this book are: dark, riveting, intense

Book 3 of this wonderful and little-known series takes Torak's story ever darker. There is decidedly less adventure-questing and world-exploring than in the first two books. I loved how Paver developed those elements in the previous installments, but Soul Eater focused on really developing the villains of the series and their relationship to our heroes. At first I expected to be disappointed by this shift in direction, but the palpable evil of the Soul Eaters kept me on the edge of my seat.

Still, Paver does a good deal of believable and well-paced world building as the story moves into the Far North where we meet the clans who live on the snow and ice. I love Paver's work, though, because these sequence never drag the story down and they always have a purpose, keeping the action driving steadily forward.

My only hesitation with Soul Eater is just how dark it is. The villains in this book are absolutely terrifying. They kill adults and animals viciously with absolutely no regard for life, only interested in furthering their own power. I loved the first book of the series, Wolf Brother, in part because it is so accessible for kids who are new to fantasy. The second book (Spirit Walker) continued the focus on quests and adventures, while introducing a creepily dark villain. However, this third installment requires the reader to be fully invested. It's just too overwhelming to continue, otherwise.

Needless to say, I can't wait to see how this fever-pitch of evil and adventure evolves in book four, Outcast.


If you haven't read any of the Chronicles of Ancient Darkness books, I highly recommend them!
Other books in this series:
Wolf Brother (book 1)
Spirit Walker (book 2)
Outcast (book 4)
Oath Breaker (book 5)