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3.76 AVERAGE
3.76 AVERAGE
Asman balances a brutal bite with a bleeding heart in this fresh take on the werewolf mythos.
This is Asman’s first full-length novel, having previously published a number of novellas. In one way I can see how this story might have been well-served as a novella, but by committing to the longer format it gave him more room to plumb the depth of his cast of characters and add a good deal of pathos to a simple, bloody plot. I appreciated the extra dimensions to the characters, each member of our pack having their own hang-ups and traumas that they brought to the group dynamic. They were all interesting, and while you could see the skeletons of the archetypical characters found in any given horror/slasher Asman did a decent job adding enough meat to the bones to make them all feel interesting, instead of just generic, enough so that I felt emotionally invested in all of them. Sometimes it did feel like mini exposition dumps to give us any given character’s backstory, it wasn’t always smooth or organic. It very much felt like, “Here is this character, and how they stand out from everyone else. OK, now, here is this character….” and so on. So, there was a little bit in the execution that felt heavy-handed, but the resulting characters were still engaging. The world building was decent enough, giving us a glimpse into what kind of world these characters have found themselves in and created for themselves, given their situation. I am always interested in tweaks or interesting takes on the werewolf mythos, and Asman does play with it here. We are kind of hampered by the ignorance of the characters, so there is more about what it means to be a werewolf in this world that we don’t know, but I appreciated the spin on a common story.
The writing was solid, pushing the narrative forward at a good clip, not too flowery but also not dry or boring, with convincing, natural dialogue. The pacing was nice, with a few interludes flashing back to the history of the land they were on, each of which adopted a writing style/vernacular particular to the time-period of that interlude, which felt a little cheesy but also a fun little addition, at the same time. These didn’t really add anything to the narrative other than ambiance, but they were strategic in breaking up the pacing in such a way to keep you invested in what was happening. The narration stays primarily with one character’s POV, only jumping around a little here and there. On one hand this makes sense, navigating equally between five or six characters might have been a little dizzying. On the other hand, I would have liked to spend more time with the secondary/supporting characters. That would have allowed us to learn about them with less heavy-handed info dumps and could have rounded out the depths of this found family story. Because, at its heart, that is what this story is. A bunch of misfits have found each other out of necessity and are now tested in how far they will go to protect not just each other but what they have created together. I felt like we were told about the importance of this found family more than we felt it, and more time with the secondary characters might have really deepened that experience.
I had fun reading this novel, and it felt like all the pieces were there. It had a simple but engaging plot, interesting characters, some brutal action scenes, a relatable world permeated with the need to feel safe and protected, and a lot of heart underneath the blood. That said, it did feel like it was missing something, like the volume was a little muted. I don’t know if this is the result of someone more accustomed to writing novellas taking their first venture in the novel space, or something else, but I consistently felt like this story was on the verge of being really great and just falling a little short. Again, though, this is a werewolf story with heart that was a joy to read. It is an exploration of relationships and loyalties, of tragedies and determination, and I didn’t want to put it down, the writing and plotting strong enough to pull me from one chapter to the next.
I want to thank the author, the publisher Blackstone Publishing, and NetGalley, who provided a complimentary eARC for review. I am leaving this review voluntarily.
(Rounded from 3.5)
This is Asman’s first full-length novel, having previously published a number of novellas. In one way I can see how this story might have been well-served as a novella, but by committing to the longer format it gave him more room to plumb the depth of his cast of characters and add a good deal of pathos to a simple, bloody plot. I appreciated the extra dimensions to the characters, each member of our pack having their own hang-ups and traumas that they brought to the group dynamic. They were all interesting, and while you could see the skeletons of the archetypical characters found in any given horror/slasher Asman did a decent job adding enough meat to the bones to make them all feel interesting, instead of just generic, enough so that I felt emotionally invested in all of them. Sometimes it did feel like mini exposition dumps to give us any given character’s backstory, it wasn’t always smooth or organic. It very much felt like, “Here is this character, and how they stand out from everyone else. OK, now, here is this character….” and so on. So, there was a little bit in the execution that felt heavy-handed, but the resulting characters were still engaging. The world building was decent enough, giving us a glimpse into what kind of world these characters have found themselves in and created for themselves, given their situation. I am always interested in tweaks or interesting takes on the werewolf mythos, and Asman does play with it here. We are kind of hampered by the ignorance of the characters, so there is more about what it means to be a werewolf in this world that we don’t know, but I appreciated the spin on a common story.
The writing was solid, pushing the narrative forward at a good clip, not too flowery but also not dry or boring, with convincing, natural dialogue. The pacing was nice, with a few interludes flashing back to the history of the land they were on, each of which adopted a writing style/vernacular particular to the time-period of that interlude, which felt a little cheesy but also a fun little addition, at the same time. These didn’t really add anything to the narrative other than ambiance, but they were strategic in breaking up the pacing in such a way to keep you invested in what was happening. The narration stays primarily with one character’s POV, only jumping around a little here and there. On one hand this makes sense, navigating equally between five or six characters might have been a little dizzying. On the other hand, I would have liked to spend more time with the secondary/supporting characters. That would have allowed us to learn about them with less heavy-handed info dumps and could have rounded out the depths of this found family story. Because, at its heart, that is what this story is. A bunch of misfits have found each other out of necessity and are now tested in how far they will go to protect not just each other but what they have created together. I felt like we were told about the importance of this found family more than we felt it, and more time with the secondary characters might have really deepened that experience.
I had fun reading this novel, and it felt like all the pieces were there. It had a simple but engaging plot, interesting characters, some brutal action scenes, a relatable world permeated with the need to feel safe and protected, and a lot of heart underneath the blood. That said, it did feel like it was missing something, like the volume was a little muted. I don’t know if this is the result of someone more accustomed to writing novellas taking their first venture in the novel space, or something else, but I consistently felt like this story was on the verge of being really great and just falling a little short. Again, though, this is a werewolf story with heart that was a joy to read. It is an exploration of relationships and loyalties, of tragedies and determination, and I didn’t want to put it down, the writing and plotting strong enough to pull me from one chapter to the next.
I want to thank the author, the publisher Blackstone Publishing, and NetGalley, who provided a complimentary eARC for review. I am leaving this review voluntarily.
(Rounded from 3.5)
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
I am a Brian Asman fan, no doubts about it, I have read several of his works and highly enjoyed them, we have several of the same movie reference points and the same sense of humor so his books just kinda click with me. This one, his first novel, is perhaps my favorite yet. His writing is the strongest it’s ever been, the characters are all wonderful and the story is exciting and kept me completely hooked. Highest of recommends.