Lycaon Bloodlines by Adrian Lopez

Hi everyone!

You’ve stumbled across my second book review. In this review, I will share my thoughts and opinions on Lycaon Bloodlines by Adrian Lopez. A werewolf story unlike any other. But first, here is the official synopsis from Amazon.

Sypnosis

“Cayden left his high-profile law career to head home when his uncle unexpectedly passed away. He quickly learns the town holds dark secrets and discovers some of his own as well. Learning of his newfound strengths, as well as his weaknesses. He must discover his true identity and understand why he was never welcomed back home.

During his stay, he becomes familiar with his new abilities and vulnerabilities. On this journey, he learns of a family he never knew he was part of and must decide if they even want him to be one of them. And his struggle leads to a moment where he must decide to join the bloodline he never knew he had or to eradicate it forever completely.“

The book

Outside of a few books, personally, I prefer shorter reads, especially in this day and age, where time constantly slips away. Lycaon Bloodlines is a relatively short book. But I promise you, that even at 150 pages there is plenty of storytelling here.

Adrian masterfully crafted a very well-self-contained story with very direct, straight-to-the-point chapters. This creates consistent development and character growth.

You can see everything from Cayden’s discoveries, to his coming to terms with being a werewolf, and his dilemma on whether to join the bloodline or eliminate it.

One thing I won’t do in my reviews is spoil things, so I won’t, however I will tell you. If you have read it, I am more than willing to have a discussion with you on it.

Another thing…

I enjoyed about this book was the influences from the Universal Monster movies. Like the author himself feels, I always felt the Wolfman was the most ignored, and least developed monster. Outside from the Creature of the Black Lagoon(a classic film if you ask me.) This book reads and feels like one of those movies, but only in essence. The book is different enough to stand out from those films.

The wolfman typically gets stereotyped as just a mindless animal. In here, Cayden is a lawyer, he is very smart, sophisticated, and a successful businessman. Yet as a wolf, he is a savage beast, yet fully self-aware. I enjoyed the contrast and the inner conflict.

Outside of it being unique, my favorite part was the gore. No, I am not a morbid person haha. But if a book, or film for that matter promises gore, I expect to see gore. Adrian delivers here; the ending I thought was well thought out, it leaves you thinking.

If there is one thing I did not like was the fact, that I wish there was a second book out already for me to read. In the meantime, his next book Rise of the Z sounds like another great, alternative take on the zombie genre.

So, who is this book for?

For starters, If you’re looking into pure horror, this is not it. But, If you love films from the 30s-the 60s, the Universal monsters, werewolves in general, blood and gore. You’ll enjoy this, a lot. This story has mystery, suspense, a sense of discovery along with some good internal conflict. Outside the external.

If you are not into any of this, I still encourage you to read it. You might be surprised when you realize that you liked it. One thing is for sure, fan or not, reading an independent book speaks leaps and bounds for the author. One who will always be grateful for your giving not just your support, but the biggest investment a person has, their time.

Overall, I fully recommend it.

For more reviews, click here.

Review by Anthony Soto, February 23rd, 2024.

Author & Book Data

Lycaon Bloodlines was published on October 31, 2023
Available digitally and in paperback across multiple sites, including Amazon, and his own Alstorytimellc.

Check out his Podcast, Between Authors. Or visit his Tik Tok: @alstorytimellc