Was so excited to get approved for an ARC of Brian Asman's upcoming werewolf novel, Good Dogs! A fresh take on werewolves, where the werewolves aren't even the villain/monster! This was actually a touching story about found family. There were some pretty epic battle and death scenes, and flashbacks to the town's earlier days. The only thing I wish we had learned is how each of our pack came to be, how they became werewolves, or maybe they were born that way? (Maybe I missed it? 😬😅) It isn't my personal favorite Asman, but definitely worth reading! 🐺

“Good Dogs,” by Brian Asman

Book about a pack of werewolf shifters who are just trying to survive despite being werewolves which leads them to a new home where mysterious disappearance happens often. I thought it was a good book. Lots of characters, a bit too much for me, it makes the POV’s confusing. It was also on the slow side but had an interesting plot. 3 out of 5 stars.

-Werewolves
-Multi POV

Thank you for the ARC, Netgalley.

A horror novel about werewolves where the werewolves aren't the monster?!

This is a slow burn novel, emphasis on slow. It was well past the 60% mark before the action starts to pick up. Though, when it does it goes to 11 quickly- chaos ensues and the body count rises. However, by this point I was more than a little bored and found none of the characters to be likable so I didn't actually care what happened to any of them. Overall disappointed with this one.

Some things I did like:
- The concept of werewolves and the change in this book was unique and interesting.
- I liked how Asman showed how traumatic and isolating the change was for each of them.
- As mentioned before I liked the concept of the main cast being werewolves/monsters but not being THE monster.
- The author did a brilliant job of creating different voices for different characters- I was actually quite blown away by this.

Things I didn't like:
- The flashbacks to the town- they didn't add much for me and only seemed to draw out an otherwise already slow going story
- I never connected to any of the characters, honestly I pretty much hated them all and they seemed to all hate each other too. There was really no one to root for.
- The monster- I just don't really "get" it.

This one was not for me, but that shouldn't stop you from trying. If you like slow burns, werewolves, or creature features this one might be for you!

GOOD DOGS is a creature feature with one hell of a bite, Asman has crafted a refreshing take on the werewolf narrative in this heartfelt horror, character driven, propulsive plot and found family at its core make this a fantastic first length novel for the author. Although this is a werewolf book it is predominantly human in nature, there is plethora of relatable and sincere moments as the wolves grapple with guilt and shame over the uncontrollable aspect of their nature. For readers who appreciate flawed and idiosyncratic characters, dysfunctional found family tropes,  unconventional heroes, and the writing style of Stephen Graham Jones I highly recommend this!

At the end of the synopsis is the line the "pack aren't the only ones with a Savage bite". Brian Asman takes a story of werewolves trying to live a normal life while running free at night, and adds in a whole other creature feature and it works. Classic story of hunter becoming the hunted. My absolute favorite part, though is every character seems to named after a character in a werewolf movie. Loved the references I caught, wonder which ones I didn't!

Informed by werewolf legend and folklore, Brian Asman spins a beastly horrific tale of bloody reckoning, found family, and resurrected hope in his debut horror novel, Good Dogs. This creature feature is adapted to play out in ink instead of film, so readers beware…trespass very carefully. A monster is slumbering within the pages, and should it be disturbed, death itself will be on the hunt to sate a fathomless appetite for blood and vengeance…

Hirsch, Naughton, Joey, Delia, Emily, and Linnae have all enjoyed a semi-normal existence in the suburbs of Sandiego, California, but that illusion of normality is abruptly cleaved in two because of the conspicuous appearance of a severed human limb in the front yard of their shared home after a night out as their wolf selves. With only snatches of memory to work with, they all try to get a leg up (HA!) on solving the murder mystery and covering up their crimes, but they deduce that rapid evacuation may be the only viable solution to avoid detection and impending extermination. Hirsch confesses to having thought about this possibility before and buying some abandoned property in Talbot for a suspiciously good price. But Talbot, California has none of their accustomed creature comforts. It is haunted by the past, isolated from the present, and inhabited only by a rare person…or creature. The entire pack flees to this location in the hopes of starting over, but they only succeed in stirring up more danger in a wild and unforgiving place. Something is monstrously wrong in Talbot, and their survival will depend on embracing their more animalistic instincts, which they have doggedly tried to muzzle while living their domesticated lives.

I loved this book! I’m a sucker for slasher type horror, which this book definitely delivers on. The pacing is slower to begin with, but things quickly start to heat up once that pesky leg makes an appearance. I really adored the pack dynamics since it is basically a dysfunctional and clunky found family that can’t stand each other but also can’t live without one another--so relatable! I found it so interesting that the lycanthropy condition is a genetic mutation in the human genome, not some infection from a bite or attack. I kind of wanted more information on that, but that’s just me being a mega science geek and a sci-fi girlie. Some of the sentence structure was a bit awkward, but that detracts nothing from a thrilling story. Delia was the star of the show, in my opinion. I loved her character growth, and though she really struggled at times, she never failed to rise to any challenge, whether that be wrangling the unruly youngsters within her family or fighting literal monsters. The werewolves are surprisingly good guys this time, and I was cheering them on in their dog-eat-dog world! I definitely recommend this book, especially to Stephen Graham Jones or BROM readers, and I will be looking out for more books by this author!

Thank you so much Net Galley and Blackstone Publishing for the ARC and the opportunity to share what I think! All opinions are my own. I will be posting this review on my Goodreads and Instagram accounts.

In his debut novel. Brian Asman brings a little Mongrels and a little Outsiders to create a creature feature with chaos and charm in equal measure. Good Dogs has some of the features of a coming-of-age horror story, but really finds purchase embracing found family elements. Even when they bicker and disagree, our group of lovable (okay, maybe not all the time) lycans worms its way into your reader's heart, and setting that stage early and often pays dividends when everything goes off the rails. A fun and heartfelt addition to werewolf horror that doesn't skimp on the viscera.

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)

Brian Asman novels are always a good time, and Good Dogs is no different! Really engaging werewolf horror, and the human aspect of it all. The only thing dragging this down from five stars to four for me is that... I would have loved for the whole thing to be about the family from the prolonged chapter. It hooked me so deeply, and I was beyond invested in Esther - so much so that when it became clear that the book would depart from her in favor of different people, it soured me on them a bit. I had a hard time getting past the desire to make it all about the McKauvers. So I guess you could say that, in my opinion, this book's fatal flaw was having a prolonged that was too good.

A creative take on the werewolf story that is centered on family and the importance of finding your people. Or, your pact. I really loved Delia as a main character and I could read a whole other book about her.

I loved the group dynamic and how different everyone was. It’s like The Breakfast Club, but for werewolves.

This story really packs a punch and will leave you howling at the moon for more.

Perfect for fans of Stephen Graham Jones. This is far and away the best I’ve read of Asman’s work. It feels like Mongrels by SGJ, and it has some slasher in its DNA. But this story is really lead by the incredible characters and scenes. They both felt so vivid and real. Just a joy to read. Highly recommend.

A wonderful horror novel from Mr. As man. It was compelling and hard to put down. Sometimes an author comes along and ruins my sleep schedule, and this author did.

Terrific book from Asman about a makeshift family of werewolves who must move from their current home habitat after one of the members makes a deadly mistake on a nightly prowl. At the new site, they encounter a mysterious beast that challenges their ability to live peacefully in their surroundings, and they must figure out an answer before everyone winds up dead. Well-written with a nice horror vibe to it and fleshed-out characters that keep the whole thing quite interesting straight through the intense and highly satisfying ending. Wasn't sure what to expect from this one, as Asman was unknown to me (it's his first novel but apparently he's written some viral stuff), but I was pleasantly entertained. 4.25 stars. Highly recommended. Thanks to Netgalley for the free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Well-fleshed out characters with a solid inciting event. Readers do grow to care about them. The lack of visceral descriptions was disappointing, considering the genre. Would love to see more emphasis on action sequences and more descriptions of horror that really form an image in your mind.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing for sending me a digital ARC of this book to review!

Good Dogs is a found family werewolf book that begins with a mistake during The Shift that leads to our wolves having to pack up and leave to an abandoned town called Talbot. This sanctuary is isolated from everything so they can safely shift without incident. However, something else lurks in Talbot and it seeks revenge.

I loved this creative spin on the werewolf genre. Clever lore and fun ideas that I’ve never seen implemented before. I love the idea of a shock collar to contain “night-selves”! This is also a creature feature independent of the werewolves, but I thought the imagery when describing the creature was truly grotesque and terrifying. I feel we didn’t see enough of it, much of the horror was in the fear of unknown.

This story was one heck of a slow burn, constantly going back and forth with different timelines to build suspense. Asman has such a talent for building up characters and personifying them. This also includes the villain/creature of the story. The backstories build an emotional connection to help the reader understand motivations and personal justifications. Even though it took some momentum away from the story, I appreciate the time dedicated to “flash-backs” and memories.

If you’re on the hunt for a gory creature-feature with found family, werewolves, and a creepy ghost town, then Good Dogs comes out on October 1st!

I love a good werewolf book and this one is full of the things I like about these creatures. But it's also surprisingly "human" and, in fact, the werewolves here are not the most terrifying thing in this book.

A pack of werewolves live together in a home meant to harbor them. Kind of a halfway house of sorts as they've all had to come to terms with their affliction. They are free to run and hunt when they turn but with safety measures in place. They don't want to feast on humans during their cycles.

But one night, their precautions aren't good enough and they change back to find a bloody stump of a leg. Because of this, they're forced to move to an old abandoned ghost town far far from civilization so they don't get caught.

But something else is in that town. Something bigger, stronger, and hungry for violence and bloodshed. With internal strife threatening their pack and the hunters becoming the hunted, they'll have to find a way to protect themselves or die trying.

This novel focuses on each member of the pack from a human perspective. They've all had their separate experiences in the past dealing with what they are and it's not always a happy loving family. There's a good amount of heartfelt moments which gives these creatures a certain sympathy and understanding.

The evil thing they encounter in the ghost town is horrifying and we'll get to see it's backstory as well. It's fueled by hate and vengeance and seems unstoppable.

This is a great werewolf novel and I highly recommend it.

I enjoyed the premise of this one. Creature features seem to pop up less and less these days, and I enjoyed a female lead.

I struggled to get into this one and had to shelve it for a while before giving it a second go. Slower starts aren't my thing, but I know don't readers will enjoy this.

I felt disconnected from the characters too. For some reason, this one didn't grab me as much as I'd hoped.

If you like slower paced werewolf stories, this could be for you!

This book was a good read and definitely a slow burn.

I didn’t know where it was going at first but it still sucked me in, but I wasn’t sure if it was enough and would I even finish it!

I liked the variety of characters in the story and how they adapted to their lifestyle and tried to be as honorable as they could with what they were handed.

About halfway through the story it started to pick up, which was a good thing, as I was really starting to question the plot.

The last half of the book was great and definitely made up for the beginning. It moved fast and it took no prisoners, literally.

*dnfd at 60%*
Good Dogs transports its reader to the mind of Delia, the self-proclaimed mother of a group of unruly werewolves trying to make a living in the suburbs of South Cali and the other werewolves of their pack. In their new home, they can change safely every single night without fear for everyone else. Their seemingly odd but functional lifestyle takes a turn when they find a severed leg in their backyard, as well as the dead owner of the leg somewhere in the neighborhood, forcing them to flee the seeming safety of their home. Forced to relocate to a new ghost town with an infamous past, Delia and her pack may not be the only hunters.

I love the premise of this book: we don't get enough female werewolves or books with werewolves at the forefront of the story, and something I have always preferred about werewolf stories is that they have the potential for very complex conflict and conversations if done right. However Good Dogs fails to make its characters compelling, and it a lot of ways has the same tone as a flashy action or mystery movie, very generic very underdeveloped in some aspects, and in others, there is a layer of paint that makes it feel more compelling and complete than it is. As a character who feels responsible for her pack and friends, Delia could be compelling and engaging in her conflicted relationship with characters like Linnae and her love for Naughton. As far as I got into this book, the characters felt more like tropes than actual people.

When I saw Good Dogs was on NetGalley, I jumped on it. I searched for Man, Fuck this House forever! I wanted to find a copy in the wild but ended up snagging a copy from Amazon. Good Dogs is going to be another one I add to the shelf once it comes out.

Just like Man, FTH - I was obsessed with story. I loved the character development, it really explained a lot. 10/1o would recommend