Lykaia

Sophia Katsaros #1

by Sharon Van Orman

"We are the terrors that hunt the night.And we have never been human"

In Greek mythology there’s a story of King Lykaonas of Arcadia and his fifty sons who were cursed by the father of the gods, Zeus, to become wolves. The very first Lycanthropes. Forensic pathologist, Sophia Katsaros, receives a cryptic phone call from Greece telling her that her brothers are missing and leaves to search for them. With the help of Illyanna, her brother’s girlfriend, Sophia examines the evidence but cannot accept a bizarre possibility: Has one or both of her brothers been transformed during the Lykaia, the ceremony where Man is said to become Wolf? Who is Marcus, a dark stranger that both repels and excites her? And what is the real story behind the 5000 year old curse of King Lykaonas?

Genres: Fantasy, Werewolves, Paranormal, Greek Mythology, Mythology, Fiction

272 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 30, 2012

About the author

Sharon is a full time writer. She lives in Nebraska with her family and a collection of animals including ones that were chosen and others that did the choosing.

Reviews

[Travis Simmons · Rating 5 out of 5]

I rarely give books a 5 star rating, but this one gets that honor for several reasons. Sharon does such an amazing job of weaving mystery with elements of horror and fantasy with such a respectable lead female character that I will forever measure other female leads against Dr. Kat.

Without giving anything away, Kat is alerted that her younger twin brothers have gone missing in Greece. In an attempt to find them, she travels to their ancestral home. What does she find when she gets there? Secrets and werewolves!

I can't say how happy I am that Sharon has given us back werewolves! While I wouldn't call this book horror, it does paint the werewolves in more of their original fashion instead of objects of romance.

I can't say anything more about the story because I don't want to give anything away. I will say it was an amazing book that I fell asleep holding many nights.

[Paul Freeman · Rating 5 out of 5]

To expect this book to be a quaint werewolf tale - man gets bitten by mysterious creature, at the full moon man transforms into a werewolf and terrorises a small community in an isolated village of central Europe - is like expecting the Sistine Chapel to be a cute sketch on a church ceiling. Sure this book is about werewolves, but so much more. For a start, these werewolves are steeped in Greek mythology, there is a history directly linking an ancient Greek king, married to a mysterious forest girl, daughter of a dryad, to the modern story. These werewolves are not men transformed into beasts. But wolves made man by earth magic gone wrong.

At the heart of the story is a mystery. An American pathologist, a pragmatic, logical scientist, receives a call from a Greek landlord to inform her that her brothers, who had been renting an apartment from him, had not been seen for nearly two months. Her two brothers had returned to the land of their forefathers for the summer and had not been heard from since.

Sophie travels to Greece, to the town of Arcadia and slowly unravels a story completely at odds with her scientific background, she discovers the existence of an ancient ritual which takes place every nine years. She is confronted with the possibility that one or both of her brothers have been transformed into wolves during the ceremony. Without giving the story away, the author takes us through the enchanted forest of her imagination, down magical pathways that twist and turn through darkness and light. At times the descriptions are purely magical, `The moon horded her light like a miser with his gold.'

I absolutely loved this book, and look forward to many more magical, mythical, magnificent tales from Sharon Van Orman.

[Julie Ramsey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lykaia
Sharon Van Ormen

Sophia is a medical examiner who is deeply rooted

in science and fact. When her two brothers temporarily

move to Greece to explore their roots, they become

fascinated by folklore and tales of werewolves, kings,

and priests. Shortly after their move, Sophia and her

mother stop receiving calls and emails from them. When

three months pass without any word from either, she

hops aboard a plane to Greece in search of them. While

going through their apartment looking for clues, she

discovers one brother's extensive collection of notes

and research on the werewolf folklore. Although she

believes the tales to be completely absurd, having

nothing else to go on she follows her brother's research

hoping it will lead her to them. Along the way she

uncovers truths she does not want to see nor believe,

truths that completely contradict laws of nature, and

eventually she must accept these truths in order to survive.

This book was very exciting, and had a great historical

aspect to it. I couldn't stop reading. The detail the

author got into when describing the history of the

folklore and in detailing ceremonial rights was excellent.

My only complaint would have to be that the book jumped

around a bit, following different characters over the

course of thousands of years, and was occasionally hard

to keep track of where you were at and at what point in

history. In the end, all I can say is, IS THERE GOING

TO BE A SEQUEL???



Kristin

juliesbookreview.blogspot.com

[Iris Windmeijer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wouldn't have bought this book on my own in a bookstore, but after reading it, I know I shouldn't judge a book by its cover. When I started reading it, it intrigued me really quickly, I just couldn't stop.
The different characters and stories are not always clear at the beginning of a chapter, which makes it suprisingly interesting. I haven't read much books about presuming myths, although I love hearing about them. Lykaia is about a myth, one that seems very obvious, but it isn't predictable at all. The story is very exciting and I'm really curious about the sequel, hoping that there will be one.

I would really recommend this book.

[Greg at 2 Book Lovers Reviews · Rating 3 out of 5]

A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away …I studied Classical Studies. Greek and Roman culture was my forte. Lykaia is the retelling of the myth of Lykaos (the first werewolf). Van Orman has taken this century’s, no millennia old myth and twisted it into something completely different. I love this!

Sophia Katsaros’ brothers have gone missing in Greece, she decides to go and find them. Sophia is a doctor, a scientist. When all of the facts point towards the involvement of werewolves in their disappearance, Sophia cannot accept these facts, she must find an explanation that makes sense.

I truly enjoyed that Van Orman had the gumption to take on this story and make it completely different. People are too often stuck in the same old-same old. She made it completely different.

From my perspective, Lykaia was a good story. It had everything that a reader could look for; a little bit of mystery, a little of history/mythology (I will debate how they are one in the same), some violence, and a touch /hint of romance (every story needs it). I would have liked to have seen a bit more of any of all of these elements in Lykaia, but I guess that’s why there is a book two.

All in all, Lykaia was an enjoyable read. I didn’t want to put it down, I wanted to see where it would go. It peeked my interest to see what else Van Orman has to say about King Lykaos. In a final word to the author, efharisto.

[Kendall {Book Crazy} · Rating 5 out of 5]

I actually really enjoyed this book more than I was expecting! I really liked the plot though I do have to admit that I found it slightly confusing until I got into it! I thought that the plot was very original and very well written! I really liked the characters as well! The main character, Sophia was amazing! She was strong and so brave! I also liked how she faced her problems head on! I would have loved a bit of romance in this book with Sophia though! The rest of the characters were very well written and I really enjoyed them as well! I thought that the different point of views were interesting but they did confuse me until I was able to follow the plot! My favourite point of view was definitely Sophia's as it was full of suspense and I couldn't wait to get to a chapter that was told from her point of view but I do think that the other point of views were absolutely necessary to the plot! I am actually looking forward to the next book in this series as I enjoyed this one and also after the ending! I think that the cover suits the plot as well! Big thank you to Sharon for a copy of Lykaia!

[Ivan Amberlake · Rating 5 out of 5]

REVIEW: LYKAIA by Sharon Van Orman
5 BIG STARS!

I’m afraid I won’t be able to properly express my fascination with LYKAIA. It was such an awesome read I would definitely recommend it to all who’d love to spend some quality time with a really well-written book.

The main character, forensic pathologist Sophia Katsaros gets a phone call from Greece and finds out that her brothers have been missing for two months. She goes there to start an investigation of her own that might not end well for her.

This book has everything in it to satisfy a fastidious reader: really well thought-through plot line, fleshed out characters, tension, suspense, and more. I read the second half of the novel in one sitting, so riveting it was. I enjoyed Sharon’s manner of writing. It is of the highest quality.

I’d like to give a huge thanks to the author for providing me with a copy of this fantastic book! Looking forward to reading Book 2 of the series!

[Katrina · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars What a wonderful surprise this book was. An engrossing storyline, deeply rooted in mythology, it presented the werewolf lore from the totally different, original and fresh prospective. If you are looking for a more traditional werewolf romance - you know, girl meets werewolf, he claims her as his mate with a bit of drama and danger thrown in to the mix and a HEA at the end, then this book may not meet your requirements.However, if you are looking for a book that is highly intelligent exceptionally well written, more of a mystery then a romance with a werewolf's as a main focus - do not miss Lykaia. The loss of the half star from me is because occasionally I found the time/prospective shifts slightly confusing. I am impatiently looking forward to the release of the next book and continuation of Dr Kat's story. Great read!

[Jenny Zimmerman · Rating 5 out of 5]

10*s. I recieved an eARC copy of this book directly from the author in return for an honest review.
Werewolves and Greek Mythology!! This was a fabulously well written and very fast paced read and I enjoyed every minute of it. There was a couple of places where I got confused a little bit, but it has a very strong story line and strong characters. I loved Sharon's way of tying of using the werewolves and twisting it up a bit with Greek Mythology!! This is a MUST read and very entertaining story that will keep you glued from beginning to end!! Thank you, Sharon, for the oppportunity to read and review this awesome read!!

[Diana Duncan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked this one up my mistake--I normally don't read this type of book. This was an interesting tale of werewolves revolving around Greek mythology. The main character is an American pathologist of Greek ancestry Sophia Katsaros. Sophie travels to Greece to resolve the mystery of her brothers' disappearance, which leads her to the werewolf pack. The story does not always transition well as it jumps between the ancient history, the present and Sophia's family history. I did find this entertaining and a quick read

[Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

http://crimsonflowerreviewteam.blogsp...

I reviewed this book on my Website.

[Warren · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Fantastic read... I couldn't put it down.

[IJM · Rating 2 out of 5]

This will include spoilers.

The story itself is pretty interesting. Sophia's brother's go missing while on a trip to Greece. As Sophia tries to solve the mystery of their disappearance, she discovers the existence of werewolves. Interwoven are a retelling of the legend of King Lykaonas and the story of a young boy growing up to serve an ancient family. Sounds great. The problem is the execution.

Our protagonist, Sophia, is a Forensic Pathologist. Just in case you forget, she'll remind you by repeating variations of "I'm a doctor" and "I'm logical." She'll reference Occam's Razor & Newton's first law. 50% of the book is just her insisting that werewolves don't exist to both herself and anyone who will listen. And yet, she never investigates alternate explanations for their disappearance. In order to make the plot go where it needs to go, our very smart, logical protagonist (did I mention she's a doctor) makes really dumb decisions, such as arguing with a wolf that she suspects is really a human at a zoo. At no point does she consider getting law enforcement involved. It's her brother's girlfriend that has to suggest using google to look something up. Oh and like so many urban fantasy female protagonists she is so awkward yet relatable yet beautiful yet can't do her hair. I think we're meant to find her assertive and driven, but she just comes off as a jerk at times.

The two brothers are barely hints of characters, just there to get the plot moving. Because Sophia is more wrapped up in the logic of Lycanthropy (because she's a doctor) any thoughts she has about her brothers are afterthoughts. I can't tell you the difference between the two men other than that one got a young girl pregnant. The book gets so wrapped up in trying to establish how werewolves work, that when Sophia continually leads with questions about werewolves instead of questions about where her brothers are. To the point that when she's capture by someone who she knows will be able to tell her what happened with her brothers, she asks about shifting first. When she finally asks about her brother, it's in reference to shifting and not "where is he? Can I see him?" She also has no friends in Ohio. Because female protagonists in paranormal romance/urban fantasy books aren't allowed to have already existing friends. When she's mad, she growls, which I thought was going somewhere. It doesn't in this book.

This could have still been a 3 rating if it hadn't been for the ending feels rushed, involves a deus ex machina, and ends on a cliff hanger. There's so much exposition. I'm not mad that the brothers weren't shifted, but murdered. It makes sense that they wouldn't be converted, especially since for someone reason they thought it would be a great idea to invite themselves to a super secret ritual involving werewolves. (For such a big secret, everyone seems to know and accept werewolves are real and don't seem to be as reluctant to discuss it until the plot demands otherwise).

On the plus side, the retelling of Lykaonas and the young boy's story are really compelling. They could have just cut Sophia's part out or told her part of the story from the landlord's or the brother's girlfriend's point of view. There is some very strong world building, with the exception of Greece feeling like a tourist description of Greece instead of feeling like you're in an actual country. The mystery is intriguing and keeps you hooked to finish the novel. There's some real potential with this book, which make the missteps so frustrating.

Also, with the audiobook, the narrator chose to have Sophia enunciate every syllable in every word. Does great with all the other characters, but listening to Sophia was a challenge. I guess it's very logical for doctors to enunciate in between growling.

[A · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a Goodreads algorithm recommendation that was "okay". It had the right surface elements but missed overall. This story by Sharon Van Orman uses a unique concept; are werewolves real and do they trace their roots to Greek mythology. However her story telling is very basic and her ability to create plot along with compelling character development just isn't quite there.

This book falls into that "in between" realm of not being self published but also not being published by a major publishing house. I suspect that a strong editor would have been able to make this a much stronger story, but as it is, it's very average; thus the three star rating. It is better than a pulp mystery because of its original premise, but at it's heart that is still what it is.

Sophia is a coroner who goes to Greece to look for her missing little brothers. What she finds is nothing she ever could suspect. The problem is that she falls too much in the middle. For someone with a scientific training she continually questions how werewolves could exist; and the problem with that is that they can't and anyone who is scientifically trained would know they can't. That is one of the core problems with the book. It doesn't explain away werewolves as a purely fictional construct, but tries to argue the reader to the point that they might just be real. Well I guess they are the pets of Big Foot when in their canine form.

Sorry, I just couldn't buy any of the plot and the characters, while okay were still very generic and their motivation to do what they do is thin. Even Sophia takes chances and approaches to solving the mystery that are not in step with how her character is described in the start of the book.

The "back story" of how the werewolves came to be in the first place and the priestly order that serves them is the best part of the book. I think Sharon Van Orman would be better served to read Norse Mythology by Neil Gaiman and try to do for Greek Mythology what he did for Norse Mythology; make it relatable to the modern day and forget about Sophia. At the end it hints there is a second book. Well as far as I'm concerned, "the dog (werewolf) ate my copy".

[Danae - WordPeace · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a refreshing take on the werewolf story! Two brothers go missing in Greece while on a research grant. Their older sister, Sophia, takes a pause from her job as a forensic pathologist to search for them. As she unfolds the true nature of their visit in Greece, we learn more about the mysterious town in which they disappeared.

I liked Sophia *a lot* as a character. She was capable and took initiative, even though she had very limited leads in her investigation. Having the additional storylines intertwined only added to the mystery of the narrative, since they occurred hundreds of year prior to her time. You get a little of everything in this book: mythology, suspense, fantasy, horror. This was a solid read.

[Liz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lykaia

Very enjoyable read ,engaging characters and a interesting storyline and a different perspective on werewolves and how they came into being

[Sasha]

DNF. I got 2 chapters in and the editing errors, weird POV changes, and strange storyline were just too big of a hurdle.

[Kriselda Gray · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lykaia by Sharon van Orman

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I love werewolves. When it comes to paranormal creatures only witches hold more interest for me than our short, dark and furry friends, so when I had the chance to check out a series with a new take on their origin, how could I pass that up?

Lykaia actually tells several stories. The main story is that of Sophia Katsaros, a medical examiner from Ohio whose younger brothers had gone to Greece for the summer and are now missing. Another tells us about Stavros, a young boy being trained to serve as the high priest for the werewolf pact. A third tells us the true history of how werewolves came to be, and not the myth that has been circulating for centuries. And I the fourth, we learn about a Dryad whose daughter was instrumental in the werewolves' origin - and who may still have a role to play in their future. 

The book alternates between the four stories in a fragmented fashion that can be a bit tricky at first. While the changes in perspective only happen at the start of a new chapter, we're not told when the perspective is changing or whose perspective we're changing to. I soon got a feel for the different voices making the changes much less jarring. All of Sophia's story is told in first person, the rest are in third, but each has a distinctive voice and tone.  There are also two short vignettes which provide a glimpse into the life of two people who wind up on Sophia's morgue table. Why these vignettes were included isn't clear, but they're both quite short and don't really detract from the story as a whole.

In spite of the unusual presentation of the different stories, I found the book to be a fairly quick read and quite enjoyable. I've always loved the idea that myths came about as ways to explain things mankind couldn't quite grasp, and Van Orman uses that concept to good effect, especially in the way scientifically-minded Sophia find her beliefs challenged as she searches for answers to the disappearance of her brothers.

The only real complaint I have about the book is that there are several Greek words used throughout the story - and many of them are variations on the title - Lykaia - but there's no guide as to how the words are pronounced. For me, seeing these similar strings of letters without being able to mentally differentiate then by how they sound left me feeling at times like I was listening to a storyteller who kept mumbling. It wasn't enough of a problem to keep me from thoroughly enjoying the book, but it did occasionally send me looking pack a few pages to refresh my memory on what a particular term referred to.

The book ends on a cliffhanger, setting up the next volume, "Erato," but even if it hadn't, I found the story and the characters enjoyable enough that id want to spend more time with them anyway.

[Tara Wood · Rating 5 out of 5]

After reading Lykaia by Sharon Van Orman, I must say, I was pleasantly surprised. The premise was interesting, and I expected it to be good, but I found it was excellent. I love it when that happens.

It was an exciting take on several veins of mythology, all mixed into a contemporary story that I found to be engaging and well-written. This is the type of story that will appeal to a great number of readers.

The main character of Sophia Katsaros was well-developed, likable, and relatable. I would definitely like to read more about her. The fusion of Greek mythos and the paranormal was handled with a deft touch in an original and page-turning fashion. The story flowed and kept my interest throughout.

Fabulous debut novel and the start to a wonderful series.

Five out of five stars.

[Kristin Matte · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a prime example of "don't judge a book by its cover" - the cover art and typography are hideous. It makes the book seem dated and cheesy. Also, there are quite a few typos in the actual text. This bugged me.

The story itself is engaging enough. I liked the main character and thought the setting and exploration of myth and history interesting. I thought it was a really interesting take on werewolves and myth.