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ghosthills's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
The beginning of this book felt tailor made to my id. Ox and Joe's childhood friendship budding into romance really got me so good I felt like it's exactly what I would write if I wrote a werewolf romance. But then the angst kicked in and I really struggled to get through the book; I was going through some tough times in real life and didn't want to go through it in my escapist romance too. But finally I got through it and got to the HFN and loved the book again.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence and Grief
Moderate: Torture and Child abuse
cdwaugh28's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
I enjoyed the writing style and overall story but it would have been nice if Joe was a couple years older in the beginning. Him being a 10-year old is a harder pill to swallow later on.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content and Violence
knittingtipsy's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
I love TJ Klune (having devoured his three most recent novels in the last year), so I decided to give this series a go. It’s got a lot of the Klune hallmarks-fabulous world building, flawed but wonderful characters with great arcs and growth. It’s also got some smut, which I wasn’t expecting. And it’s delightfully queer, which I thoroughly expected & enjoyed. Good use of werewolf trope, not as wildly original or imaginative as Klune’s more recent work.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Death of parent, and Violence
trippalli's review against another edition
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
I was hoping this would be a light love story adventure. It's not. It's very dark, yes love story but with lots of twists and turns and scary terrifying characters, deaths and some intense detailed sex scenes.
Very very adult werewolf book, don't let the cover mislead you.
That said it's a good story but there is kidnapping, a mass murderer and torturer, and many incident deaths, so not for the feint of heart
Very very adult werewolf book, don't let the cover mislead you.
That said it's a good story but there is kidnapping, a mass murderer and torturer, and many incident deaths, so not for the feint of heart
Content Warnings
Graphic: Kidnapping, Stalking, Death of parent, Grief, Torture, Physical abuse, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Death, Murder, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis
eidal's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Death of parent, Death, Violence, Abandonment, Sexual content, Murder, Grief, and Blood
Moderate: Cursing, Child abuse, Torture, and Kidnapping
Minor: Domestic abuse, Sexual violence, Alcoholism, and Emotional abuse
zonnestraal's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
relaxing
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I loved it. The story. The characters. The writing style. I loved everything about this book. The first half gave me the feeling of sitting next to a creek in the grass with a light summer breaze going through me. Then my heart broke. It was lovely.
I read some of the other reviews. Complaining about the age gap. Seriously? It's only 6 years. Sure they met when Joe was ten, but it's not like they got together then. It's not like Ox had those kind of thoughts about Joe then. That was only years later. So stop complaining. 6 years is totally normal. A lot of couples have that age gap, or more. The transition was handled well, I think.
The pace was just right. I loved it.
I read some of the other reviews. Complaining about the age gap. Seriously? It's only 6 years. Sure they met when Joe was ten, but it's not like they got together then. It's not like Ox had those kind of thoughts about Joe then. That was only years later. So stop complaining. 6 years is totally normal. A lot of couples have that age gap, or more. The transition was handled well, I think.
The pace was just right. I loved it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Murder, Sexual content, Violence, and Death of parent
Minor: Kidnapping and Torture
cmullins's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Very emotionally intense (can be taxing for us empathetic types - worth it, just be prepared). Gets a bit repetitive sometimes. The time jumps are probably the best written/handled I've read in a long time. (I can't stand a jarring time jump.) Strikes the balance of making you feel 3 long years with Ox without it actually taking 3 years to read.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Gore, Violence, and Kidnapping
Minor: Torture
sehenry20's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Child abuse, Abandonment, Death of parent, and Violence
Minor: Torture and Animal death
clmr's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I have mixed feelings about this book as it spans over a decade of time and the story is moving forward but flashing back at various points with many highs and lows and with both MMCs making tough choices feeling as though they have no other option but to protect the other, although somewhat misguided. This is Book 1 of 4, I’m unsure if I’ll continue with the series although I’m glad I read this one.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent, Torture, and Violence
Minor: Child abuse
hhopper's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
I honestly did not know what to expect going into this book. I enjoyed the one other TJ Klune book I’ve read, but this one was so much darker. I honestly really enjoyed that though. He didn’t hold back during fights scenes or in the life changing events the characters went through. It felt high stakes the entire time.
The only reason this isn’t a 5 star from me is because I struggle a bit with Klune’s writing style. Once I am fully into the book it’s easier, but something about the flow is just a little bit off to me until I settle in.
The only reason this isn’t a 5 star from me is because I struggle a bit with Klune’s writing style. Once I am fully into the book it’s easier, but something about the flow is just a little bit off to me until I settle in.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment, Death of parent, Torture, Death, Violence, Blood, Gore, Grief, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Emotional abuse and Bullying