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mooka's review against another edition
- 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? No
4.5
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Ableism
Minor: Homophobia and Domestic abuse
saestrah's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
After hearing a lot about this series, I was very excited to get an advanced copy of Wolfsong to review, and unfortunately I think the hype made me a little disappointed by the end result. I've seen a few other reviews for this book, which describe the main romance as reading just like fanfiction, and I see where the similiarities lay. The dialogue between the characters is often lighthearted and funny, but I found that the text as a whole lacked the depth I wanted from this book. The topics discussed (poverty, abandonment, kidnapping, and child abuse to name a few) could have lended this book a much richer (albeit darker) texture, but instead a lot of it felt glossed over and for the Bennett's in particular, I never felt like it had a lasting effect on them. Ox's personal fears and motivations felt considerably more developed in comparison, making him easily my favourite character of the book and the only one that I could say that I even liked. His first chapter where his father is leaving the family, and he tries to tell Ox but Ox doesn't pick up on it and believes his father will be returning, broke my heart. There was something so tangible about Ox missing the cues of the conversation and believing himself to be stupid, perhaps due to his narrative style that has a rhythmic and repetitive nature that felt like it would be best read aloud. For all that Gordo claims that Ox didn't talk much as a kid, Ox's inner-voice reminds me of slam poetry.
As for the plot, a lot of it felt predictable in that it follows a lot of YA-werewolf-story tropes and patterns. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, as the
From the start of the book I believed that the love interest would be Carter, being a character closer to Ox's age. Joe was never an option for me until it was made clear that the other characters weren't going to be given nearly as much page time (throughout the book I felt like every character other than Ox had only just been introduced in passing, without giving me a chance to connect with any of them—perhaps since Klune was leaving their development for their own narratives in the series).
On another note, I'm definitely falling on the side of reviewers uncomfortable with the age gap between Ox and Joe. I would have had less of a problem of the two meeting at such a young age if romantic feelings hadn't developed until they were both much older, but as it was, reading about a twenty-three year old being sexually attracted to a seventeen year old that he had 'suddenly' seen as more than a kid, didn't sit right with me.
All in all, I read this book rather quickly and found it easy to binge-read as Ox's narration is easy to follow and the plot exciting enough to draw a reader in, even though I didn't feel the 'pull' that many readers had with this story. It's unlikely that I will read the rest of this series given that they're from other characters' perspectives and I felt like Ox's narrative reached a satisfying ending, but I'm still glad to have read Wolfsong and grateful for the introduction of Ox into my life (as I now have a houseplant named after him).
Graphic: Violence, Body horror, Injury/Injury detail, Cursing, Gore, Rape, Abandonment, Death of parent, Grief, Adult/minor relationship, Blood, and Sexual content
Moderate: Child abuse, Alcoholism, and Domestic abuse
Minor: Bullying
ruthiedr89's review against another edition
- 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
5.0
Graphic: Death of parent, Abandonment, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Grief, Murder, Sexual content, and Violence
Moderate: Kidnapping, Blood, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Torture, and Physical abuse
Minor: Alcoholism, Gaslighting, Hate crime, Gun violence, Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Bullying, and Pedophilia
laesterlurch's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.0
Graphic: Death of parent, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Sexual content, and Murder
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Panic attacks/disorders, Body horror, Grief, Kidnapping, Rape, Abandonment, and Suicidal thoughts
Minor: Alcoholism, Torture, Domestic abuse, and Vomit
ara02's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Murder, Blood, Death, Death of parent, Grief, and Violence
Minor: Abandonment, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Kidnapping, and Torture
shushkeepitdown's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Gore, Grief, Blood, Child abuse, Abandonment, Kidnapping, Murder, Domestic abuse, Injury/Injury detail, and Torture
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Adult/minor relationship, Confinement, Gaslighting, and Sexual content
Minor: Vomit
roxanned's review against another edition
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Death of parent, Sexual content, and Violence
Moderate: Kidnapping, Torture, and Child abuse
Minor: Domestic abuse
a_ira's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Death of parent and Sexual content
Moderate: Child abuse and Kidnapping
Minor: Domestic abuse
lethaltea's review against another edition
- 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
5.0
holy shit. the writing was so effin’ good - like re read several paragraphs because it was addicting.
the character development 10/10. the familial and romantic relationships were so intense and intimate.
this book is violent but so so beautiful and soft and heartwarming.
Graphic: Death of parent, Sexual content, and Violence
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Kidnapping, and Torture
Minor: Alcoholism and Domestic abuse
moon_'s review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Graphic: Domestic abuse and Death of parent