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adventurous
emotional
reflective
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:
Complicated
a reread.. I adore gordo sm,, the audio books are amazing.
adventurous
emotional
funny
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:
Complicated
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Book 2 in the Green Creek series focuses on Gordo and, to a lesser degree, his relationship with Mark. It starts off by going back and forth between the past and the years the four of them were chasing Richard before settling into the events after Wolfsong ended. All of the characters from book 1 come back, but Gordo, Rico, Tanner, and Chris get more page time than the wolves. The tone in this book is faster and more tense than Wolfsong. We finally get to see what happened between Gordo and the Bennett pack that made him pull away. We also get the origin story for his father, why they took away his magic. The history between him and Mark is heartbreaking and there's a well-created sense of sadness and loss. While you can count on Klune to give his main characters a happy ending together, there's no getting around the time they lost and the wounds they left on each other.
Fortunately, you can count on Rico, Chris, and Carter to give some much needed comic relief throughout the very tense plot. Unfortunately, I liked them better than Gordo. There were parts where I could empathize with him and his story is heartbreaking, but there was just a bit of a disconnect. The first book had me charmed by Joe and that's missing here. The narration style is similar to book one in that it's kind of choppy. There's still some pack-speak, but less than in book 1. Most of the main plotlines are wrapped up by the end of this, but the overarching story ends on a bit of a cliffhanger. It doesn't leave anyone in immediate mortal peril, but it ends on a set up to the next book.
Oh, and if you were thinking that line from book 1 about Ox's daddy telling him he'd get shit would stop being repeated since he's not the main character, well, unfortunately it's STILL there.
Fortunately, you can count on Rico, Chris, and Carter to give some much needed comic relief throughout the very tense plot. Unfortunately, I liked them better than Gordo. There were parts where I could empathize with him and his story is heartbreaking, but there was just a bit of a disconnect. The first book had me charmed by Joe and that's missing here. The narration style is similar to book one in that it's kind of choppy. There's still some pack-speak, but less than in book 1. Most of the main plotlines are wrapped up by the end of this, but the overarching story ends on a bit of a cliffhanger. It doesn't leave anyone in immediate mortal peril, but it ends on a set up to the next book.
Oh, and if you were thinking that line from book 1 about Ox's daddy telling him he'd get shit would stop being repeated since he's not the main character, well, unfortunately it's STILL there.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Sexual content, Violence
Moderate: Child abuse, Abandonment
Minor: Animal death, Confinement, Death, Torture, Religious bigotry
Religious bigotry is against werewolves, not LGBTQ+
Child abuse is gordo being held down while his father forcibly tattoos him at a very young age
adventurous
emotional
funny
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:
Complicated
𝐕𝐢𝐛𝐞𝐬:
➤ Werewolf Pack
➤ Second Chance Romance
➤ Family/Pack
➤ Second in Series
𝐓𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬:
I know TJ Klune’s writing is generally well loved by most, but there is something about the overly simple and repetitive style that doesn’t work for me. This style didn’t bother me too much in Wolfsong because it felt intentional given Ox’s characterization.
The characters and relationships are probably the most redeeming part of these books, and the only reason I’d possibly read more - although I’m not sure that I will.
If you’ve read other TJ Klune books and enjoy his writing style, I would highly recommend this series! The characters are flawed but lovable, there’s a great mix of plot and romance, and there’s a decent bit of world building that make the setting interesting, but still easily accessible.
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The first book was stronger and tighter narratively, but I enjoy this world so much that I still enjoyed this installment. The focus on Gordo and Mark was welcome, as I'd been particularly curious about the witch's relationship to the pack and their shared history. Also nice to see older men in MM and a strong second chance romance woven throughout the larger werewolves and witches plot. The main relationship is messy and wounded and to me that's a large part of the appeal. Gordo is angry and difficult and tries valiantly to be unlikeable but it doesn't work, the molten core absolutely glows through from the beginning. Satisfying personal arc in addition to the romance piece.
Cons: imo the narrative repetition, all the looping thoughts and remembered phrases, worked a LOT better in book 1 from Ox's POV establishing him as a character with a unique perspective on life (or so I interpreted it at the time). Here it felt less natural and more clunky in Gordo's POV, and I was a bit disappointed as it made that technique feel like less of an intentional/artistic choice in the previous book and more just... mediocre craft? Also the time skips and flashbacks are pretty loose and at times quite hard to follow, requiring more concentration than I expected and sometimes backtracking to figure out when the jump even happened. This isn't a good casual read that you can pick up easily with lots of interruptions.
But even with those complaints I genuinely like the characters and the story, enjoyed the ride. I will still be picking up the next one.
Cons: imo the narrative repetition, all the looping thoughts and remembered phrases, worked a LOT better in book 1 from Ox's POV establishing him as a character with a unique perspective on life (or so I interpreted it at the time). Here it felt less natural and more clunky in Gordo's POV, and I was a bit disappointed as it made that technique feel like less of an intentional/artistic choice in the previous book and more just... mediocre craft? Also the time skips and flashbacks are pretty loose and at times quite hard to follow, requiring more concentration than I expected and sometimes backtracking to figure out when the jump even happened. This isn't a good casual read that you can pick up easily with lots of interruptions.
But even with those complaints I genuinely like the characters and the story, enjoyed the ride. I will still be picking up the next one.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Torture, Blood, Injury/Injury detail
Fantastic, as always. The pain and trauma of this book had me crying buckets. Do with that what you will.
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
emotional
funny
fast-paced
challenging
emotional
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated