A review by brewdy_reader
Ravensong by TJ Klune

adventurous emotional funny medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

𝘗𝘢𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘰𝘳𝘮𝘢𝘭 • 𝘍𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘴𝘺 • 𝘙𝘰𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦 ⁣
𝘘𝘶𝘦𝘦𝘳 • 𝘚𝘭𝘰𝘸 𝘉𝘶𝘳𝘯 • 𝘉𝘦𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘨 ⁣
🌶️🌶️ 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘰𝘱𝘦𝘯 𝘥𝘰𝘰𝘳 𝘴𝘤𝘦𝘯𝘦⁣
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

If you saw my review of Wolfsong, you know the book blew my mind in a transformational way. Therefore I knew a follow up would be tough. I will say that while Ravensong was not quite as unique as the first, it's a strong sequel nonetheless. 

Ravensong is Gordo and Mark's story, and you do need to read them sequentially for it to make sense unlike some other romance series. I appreciated that they are older characters, though there is still quite a bit of miscommunication given their respective ages (39 & 42). The puns and humor had me cackling! I also appreciate that this book had more witches, spells, and context for the symbiotic relationship between witches and shapeshifters left largely untouched in book 1.

My complaint with this one is that the first third of this rather lengthy saga is essentially a rehash of book 1, told from Gordo's perspective rather than Ox's. And while both characters are lovable, I loved Ox more. That felt repetitive. In its defense, it was a good refresher since it'd been a few months between reading the two books. I also could have done with slightly less profanity.

One of my favorite things about this series is that the endings set some things up for the next book, but they are artfully done so that you leave each book with a sense of closure. Like the prior, you'll find Klune's tried-and-true tropes of found family, choice, male vulnerability as a strength rather than a weakness, and normalized LGBT relationships. And I always end up getting emo. 

TW: I recommend reviewing triggers prior to reading.

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