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A review by sarrie
Wolfsong by TJ Klune
adventurous
emotional
funny
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Wolfsong is a quiet, sneaky little book. I'll admit on opening the arc I recieved (many thanks to the publisher), I didn't expect to get on with the writing which felt stilted and staccato at the beginning. I discovered however there was a very good reason for that style. The story is told from Ox's perspective, reflecting back on his life growing up with the Bennett's, a pack of werewolves who move into the house down the road soon after his drunk, abusive father leaves. He quickly becomes entangled in their lives, drawn to the family and specifically the youngest Joe. Joe becomes his shadow as they grow up into their twenties and learn to stand by each other and fall into a deeper relationship with each other and those around them.
To get my one concern out of the way, there is a bit of an odd age gap between our main character Ox and Joe. Joe was very, very young when he met Ox and felt the call of his fated mate in him. Ox had no idea till he was into his twenties. For the most part I felt like it was handled fairly well, you could tell Mr. Klune was extremely careful with it and I ended up happy with the way it was handled but I think some will still find it uncomfortable.
Besides that one concern I loved so much of this. It had me laughing out loud and then tense nearly crying at times. The emotional vibrancy here was powerful. The perspective of Ox, a simple guy, really cut things into the basics and the conflicts in the book felt realistic and believable. Even seeing the path the story was going to take I was heartbroken when those things happened. There are a lot of violence and even two deaths on page. I'll list what I remember of the triggers below, as it can be intense.
I'd highly recommend this for fans of romance, paranormal and fantasy especially. I am most definitely purchasing my own hardcover (budget be damned) as this is a story I can and will reread to annotate and enjoy.
TWs:
Graphic: Violence, Abandonment, Death of parent, Death, and Kidnapping
Moderate: Death of parent, Child abuse, and Mental illness
Minor: Sexual violence, Sexual assault, and Sexual content
To get my one concern out of the way, there is a bit of an odd age gap between our main character Ox and Joe. Joe was very, very young when he met Ox and felt the call of his fated mate in him. Ox had no idea till he was into his twenties. For the most part I felt like it was handled fairly well, you could tell Mr. Klune was extremely careful with it and I ended up happy with the way it was handled but I think some will still find it uncomfortable.
Besides that one concern I loved so much of this. It had me laughing out loud and then tense nearly crying at times. The emotional vibrancy here was powerful. The perspective of Ox, a simple guy, really cut things into the basics and the conflicts in the book felt realistic and believable. Even seeing the path the story was going to take I was heartbroken when those things happened. There are a lot of violence and even two deaths on page. I'll list what I remember of the triggers below, as it can be intense.
I'd highly recommend this for fans of romance, paranormal and fantasy especially. I am most definitely purchasing my own hardcover (budget be damned) as this is a story I can and will reread to annotate and enjoy.
TWs:
Graphic: Violence, Abandonment, Death of parent, Death, and Kidnapping
Moderate: Death of parent, Child abuse, and Mental illness
Minor: Sexual violence, Sexual assault, and Sexual content
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Abandonment, Death of parent, Kidnapping, and Violence
Moderate: Death of parent, Mental illness, and Child abuse
Minor: Sexual content, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence