hans_s127'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? Yes
3.75
there were a few nuanced points withing Klunes writing which took me a moment to get used to, specifically the words in groups of three and the he said she said etc. honestly nothing horrendous just me being a little picky with how i like to read works.
All in all I did really enjoy the book, I am excited to see how the series plays out in the other books.
Graphic: Sexual content and Death of parent
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Emotional abuse, and Murder
mandi_lea'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? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Adult/minor relationship, Abandonment, Child abuse, Violence, Blood, Grief, Kidnapping, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Death, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, and Torture
elkboy23'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? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Murder, Death, Death of parent, Gore, Abandonment, Blood, and Body horror
Moderate: Mental illness, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Injury/Injury detail, Addiction, Rape, Grief, and Domestic abuse
fazreena98'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
4.0
Graphic: Physical abuse and Blood
Moderate: Violence
anoelle896'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? No
5.0
Graphic: Death of parent, Violence, Death, Abandonment, and Blood
Moderate: Child abuse, Grief, Blood, Cursing, Death, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Sexual content, and Torture
stephalexa's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
2.75
Having read Cerulean Sea and Whispering Door, I was expecting an introspective cosy fantasy. This was decidedly not that.
Being an educator, the age gap really didn't sit right with me. They meet at 10 and 16 and Ox constantly thinks back to the 10 year old Joe throughout the book. As a result, I felt that Joe's character development was stilted and at pivotal times nonexistent. I also struggled with accepting some of the character development we are told about Ox midway through. Perhaps if they had met at the same developmental point, these issues would have been easier to overcome.
I can see that there is an audience for this book and certainly I do love a found family trope - plenty of that here. But I simply wasn't able to overcome the timing of the age gap.
ARC received via NetGalley.
Moderate: Death of parent, Sexual violence, Rape, Physical abuse, Pedophilia, Gore, Child abuse, Death, Violence, Sexual content, and Blood
raichou's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Now after reading one of Klune's recent works I wanted to give this another shot and I don't regret it.
It was an entertaining story with a different take on the a/b/o trope and the roles of wolfs.
The main characters Ox and Joe were such sweethearts you fall in love with them.
The only thing that I couldn't get out of my head, was every time it said something like "Ox growled" or "singing with his pack" was the video of that guy saying "on every level except physical I am a wolf". That ruined it a bit for me and I couldn't take it seriously.
But all in all it was good story, just try not to think of that video while reading it.
Graphic: Murder and Death
Moderate: Blood, Kidnapping, and Emotional abuse
Minor: Physical abuse
gen_wolfhailstorm'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
Where do I begin? I give this all the stars!
My heart soared. My heart raced. My heart plummeted. My heart broke. My heart healed, all in a continuous circuit.
I loved this story so much.
Ox and Joe were so beautiful to read about. I was uncomfortable about this all beginning at such a young age, but nothing inappropriate happened when it shouldn't have.
The connections between the characters were so beautifully written and I don't even know how to explain it... it was all candy canes and pinecones. Epic and awesome!
A 5 out of 5 stars 100%!
Graphic: Stalking, Mental illness, Genocide, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Grief, Gore, Kidnapping, War, Death of parent, Violence, Torture, and Murder
Minor: Rape, Sexual violence, and Pedophilia
joygarcialim's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
The book was so disjointed in so many parts that I didn’t know what happened between one part of the writing and other parts. There was basically no flow. Ox and Joe are walking red flags, even outside of their inappropriate relationship, they are immature, whiney and possessive. The dialogues between characters were so similar that they all seemed to have the same personality- one-dimensional. The book came across as it was written by a 12 year old with a Twilight obsession, with no understanding of character-building or world-building. Maybe except for the sex scenes, I would have been completely convinced this was written by a kid. The writing was that juvenile. I don’t understand why every time Ox has an emotion, he has to write out a soliloquy about them. I’m not talking artistic, literary soliloquies- they were very whiney and he thinks he’s suffered the most or something. And it’s repeatedly used. By other characters too. There was a lot of repetitiveness. It was a long book not because a lot happened, but because there was a lot of repetition and Klune used a new line for every sentence he wrote in some parts.
The sex scenes were probably the best part of the writing tbh. They were incredibly detailed and less whiney than the other parts- all 15+ pages of it. It wasn’t great, I got second-hand embarrassment from it. It didn’t need to be that long.
TJ Klune, if this book is a reflection of your reality, please get professional help from a therapist and a psychiatrist.
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Pedophilia, Violence, Death of parent, Mental illness, Child abuse, Gaslighting, Grief, Stalking, Emotional abuse, Toxic friendship, Injury/Injury detail, Cursing, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, and Kidnapping
Moderate: Alcoholism, Blood, Abandonment, Animal death, Animal cruelty, and Addiction
alikazam's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Abandonment, Child abuse, Sexual content, Violence, Kidnapping, Physical abuse, and Torture
Moderate: Grief, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, and Stalking
Minor: Pedophilia and Rape