17kmcollins's review
- 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
5.0
Graphic: Sexual content, Violence, Death of parent, Death, and Gore
Minor: Alcoholism, Child abuse, and Bullying
faithp28'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
5.0
I felt such a personal connection to Ox, to his struggles and his way of protecting his pack. Him and Joe were so meant to be in every way possible
This was an all round phenomenal book.
Graphic: Animal death, Death of parent, and Violence
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Murder, Torture, and Child abuse
Minor: Alcoholism, Bullying, and Gore
k80mae's review
- 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
3.25
On the other hand, I don't know if I was really sold on the romance here. Next to Ox and the rest of the cast of characters, Joe did not feel nearly as fleshed out or strong of a character. Throughout the book, he was the only character whose voice I felt did not land for me. Considering he is the main romantic interest and driving force behind Ox's actions, it made it difficult to invest myself in the romance. What I find myself most distracted by, however, is that I was completely unable to look at the world-building and plot and not think that the author had to have been inspired by fandom for a very specific television show popular in the 2010s. Nearly every world-building element felt like a detail I had already seen before, to the point where I wouldn't be surprised to have found this on AO3. I don't want to outright say that this is a negative quality because I do think that it absolutely worked for this story, but it made for a very distracting read even as I sped through it.
Overall, I'm not sure if I will personally continue with the series, but this is absolutely the kind of book that has a very particular audience who I hope is able to find it.
Graphic: Gore, Ableism, Grief, Murder, Death of parent, and Sexual content
Moderate: Child abuse, Sexual assault, and Adult/minor relationship
Minor: Alcoholism and Bullying
Sexual assault is threatened, but the description in that threat is repeatedly vivid so the SA tag is necessary. The adult/minor relationship is a bit of a grey area, but when Ox and Joe enter a romantic relationship, Joe is still only 17.joshoonet'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
5.0
- MY HEART
- TJ Klune you have done it again
- The next volume only comes out in August (at least in the edition that fits the one i have now) and i am in pain
- I only read Cerulean Sea and Whispering Door before this, and... this is darker. And SMUTTIER. Also people say fuck. I like it!
- Klune is one of my favourite authors because he always includes healthy, but realistic! communication, especially between men. It's just so damn refreshing.
- Also a bunch of queer characters! Incredible! I have yet to find a trans character though, maybe in his next book?
- His book have been the only one to make me genuinely emotional in a long time
Graphic: Abandonment, Gore, Sexual content, Blood, Death of parent, and Grief
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Torture, Murder, and Animal death
Minor: Ableism, Alcohol, Bullying, Domestic abuse, Injury/Injury detail, and Rape
Ableism, Domestic Abuse, Alcohol:saestrah's review
- 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
cluckieduck'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
5.0
It is a poetic and heartbreaking story of love, and what it means to be family. The people of Green Creek have stolen my heart.
Graphic: Animal death, Blood, Cursing, Death, Gore, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Sexual content, and Violence
Moderate: Death of parent and Bullying
Minor: Kidnapping, Sexual assault, Rape, Emotional abuse, and Child abuse
tieflingreads'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
4.5
This might read differently to somebody who is more touch-adverse so keep that in mind!
Rep: bisexual MC (bisexual is used on page!), it's said somewhere that werewolves are most commonly "fluid" in their sexuality so I'm assuming they're all meant to be m-spec as well. Multiple mlm couples, as well as a side character who feels aro-ace coded! I believe he gets his own book later in the series
Graphic: Grief, Abandonment, Blood, Cursing, Death, Death of parent, Gore, Sexual content, and Violence
Moderate: Kidnapping, Ableism, and Adult/minor relationship
Minor: Alcoholism, Bullying, and Torture
btrz7'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
5.0
Graphic: Abandonment, Adult/minor relationship, Blood, Child abuse, Death of parent, Death, and Grief
Minor: Bullying, Domestic abuse, Violence, Torture, and Murder
dippyfresh's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Violence, Physical abuse, Torture, Gore, Death, Death of parent, Child abuse, Adult/minor relationship, and Sexual content
Moderate: Ableism and Bullying