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eikaia'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
4.25
Graphic: Blood, Death, Sexual content, Violence, Abandonment, Death of parent, and Torture
Moderate: Alcohol and Sexual assault
thoseoldcrows23'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
4.0
Graphic: Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Death of parent, Death, Adult/minor relationship, Abandonment, Blood, Torture, Gore, Kidnapping, Sexual content, Murder, and Grief
Moderate: Alcohol, Vomit, War, and Body horror
Minor: Domestic abuse and Sexual assault
bucklace27's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Graphic: Violence, Death of parent, Torture, and Sexual content
Moderate: Kidnapping and Child abuse
Minor: Domestic abuse
kal517'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
4.0
Graphic: Sexual content, Death of parent, Violence, and Death
Moderate: Torture, Child abuse, Kidnapping, and Grief
Minor: Rape, Abandonment, and Domestic abuse
bookheathens's review against another edition
4.0
I loved most of this story. The things that weirded me out or almost made me dnf was how much Ox thought of Joe always as a little boy or a young teen, usually in sentimental and intimate moments. I know what Klune was going for, but it didn’t quite land right with me.
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Torture, Violence, Death, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Sexual assault, Child abuse, Death of parent, and Emotional abuse
dragonsreadtoo'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
3.5
Graphic: Abandonment, Cursing, and Death of parent
Moderate: Child abuse, Murder, Adult/minor relationship, Torture, Sexual content, and Kidnapping
Minor: Domestic abuse and Rape
alsoapples's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Death of parent, Child abuse, Sexual content, Kidnapping, Death, Violence, and Torture
Moderate: Stalking, Abandonment, and Adult/minor relationship
Minor: Sexual violence, Rape, and Sexual assault
jla'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
The age gap took some getting used to at the beginning. I technically met my husband when I was 9, and he was 16, but the relationship between Ox and Joe was intense from the beginning.
The writer chose to repeat things 3 times in a row. I'm not sure what if that was supposed to have a deeper meaning, but it was a little annoying.
Graphic: Murder, Torture, Child abuse, and Kidnapping
nautilus18's review against another edition
Moderate: Blood, Death, Sexual content, Death of parent, Violence, Torture, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Grief
brewdy_reader'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
𝘘𝘶𝘦𝘦𝘳 • 𝘚𝘭𝘰𝘸 𝘉𝘶𝘳𝘯 • 𝘉𝘦𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘨
🌶️ 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘰𝘱𝘦𝘯 𝘥𝘰𝘰𝘳 𝘴𝘤𝘦𝘯𝘦
This book blew my mind in a transformational kind of way.
Many of the themes are common to books of the paranormal variety: shapeshifters who share minds with their packs, becoming the beast, forgetting one's humanity, the powers of good vs evil, alphas as the pack leaders, changing eye colours, the concept of a destined mate bonded for life. And yet.
So this shows my biases: I did not know before this that I could love a paranormal gay romance. 90% of the characters in the book are male. I didn't think I would appreciate it the same way as the hetero relationships/female MCs in many best-selling romance novels. I'm not sure why anymore. Maybe I thought I wouldn't completely relate or would be uncomfortable reading the spicy scenes.
Well, I am here to say I was wrong.
I loved Ox. I loved his simplicity, his straightforwardness, his shyness, his slowness with words, but mostly I loved his heart. I loved many of the other characters, including Thomas and Gordo, and of course the two mamas spoke directly to this mama bear's heart. The slow burn romance was my jam. It was a little weird the ages when the two MC met but in the end it did not bother me the way it was written (some people will disagree, and I'd welcome discussion).
I also appreciated how the book references other fantasy series to almost mock itself, including both Star Wars and Twilight. I enjoyed the witches who were men - another novel concept. Why must witches be women? Like I said at the start, this book made me examine and reconsider a lot of my assumptions, which is just what I'd want in a book.
Beyond all this self-introspection, I bawled. It was raw and emotional.
Werewolves and witches are the perfect October combo for your fall reading fantasy list, so def check this one out!
TW: there are many. I recommend reviewing triggers on storygraph or another platform prior to reading.
💬 Q: What was the last book that changed your world view?
Graphic: Death of parent, Abandonment, Child abuse, Cursing, Murder, Torture, Death, and Kidnapping