Wow! TJ Klune books are so beautifully written and so powerful. This is a story of love, family, friendship, and finding where you belong. Ox was raised by an emotionally abusive Father who to.d him he was “dumb as an ox”. At school the other children made fun of him and called him retarded. His father physically left when Ox was twelve. The damage that he caused his son is felt as he suffers from such low self esteem and you can’t help but feel bad for how he was raised and the hardships he faces.

Gordo acts as a father figure to Ox and helps him learn to work on cars at the shop. This provides him an income, sense of pride, and friendships.The shop is a place he feels comfortable and happy.

Ox meets Joe Bennett and his life will never be the same. The Bennetts welcome him into the family easily. It warms your heart to see how much they love on him and tell him he is enough just as he is. This is a significant message that everyone needs to hear.

The love that grows between Joe and Ox is so intoxicating to see unfold. They will be tested again and again to see if their relationship can handle the pressure.

These books are so well written and engrossing that you can easily be lost in the book for day. The family dynamics, relationships and turmoil are so engaging and raw. You find yourself going through so many emotions while reading the book and that’s what makes it such a great read.

I'm sorry, but I'm DNF'ing this book because a student calls Ox a "f**king r**ard." Sorry, but the author could've used any other word or just left this out of the book.

I did not know what I was going into when I signed up for this books rerelease on NetGalley. I thought the cover was beautiful and applied. Only after I was sent the book, did I realize it encompassed a M/M relationship, and said to myself, that’s not my interest, this book could not possibly be in my wheelhouse. Wrong. I have heard TJ Klune’s novels feel like warm hugs and I just thought this story was exactly that. Love and loss, and exposure to a gay relationship that wasn’t treated like a taboo connection, which is truly a breath of fresh air.

My one qualm was that I would have liked to see the internal dialogue between the pack to be more sophisticated, but that small thing surely did not deter me from loving this book.

I’m a sucker for a good found family trope and this book did it really well. I loved all of the characters and their relationships to each other. But for Joe and ox’s relationship… I found the age gap kinda creepy? Not necessarily the gap itself but the fact that Joe is like a little brother to Ox skeeves me out. Like I can’t stop picturing the little 10 year old boy holding the 16 year olds hand like a child. I had to pretend he was a whole different character when they started dating to make it not weird. Other than that hiccup I loved this book and really enjoyed the story. I liked how it was structured by kind of being split up into short chunks while we followed Ox’s point of view since that was how he thought, and I liked how the wolves thought in small chunks too. There was some good action in there as well and I thought the villain was written well.

So full disclosure, this is my fourth readthrough of Wolfsong, so I obviously hate the book and the author.

There's something so magical about TJ Klune, and especially the Green Creek universe. I really had fun going through this for the first time as a librarian, not just a reader, and picking out the things that I can use from this story to recommend to my readers. Plus, omg, the cover art, can we just take a second to appreciate that work of art??? Green Creek, Wolfsong in particular, will always hold a space in my heart. It was the first book that I've fallen in love with for years, and is one of those worlds you would cut off your left arm to be able to visit. I'm so grateful to Tor for picking up publication of this series and allowing us as Librarians, booksellers, and book fans to put it in more reader's hands. I am so excited to be able to share this magic with my readers.

This book took me on a roller coaster. It starts with a slow build and then takes you through ups and downs. Through uplifting and heartbreaking moments this book weaves fantasy with reality. We get to see characters grow and characters make mistakes. We get to see found family and making your own path.

TK Klune builds a complex world where you can feel the characters emotions. We get to follow the story of Ox, a boy who’s told he will never amount to anything discover a whole hidden world and show that you are not limited by what others think of you. We watch him grow from a belittled boy to a strong leader. It’s not just a love story but a story filled with complex and dynamic characters who get to portray what it’s like to be human.

If you enjoy werewolves, slow burn/build up, character growth and an overall great story, I recommend you check out Wolfsong.

I was given an e-book in exchange for my honest opinion. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this ARC.

Wolfsong will break your heart into a million pieces in the best way possible.

This is the darkest, most heart-wrenching series from author TJ Klune, but I love it so much!

The writing will take you a bit to get used to, but it just makes the story that much more emotional as you will be so invested in all of their lives.

Check trigger warnings and bring tissues for this one.

PACKPACKPACK

T.J. Klune is one of my favorite authors, and Wolfsong is one of the first books I ever read by him. Therefore, I loved the chance to review the new edition from Tor. Upon reread, this book is still five stars, and one of my favorite werewolf tales (only beat by Heartsong from this same series). Wolfsong features numerous great characters that resonate with me, an amazing portrayal of werewolves with unique elements as well as some typical to werewolf books, and a relationship that develops sweetly and slowly over many years. This book does a great job of balancing romance with conflict regarding an outside enemy which strengthens the characters and their bonds. Overall, I love this book, and I cry multiple times every time I read it because of the emotional journey on which it takes me. I highly recommend it to anyone who loves werewolf stories, slow burn romances, or just good fantasy books.

Thanks to Tor Books and NetGalley for this copy in return for my honest review. I am surprised that this was actually a reprint and not a new novel. It was first published on June 20th, 2016.

Wolfsong is the first book from the series, Green Creek. It's about a lonely boy named Ox who lives in a small town with his mother. His father left them when he was young, and he has learnt to fend for himself until Gordo took him under his wings when he was 15. One day, his daily routine was interrupted with the emergence of the Bennetts who occupy the vacant house next door. From there on, Ox has new friends who really take on with him and a new adventure begins.

I was secretly hoping for this to be better than The House in the Cerulean Sea. As it turns out, I did enjoy it but also wished that it was not as lengthy (400+ pages!!!). Also, the many characters had me confused and halfway through, it just got me thinking of Stephenie Meyer's Twilight.

I was confused alright, like when Ox first meet Joe Bennett. As the story progressed, it got me thinking more of Taylor Lautner LOL! When it slowly reveals the true plot, it sorts of cleared up the air for me. And then there's a male witch and not a wizard... yet it triggered Van Helsing to mind LOL! Or maybe a male version of Kate Beckinsale's Selene from Underworld LOL! Enough of my wandering mind...

The slow pace truly had me flipping the pages more as I find the plot reveal too slow and dragging. I can imagine it in a movie with casts borrowed from Twilight, yet it was too slow for my liking. When it reached the climax, it quickly dissolved to another plot, slowly again. It's also quite repetitive, where a paragraph would be rephrased for emphasis again and again. Also, with the many ''you/ he / they are mine'', it slowly kinda fell flat for me... I just couldn't get into the story. I was relieved when I finally reached the end!

Overall, it was entertaining to a point, to which I think it could have been better. If those repetitive fillers were removed, I think there would be half the book remaining which would have been great for me. Thousand apologies as such prose are not my cup of tea. To be fair, the ending was really exciting though I half expected it. If you are into para-normal romance with werewolves and the likes, this series would be up your alley. Do take note that this series is infused with LGBT elements and not for the faint hearted.

Thank you NetGalley and TOR books for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

T.J. Klune is one of my favorite authors! I have read all of his newest releases, and was very excited to learn that this older series was picked up and is being traditionally published with GORGEOUS new covers! I need every single one on my shelves!

After reading Klune’s recent releases (which are closed door, “PG rated,” M/M romances), I was surprised by the intimate scenes in this story. This is the first open door, “smutty,” M/M romance I’ve ever read, and I was not disappointed. Klune writes both styles very well!

I enjoyed the Twilight vibes (and jokes) throughout this book. I loved the “found family” trope and felt connection to all of the characters. I look forward to getting my hands on the next in the series.

This was a perfect found family novel. Klune has such a way of creating layered characters, adding fantastical elements, and showing this theme of acceptance toward people who are "different". This was no exception.

This was a beautiful and heartbreaking story about grief, loss, growth, love, acceptance and support. I struggled with some plot points only because they were difficult to watch these characters go through but Klune really captured the emotional pull and toll of loving someone through tough times.

This was not at all what I thought the story would be, easily rising above any expectations I had and grabbing my heartstrings with every chapter. There were many difficult parts to read through, and Klune wove together a wonderful story.

There were a couple repetitive parts, but I think the emphasis Klune was hammering home through that repetition was needed to make the story what it was.

I am looking forward to the sequel, Ravensong!

I stayed up until 2:30 reading this one--I enjoyed it a lot! It's just as sweet as his other books (House on the Cerulean Sea, Under the Whispering Door, In the Lives of Puppets), but a little more graphically violent and a few more sex scenes. A queer paranormal romance about healing, chosen families, and being left behind.

3.5⭐
I love TJ Klune's most recent releases and when I saw this on netgalley with a different cover, I was intrigued. This book would be good for any fan of werewolf lit that doesn't mind a bit of unexpected spice. The majority of the book is fairly PG (sex wise) and then there are some pretty spicy scenes towards the very end. So definitely skippable, and the plot stands on its own without it as well.

This book has similar fantastic character development and character relationships as the authors other books, each character is vivid and clear and you feel like even minor characters could stand alone. The writing is very well done, again.

I got a little lost during the short prose ish/dialogue between wolf and human, pack mates/and alpha. It took away from the writing a bit and made me enjoy it a little less, having said that, perhaps you would really enjoy it if you are a hardcore werewolf lit fan.

Ox has always been picked on, he is a lumbering boy that people call dumb and make fun of. His father left when he was young and it's just him and his mom trying to make ends meet.

When the family at the end of their road moves in, everything changes. 10 year old Joe takes to Ox instantly and after experiencing trauma and being mute for a few years, he sees Ox and starts talking immediately. The Bennett family invites Ox into their family and accepts him as one of their own. He and hus mother are invited to Sunday dinners and he hangs out there every day after school.

Joe was kidnapped by Richard, an evil wolf, that wants to be an alpha and will go to any length to become one. What he wants most, is to destroy the Bennett's and take what he believes he is owed. When he escapes from magical prison, they are all on edge.

The book is about connection, found family, bonds, and love. It's also about werewolves and is LGBTQ+ friendly.

Thanks to netgalley for an eARC to review.

Something I really enjoyed about Wolfsong by TJ Klune was how long it took to know what was going on. Knowing more than the narrator but only barely more is one of my favorite literary devices when it's done well, and the first half of this novel really did make it work for the story, and had me turning page after page way past my bedtime.

There are some really interesting and subversive explorations of werewolves and magic tropes in this book, especially with how humans interact and coexist within the pack dynamic that I thought were really cool. The intensity of emotions all of that brought up for Ox (the main character) is really what drew me into the narrative at first.

I got through the first half of Wolfsong in one sitting, but finishing it was another story. I had to drag myself back to the book and trudge through. I really wanted to be beckoned to it, but I just didn't find myself super excited to finish it.

It is possible that this is related to another issue I have, which is that the summary blurb spoils a little over half of the story. It felt really counterintuitive to the story to have it this way, as to me one of the best parts about this story was discovering more about the world at the same time that Ox learned them. Knowing a few major plot points before they happened really lessened the emotional impact they had, and that was a bummer.

Overall, I really did want to enjoy this story, and there were parts I genuinely did like! The slow burn of the main relationship and culmination when they finally found one another on equal footing was great, and as I mentioned before the genre exploration was really intriguing and well done.

I'm a big fan of Klune's other works and was excited to give this a shot, especially knowing that it's the first in a series, but I don't think I can see myself returning to Green Creek.

For those wondering if they'll like this book, especially if you decide against reading the summary, I think this is a book and a series for people who know and love werewolves, but also for those who want to forray into the genre. It's not going to be a book for everyone, but it's not something you'll regret reading if you're interested in the subject.

Thank you to TOR/Forge publishers and NetGalley for access to an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review!

Admittedly this was a reread for me as I'd initially read this (at least twice) before when released under an old publisher.

Yes it's about werewolves, but it's more.

Ox is a big kid with an even bigger heart. He's not what you'd call book smart, but he knows how to care for what matters. He's never expected much because, on his way out the door, his daddy told Ox he'd get sh*t his whole life.

Instead of sh*t he finds belonging and family beyond just his mom and his boss and coworkers at the garage. And with this family comes a whole new world he never thought possible. And deep love and loss.

This book conveys such an intense belonging and unconditional love through the way the characters come together and pull apart and find their way home. Yeah there's also the cool werewolf angle and some epic battles, but the relationships are what makes this book so good. It's also pretty dang funny. And might make you cry. So, be prepared.

I was slow to start this book because I was unsure of the writing style, but it hooked me and was hard to put down. Ox seemed simple at first, but he truly had so much depth as a person it was easy to relate to him. The Bennets were a remarkable family that I'm glad to see found someone special to welcome into their ranks. The pack was unique and the relationships ran deeper than you expected. Please pick up this book because it is beautiful and you won't regret adding it to your collection.

I have mixed feelings about this book. I adore this author and his writing style and I was only a chapter or two in when I started to become attached to the main character, Ox., and frankly emotional about how his father treated him. However… I thought the book drug on quite a bit and should have been edited down. It got to the point that I just wanted it to be over even though the writing was beautiful and, as usual, the characters were amazing, honest and true. The book was just too long and I like long books if the story is progressing..this was not. I am looking forward to Ravensong though. Interested to see where we go from here.

I really enjoyed this! It was all the campy coziness of Twilight, but with a queer spin on the story that I really, really loved. I also think that, unlike Twilight, the characters and connections are much deeper and impactful in this story. I love Ox and Joe 's character and connections develop through the story. I am hopeful that my library can get copies of this series as it's being rereleased, because I know that a lot of our teens will adore this story!

Thank you NetGalley and Tor Publishing Group for giving me the opportunity to read this.

I love TJ Klune's work! Wolfsong is about gay werewolves but the way TJ took Ox's character and transformed him into something amazing for his pack had me amazed. TJ Klune always finds a way to tug at my heart strings.

2/5 Stars

TL;DR - I’m almost conflicted about this book. On the one hand, it has beautiful and visceral explorations of grief and childhood trauma and the profound nature of found family, and on the other, it has a paper-thin plot, a cartoon villain, and oh my god no one ever stops talking long enough to even think the world ‘plot’. There’s too much and simultaneously not enough, and it all would have left a bitter taste in my mouth if the last 75% of the book hadn’t been bland, predictable filler.

Big thanks to Tor Publishing Group/Tor Books and NetGalley for providing me with the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!

‘Wolfsong’ by TJ Klune is the story of Oxnard “Ox” Matheson, a boy who grew up with an abusive father who always told him the world was going to give him shit. We watch as Ox grows up, dealing with the aftereffects of his father’s abandonment, and see how his life changes when the Bennett family moves in across the road. They’re energetic and affectionate and a little strange, and as they accept him into their family, he begins to feel drawn towards their youngest son, Joe. What follows is a years-long saga of found family, grief, sacrifice, and learning what it means to be a pack.

First, I want to come clean. I didn’t realize this was a werewolf book. Yes, the blurb says the Bennetts are shapeshifters who can turn into wolves at will, but I guess it read to me as more of a mystical, magic thing, not just…werewolves. Not that I don’t like werewolves, I’m just a veteran of the late 2000s YA vampire-werewolf craze and it’s really not my thing anymore, at least not in an urban fantasy setting. Alpha/Beta/Omega dynamics (NOT the fanfiction variety, to be clear), are weird to me, the use of the term “mates” makes me uncomfortable, and it’s just all around not a good time for me. However, I didn’t dock any stars for that, because it’s 110% a me thing. If you love werewolf shenanigans, you might very well enjoy this book.

I gave this book 2 stars instead of 1 because the beginning was compelling, the writing was high-quality for the most part, and I found Ox a relatable character that I was excited to follow. I took away stars for a few reasons, which I’ll detail below, but one of the things that was an immediate demotion was the use of the r-slur. Call me over-sensitive, but there was no need for that slur to be used when this was published in 2016, and there’s no reason it needs to be used now with the republication. It added nothing to the story but tired and harmful anachronism, and turned me off so much.

The writing itself, independent of plot, was good for the most part. Sometimes it’s downright gorgeous. I just wish it wasn’t writing about werewolves and harping on dynamics and mates and whatever. I would be vibing along as the author beautifully explores the effects of abandonment and childhood trauma, grief and loss…and then the spell shatters as it brings up werewolf jargon.

The beginning of the book is good. I really enjoyed getting to know Ox and his struggles, and I think the author did a really good job of showing the progression in thoughts and speech that comes with maturing from childhood. I’ve never seen it done like that, or that well, and I was really impressed. Ox is a normal kid, then a normal teen, but he’s resilient and honest and just a good person. I felt a strong connection to him from the beginning, and I was excited to see where the story would take him.

Unfortunately, once the Bennetts show up, things get weird. Ox is 16 when he meets the love interest, Joe, who is 10 at the time. Somehow, Joe just “knows” they’re going to be mates…at 10…and commits to Ox then and there, in what, in this universe, is the equivalent of a marriage proposal on a soul level. He's 10, and I'm really uncomfortable. The dynamic between them is always teetering on the edge of “something more”, when Joe is a literal child for the majority of this book. It’s weird even when they’re both in their 20s because Joe still acts like a teenager. And even past that, the romance is just boring. There’s really not much chemistry, it’s just “you’re my mate” and “we're together because something something wolf reasons”. I was glad for the queer rep, but beyond that, it gave nothing.

The antagonist is boring. Typical bad guy with typical motivations. He delivers trite villain speeches that would have been better served in a bad CW teen show for how melodramatic they are. He does all of the expected “I’m a bad guy” things, and honestly, there were times where I wanted him to win so the book would be over and I could stop reading about him.

Several plot twists are entirely predictable. I could see the fates of a few characters from miles away, and I could see the big heartbreak scene before that. I had this feeling that the book was going to take a, shall we say, “New Moon” turn, and yep, it sure did. I felt part of myself disconnect from the story after that, and I really stopped caring about most of what was going on. The writing was still good, and I still cared about Ox, but the book became a chore to get through.

Everyone talks so much, but very little gets said. So many conversations are either superfluous or repetitive, or both. Ox has the same conversation, over and over with different people and nothing new is added and nothing comes of them. Yes, it mirrors how people talk in real life, but the point of dialog in books is to only say what needs to be said to convey information or character development, not every little thing. There’s just so much talking and so little saying. Around 75%, I just started skimming. Everyone just talks, nothing happens, I was so bored. This book really didn’t need to be as long as it is, but no one would shut up and let the plot progress.

Speaking of, the “plot” is barely above non-existent. Very little happens in this book that’s of any substance. There’s a few little plot points here and there, but they’re so few and far between, and so overcrowded by the constant repetition and talking that they almost fade into the background altogether. Things happen, people talk, I contemplate throwing my Kindle and myself out the window.

Ox makes some really stupid decisions towards the end of the book. He’s shown himself to be a smart and capable leader and then he just…forgets all he’s been through and makes the dumbest choices. The villain pulls an uninspired, predictable bad guy move, and that’s enough for Ox to snap and be an absolute idiot with his own personal safety? Nah. Why tell the pack of werewolves their arch nemesis is coming for him? Why do the smart thing when he can just be stupid for the angst? UGH.

The climax and the “twist” afterward were so anticlimactic. I knew what was going to happen miles before it did, and I held out a sliver of hope for the author to dazzle me with a big reveal or 180-turn, but it just…moseyed along its inevitable expected track to the end and gave me nothing. I felt nothing except my eyes scraping my skull as I rolled them, hard.

After reading this, I have to ask, was this originally a fanfiction of some kind? I’ve both read and written a lot of fanfic, and the majority of longer works tend to meander and eschew traditional story structure for the sake of character interaction and angst (which is fine and expected in the context of fan works), and that’s exactly what this book felt like to me. Long and loose, only bits of plot here and there; most of it felt self-indulgent, like these characters used to be from a fandom and the author was writing fic about them and then decided to change some names around before seeking publication. Or that the author reads/writes a lot of long fics and thought it would transfer over into novel form - spoiler, it doesn't. If it was a fandom I liked, where the characters were familiar and beloved and a lot of hard character development and world-building had been laid out by canon material, I wouldn’t mind reading 500+ pages of meandering story (which I quite often do), but because this is a world and characters I knew nothing about and had no previous draw to, this book is simply too long and too boring for me to feel anything but frustration after reading it.

Final Thoughts:

This book had a lot of my favorite things to see explored - found family, the nobody who shows their mettle and becomes a strong leader, the lifelong implications of childhood trauma, how grief changes us - but it ultimately felt like these things didn’t matter. It was all too far buried under endless talking and it had nothing to prop it up because the plot was so weak.

Even if werewolf stuff was my thing, I still wouldn’t have liked this book. I can get behind a story that’s not to my tastes if it’s a good story, but this wasn’t. This was just a giant serving of mediocrity soup, and I was full to bloating and nauseated hours before the bowl ran dry.