Book Review: Ravensong by TJ Klune

 

From the publisher:

The beloved fantasy romance sensation by New York Times bestselling author TJ Klune, about love, loyalty, betrayal, and joy. The Bennett family has a secret: They're not just a family, they're a pack. Ravensong is Gordo Livingstone's story.

Gordo Livingstone never forgot the lessons carved into his skin. Hardened by the betrayal of a pack who left him behind, he sought solace in the garage in his tiny mountain town, vowing never again to involve himself in the affairs of wolves. It should have been enough. And it was, until the wolves came back, and with them, Mark Bennett. In the end, they faced the beast together as a pack… and won.

Now, a year later, Gordo has found himself once again the witch of the Bennett pack. Green Creek has settled after the death of Richard Collins, and Gordo constantly struggles to ignore Mark and the song that howls between them. But time is running out. Something is coming. And this time, it’s crawling from within. Some bonds, no matter how strong, were made to be broken.

The Green Creek Series is for adult readers.
Now available from Tor Books.

My thoughts: 

I gave this book 4 out of 5 stars. It's a good followup to the first book in the series, Wolfsong. As the synopsis states, this is Gordo Livingstone's story. Some of it is his view of some of the events from Wolfsong. Most of it is about what happened after Wolfsong. 

I liked getting to know Gordo and seeing things from his point of view. He is a magic user rather than a werewolf. And he is a tether - he helps hold the wolves together so they don't lose themselves to the wolf within. I liked that Gordo grows and changes as the book goes on.

Green Creek is described again though maybe not as thoroughly as in the first book. Most of the action takes place in and around Green creek. The world building extends to the werewolves and how magic works in their world. There is a lot more about the Omega wolves in this book too. 

The book was slow to take off. It repeated some of the events from the first book, but from Gordo's point of view. Things picked up when new events began to happen. 

I still had the same nitpicky little things that bothered me about this book that bothered me about Wolfsong. So much happens to these characters, I guess I had too much empathy for them at some point and found it hard to read and a little depressing. Once again I almost DNF'd the book, but I stuck with it and was glad I did so in the end. Also the sex scene was a little too graphic for me. I am more of a fade to black kind of reader. I can understand why the author chose to include the scene, it just wasn't for me.

Overall, Ravensong is worth a read, especially if you've read Wolfsong and wondered what happened next. If you enjoy werewolf stories with some romance, then this might be a good book for you.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley. This didn't affect my opinion.

Book Review: Wolfsong by TJ Klune

 

From the publisher: 

The Bennett family has a secret:
They're not just a family, they're a pack.
Wolfsong is Ox Matheson's story.

Oxnard Matheson was twelve when his father taught him a lesson: Ox wasn’t worth anything and people would never understand him. Then his father left.

Ox was sixteen when the energetic Bennett family moved in next door, harboring a secret that would change him forever. The Bennetts are shapeshifters. They can transform into wolves at will. Drawn to their magic, loyalty, and enduring friendships, Ox feels a gulf between this extraordinary new world and the quiet life he’s known, but he finds an ally in Joe, the youngest Bennett boy.

Ox was twenty-three when murder came to town and tore a hole in his heart. Violence flared, tragedy split the pack, and Joe left town, leaving Ox behind. Three years later, the boy is back. Except now he’s a man – charming, handsome, but haunted – and Ox can no longer ignore the song that howls between them.

The beloved fantasy romance sensation by New York Times bestselling author TJ Klune, about love, loyalty, betrayal, and family.

The Green Creek Series is for adult readers.

Now available from Tor Books.

My thoughts:

I gave this book 4 stars. I enjoyed reading about Ox and the Bennett pack. 

It's not a stretch at all to say Ox was my favorite character. I loved his quiet strength and the fact that he is smarter than many people assume he is.I did enjoy other characters as well, but none as much as Ox. As things turn out, he is an exceptional man. I enjoyed watching him grow and change throughout the book.

The world building was well done. Green Creek becomes a hometown not just a place for action to occur. Also the author did a good job at hinting and showng that there is something special about the area.

I found the four classes of werewolf interesting. There are of course Alphas and Betas and pack members. It's the fourth class of the Omegas - the ones lost to their wolves- that is different. They've lost control of themselves and seek out powerful wolves in an attempt to join their packs and heal. But it doesn't seem like there is any coming back from becoming an Omega.

I had two little nitpicking things that bothered me. One was that a lot happened to the Bennett pack and Ox. Sometimes I found this stressful to read and a little depressing. At those points I found it hard to go on and almost DNF'd the book. The second was that when the sex scene occurs it is rather graphic and I am more of a fade to black kind of person. I get why the author went with it the way he did, but it just wasn't for me.

Overall, it is a good book. It's worth a read. I would suggest this book to adult readers who enjoy werewolf stories with a sort of complicated romance.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley. This did not influence my opinion of the book.