Wolfsong (Green Creek, 1)

My first thoughts of the book: jesusf*ckingchrist, this is AWESOME! I picked this book up when I looked for similar books to the All for the Game trilogy and saw a comment that said GAY WEREWOLVES. Needless to say, it was decided that I NEED to read it! And ohmygod... it was soooo worth it! Wolfsong is an amazing urban fantasy/paranormal book. Our hero, who tells this epic story is Ox. A boy whose father only saw the little slow boy and not the amazing little man who was fierce and loyal. The father left and Ox started his amazing new life that he didn't know of yet. The epic adventure begins when a little tornado, 10 year old Joe Bennett appears on the dirt road leading home talking about pinecones and candycanes. And epic and awsome. Their lives intertwine from that moment. The book tells the happenings of ten years. It talks about friendships and family, about the supernatural... werewolves and witches and the calling of the moon, about pack and about challanges and enemies. The voice of the book is amazing and unique. Ox is a simple boy who sees the world in a simple, beautiful way and it comes through the text and how everything is described. We see into the innermost thoughts of the boy/man and go through all the emotions he feels from insecurity, loss, sadness, anger to relief, happiness and unconditional love. And besides this emotional, heartwrecking journey of two souls gravitating towards each other throughout years.. we see an unbelievable, breathtaking fantasy world. We have evil werewolves, humans thirsting for blood, leaders judging the pack for being so close to humans and the exceptional bond between the members of a pack. So many interesting and captivating aspects of the world. A ton of excitement. Amazing characters. Humour. Grief. Battles. Challanges. Just a whole bunch of awesomness. I don't think I can capture the uniqueness of this series. I don't have the right words for it without spoiling the fun for you. It's an amazing story with werewolves, gay romance, action and perfect, loveable characters! READ IT!

This book is the story of a boy whose life has been ripped apart by a monster waiting on an empty street. This book is also the story of another young man who has been led to believe is worthless, walking on the same empty street. One day, their paths cross and this is when all the magic start to happens. This is one of those books that make you smell the forest from within; that can knock you down to the bottom of your humanity and then elevate your soul to its highest. It’s a book about emotions; love; revenge; fighting; fantasy…a book that forces you to read one page after the other until that song, the only one that matter, invades you from head to toe. I don’t know how the author was capable of this, but I feel like I’ve walked with the characters of this story, suffered with them and then eventually found piece. It’s one of those masterpieces of literature that you can only love; a metaphor of humanity narrated through the voice of one of the most beautiful creatures in our world.

I've seen a lot of people reading this book/series recently and recommending it to everyone and after finishing it, I get the hype! Wolfsong is packed with SO. MUCH. EMOTION! I really didn't expect to be bawling my eyes out before we even got to the halfway mark of the book and yet Klune managed to turn me into a snotty sobbing mess curled up in bed over the pain I felt through what these characters experience. Holy granola!!! I both wanted the feels to stop and demanded more of it right away. This is a coming-of-age story. It's about learning to love and believe in yourself. It's about family and belonging and finding a home for your heart. This is a story where not a lot but a lot happens simultaneously. Told through Ox's perspective, we're taken through the days, weeks, months, and years and are shown everything from the mundane work days to the magical moments with the Bennett pack. Maybe that sounds a little boring but what makes this book so fantastic are its characters. There is a plot that gets clearer the further you read and which definitely escalates the action and drama but these characters—Ox, Joe, and all the pack members old and new—really carry this book and they do it so well! They all experience so much tragedy and endure so much trauma but together they evolve, they get back up again, and they heal and it is just. So. Beautiful. Ox was EVERYTHING. I can't even describe how much I loved his character. There's so much kindness and HEART that radiates from him and it made those "must protect at all costs" vibes activate in full force. He's shy and not great with words but there's so much depth that lies beneath the "dumb" exterior that most people project on him because all they see is this big lumbering guy who doesn't say much. His character was so endearing and there's no one more deserving of happiness (or a hug) than Ox! As a kid, his father used to make him feel small and would call him simple, like it was a bad thing, and it was heartbreaking to see how much he took his father's words to heart. It took time for him to shed the idea that his father knew best about him, about life, and about the world, so it was incredibly gratifying to see the kind of growth that he experiences by the end. Ox had a real glow up and it made my heart so happy to see him find his place, happiness, and home with the pack, especially with Joe. I loved him SO MUCH! 😍 Joe was another character for who my heart hurt so deeply—this kid had gone through so much only to go through even more trauma and it was terrifying! We meet him as this sweet exuberant kid, who you wouldn't know had experienced so much trauma, simply because he lights up when Ox is around. From the moment they meet, it was like this lightning bolt of knowing! Joe definitely undergoes a lot of growth as well but since we don't get his perspective, we experi...

i sobbed through 70% of this book. i don’t even know how to comprehend this experience. i’ve gone to bed with horribly puffy eyes for three nights in a row. my coworkers have been genuinely concerned for my health. i was scared to read this book in public. what the heck tj? but also love you and sending hugs. please read this book. maybe i’ll actually say something comprehensive about this one day, but today is not that day. just, please read it.

So I was really on the fence about getting this book. I'm not a huge shifter book, but I have loved every Klune book I've read/listened to. I checked the audio and it's by a narrator that I'm not very fond of. I feel he is monotone. I think this book is far better than the audio because of that. Yes, there is a LOT of repetitive words. Many sets of 3, and a LOT of I said, He said etc. In audio form it gets on my nerves, it did even in ALSH. But here in written format, and for the type of book this is, I felt it fit. It was like an echo, of the instinct or the subconscious. So it actually made me feel more into the book, this particular time, although in audio format with out the exact right inflection, it would absolutely kill the book. Another issue many complain about is the length of time between meeting, joining the pack and the years they are apart. Every bit of those years are absolutely needed to be discussed and in depth. What happens to Ox during that time is really the actual heart of the story. I didn't feel this section dragged at all, and was actually my favorite part. Putting himself and others back together again, putting the Pack first. The final few chapters, after he is back is so heartbreaking and the hurt and pain is so beautifully expressed here, but the absolute and total love of the pack for Ox is by far the most beautiful thing. This was a very unique shifter story, at least from the ones I've read. Ox is so special and he can't see it. I think most of us are like that, special and we can't see what we mean to others. The other issue that a few have discussed is the age gap, it's SIX YEARS, that is nothing. Now, to be extremely and firmly clear, Ox does not even think or look at him as anything but the very best and closest friend he could ever have. He absolutely knows they have a special bond, more than he has with the other members. But it does not even occur to him until he is an adult. So, there is absolutely nothing inappropriate here. There isn't even a large age gap here. My husband is 19 yrs older than me. I wasn't even born yet when he graduated from HS, so 6 years isn't anything. When Ox was a teenager and young man and Joe is a kid, it's a close relationship, but absolutely ZERO attraction. I adored seeing the boys grow up, Ox become a part of the pack and discover he has someone who adores him exactly as he is. It was heartbreaking when the terrible things happened to take Joe away, and it was amazing to witness how Ox stands up and becomes what the town needs. The ending was beautiful and perfect. I felt every single page was needed here. Every interaction was needed, it made it hit home. Tj doesn't go into massive discriptions of the area, the looks beyond brief discriptions, he uses the feeling of what the place gives the character to set the scene and let's t...