Ox was twelve when his daddy taught him a very valuable lesson. He said that Ox wasn’t worth anything and people would never understand him. Then he left.Ox was sixteen when he met the boy on the road, the boy who talked and talked and talked. Ox found out later the boy hadn’t spoken in almost two years before that day, and that the boy belonged to a family who had moved into the house at the end … at the end of the lane.
Ox was seventeen when he found out the boy’s secret, and it painted the world around him in colors of red and orange and violet, of Alpha and Beta and Omega.
Ox was twenty-three when murder came to town and tore a hole in his head and heart. The boy chased after the monster with revenge in his bloodred eyes, leaving Ox behind to pick up the pieces.
It’s been three years since that fateful day—and the boy is back. Except now he’s a man, and Ox can no longer ignore the song that howls between them.
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Fantastic mm shifter romance <3
This book was recommended to me by several people. I don’t know what I was expecting, but it doesn’t matter, because this book surpassed all my expectations.
I was a bit bewildered at the beginning of the book until I realised that the narrator (the whole book is told from Ox’s perspective) was only 12. The style is reminiscent of the first Harry Potter book in that sense, told with an almost childlike simplicity that then matures as the character matures. Despite that, the writing is absolutely beautiful. Poetic.
The story is that of Ox and Joe. First the author builds up a picture of Ox’s life before Joe, and I don’t mean to give the impression that this is tedious, because it’s not, but things definitely pick up pace after Joe arrives on the scene. The earliest part of the story feels necessary though, because it paints a picture that is crucial to understanding Ox. And, in truth, to understanding his friend Gordo who plays a big part in the story and in Ox’s life (and stars in the sequel).
Ox quickly becomes not only friends with Joe and his family, but part of their family. Ox doesn’t have many people to call his own, so this love and acceptance is a truly wonderful thing for him. We see all their interactions from Ox’s point of view, and then sometimes, we’re given new information or a new perspective and it changes everything. At more than one point, I skipped backwards to re-read a scene with a fresh perspective on the events that had taken place. It was very clever.
I don’t want to give too much away, and I actually think the blurb itself contains too many spoilers. The less you know, the more you’ll enjoy the book. Joe and his family are wolf shifters. If you’ve read wolf shifter novels before, I promise this will be different. The author did some fabulous work on making the reader understand how different it was from being human and what it meant for someone like Ox to be accepted as part of their family, their pack, but not be a wolf shifter. I thought it was very well done.
But then bad things happen and life changes dramatically for Joe and Ox. They have to re-evaluate how life works and how their relationship fits into their new lives.
One of the things that I love is that Ox, who struggles so hard to believe that he is worthy of anything, realises that while he loves Joe and desperately wants Joe as his partner in life, he doesn’t need Joe and he can stand on his own two feet and actually do bloody well at it. It’s not often you get that in a romance novel. And it doesn’t make their love feel any less special or strong, it’s just that Ox finally believes in himself (the way Joe has believed in Ox from the very beginning).
The story is beautiful and poignant and heartbreaking and satisfying and definitely worth the five stars I gave it. I’m looking forward to reading the sequel which stars Gordo. This is one of the best books I’ve read this year, and I think Ox is the most interesting, well-created character I’ve encountered since Alex from L A Witt’s Static and Cole from Jaime Reese’s A Restored Man (and that’s bloody high praise since Cole is my favourite character of all time!). The vast majority of the book is not steamy, although there are a couple of sex scenes. The focus is far more on the emotional relationships. Definitely read it. You won’t regret it.
WOW! I was not expecting to be blown away by this book but I totally was! This book was phenomenal! The writing was exquisite and poetic…I gobbled it up! Ox is such a unique, lovable character. He’s brave and resilient and perfect in my opinion. The best part of this book is the pack mentality and how strong of a bond everyone had with each other. Beautiful and I highly recommend! Five OX IS MY ALPHA Stars!!
This was awesome!!
This book has been recommended to me a few times, but it took me a while to pick it up because, frankly, it didn’t sound like my jam. But after reading “How to be Normal,” I realized that I really liked Klune’s writing style and took a chance. I’m so glad I did – this book made me laugh and cry. The feeling it caused were so intense that I had to set the book down for few hours to give myself a chance to breathe. I fell in love with Ox and Joe and the Bennett pack and cannot wait to see how Gordo an Mark find their way back to each other in the next book.
One of my best reads in recent years. I liked this book so much, I went out and bought copies for my friends. Highly recommend this story for it’s well-crafted storyline and skillfully developed characters.
Wolfsong was highly recommended by an author friend. She was so right with this book.
A bit long for my taste but well worth the time.
Ox has become one of my favorite characters.
I ADORE this book! It touches my heart and the word building is phenomenal. I recommend it to everyone.
This is officially one of my favourite books of all time. I love OX. His unique way of viewing the world, his deep well of love and loyalty combined with his misunderstanding of how special and beautiful he is makes for one of the most compelling heroes I’ve ever had the pleasure to read about.
I really enjoyed this book. The story was so beautiful. It was definitely different than your typical alpha/beta/omega shifter/werewolf book. I’m not going to spoil it by telling however. The world this author puts you into is complex, well thought out and well presented. You basically learn about this world right along with Ox (the entire book is written in his point of view). It’s definitely an angsty book, I shed quite a few tears. So if you’re looking for something fluffy, this isn’t the book for you. My only complaint is that I wasn’t a huge fan of the writing style, I want to say it was a bit “artistic” maybe. It took a long time for me to get used to and kind of annoyed me at times. I’m glad I pushed through though because the story is definitely worth it.
Unpredictable, wonderfully written. Full of emotion. Loved!
Wolfsong is a male/male paranormal romance, but it’s so much more than that. It’s a story about forgiveness and discovery. Trust and hope. This is a book I will pull off my shelf to re-read every year, knowing it’s going to make me cry and laugh and maybe even howl at the moon. I’ve purchased book two, Ravensong, but am waiting for the perfect time to read it. I’m sure I’ll be losing sleep once I start. I’ve enjoyed many of TJ Klune’s books, but Wolfsong stands out as my favorite. It’s great on audiobook too. 🙂
Every review I read about Wolfsong was absolutely right about how phenomenal this story was. I was a little skeptical because M/M and the supernatural genre is not my forte but this was so much more. Way more! Wolfsong had strong and intricate story, layered and well developed characters that I connected with immediately.
What blew me away was these intense emotions that the story awakened within me. I felt like I was in a bubble filled with love and warmth. I laughed, swooned and cried. It was a very intense reading experience for me. Throughout the story I kept feeling the words love and unity. My heart lived and broke for every single character.
This wasn’t just about werewolves and two men falling in love. It was about family and sacrifice. About love and forgiveness.
I have to applaud the author for creating such a beautiful and mesmerizing story. He made me forget about time and real life for a moment and that’s exactly why I read. Wolfsong is not to be missed.
A unique masterpiece!
5 BadAssDirtyPackStars
SO MANY FEELINGS. I would give this book a million stars if I could. This was a first-time author for me and the writing was incredible. The style that the author wrote in, made me immediately connect and just FEEL Ox. Just after reading the first few pages, I felt like I knew and understood him as a character. Next, I just need to say.. emotions… emotions..emotions. This book built me up, made me laugh, made me cry, broke me, made my heart SING. The amount of love I have for this book, for the whole pack in this book, is vast. I love them all, feel connected to them all, but my love for Joe and especially Ox, is all-encompassing.
These characters will stay with me, I knew that 20% into the book and it was just strongly reiterated in my mind when I finished this book. I could list everything wonderful in this book but it would not do it justice. It is pure, sweet, hilarious, exciting, heartbreaking, and every other powerful emotion you can think of. The dynamic between all of the characters in this book is so true and powerful and resilient, it held everything else together.
Lastly, I just want to say that this book is long and it is not your typical romance. There is not sex every other chapter. But the world building, the relationship building, the pack dynamic, is everything I could ever want in a book. If you jump into this story, and please do because it is beautiful, recognize it for what it is. If you are looking for a light easy read, this is not it. But if you want something that will change the way you look at all future books, devour this as I did. This book will forever be on my reread list.
***Copy provided to Bayou Book Junkie by Dreamspinner Press for my reading pleasure in hopes of an unbiased opinion, a review was not a requirement.***
Well readers. I’m here. I made it. This book tried to break my spirit with it’s adorableness and heartbreak, but I survived. Somehow. My heart exploded a couple times and I had to use Scotch tape to piece it back together again, but I pulled through. Although quite frankly, I’m a little concerned about the state of my emotional health.
I had never heard of this novel before and knew nothing about it until it was recommended to me. To be honest, I saw that it was about werewolves and didn’t pay attention to much else. Cut to me days later completely WRECKED BY THIS BOOK. I know I’m probably scaring everyone away, BUT GUYS. IT’S SO GOOD. I just???? Oh my god.
Okay, first of all, Ox. He was my absolute favorite and such a pure, amazing character. He’s a simple, shy guy who doesn’t say a lot, but there’s so much more going on underneath the surface and I LOVED that. It was such a relatable quality to me. And his character arc over the course of the novel is so beautiful. We get to see this quiet, insecure kid grow into a wonderfully strong leader and Klune did a FAN-FREAKING-TASTIC job emphasizing this growth in his writing style. In the beginning when Ox is at his lowest, the sentences are short and clipped. There’s nothing too flowery about them and they cut right to the chase, much like Ox himself. But over the course of the book as Ox gains more family and friends and learns to love, the writing gets longer and more detailed. It’s such a subtle, small detail that makes an enormous impact. And when he finally realizes his feelings for Joe it’s just… Ugh. Heart-achingly good.
And Joe! Ahhh he’s so adorable!! Watching him befriend Ox and bring him into the Bennett family was so fun to see. And their relationship grows into something so real and raw, it made my heart hurt in the best kind of way. Plus, the secondary characters are amazing too! I absolutely loved that this wasn’t just a book about romance, it was a book about family and the definitions of family. And THANK GOD for Rico and Chris because my spirit would have been completely shattered without their excellent comedic relief.
Okay, I’m almost done gushing. I swear. But I just have to say that the writing in this book IS BEAUTIFUL. I couldn’t get enough and I think I saved like, fifteen quotes from this thing. Also, that ending was maniacal-evil-genius level stuff and I’m pretty sure my heart stopped beating for a second.
FINAL WORD
This is the longest review ever and I don’t even care because Wolfsong is worth every word. I have been SLAYED by this book, but I love it so much. A new favorite. READ. IT.
I LOVED THIS BOOK! I need more Please write another book on this couple
The best MM shifter book in 2017.