Review ~ Wolfsong by TJ Klune

Book Description:

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 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.

Buy Links:

Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/2cYS8vi

Amazon US: http://amzn.to/2cukfov

Our Review:

Reviewed by Donna ~ 4.5 stars

 

“Your first mistake was underestimating me. My pack. I may be human, but I run with wolves.”

This is my first book by TJ Klune and it certainly won’t be my last. This is a MM paranormal shifter romance, not my usual genre by any stretch of the imagination but there was something that called out to me to read, it actually screamed “read this book,” and I am so glad that I listened.

Wolfsong is a fairly long book, however it didn’t read that way. Once I began this journey with Ox and Joe there was no going back. TJ Klune, with his atmospheric and evocative writing totally consumed my every thought as he transported me with words to a small town, these two houses and the woods that surrounded them. Woods that harboured a lot of secrets, none more so than about the family that lived next door, just down the lane.

“It should have been obvious what they were, but then I wasn’t looking for the incredible buried in the ordinary.”

Wolfsong is a story of family, the strength of a family unit, the camaraderie between siblings, the battles, the fight through adversity but most of all, love. That all-encompassing love that no matter the circumstances we feed off it, we thrive on it, but most of all we need it. Where no matter your sexual orientation, whether you’re man or beast, the heart knows who the heart wants and who the hell are we to tell it it’s wrong. This is not a book inundated with sex scenes, there are a few that were written extremely well but this book centres on the characters, their emotions, their feelings and their well-being and for me, this was extremely refreshing.

“There was never anyone else for me. Because even if you couldn’t hear me when I called for you, the howl in my heart was always meant for you.”

Ox was a boy that had little to no self-worth, his father had really done a doozy on him as a child and his father’s parting pearls of wisdom had laid heavy in his heart and mind. He was twelve when his father walked away and never looked and since then it was just Ox and his mum. His mum worked hard to keep a roof over their head but Ox was now the man of the house and he took his responsibilities seriously. There were only two houses in his little lane and the house at the end had been vacant for a very long time, though one day, there was movement, there was a family but most importantly there was a little boy, a little boy called Joe.

Joe Bennett was a young boy that had been through a lot in his little short life, a boy that never spoke until he met Ox. Once Joe and Ox’s paths cross, Joe makes up for his time being mute with never ending dialogue that at times leaves Ox begging for mercy but brings nothing but smiles and joy to his family. Joe’s family takes Ox and his mother under their wings but it soon becomes apparent that not all is at it seems in Joe’s household.

“It was candy canes and pinecones. It was epic and awesome. And it was home.”

The Bennett’s were shifters and their absence was enforced to protect those around them. Now evil forces are destined to rip this family apart and Ox soon finds himself in the mix. That is what happens when a shifter gives you his wolf.

“The bonds were there. Between us. The bond to my Alpha. The bond to my Joe.”

This was a beautiful story that contained a lot of a characters, none superfluous to the story but some that gave this a little fantasy feel too. Where witches/wizards and shifters unite to protect and fight for good versus evil. Where two boys become friends and eventually become each other’s lives, literally. When connections are made for life and love is forever. This is a book about bonds, bonds that are unbreakable, this is a book about love, loss and tragedy, where the hugest hearts make the hugest sacrifices but the underlying message remains the same, love conquers all. A fantastic story and one that will take a piece of my heart with it.

“I told you guys, I’m a witch. I’m not a Jedi.”