This was a whole mixed bag! As always, Klune's character development, dialogue and themes were really strong. The characters were extremely lovable and you could feel a sense of belonging with them - I always form the best relationships with books that are like that. Having said that, it is just a gay werewolf romance with a HUGE sprawling, at times unnecessary, backstory. I think if this was your first introduction to Klune's writing, you might be disengaged to read more, as it's not his most vibrant work.

I couldn't put this book down. It's a lovely found-family, coming-of-age, small-town romance with gay werewolves who have near constant drama. There was literally always something going on, whether they were preparing for a fight or just progressing character development and relationships, and it made it difficult to stop reading. Plus I adored pretty much all of the characters and wanted more interactions between any and all of them.

I do have to say that the blurb sucks though - thankfully I didn't read it until I was around 33% (150 pages-ish) in and it still mentioned a lot of stuff in there that hadn't happened yet and was quite spoiler-y, so my advice for maximum enjoyment is to not read it.

I loved Ox as a main character because he was such a no nonsense sorta guy. And I loved the whole Bennett family and their immediate acceptance and love for Ox. The guys at the garage were all lovely also.

Wolfsong is the first book in The Green Creek adult romantasy genre. While I am not a huge fan of werewolf stories, T J Klune has a beautiful way with words that draws you in, which is just as well as this book comes in at over 500 pages. It follows Ox, a young brow beaten boy with zero confidence due to verbal abuse and abandonment by his father. Then something special happens for Ox with the arrival of the Bennett family. He feels a kinship and is drawn to their loyalty. A new life opens up that is so different to the quiet mundane one experienced to date. He develops a close bond with the youngest family member Joe. However, when something awful happens in town the Bennetts leave, and Ox is heartbroken. Three years after their departure, he runs into Joe, all grown up into a handsome man and he cannot help but feel the attraction and hear the wolfsong. As per Klune's other novels, this one has good LGBTQIA representation. If LGBTQIA romantasy is your thing then this book and series is for you. #wolfsong #tjklune #netgalley

This book sounded right up my alley and some friends kept recommending this paranormal romance series to me, so I was sure I was going to love it. So you can imagine how disappointed I am when I say I didn’t enjoy it at all. First of all, let me preface this review by saying i don’t mind age gap romances when both characters are adults. Ox is sixteen when he meets a ten-year-old Joe and although nothing romantic happens between them until Joe is seventeen, seeing a teenage Ox referring to a kid as his best friend and normalizing Joe’s reactions when Ox spends time with his girlfriend was already weird.

Ox then starts lusting for (his words, not mine) Joe when the former is twenty-three and the latter is seventeen, which again was a choice. And if that was already making me feel uncomfortable, the fact that Ox keeps reminding that Joe is still a teenager didn’t help. I understand that the author wanted to develop a friendship between them first and show the readers the emotional impact they had on each other when they were younger, but I think he could have done it with the characters being the same age instead of trying to justify their dynamic by saying it is a werewolf thing.

Romance aside, this book could have been 200 pages shorter. The last third of the book was very repetitive—Ox having daddy issues and repeating every few pages that he isn’t enough, everyone telling him that he is worth it, some characters trying to justify why they were gone for three years—and the plot didn’t move forward until the last 60 pages, when Ox goes and makes the most stupid decision ever. If you and your people have been preparing for the enemy coming to your territory for a long time and you say several times that he cannot be trusted, why do you sacrifice yourself just because the villain makes you a promise that you recognize he is not going to keep? It didn’t make any sense.

Overall, this book wasn’t for me. I didn’t like most of the characters and I definitely wasn’t a fan of the romance. I’ll read the next one as it follows the only character I actually liked in Wolfsong and because I’m kind curious to know more about the witches, but I honestly don’t see myself reading the rest of the series.

Gays and Werewolves... need I say more. I absolutely adore everything TJ writes and Wolfsong was no different. Though not as good as House by the Cerulean Sea in my opinion, it is still a beautifully gay and fantastical world and will need to get my butt into gear and read the next in the series!

My rating:⭐⭐⭐⭐

When I told a friend I had this book to read, she told me that she had been surprised by the graphic sex scenes in it as the other books she'd read by T J Klune have been heartwarming and cosy.  I started reading Wolfsong, and sent my friend a message saying that it read like it would be spicy in the sex scenes.  When I was reading the longest sex scene, I sent my friend a message because graphic is the word for that sex scene!

I liked the way T J Klune (no, this isn't going to be about the sex scenes, i've said enough) described the family, and how important touch is for them, solidifying then together.

I was at about 30% through this book and honestly wondered what more could happen, I thought I knew what was going to come, and I was really wrong!

It's got found family, a lot of love, romantic, friend and family, and a big dose of magic (you thought I was going to say sex, didn't you).

I was given this book in exchange for an unbiased review, so my thanks to NetGalley and to Pan Macmillan.

I love Klune's books. Every single one of them: there is something warm in them, and the humor... and.... damn, the writing is so good!

Well, this was an interesting one. I went in with a “well, I like werewolf stories, so let’s give this a go”, and finished thinking “ok, you should all probably go and read this now!”

It’s about found family, loyalty, love, grief and healing.

Oxnard (Ox) narrates the story about how he meets a young boy who has moved into the house at the bottom of his remote country lane. They form a close friendship very quickly, and the boy (Joe) gives Ox a small stone Wolf as a gift. The true nature of the gift isn’t clear for a few years, and in that time Ox learns just who and what the Bennett family are. He goes from believing he’s stupid and worthless, to being an important, integral member of the Bennett pack - a family of werewolves.

Something terrible happens, and the family fragments in two: whilst one half (including Joe) go off on an arduous adventure, Ox remains behind to protect who is left along with the Bennett territory.

This does get pretty graphically violent, I’ll warn you now, but it’s in context - and these are wolves!

I was utterly beguiled by this story - and I’m glad that I have the next in the series to head to already! I’d like to know how Ox and Joe are getting on as newly mated wolves - and who we’ll learn more about in the next book, Ravensong (I have my suspicions!).

Green Creek is a small town, but it's the only place Ox knows as home. When a new family moves in next door, Ox finds out there is more to his friends than meets the eye.

I received a free copy from Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.

The story follows Ox Matheson from a kid through to adulthood. He's the sweetest guy, but since his dad abandoned them, Ox has been under the impression that he's not good enough. Although it's just him and his mum, Ox starts to learn that family doesn't have to mean blood-relatives. First, when he starts working for the local garage, and bonds with the other guys.
Then when the Bennett family move in next door, Ox gets a different type of pack.

Ox is neurodiverse, and I loved how faithfully the narrative stayed in keeping with that. It was wonderful to see things the way Ox does. The fear of being different, and not always being able to read signals and social cues that seem so easy for others. Linked with his issues with his father abandoning him, Ox finds it hard to trust that people like him, and will stick around.
Throughout the book, Ox is a beacon of innocent goodness and hope. He finds so much beauty in the world around him.

Then there's the werewolves. Honestly, I think this would be a great book without the supernatural element - but werewolves always makes things better!

There is an instant shift in dynamics when the Bennett family move in - they are big, and boisterous, connect with the quite Ox so quickly, him and his mum are soon part of the pack.
It was heartwarming watching Ox realise how big his family really is. He's just so accepting of everyone, and always sees that best in those around him.

The main romantic aspect took a while to get going, which is a good thing. Joe recognises Ox as his mate when they are 10 and 16 respectively.
Ox isn't aware of this - he and Joe become best friends, until Joe grows up and Ox starts to notice him in a different light.
The age difference, and growing up together, made it a little awkward at first, but it ends up being really sweet. They take things slowly, but there's this connection between them, you know they're endgame.

Plot wise, I wasn't totally sold on the necessity of Joe leaving Green Creek on his mission. I thought it was too long and it was hard to believe he'd leave his home and family.
On the other hand, time apart allowed Ox to really mature and come into his own. I loved Ox's side of the story, and was cheering for him throughout.

I really enjoyed this book, and I'm looking forward to the next one in the series.

I can only give this 5 stars because it was epic and awesome and I stayed up all night to finish it.

I got all the feels reading this one, thoroughly on board with candy canes, pinecones, epic and awesome! This is my 6th TJ Klune book and for a first in a series it has everything that will keep me reading.

We were killing it with the found family vibes in this one, its one of my favourite tropes and I was here for the warm fuzzies! I also very much enjoyed the romance, I had a few concerns when the tether was first discovered and the ages and the pushiness that i read, but I think I was misunderstanding the dynamics, once I was past that I was fully on board! I loved how the story progressed, there was so many heart-breaking moments and then many that I could have cheered for!

I am SO excited to move onto Ravensong!!!

Unfortunately this one was a miss for me.
Felt like Twilight reimagined and I was so close to DNFing it too many times I could count

I have no idea why it took me so long to get to this book because omg I loved it. I adore found family and this had it in spades. The only thing I didn’t quite like was the romance aspect and how it officially started when joe was underage (17). I am glad it got into motion when they were both adults,

I just really liked Ox and how he developed. I got used to the style of writing just because the plot was so good. I am definitely interested in reading more in this universe.

Huge fan of TJ Klune's work but am slightly ashamed to say how long it took me to read this one even though its been out for ages. It got a revamp and I finally picked it up.
It's a very cute homely read and I've heard people sobbing, yes I did shed a tear but not as much as I was expecting to. I will be reading on in the series though because I thoroughly enjoyed this one. He knocked it out of the park again

I have loved all of the TJ Klune books I have read so far, with the combination of LGBTQIA love stories and magical fantasy worlds producing some wonderful characters and worldbuilding. So, I snapped up a copy of Wolfsong ready for some sexy werewolf action with some beautiful literary style.

Unfortunately, while this book does deliver in theory, in practice the constant repetition of key words and phrases, designed to really hammer home the emotional bonds and unspoken communication methods became wearisome quite quickly. I felt at times like I was reading writing prompts or spelling corrections instead of a story, as the text chanted ‘pack pack pack, brother, son, love’ at me, and the amount of ‘Joe, Ox, Joe, Ox, yeah Joe’ packed into the dialogue felt authentic to the characters as presented, but didn’t make for sparkling banter.

And, of course, there was the huge stumbling block of a child (10) mate-bonding with a teenager (16) at first sight. This threw me so badly that I stopped reading and headed for the reviews to see whether I had missed or misunderstood something. I hadn’t. Of course, there is no romantic consummation until both main characters are of age, but the early start to their emotional attraction still felt innately wrong to me. And the plot device that kept them apart until older just felt completely contrived – Joe goes off on a quest that makes no sense in any way, most people are against, and it turns out to be ultimately pointless. It was very frustrating!

The book contains two graphic sex scenes and two or three action/fighting scenes, but other than these brief blips of activity the story feels like lots and lots of Ox’s self-loathing and self-doubt, held together with lots of repetition (did I mention the repetition? Pack, pack, pack!). Which is a shame because I did really love Ox’s character, and the wolf mythology, and the concept of humans and witches being able to pack bond, so the concepts are really promising. It’s just the writing feeling so drawn out and, you know, repetitive.

So, this one just isn’t for me. Luckily there are plenty of non-Green Creek TJ Klune books to keep me going!

Absolutely loved this book, T J Klune is a mastermind! Cannot wait to read the others in the ser8es! Would definitely recommend!

"Candy canes, pine cones and epic and awesome!"

This was quite different to The House on the Cerulean Sea, primarily because it's a romance at heart, with plenty of adventure mixed in. Despite this several of the themes are familiar, the LGBT representation, the found family, the power of all types of love and friendship. While the majority of Cerulean Sea is like a warm hug, Wolfsong delves deeply into the complexity of relationships, friendship, family, romantic and sexual. Ox, a young boy with poor self-esteem finds new acceptance with the Bennett family, recently returned to his town after a mysterious absence. Ox forms a close friendship with the youngest Bennett, Joe. A boy with a troubled past and old trauma beneath the surface and slowly Ox and his mother are embraced as part of the Bennett pack, because, incidentally, the family are werewolves.

There is some really subtle character development here as, first Ox, then Joe navigate puberty and adulthood alongside the changes that happen to Joe as he comes into his werewolf birthright. This is the heart of the novel, alongside Ox's powerful journey to confidence and self-worth. Both characters are also petty, jealous and occasionally cruel, these are flawed but brilliant characters. But lets not forget that it is a story also crammed with adventure, humour, darkness and a plot that spans decades. There are sections where the action, deliberately, ebbs. It's testament to Klune's control that these are just as engaging.

Hugely enjoyable, heartbreaking, laugh-out loud funny. A joy.

T J Klune has done it again - he’s made me fall in love with a book. This is a bit different to his other works I’ve read but I loved the shifter element! Cannot wait to read more from this author

Ah this book gave me that teenager reading Twilight nostalgia! Except its all werewolves and gay and super cute. Ox is a boy who has always been told he's dumb, stupid and will have a difficult life because of it. But then he meets Joe, a child who brings him back to his family who have moved in next door. Ox is introduced to a whole new life. This book is peak found family and I am here for it. It really pulls at your heartstrings. It covers about a 11 year period of time which I really loved!

It's definitely a different style to the other TJ Klune books I've read but that man definitely knows how to make me emotional through his words no matter the genre. Ox is such a cinnamon roll and I loved his story.

Was I excited to read this? Yes. Have I gone and bought a lovely new hardcover copy of this title? Also Yes!

The Green Creek series has been on my 'to read' list for a couple of years so I knew I wanted to read this new Tor published version. I wasn't sure what it was going to be about, other than werewolves. That's all I knew about it.

I am so glad I went into this not knowing too much, because it was a revelation. I really enjoyed the writing TJ Klune had in this story. The characters are endearing and it was interesting and heartbreaking.

I did go straight out and pick up the nex three books in the series, and I will be picking up lovely hardcover copies as soon as they are on sale. I enjoyed the whole series immensly even though this first book was not my favourite.

There was an element of emotional manipulation but as I saw it coming, I'll forgive Klune. There is also a deal of repetition, so necessary and emotionally powerful and some that I felt made the book overly long and unnecessary.

Overall, a lovely series I was so happy to have read.