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.
Having loved House in the Cerulean Sea and Under the Whispering Door I was delighted to be offered the opportunity to be part of the blog tour for this book and super excited when a copy arrived through my door. My initial impression was that it was chunkier than I had expected and that the cover art is stunning!
This is actually the start of the re-release of the Green Creek series but I hadn't read them before and earlier editions are out of print. I think it showed a little bit that this was written earlier then Cerulean Sea and Whispering Door – in places the writing didn't seem quite as polished and there a few things that I found a little jarring at points- primarily Joe when we first meet him. He's supposed to be 10 years old but his actions and behaviours didn't match those of any 10 year olds I know (and having a 10 year old I know a few) instead he read as much younger – around 5 or 6 (I'm the proud owner of a 6 year old too) and it didn't sit quite right. As Joe aged this became less of a problem.
That aside this book pulled me into its world and the lives of the people of Green Creek. Ox was a darling and I found myself completely on his side from page 1. I adored his relationship with his mum and the way she always encouraged him to be true to himself and the best he could be without ever putting him down.
His sheer joy at finding true friendship and acceptance with the Bennetts is both joyful and heart-breaking. Klune is an absolute master at tugging on heartstrings and there were multiple points during this book when I found myself with eyes full of tears.
The paranormal side of the story is well crafted, I loved the werewolf lore that Klune uses and builds on. The pack bonds we cleverly used and described and the whole thing just worked. It felt perfectly normal that there would be a family of werewolves move in – because most of the time that's what they were – a perfectly normal family (apart from the unusual amount to physical contact) they has traditions and family expectations as any other family does.
At its heart this is a book about growing up, finding out who you are and want to become and the connections we make along the way. I thoroughly enjoyed it.
Wolfsong is available now
With thanks to Black Crow PR and Tor for sending me a copy in exchange for honest review
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