He smells of candy cane and pinecones. Epic and awesome.
Wolfsong
by TJ Klune
Genre: YA Fantasy
About: Oxnard has been told he's nothing his whole life, that people will give him shit. Dumb as an Ox, his father called him. But then a strange and beautiful family move into the empty house on the end of the road and somehow, miraculously, they don't think Ox is nothing, far from it.
The Good
The voice is devastatingly good. Ox is endearing from page one and we get to watch him grow from boy to man to...?
And the descriptions of how packs are formed and how bonds are felt is beautiful. It's simple and primal and after getting further and further into the book, I found myself holding my three-month-old, smelling him and feeling his warmth, and thinking PackSonLove.
The Bad
I loved the first half of the book, it was fast paced and vivid and the characters were awesome. The second half though was a bit weaker. An event happens which slows the pace and when the event eventually resolves, there's a lot (and I mean a lot) of angry/upset dialogue and lines repeat themselves over and over until they lose their impact.
Also the antagonist is the archetypal of the 'I'm evil and invincible' variety. We do get some background on him, but I did find it a bit implausible how powerful and elusive the bastard was.
The Somewhat Iffy
Young Adult novels (especially fantasies) tend to have quite possessive romances. You're mine. I'm yours. Would literally die for you etc. And this novel is no different. Even starting crazy young with the two future lovers meeting aged 10 and aged 16... But I think the nature of the story and how family bonds and choice is heavily emphasised does make the possessiveness a bit less toxic. And the sex scenes (which are very graphic) don't start until they're both consenting adults.
Overall
A really unique and enjoyable story. The characters are funny and warm and there's a strong feeling of family and love that just flows from the pages.
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