Review: Ravensong by TJ Klune

Title: Ravensong

Series: Green Creek: Book Two

Author: TJ Klune

Length: 400 Pages

Category: Fantasy, Shifters

At a Glance: I was not surprised in the least by how much I loved this book. And you guys won’t be either. Klune’s signature mix of humor and heart-shredding angst make this another unforgettable reading experience.

Reviewed By: Jules

Blurb: Gordo Livingstone never forgot the lessons carved into his skin. Hardened by the betrayal of a pack who left him behind, he sought solace in the garage in his tiny mountain town, vowing never again to involve himself in the affairs of wolves.

It should have been enough.

And it was, until the wolves came back, and with them, Mark Bennett. In the end, they faced the beast together as a pack… and won.

Now, a year later, Gordo has found himself once again the witch of the Bennett pack. Green Creek has settled after the death of Richard Collins, and Gordo constantly struggles to ignore Mark and the song that howls between them.

But time is running out. Something is coming. And this time, it’s crawling from within.

Some bonds, no matter how strong, were made to be broken.

Review: packpackpack

God, it felt good to be back in Green Creek, with the wolves, and their witch, and the amazing humans who became part of their pack. I just checked my Kindle, and I have nearly fifty passages highlighted in this book, but I probably still can’t even begin to tell you everything I loved about it. At least not without using a ton of clichés. So, get ready for phrases like, “Klune is a master storyteller” and “Ravensong was everything I hoped it would be and more.” This much-anticipated follow up to Wolfsong starts with a look back at a pivotal scene from that first book, but from Gordo’s point of view. So, if you haven’t recently read or listened to Wolfsong (though, if you’re like me…you have), then it might be a really good idea to take the time to do that. Either way, though, once you start Ravensong you are not going to want to put it down; it’s that fantastic.

Told in flashbacks mixed with present day, the structure of the story is such a huge part of what makes it so special and unique and engaging. In some books I’ve found a similar back and forth style to be off-putting, but it works so well both here and in Wolfsong. I love the scenes with young Gordo, growing up with Rico, Tanner, and Chris. It made their bonds and relationships feel that much deeper and stronger. And we see that they have always been completely ridiculous and hilarious and awesome. And, of course, I loved seeing the first interactions between Gordo and Mark. I would have loved to see more of them together, though. It feels like we’re still missing a chunk of their relationship. We got to see how they met, and how Mark became almost instantly taken with Gordo and believed him to be his mate. And, we were filled in on Mark, Thomas, Elizabeth and the rest of the family leaving and how that affected Gordo, and him and Mark as a pair. But, I wish the in between had been a bit more fleshed out. That’s my only beef about the book, though—and really, it’s just because I always selfishly want more. 😊

This book is very much Gordo’s book. I LOVED being in his head and having his POV. And, it was so great getting to delve into his and Mark’s story at last. Mainly, though, Ravensong is about Gordo’s anger toward the wolves. We knew he was an angry, grumpy asshole—but, in Ravensong we find out why. That anger, righteous though it may be, along with Gordo’s stubbornness, has kept him away from a huge part of his life for far too long. The majority of this book is about him making his way back. He has so much he needs to let go of, to forgive, at times he still feels impossibly far away from putting the pieces back together. But, time is running out and a dark magic that is infecting some of the omegas hits way too close to home.

Klune steps it up even more in this one in terms of writing action sequences. There were scenes that absolutely took my breath away with their imagery and the way they dropped me directly into the fray. And, there was SO much badassery in this book. Gordo is such a fucking badass. And there were so many badass chicks. Elizabeth, Jessie, Rico’s new girlfriend…all kicking ass and taking names. Sometimes including the guys in their pack! Here was a fabulous moment from Jessie:

“Men. You’re fucking idiots. Why the hell do you think, Gordo? Look. I don’t pretend to know a thing about you and Mark. I don’t care what happened to you guys or what turned you into this asshole who’s so used to pretending he doesn’t hurt like the rest of us that he doesn’t see that we’re absolutely done with his bullshit. If this happens, if what that bitch told us is true, you’re going to need us Gordo. We’re your friends. You need us as much as we need you.”

I mentioned above that this was very much Gordo’s book. And, it is. But, I also really love how much of an ensemble piece Ravensong is. We get tons of Ox, Joe, Carter, Kelly, Robbie (and his ridiculous glasses), Elizabeth, Rico, Tanner, Chris, and Jessie, as well as some awesome new characters, who I hope we see even more of in the future books. And, trust me…every single one of them was needed to face the evil that’s thrust upon them in this story.

I was not surprised in the least by how much I loved this book. And you guys won’t be either. Klune’s signature mix of humor and heart-shredding angst make this another unforgettable reading experience. I can’t wait to read it again, and again, while I wait for Elizabeth’s story, Lovesong, to break me in September, and then Heartsong next year!

You can buy Ravensong here:
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