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2.5 stars.
Let me preface this with the fact that I am a BIG fan of TJ Klune. I have read several of his books and rated all of them 4.5 stars or above until this. And oh this was painful. I held on to the end hoping for things to get better, but they really didn't.
The premise and underlying emotional/relationship messages of the plot had good intentions, but the execution just about did me in. The writing has a very young voice to it with not a lot of sophistication...definitely not the style I'm used to with Klune. There is a mixture of this voice with a decent amount adult content, so it's a bit of an odd juxtaposition. There is just so much cringe to the conversations and the overall attitude of the characters. And there is a LOT of repetition in the plot. There were quite a few times where I felt like I was being beat over the head with some of the information. Very frustrating.
The characters themselves also proved problematic for me. Though the "romantic" action doesn't come to true fruition until Joe is of age, the gap between Joe and Ox and the relationship between them is uncomfortable and bordered a bit on pedophilic. It was too much for me to stomach and I really wish it would have been constructed in a way to completely avoid that kind of context.
There is levity and some of that awkward joking/snark that comes with Klune's writing territory (which was highly appreciated), but it just wasn't enough to overwhelm the general feeling of werewolf POV Twilight fan fiction. And Klune was clearly aware of this parallel as it is directly mentioned in the text as a bit of meta context. It just wasn't good.
Again, I love TJ Klune's other books and still highly recommend him as an author, but this one just wasn't it. It's a rough debut that I struggled to finish and probably rated slightly higher than I should have simply because I have some attachment to Klune and could understand where he was trying to go with the story. But phew...I'm glad it's over.
Let me preface this with the fact that I am a BIG fan of TJ Klune. I have read several of his books and rated all of them 4.5 stars or above until this. And oh this was painful. I held on to the end hoping for things to get better, but they really didn't.
The premise and underlying emotional/relationship messages of the plot had good intentions, but the execution just about did me in. The writing has a very young voice to it with not a lot of sophistication...definitely not the style I'm used to with Klune. There is a mixture of this voice with a decent amount adult content, so it's a bit of an odd juxtaposition. There is just so much cringe to the conversations and the overall attitude of the characters. And there is a LOT of repetition in the plot. There were quite a few times where I felt like I was being beat over the head with some of the information. Very frustrating.
The characters themselves also proved problematic for me. Though the "romantic" action doesn't come to true fruition until Joe is of age, the gap between Joe and Ox and the relationship between them is uncomfortable and bordered a bit on pedophilic. It was too much for me to stomach and I really wish it would have been constructed in a way to completely avoid that kind of context.
There is levity and some of that awkward joking/snark that comes with Klune's writing territory (which was highly appreciated), but it just wasn't enough to overwhelm the general feeling of werewolf POV Twilight fan fiction. And Klune was clearly aware of this parallel as it is directly mentioned in the text as a bit of meta context. It just wasn't good.
Again, I love TJ Klune's other books and still highly recommend him as an author, but this one just wasn't it. It's a rough debut that I struggled to finish and probably rated slightly higher than I should have simply because I have some attachment to Klune and could understand where he was trying to go with the story. But phew...I'm glad it's over.
2.5 stars.
A great idea for a story, but the execution just didn't pan out. There is some great character work, but the plot somewhat spins its wheels. There are some interesting time jumps, but they are such small snippets that they just don't provide enough oomph to the story. There are several interesting moments that could have been explored to really strong plot points, but everything is almost left as more of an outline than a fully fleshed out story. Similarly the ending makes a time jump and somewhat fizzles out. I wanted so much more from this than I was given.
A great idea for a story, but the execution just didn't pan out. There is some great character work, but the plot somewhat spins its wheels. There are some interesting time jumps, but they are such small snippets that they just don't provide enough oomph to the story. There are several interesting moments that could have been explored to really strong plot points, but everything is almost left as more of an outline than a fully fleshed out story. Similarly the ending makes a time jump and somewhat fizzles out. I wanted so much more from this than I was given.
A quick, light mystery/thriller read with fun undertone vibes. A bit of 70s rock and roll feel that felt somewhat reminiscent of Daisy Jones and the Six atmosphere along with some Gothic touches. An easy read with fun, small twists. They can be somewhat predictable, but they're still well calculated and I enjoyed it enough to stay up late to finish. Clearly that says something for the intrigue. There is a lack of in-depth exploration of the different story lines and things might move a bit too quickly, but it works. It wasn't a read that blew me out of the water, but it was absolutely enjoyable and worth the read. If you're looking for a good vacation read, a poolside thriller, or a pure enjoyment read to pull you out of a slump, this just might do it.
