Ravensong is Gordo Livingstone’s, the mechanic/witch introduced in Wolfsong, story.
Destined to be the Bennett pack’s witch since childhood, Gordo spent his childhood having the necessary tattoos etched into his skin, preparing for the day he would take his rightful place. When tragedy strikes, however, the pack abandons him, and Gordo finds work in the town garage, swearing to himself to never have anything to do with wolves again. Especially not Mark Bennett, the man who he is apparently Fated to be the Mate of. (You can tell this because apparently Mark thinks Gordo smells so extra-special yummy; it’s a thing apparently with werewolves in this series, where they all think their mates smells amazing, and they’re the only ones who can smell it).
This works fantastically until the pack comes back. And then promptly splinters, and Gordo has to go on a revenge quest. (Why? ‘Cause reasons, that’s why.)
Now a year later, Gordo is actually the witch of the Bennett pack, juggling his duties there, his job at the garage, and trying to avoid Mark as much as possible. But of course, that’s when it all goes south; something is happening to werewolves, and it’s going to change everything.
I usually really enjoy TJ Klune’s writing, but for some reason this series is just not 100% gelling with me. Maybe it’s because I’m mensa mens about werewolves as occult creatures to begin with, maybe it’s because this series is just so angst-ridden; I don’t know. I don’t hate it, and I found it at times mildly enjoyable, but I think the The House in the Cerulean Sea duology and Under the Whispering Door are just better books.
Gordo as a side character was enjoyable, in a Bobby Singer kind of way; grumpy but with a heart of gold underneath it all.
(Even if this is him to most of the town throughout both books.)
Gordo as a main? I felt like I was listening to “The Story of Us”.
There comes a time when you’re angry today just because you were angry yesterday, and at times I think he hit that 10 years ago. Never mind the ubiquitous “I don’t want to be with you, and I don’t care what happens to yo-what the ever-lovin’ eff do you mean you’ve moved on? Did I mean nothing to you? What does it matter I’ve had one night stands and this is as far as I can tell the first non-me person you’ve been with? Why are you acting like that matters?” (Though the “other man” is on my list of “can’t die soon enough in this series”, along with one or two others.)
Mark is just so there; there is really no other way to describe him than there, other than continuing proof that to be with a Klune werewolf you should really buy stock in dental floss, as you’ll really need it.
The other characters were varying degrees of enjoyable. Ox is just so stoic,
Joe is, as Gordo puts it:
And Joe, good to know you’re over the whole back away from my man thing. I thought you were going to piss on Ox.
Chris, Tucker, Rico (Gordo’s friends and employees at the garage) and Chris’s sister Jessie are probably even more enjoyable characters than Gordo. And I agree with Elizabeth, Joe’s mother; she and Jessie are the smartest people in the pack, because the men of Green Creek are dumbasses. (If nothing else is a check in Elizabeth’s plus column, she utters the mother’s classic of” I brought you into this world. I will take you out of it”.) Rico’s girlfriend Bambi is also a pleasure; whatever preconceived notion you have of what a woman named “Bambi” would be like, I can bet you it’s not what Bambi is actually like. Meanwhile, Joe’s older brothers Carter and Kelly I can’t help but see as these two:
Of course nothing is completely resolved (this is a tetralogy, after all), and there are big final act reveals that set the stage for the rest of the series. Like how is Green Creek going to now handle the events of this book? You can not sweep this all under the rug.
Will I read the rest off the series? Yes; heck, I just bought the last two books so I can read them somewhat soon. Do I think this series is going to become some of my favorite Klune books? No. But they’re still reasonably enjoyable, there are quite a few funny lines, and I am curious how it will all end.
Your pack will howl you home. All you need to do is listen for their song.
