ARC Review: Brothersong by TJ Klune

In the ruins of Caswell, Maine, Carter Bennett learned the truth of what had been right in front of him the entire time. And then it—he—was gone. 

Desperate for answers, Carter takes to the road, leaving family and the safety of his pack behind, all in the name of a man he only knows as a feral wolf. But therein lies the danger: wolves are pack animals, and the longer Carter is on his own, the more his mind slips toward the endless void of Omega insanity. 

But he pushes on, following the trail left by Gavin. 

Gavin, the son of Robert Livingstone. The half-brother of Gordo Livingstone. 

What Carter finds will change the course of the wolves forever. Because Gavin’s history with the Bennett pack goes back further than anyone knows, a secret kept hidden by Carter’s father, Thomas Bennett. 

And with this knowledge comes a price: the sins of the fathers now rest upon the shoulders of their sons. 

Read my review of the previous novel in the series:
Wolfsong (#1)
Ravensong (#2)
Heartsong (#3)

BROTHERSONG IS SET FOR PUBLICATION 13 OCTOBER!
PREORDER THE NOVEL HERE:
AMAZON | APPLE BOOKS | KOBO

Thank you very much to TJ Klune for providing a copy of his novel in exchange for an honest review.

This is a spoiler-free review.

The first TJ Klune novel I had ever read was Wolfsong, back in 2017. This novel was like a revelation to me, as, for the first time ever, I was reading about queer characters in paranormal fiction akin to Twilight. Although this book was angsty as all hell, there was a lot of heart and romance to it, and this little queer fell in love with Klune’s books from there on out.

From the amazingly realistic characters, to the heartbreaking plotlines, to the discussions around forgiveness, accepting oneself and the importance of family — both blood and found — that these books facilitate, the Green Creek series is truly something special. Brothersong, the conclusion to this super gay, heartbreaking and wonderful series, was the culmination of all those amazing elements into one 500 page novel. You’ve never read a series ender like Brothersong, I can promise you that.

Brothersong is Carter’s story. The eldest Bennett brother, Carter is known for his funny one-liners and attempts to break tension; he’s known for his over-protective big brother routine; and he’s known for being someone the entire pack, especially Kelly, can rely on. But in Brothersong, we see a completely different side from Carter than we have seen before. We start to realise that although Carter is constantly there for everyone in his pack, it’s extremely rare that he has anyone — or allows anyone — to be there for him, because he has to be the protector. It’s almost like he’s put on this facade for so many years and while he’s travelling by himself, desperately struggling to prevent himself from becoming an Omega, Carter is vulnerable and defenceless. Until he finds a certain someone…

Although we’ve technically only been waiting for Brotherong for about a year, I’ve been waiting for it since the conclusion of Ravensong, when it was revealed that Carter had a very unique mate who begins to live with the pack: a gigantic, loveable and feral Timberwolf. Its not until Heartsong that the Timberwolf’s identity was revealed … and I think I’m correct in saying the fandom lost their collective minds.

Even before we come to love Gavin as a human, I already adored him as a wolf. His behaviour was so cute and a little charming, but in Brothersong he’s even more adorable. But that’s nothing compared to how wonderful he is as a human, and reading his interactions with the pack was so wholesome, and will definitely make you shed a tear or two or a hundred. His face is in a permanent scowl, he prefers to go around naked, and he’s shy around people — what’s not to love?

For months, TJ has said that this is a book about brothers first and foremost, and that is definitely true. The interactions between Carter, Kelly and Joe and, later, Gordo and Gavin, will have you simultaneously laughing and crying. There’s a particular scene (that I obviously won’t go into too much detail about) that I’m glad Klune wrote as it’s a discussion I believe the three Bennett brothers have needed to have for a while now, around feeling excluded.

By far my favourite scenes of the novel are those that involve Gavin and Gordo’s relationship development. We all know Gordo is a grumpy motherfucker with a heart of gold, but his feelings surrounding Gavin were certainly strained after he finds out the wolf’s identity in Heartsong. This mainly has to do with the brothers’ father, but I was especially keen to read about Gordo’s reaction to Gavin as a human. Trust me when I say the wait is worth it.

Just because this book focuses so much on brotherly bonding doesn’t mean it leaves out a different type of bonding, if you catch my drift. Carter and Gavin’s romance is beyond beautiful and exceeded all my expectations. I’d kind of guessed at what their relationship would be like before reading the novel, and you have no idea how vindicated I felt when I realised I was right. Again, I won’t spoil anything, but if you think Gordo is a scowling little shit, just wait until you meet his baby brother.

I’m not going to lie, the plot is sad for a good portion of the novel. It certainly gets lighter, and it’s nowhere near as devastating as Heartsong or even Ravensong, but it’s still a tearjerker. That being said, there’s amazing moments of lightness and happiness with characters (not just Gavin and Carter, wink-wink) falling in love, families growing, and the pack coming together. You’re going to cry, but they’ll be happy tears. And the way each character’s own personal story was wrapped up was magnificent.

The Green Creek series has been a journey of love and acceptance, and I know so many readers feel this way too. TJ Klune has created something so powerful and beautiful with this series, if the way it’s touched so many people’s lives is any indication. What will stick with me forever is that family can mean whatever you want it to, that no matter how hard your life may be right now, there’s always a light at the end of the tunnel, and that us queers deserve our own happily ever afters too. Thank you, TJ. 🧡❤️💚💜