Title: Heartsong
Series: Green Creek, #3
Author: TJ Klune
Publisher: Tor Books
Publication date: October 22, 2019 (new hardcover to be published January 2024)
Length: 464 pages
Genre: Fantasy
Source: Purchased
Rating:

The Bennett family has a secret: They’re not just a family, they’re a pack. Heartsong is Robbie Fontaine’s story.

All Robbie Fontaine ever wanted was a place to belong. After the death of his mother, he bounces around from pack to pack, forming temporary bonds to keep from turning feral. It’s enough—until he receives a summons from the wolf stronghold in Caswell, Maine. Life as the trusted second to Michelle Hughes—the Alpha of all—and the cherished friend of a gentle old witch teaches Robbie what it means to be pack, to have a home. But when a mission from Michelle sends Robbie into the field, he finds himself questioning where he belongs and everything he’s been told.

Whispers of traitorous wolves and wild magic abound—but who are the traitors and who the betrayed? More than anything, Robbie hungers for answers, because one of those alleged traitors is Kelly Bennett—the wolf who may be his mate.

The truth has a way of coming out. And when it does, everything will shatter.

The Green Creek Series is for adult readers.

Oh my goodness. TJ Klune does it again.

Heartsong, the 3rd book in the author’s powerful Green Creek series, continues the emotional roller coaster introduced in the previous books, Wolfsong and Ravensong. Here, the story is told through the point of view of Robbie Fontaine, a werewolf who joined the Bennett pack at a time of huge trauma and upheaval to the family. Despite his newcomer status, Robbie soon found a place to belong and formed the bonds he’d been looking for all his life.

But as Heartsong opens, Robbie isn’t with the Bennetts at all. He’s in Maine at the stronghold of another Alpha, Michelle Hughes, lovingly fostered by Michelle’s witch, a kindly old man named Ezra. For the reader, this is all very confusing. Why did Robbie leave the Bennett pack? When is this even happening? And why does Robbie seem so… off?

It turns out that our confusion mirrors Robbie’s — something isn’t right here. And as the story progresses, we learn that mind-control magic is at play, and that truly terrible things have occurred.

I’ll keep the plot points as vague as I can, to avoid spoilers. Eventually, Robbie does find his way back to the Bennetts, but even then, he doesn’t know who he truly is, where he belongs, and what all these people — who claim him as pack — might want with him. And yet, there are sparks when the pack Alphas are near, and he can’t help feeling drawn to Kelly Bennett in particular, even though he has no memory of him.

My heart absolutely ached for Robbie, for Kelly, and the rest of the pack, and the more we learn about the events leading up to this point, the more painful it all became. The characters here are so well-drawn that at this point in the series, I feel like I know (and love) them all. So please, stop making bad things happen to them!! (Sigh — a lack of danger might lead to less enthralling storytelling, but at least they’d all be happy.)

Heartsong has moments of terrible danger and violence, as well as the unique brand of laugh-out-loud dialogue that’s amazing throughout the series. And of course, I was too wrapped up in reading to stop and highlight, so these little bits are only scratching the surface:

“If you’re trying to make me feel sorry for you, it’s not working.”

“I’m not.”

“Goddammit. It’s totally working.”

“Does he know we can hear him?” I whispered to Kelly.

“Yeah,” Kelly said. “He just doesn’t care. He says it’s part of his charm, but that can’t be right.”

There’s a scene involving a cold, soup, and balloons that’s honestly one of the best things I’ve ever read. For real.

What more can I say about this series? The depth of feeling and emotional connections are so beautifully portrayed, and I can never not tear up when the pack comes together to comfort and support one another. Ugh, basically, these books leave me all weepy and messy… but in the best way possible.

PackBrotherLoveFriend

Just that one little phrase gets me all emotional again…

Heartsong is a terrific addition to the Green Creek series, and sets up what I anticipate will be the big, final showdown in a powerful way. I absolutely love the mix of personal connection and action set-pieces, and above all, simply adore the Bennett pack.

If you haven’t already, I urge you to give Wolfsong a try! I can pretty much guarantee you’ll want to keep going.

For about half a minute after finishing Heartsong, I was pretty sure I’d hold off for a few months before reading the next (and last) book in the series, to make the experience last longer. But who was I trying to kid? There’s no way I’m going to wait!

As I mentioned in my review of Ravensong, Tor Books is reissuing the entire Green Creek series in gorgeous hardcover editions. All books are available now as ebooks; the new hardcover editions of Wolfsong and Ravensong are both available as well, and the hardcover editions of the last two books will be released in 2024 (Heartsong in January; Brothersong in July).

And yes, in case you’re wondering, I plan on having all four hardcovers on my bookshelves!

Save