This is the first shifter story I've read and I don't think I'm a fan of the tropes I saw in it.
The first one is not specific to these stories but it bugs me every time I see it: on one hand, Ox - the main character - is described as a little slow and rather average, probably so that readers can identify with him, or at least empathize with him. On the other hand, he accomplishes unheard-of feats, and the other characters keep telling him how unique and extraordinary he is.
To be clear, I'm not against wish fulfillment stories, or just stories where there's an obvious fantasy at play. For instance The Goblin Emperor reads like a fantasy for people who have been mistreated in the past and feel that, if they were given a lot of power, they would use it to treat other people with the kindness they didn't receive. (And also get a hyper competent and loyal secretary to help them understand social codes; ugh, the dream.) And I was very much the target audience.
But a main character that's at the same time insignificant and amazing does nothing for me.
Which brings me to the more specific tropes I disliked: wolves mate for life, and Ox is chosen by a werewolf just after he talked to him. Why? Because he's awesome! Even though he didn't do anything special at this point!
There are also Alpha wolves (a thing that is notoriously a myth a this point, on top of not being a very interesting literary device here I think), who get the devotion and the trust of the rest of their pack. Why? "Because they're the Alpha" (you can't miss it, it's repeated all the time). To be fair, the story challenges the idea that Alpha-ness is something that is only given or taken, and not something that you can develop through your own leadership. The Alpha's sense of responsibility to their pack is also a major plot point. But it seems that once you're an Alpha, it's for the rest of your life.
Also pack dynamics are barely there. There are a few conflicts that prevent the two main characters from getting together right away, but most characters are very nice and feel supernaturally drawn to the Alpha, which simplifies a lot of things.
In a nutshell, I feel like the story glosses over what makes relationships difficult to build and to maintain. There is authority without clear legitimacy. There is immediate attachment for life. And there's having a community that welcomes you with open arms because you don't realize it but you're totally amazing, and you would give your life for them.
And I get why it's enticing. I'm in my late thirties, and seeing friends or family often means planning everything weeks in advance because everyone is busy and/or lives far away and/or answers: "you know, it's complicated with kids :/" There's something so appealing about the idea of a close-knit group of loved ones living around you, that are so connected to each other that sometimes talking isn't even necessary.
But in the story, so little of it feels truly earned that it doesn't work for me.
