Reviews with content warning for Mental illness - Once There Were Wolves

My IRL book club read this and overall, we really enjoyed it. I loved that I was immediately immersed in the story. It had short chapters (thank goodness!) and was a fast-paced, propulsive read. After struggling for weeks to be gripped by a book, I was so grateful to actually want to read. That alone left me feeling overwhelmingly positive about the book, and upon finishing, I rated it pretty highly. But then the more I thought about it, the more there were elements that really didn’t work for me.

The wolves are excellent and are some of the best characters in the book. The human characters weren’t always well fleshed-out and their relationships didn’t always make a ton of sense (there seemed to be more telling than showing of the fact that characters cared for each other). The main character has a rare neurological condition that is mentioned constantly, but doesn’t really seem to add anything to the book. Finally, the ending is kind of a mess and way too rushed to really make sense of anything. However, overall, the book was a compelling, mostly satisfying read. I prefer Migrations, but I’ll continue reading McConaghey’s work. Lots of content warnings in this one though.

CW: animal death, gore, murder, sexual assault, abusive relationship, dementia, domestic violence

Content Warnings

alexisgarcia's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

i absolutely loved this. i had no idea what to expect going in and i think that is the best way to read this. the sisters' relationship was amazing, the plot was well-rounded and fulfilled, and the ending was perfect.

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carolinefran's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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kelseekayjorg's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

✨Once There Were Wolves✨

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️!!!

This book was gorgeous!! It was such a beautiful story and it was written is some of the prettiest prose I’ve heard in a while! I listened to this on audiobook and I really enjoyed my time.

Inti is a biologist who is working on a wolf reintegration program in the Scottish Highlands. She lives with her twin sister, Aggie, who has some pretty severe mental issues due to an abusive ex-partner. She also meets many of the locals during her time in Scotland, many of which don’t like her due to the fear that bringing wolves back into the ecosystem will cause their sheep to be in danger. One day, a local man goes missing and is soon found dead and Inti’s wolves are the first to blame. Was it really the wolves who killed this man, or was it a crime committed by man, more specifically the man she thinks she is falling in love with?

While this book has dark elements of abuse, domestic violence, rape, and mistrust, it also is full of sisterly love and learning that not everyone is a bad person. Some of the scenes in this story were pretty graphic and dark, but that made the lighthearted and sweet scenes that much more tender.

I highly recommend this book! Not only was it a little bit of a mystery, it was a beautiful picture of the human condition and overcoming horrific trials from the past.

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hefftbundle's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

I wasn't sure if I liked this book until the end. It's much darker than I typically enjoy, but by the end, I loved it. It is painful, emotional, hard to read and so well written.

It is an intense story about humanness built around the deep importance of conservation. Learning to trust and grow after extreme trauma is also a centerpiece of this book.

You will probably guess part of the ending, but it still has elements that will surprise you and make you weep. Again, incredibly well written. Will leave you aching and hopeful. What a wild ride.

Content Warnings