Reviews tagging 'Child abuse'

Once There Were Wolves by Charlotte McConaghy

48 reviews

ejsimpson's review against another edition

adventurous emotional reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

have had this book for three years but never read it because I was convinced it wouldn’t be as perfectly spectacular as Migrations. Reading the majority of this book had me second guessing that, but then that twist came and ruined absolutely everything for me. 
The world building, the characters, the setting, <i> the wolves </i> and the slow build up of tension in the town, between Inti and the farmers or some other characters, the emotional reveal I knew was waiting for me later in the book about Inti and her sister. We were gearing up for a promising five star if not solid four star title. But the reveal, after so much was lost, it wasn’t the type of emotional devastation I was expecting. I wasn’t devastated, I was furious. This completely ruined the story for me, everything just suddenly fell apart and felt like it didn’t matter at all. I was mad at everyone, mad that I was enjoying this story as equally as Franny’s, and that it all came crashing down in a sort of unforgivable way. 

⚠️ Spoilers:
The dog dies. No, you know what, he was murdered. 
There is a pretty graphic scene with one of the wolves, think GoT-like. And others of them who are killed, or die. 
Aside from it being released a few years before OTWW, this had to have been inspiration for My Sister, the Serial Killer.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Animal cruelty, Pregnancy, and Murder

Moderate: Gaslighting, Domestic abuse, Rape, Emotional abuse, and Physical abuse

Minor: Child abuse

itsmore's review against another edition

3.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Rape, Sexual violence, and Child abuse

perseusj4ckson's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Animal cruelty, Toxic relationship, and Rape

Moderate: Pregnancy, Child abuse, and Murder

orang3_w0rld21's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.5

Don't know how to feel in the end. This book took me on a rollercoaster and I don't know if I appreciate it or not. I did heavily enjoy the sections of the Scottish Highlands. I love reading about the lands and the environment of it. McConaghy did a great job of illustrating the scene in the forest. Where I checked out was the backstory. I tend to skip or skim Inti's childhood–some I didn't because it impacts character(s). I was emotionally invested in the wolves; that was the section I liked a lot. I felt bad for them and also happiness. They are moved to a foreign land, and are killed off because people don't know how nature works. The writing was really beautiful at times and also kinda prosey and annoying. 

There are some serious content warnings with the book: domestic violence and abuse. So avoid or read with caution. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse and Child abuse

Moderate: Murder and Pregnancy

kestrel's review against another edition

emotional inspiring sad tense medium-paced

5.0

Charlotte McConaghy turned me into a wolf girl. I love wolves now.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Pregnancy, Murder, Rape, Animal death, and Animal cruelty

Moderate: Child abuse and Death of parent

corncake's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Animal cruelty, Death, Animal death, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Toxic relationship, and Pregnancy

Moderate: Grief, Gore, Physical abuse, Rape, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Death of parent, Drug use, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Domestic abuse, Sexual violence, Blood, and Violence

Minor: Child abuse, Abandonment, Medical content, Confinement, and Gun violence

mekrasts's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse and Death

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Blood, and Child abuse

crazytourists_books's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative sad tense medium-paced

4.0

This book follows all the patterns of the first one: emotional narration, a conservation sub-plot (through which the main plot unfolds), with various weak points and an ending that was happier than I expected. 
Like the first time around, did I care about these things? Not really. The nareation cast a spell on me and had me sighing and gasping more than once... 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Sexual violence, Death, Gore, Murder, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Animal death, Blood, Domestic abuse, Child abuse, Grief, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Pregnancy, and Mental illness

navayiota's review against another edition

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

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

5.0

I originally saved this cause it was recommended by Leena Norms for spooky October novels, and spooky it was, although not in the way I had expected. I ended up picking it up cause it was narrated by Saskia Maarleveld, and I really enjoyed her previous work narrating Kate Quinn novels. I didn't expect it to stay with me the way it did. I am in shock. Visceral is the perfect way to describe this writing. McConaghy got me to feel every light touch and savage hit taken by the characters. She tied every aspect of the story up in a neat bow that lovingly punched me in the gut at every opportunity. I refuse to believe that a human can write like this, and yet it's so painfully obvious that a human wrote it, because what other species could describe the human experience in such a vivid way? My heart aches for these characters, who are painfully fleshed out with all their jagged edges and ugly sides. I wish more people read this book. I can't wait to read more but must stop myself from binging anything else she has written cause it just wouldn't be enough. May her fingers never tire of typing or holding a pen, may her mind never cease creating and may her soul experience every joy the world has to offer. Simply incredible.

I can't believe that I finally encountered a book where the pregnancy trope is treated with justice and respect. I was in awe at the mastery with which she ended the story, the way she made it all make sense. Every major or subplot is a full circle and that feels incredible to me

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Grief, Suicide, Abandonment, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Alcohol, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Blood, Death, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Gun violence, Pregnancy, Rape, Torture, and Violence

Moderate: Cursing, Dementia, Confinement, and Child abuse

Minor: Drug abuse

aeola's review against another edition

Despite the atmospheric setting and the heroine that has an unusual perception of the world, I found the story itself to be rather boring. The author uses over-dramatization and shock content to negatively portray ordinary situations. This excessive use of shock content have felt unrealistic and detracted from my enjoyment of the story. 

The heroine's decisions made her professionalism as a zoologist and her intelligence in general questionable. Despite the fact that the heroine should be an expert in these areas, I felt that the author had little knowledge or understanding of nature, animals, and ecology. This lack of expertise have made the story less believable or authentic and have affected my ability to connect with and believe in the character. 

Overall, the book did not meet my expectations in terms of character development, plot, and the portrayal of themes that were promised in the book's description.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Violence, Child abuse, Mental illness, Rape, and Sexual violence