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lindsayaunderwood's review against another edition
4.0
First 100 pages had me wanting to stop reading and then everything happened and this book became so so good! I loved migrations so was disappointed at first, but the comeback was incredible!!
thealexarachelle's review against another edition
5.0
Beautifully written. First book to make me tear up in a long time. Makes me want to learn more about wolves. So mysterious. Anyway, I loved the storytelling and I loved how it ended. Thanks for the epilogue. I personally always need one and they aren’t always given.
magsmcwelch's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
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
4.0
Creepy and suspenseful. I enjoyed.
hannahh101's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
informative
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
amreading17's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
baileyanabella's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
4.75
do NOT go into this blind, absolutely look at the content warnings!
jansbookcorner's review against another edition
5.0
A well written story that is about more than just the wolves. I enjoyed it all even though there’s a couple of unbelievable situations and solutions. It is so engrossing that those didn’t matter to me.
dimsey's review against another edition
3.0
I was excited to read Charlotte McConaghy's [b:Once There Were Wolves|54860573|Once There Were Wolves|Charlotte McConaghy|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1606002779l/54860573._SY75_.jpg|77112136] because I really enjoyed [b:Migrations|42121525|Migrations|Charlotte McConaghy|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1612818084l/42121525._SY75_.jpg|65230718]. However, there were pieces of this book that felt all over the place for me. It starts off with a really interesting concept, the reintroduction of wolves to Scotland's dying ecosystem. An effort to restore balance to a landscape where prey (such as deer) become too abundant and ultimately damage their own habitats by overconsuming vegetation required for other parts of the ecosystem to flourish.
I felt that this quickly became overshadowed by the story's subplots and surface level, annoying characters. Our protagonist, Inti, is introduced to be this intelligent biologist tasked with leading the rewilding effort but does maybe two smart things throughout the books entirety. She's stubborn, contradicts herself, makes repeatedly poor decisions... I don't think she had great development/growth, things just kind of "worked out" for her in the end. Side characters are not great as well.
There was too much investment in the murder mystery and romance subplots for my liking. The reveal of the murderer felt underwhelming to me, maybe because of my dislike for the character. The love interest (if you could call it that) felt too forced and cliché. Perhaps they would have worked better if the book was another 150-200 pages. It was just too messy for me.
That being said, McConaghy attempts to tackle some important and sensitive themes. Abusive/toxic relationships, domestic violence, rape, mental illness, and the trauma that comes with it all. That's obviously A LOT to try and cover well in 250 pages, it just doesn't feel like it's done well enough.
Maybe this was my fault going into this unsuspecting of the trauma dump I was about to face? I thought I was reading a book about wolves?
I felt that this quickly became overshadowed by the story's subplots and surface level, annoying characters. Our protagonist, Inti, is introduced to be this intelligent biologist tasked with leading the rewilding effort but does maybe two smart things throughout the books entirety. She's stubborn, contradicts herself, makes repeatedly poor decisions... I don't think she had great development/growth, things just kind of "worked out" for her in the end. Side characters are not great as well.
There was too much investment in the murder mystery and romance subplots for my liking. The reveal of the murderer felt underwhelming to me, maybe because of my dislike for the character. The love interest (if you could call it that) felt too forced and cliché. Perhaps they would have worked better if the book was another 150-200 pages. It was just too messy for me.
That being said, McConaghy attempts to tackle some important and sensitive themes. Abusive/toxic relationships, domestic violence, rape, mental illness, and the trauma that comes with it all. That's obviously A LOT to try and cover well in 250 pages, it just doesn't feel like it's done well enough.
Maybe this was my fault going into this unsuspecting of the trauma dump I was about to face? I thought I was reading a book about wolves?
harrahdf's review against another edition
5.0
Phenomenal glimpse into the tension between conservation and capitalism and inherent misogynistic power dynamics. Rounded up from 4.5 stars but fell into my least favorite literary trope in the very end where hardened woman is softened by birth of the child she never knew she wanted.
georgialamb's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75