Reviews tagging 'Gaslighting'

Once There Were Wolves by Charlotte McConaghy

28 reviews

dustghosts's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective tense slow-paced

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

2.75

+ Beautifully written; McConaghy knows how to construct gorgeous, evocative sentences and scenes. I think this shines the most in her nature writing and an awe towards that subject resonates. There’s a lot of tenderness towards people and humans alike. The ending aside, the majority of the book struck emotionally true, even if not always relatable and often? Messy.

o An interesting and complicated array of characters who feel frustratingly human, though not necessarily… like “rational” humans. Despite not necessarily liking them, I found most of the people here to be engaging, and I think the mystery/thriller aspect of the story worked well because of this.

- Themes are muddy at best and troubling at the least favorable. This book covers a lot of ground (domestic abuse, the gray areas of morality, the human-animal conflict inherent in rewilding/conservation, codependency and shared-but-not trauma, the echoes of inaction, and so on) and doesn’t really strike true on most of them. A book doesn’t have to have a clear thesis but you could feel this one trying to get to it— there’s moralizing but no moral.
- While domestic and sexual violence are definitely key themes, the most direct victims of it are sidelined and written out of the story. It’s troubling to me to see Aggie and Lanie disappear from the narrative (one very literally) and for the arguable two main characters (and love interests) to be the two people cast as their could-be (but failed?) saviors.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual violence, Domestic abuse, Pregnancy, Rape, and Violence

Moderate: Dementia, Abandonment, Death, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Grief, Gore, and Murder

Minor: Suicide

alexisgarcia's review against another edition

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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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Cursing, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Rape, Grief, Murder, Abandonment, Abortion, Alcohol, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Addiction, Alcoholism, Blood, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Infidelity, Mental illness, Sexual harassment, Toxic relationship, Pregnancy, Violence, Sexual assault, and Sexual content

archaicrobin's review against another edition

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

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

5.0

Inti loves her wolves and her sister and not much else until she begins a project in the Scottish Highlands to re-forest the area by introducing wolves. Two stories are going at once as Inti alternates between the present time, dealing with angry locals and the past about her sister’s abusive husband and the terror he caused them both. 

This was beautifully written and powerful. I loved this one, even when I had to put it down because it can be a lot.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Drug abuse, Rape, Animal death, Body horror, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Gaslighting, Physical abuse, Animal cruelty, Abandonment, Blood, Bullying, Mental illness, Misogyny, Murder, Pregnancy, Sexual assault, Torture, Violence, Emotional abuse, Grief, Gore, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, and Panic attacks/disorders

mellowreading's review against another edition

challenging emotional informative mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• 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: Animal cruelty, Sexual violence, Pregnancy, Murder, Mental illness, Grief, Gaslighting, Emotional abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Animal death, Child abuse, Physical abuse, and Domestic abuse

Moderate: Suicide and Death of parent

_inge's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark mysterious reflective medium-paced

• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

3.5 stars. This read like a Gothic novel, there was a dark, tense atmosphere throughout. The characters were morally grey in a believable way and the decor was set really well. I actually liked how it showed women who lived with traumas and how that changed their perspective of men as a whole, it was interesting to see the other side to that for a change. I liked the conversations about rewilding projects too. So overall this was an enjoyable read. It simply didn’t blow me away. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Violence, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Medical content, Mental illness, Vomit, Animal cruelty, Domestic abuse, Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Blood, Death, Rape, Gore, Body horror, Murder, Physical abuse, and Pregnancy

bandysbooks's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

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

5.0

This is a dark and difficult book that focuses on the nature of humans and wolves.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Blood, Chronic illness, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Gaslighting, Grief, Kidnapping, Murder, Rape, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Animal death, Emotional abuse, and Self harm

leahrosiee's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Mental illness, Grief, Domestic abuse, Murder, Physical abuse, Alcohol, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Emotional abuse, and Pregnancy

Moderate: Sexual violence, Rape, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Gaslighting, Gore, and Sexual content

Minor: Stalking

lostpaperbacks's review

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Animal death, Blood, Toxic relationship, and Emotional abuse

Moderate: Sexual assault, Rape, Violence, and Gun violence

Minor: Gaslighting, Alcohol, Domestic abuse, and Drug use

thehistoriette's review against another edition

challenging emotional tense medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Animal cruelty, Blood, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Murder, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Rape, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence

avisreadsandreads's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Blood, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Murder, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Violence

Moderate: Abandonment, Alcoholism, Gaslighting, Gore, Grief, Infidelity, Medical content, Mental illness, Pregnancy, Stalking, and Vomit

Minor: Abortion, Dementia, Drug use, Infertility, and Suicide