Reviews tagging 'Infertility'

Once There Were Wolves by Charlotte McConaghy

25 reviews

infinitejess's review

challenging emotional sad fast-paced

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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Domestic abuse, Rape, Violence, and Blood

Moderate: Infidelity, Violence, Vomit, and Death of parent

Minor: Infertility

alimoo511's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

5.0

This is such a deep book. None of these characters are likable and the only man I love in this book is a wolf and he is dead so. 

I highly recommend this book though it has an amazing balance of talk between conservationism and women's struggles. 

Inti is such a complex character and her deep love of nature and Wolves is so relatable, but is so beautifully contrasted with the love she has for her sister and her resentment towards society and men. 

Because of her character she is forced to be so empathetic and yet she wants to be anything but. She wishes she could do all these things, but for better or for worse she can't. Her heart belonging to the forest in connection to her neurodivergency is also SO GOOD. 

Honestly Read this now if you haven't it is remarkable. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Infertility, Infidelity, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Medical content, Dementia, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail

abbeyhuffine94's review

adventurous dark emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious sad slow-paced

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

4.0

This novel was sad. I have a huge heart for animals and my heart was right with the heroine in caring for her wolves and her twin sister. Some parts of this novel made my heart break and some made me furious and it was an overall emotional journey about a super strong pair of sisters. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Domestic abuse, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Violence, Grief, and Pregnancy

Moderate: Death, Blood, and Stalking

Minor: Infertility, Vomit, and Abortion

keenanmaree's review

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

3.75

This book is very beautifully written, and there is really a lot to love in it. It is a a story about humanity and our complicated relationship with nature, each other, and ourselves. McConaghy does a wonderful job of depicting the frustration and rage that comes out of simple misunderstandings, and also out of the sense of helplessness when we are unable to either prevent or correct the evils inflicted on ourselves or our loved ones. 

My lowish rating is due to some purely subjective issues I had with the story. Although I saw the sexual assault coming almost from the beginning of the book, the actual scene was so alarming (I’m sure intentionally so…how could it be anything but horrifying?) that I had to step away from the book for a bit. I also didn’t love that the victim of such a violent assault was transformed into a violent murderer herself. It works narratively, but I think it sends a harmful message about sufferers of ptsd. I am also always a bit turned off by the story device of “hardened woman has a baby and it solves all of her problems and teaches her how to love again.”

 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Murder, and Pregnancy

Moderate: Alcoholism, Bullying, Cursing, Drug use, Infidelity, Vomit, Medical content, Dementia, Grief, Stalking, Death of parent, and Gaslighting

Minor: Child death, Infertility, and Suicide

marywahlmeierbracciano's review

adventurous challenging emotional reflective tense fast-paced

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

5.0

Australian wolf biologist Inti learned to love the woods during seasons spent with her self-sufficient father in British Columbia.  By the time she finds herself in rural Scotland leading a conservationist effort to reintroduce wolves into the Highlands, her beloved twin sister, Aggie, is struggling to function in trauma’s wake, and Inti’s once gentle nature has hardened to an icy shell of distrust.  Despite local pushback, Inti is determined to nurture the ecosystem—and Aggie—back to life, and perhaps to reignite her heart’s flame as well.  Readers’ breaths of cool forest air will quicken as unspeakable tragedies, past and present, shape this book into a naturalistic thriller so good I could howl.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death and Domestic abuse

Moderate: Mental illness, Rape, Blood, and Pregnancy

Minor: Infertility, Infidelity, and Murder