Reviews tagging 'Misogyny'

Once There Were Wolves by Charlotte McConaghy

29 reviews

caylacolclasure's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-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

4.5


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olivebleu's review

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challenging dark emotional hopeful informative sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0


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mmc_librarian's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0


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astridrv's review against another edition

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As with Migrations, it took me a few chapters to get into the voice - something about the overtly rebelious tone always initially irks me. And then, somehow, magic happens: a scene, a paragraph, an image of utter awareness and connection to the natural world, a burst of intense emotion, and I'm hooked. Can't stop reading. Inti, like Franny, stays with me in between pages. The writing is poetic as fuck, and yes, the story could be more restrained, less dramatic. But so what? We are alive in this raw rare miracle and Charlotte McConaghy not only gets that but also shares it on an instinctive level. She might say, from her wild parts to ours.

That said, I have issues with the way the theme of sexual abuse, domestic violence, and PTSD was portrayed in here. It feels unnuanced, and one character especially felt like a metaphorical device at times more than a person. I'm increasingly upset about how their arc ends. In attempting to do three things at once, I feel like this book was mostly successful as an eco-fiction work (although I raised my eyebrow at
giving birth in a snowy forest
), rather unconvincing as a murder mystery, and widely immature as a commentary on misogynistic violence and PTSD.

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allyem_reads's review

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2.5

4.04 CAWPILE 

Meh? Not a great start to the year, but I'll deal. I knew this kind of story was out of my comfort zone anyway, so I'm not completely surprised that it just wasn't the book for me. At least I read it and knocked one more book off of my TBR!

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chldshsambino's review

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dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • 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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zogg's review against another edition

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dark emotional informative mysterious sad tense slow-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


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carolinefran's review

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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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picklespoirot's review against another edition

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challenging dark mysterious sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75


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kelseekayconn's review

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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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