Reviews tagging 'Animal cruelty'

Once There Were Wolves by Charlotte McConaghy

161 reviews

lilyunterreiner's review

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challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective 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

5.0


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ejsimpson's review

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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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northernfleabag's review against another edition

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dark sad 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

3.0


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ankellogg's review

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adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective sad 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

5.0

Trigger warnings galore!! 

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lovelymisanthrope's review

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

2.5

I received a copy of this book as a gift. 
"Once There Were Wolves" follows Inti Flynn as she arrives in Scotland. Inti is a biologist who has been tasked with introducing wolves back into the remote Highlands in an effort to bring life back into the dying landscape. Unfortunately for her, she receives nothing but pushback and critique from the townspeople. 
This story was intense and heartbreaking as an animal lover. Wolves are natural predators, and because of that, people seem to fear them. When there is a member of the town found dead, everyone is quick to point the blame at the wolves rather than each other. Some moments I found difficult to read because I love animals so deeply, and I felt like the town was being unreasonably cruel towards the wolves, and other animals in general. 
I did not love Inti as a character. There was something about her character that I could not connect to, and it made it difficult for me to become invested in her story. 
I did really enjoy the atmosphere and setting of this story. I felt entirely immersed in the forest and I loved getting to explore more of the Highlands with the characters. 
I am not completely deterred from reading Charlotte McConaghy in the future, but I am not jumping with anticipation either. 

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christa15's review against another edition

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dark mysterious reflective 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

4.25


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perseusj4ckson's review

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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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lizkonen's review

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adventurous dark emotional informative reflective tense fast-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? It's complicated

4.5

If you like the wilderness, wolf politics, a little romance and a bit of a dark mystery this book is for you.

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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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lbgossett's review

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dark mysterious 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

4.0


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