Reviews tagging 'Blood'

Once There Were Wolves by Charlotte McConaghy

206 reviews

hangrim's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional hopeful mysterious 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? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape and Sexual assault

Moderate: Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Violence, and Blood

malonesilence's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Rape, Suicide, Blood, Medical content, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail

lonelyghost173's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative sad tense medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Bullying, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Infertility, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Murder, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Cursing, Drug use, Forced institutionalization, Excrement, Medical content, Death of parent, and Pregnancy

Minor: Vomit

moonbasket's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative 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

3.25

The prose is lyrical and visceral. I enjoyed most of the book, but was turned off completely by the end and specifically the turn at the end.

As a twin, having Aggie be the secret killer instead of wolf number 10 really threw me for a loop. Having her then also commit suicide leaving for the wilderness and having Inti be complety fine with it was entirely out of the realm of believability.

I wish the book had focused more on family and relationships and less on the small town drama and traumatic backstory that felt, at times, over the top, and down-right voyeuristic. I do not want to discount the very real trauma that real life people have been through that may be similar, but the extent of the trauma felt beyond the edge of the bell curve to the point of voyeurism.

All told, I would not recommend the book. The ending spoiled the whole story for me. The only redeeming quality is the prose and inclusion of conservationism and rewilding.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Blood, Murder, Pregnancy, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Misogyny, Sexism, Suicide, Violence, Xenophobia, Vomit, Grief, Stalking, Death of parent, and Sexual harassment

Minor: Alcoholism, Drug use, Gun violence, Infertility, Infidelity, Medical content, Abortion, and Alcohol

Animal violence details:

Fingal dies. Four wolves are killed. One is killed and then his body defaced.

Sexual violence details:

Aggie was raped by her husband and his cousin. Inti was forced to watch.The scene is shown in flashbacks and much less explicit than the blood and gore.

Domestic abuse details:

Inti and Aggie experienced some emotional abuse from their mother and physical abuse from their father. Duncan was abused by his father. Stuart abuses his wife Lainey and she ends up in the hospital. Gus, Aggie's husband is physically and emotionally abusive and controlling.

amybartoli29's review

adventurous challenging dark mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Violence, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Animal death, Blood, Dementia, and Pregnancy

Minor: Infertility, Vomit, and Abortion

emzireads's review against another edition

adventurous emotional informative inspiring medium-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Domestic abuse, Blood, Grief, and Pregnancy

mourbooks013's review

dark emotional mysterious 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? No

3.5

Ending was a little predictable 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Sexual violence, Violence, and Blood

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, and Toxic relationship

bryelle's review against another edition

dark informative 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? No

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Death, Domestic abuse, Rape, and Blood

lynssss's review

dark emotional mysterious sad 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? Yes

3.0

Dialogue was best part of the story, flawed main character, but felt maybe her growth wasn't gotten realistically. But felt sympathy for the characters and they felt like real people even if the plot didn't. I would cautiously recommend it, but certainly not to everyone...

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Chronic illness, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, and Blood

Moderate: Mental illness, Rape, Suicide, Medical trauma, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Alcoholism and Grief

e11en's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious reflective tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Blood, Murder, Pregnancy, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Dementia and Death of parent

Minor: Death of parent