Reviews tagging 'Grief'

Once There Were Wolves by Charlotte McConaghy

98 reviews

hmatt's review against another edition

dark mysterious fast-paced

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

4.0

Definitely a book that is suitable to its shorter length. I think some of the storytelling would fall short if the narrative was longer, but it worked in this length for me for the most part. It really suited the fairytale-esque vibes the book has.

I do wish the author had played a bit more into "real or imagined" moments - they're touched on, but I thought these moments were really powerful and I wish there was a bit more focus on them. Also, throughout the story, I didn't feel as if I were getting any closer to the main character. I figure this could be intentional or not and, again, is an aspect that works fine for a book of this length in my opinion.

I listened to the audiobook, and found the narration fantastic. It might have been easier for me to keep track of which wolves were which if I were physically reading the book, though.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Death, Domestic abuse, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Pregnancy, and Gaslighting

Moderate: Gun violence, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, and Alcohol

Minor: Suicide

thecriticalreader's review

dark emotional mysterious slow-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

4.0

I chose Once There Were Wolves as my Book of the Month because it seemed to be highly rated. 

 

Plot:

Part murder mystery, part wildlife conservation story, Once There Were Wolves has an intriguing, well-executed plot. It was interesting to read a murder mystery where one of the potential culprits is an animal. It added a new dimension to the story, as most characters in the story have a vested interested in either proving it was or was not a wolf. 

 

Although the plot was well-executed, it did feel very literary. It had a layer of melodrama that made suspension of disbelief necessary. At no point did I feel I was reading something that had happened or could have happened. 

 

Characters:

Inti, a traumatized wolf expert with an extreme case of mirror touch synthesia is a unique protagonist. We get to understand her and her sister Aggie’s background through multiple flashbacks. 

 

Similar to the plot, the characters are fascinating and complex but slightly unbelievable. They are all a bit too theatrical and extreme. 

 

Setting:

Once There Were Wolves takes place in rural Scotland. The main character, Inti, is a foreigner visiting to help reintroduce wolves to the area. However, their project faces severe backlash from sheep farmers and townspeople in the area. The setting served the book quite well. It added a murky level of conflict to the murder mystery and rewilding effort. The isolated, gloomy atmosphere provided a feeling of dread and suspicion necessary for the mystery to play out. 

 

Themes:

The main theme of this book is trauma—what it is, what it looks like, and how to deal with. The author parallels the trauma of the environment with personal trauma. Inti’s father is a passionate environmentalist who isolates himself and lives off the land. He represents an idealized but extreme reaction to the climate crisis, living a life unattainable and undesirable for many. Inti’s mother is a pessimistic crime investigator who believes in “toughening up.” Ultimately, the story demonstrates that pain cannot be avoided, but that healing is possible if people open themselves up to scary and uncertain new relationships with the environment and each other. 

 

Writing Style:

McConaghy’s writing style was a bit dramatic for my taste, but skillful. 

 

Conclusion:

I thoroughly enjoyed Once There Were Wolves both as a murder mystery and an environmental commentary even if it was a bit dark and overdramatic for my taste. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Chronic illness, Death, Domestic abuse, Mental illness, Rape, Sexual violence, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Violence, Grief, and Pregnancy

Moderate: Infidelity, Blood, Dementia, Death of parent, Murder, and Abandonment

Minor: Alcoholism

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. 

---

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

jenciereads's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-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

4.75

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Dementia, Grief, Death of parent, and Murder

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Forced institutionalization, and Death of parent

Minor: Animal cruelty, Animal death, and Abortion

chloerote's review

dark emotional informative mysterious sad slow-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

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder, and Pregnancy

kdmusings's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional informative reflective 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? Yes

3.75

Written in a style that I wouldn't normally continue to read after a few chapters, but I gave it a chance (and went outside my 'reading comfort zone'). I'm glad I did as it reflected on the climate crisis in a new style of writing that I am not accustomed too. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Dementia, Grief, Murder, Pregnancy, and Alcohol

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.”

 

---

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

aeeklund's review

dark emotional inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, and Grief