Reviews tagging 'Death of parent'

Once There Were Wolves by Charlotte McConaghy

121 reviews

fkshg8465's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad slow-paced

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

2.0

I expected more, and I find myself thinking about this book even after finishing it, in the wrongest ways...

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Bullying, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Infertility, Infidelity, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, and Abandonment

mbomersheim's review

dark mysterious tense slow-paced

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

2.5

I think it’s so fitting that I read this book while in Scotland!

Once There Were Wolves by Charlotte McConaghy is a fiction novel following Inti, a team member for a project that aims to rewild Scotland by reintroducing wolves into the Highlands in an area where the locals are not too pleased with their work. The plot starts picking up when a farmer is found dead and Inti gets swept into the drama of the town and protecting the wolves she released. I don’t think I was the intended audience for this book; it just wasn’t for me. The pacing was slow, and I didn’t care for the characters. Maybe it is because I have been reading a lot of fantasy recently, but I just wanted more plot. This being said, I know many people rate this book highly, so maybe I was just missing something. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Blood, Medical trauma, and Pregnancy

Moderate: Sexual content, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Stalking, Death of parent, and Murder

Minor: Abortion

kestrel's review against another edition

emotional inspiring sad tense medium-paced

5.0

Charlotte McConaghy turned me into a wolf girl. I love wolves now.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Rape, Murder, and Pregnancy

Moderate: Child abuse and Death of parent

corncake's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious 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

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Death, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Toxic relationship, Pregnancy, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Domestic abuse, Drug use, Gore, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Child abuse, Confinement, Gun violence, Medical content, and Abandonment

jazzyinthewild's review

challenging emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense

4.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Blood, Murder, Pregnancy, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Dementia, Abortion, and Death of parent

danajoy's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character

4.0

This book is brutal. Set in the cold and hostile Scottish Highlands, Inti is a head Wolf biologist reintroducing wolves to the wild. 

I went into this in a calm mental state, capable of handling what it includes but it definitely worth looking at triggers. The protagonist has mirror-touch synesthesia and feels the sensations she witnesses others experience, this makes any violence particularly confronting.
There is a lot of violence. There are animal deaths/injuries, desecration of an animal  corpse, and beyond that, domestic violence is a major theme. 

I appreciated the atmosphere. Inti was an interesting, intense, character. She made a lot of decisions that I never would.  

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Domestic abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Blood, Pregnancy, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Sexual content, Suicide, Vomit, and Death of parent

allyem_reads's review

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!

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Domestic abuse, Gore, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, and Blood

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Death, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Toxic relationship, Violence, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Sexual harassment, Dysphoria, and Injury/Injury detail

entangled_bookshelf's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional informative mysterious sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Toxic relationship, and Blood

Moderate: Death of parent

wolfinthewillows's review

adventurous dark emotional mysterious medium-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

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Animal death, and Domestic abuse

Moderate: Drug abuse and Death of parent

sydresnik's review

dark emotional

• Strong character development? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Death, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, and Pregnancy

Moderate: Death of parent