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thelonelywizard's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
Wasn’t really scary/didn’t earn its place in the horror genre imo. What happened to the wolves was fucked up and horrifying, but it didn’t feel like a horror book at all. Kinda wished the MC melded into the wolf mentally and was trapped there at the end - that would’ve been scary. Instead we got her being a horrible wife, which was v exhausting to read. The prose was well written tho, so there’s that.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty and Animal death
xosirenox's review
emotional
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Cursing, Gore, Medical content, Grief, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Infidelity, Vomit, Mass/school shootings, and Dysphoria
p1uto's review against another edition
2.5
An uncomfortable read on corporate greed and the monetization of empathy and emotions that expertly highlights the lack of ethicality around animal subjects and the struggles of balancing morals with the false notion that suffering brings forth progress. The parallel of the spiral of Sean's home life with the spiral of Kate's home life gives the reader a taste of Sean's developing parasocial relationship with the wolf. It is also extremely relevant to point out the posesive aspect of this novella, with Sean constantly mentioning "her" Kate and "her" wolfpack while, at the same time, is actively endangering them for her own selfish desires vaguely labeled as "scientific knowledge / breakthroughs". Perhaps the most haunting part of the book is the complete acceptance of the transgressions made by the team in the name of "science" and "progress." What is the meaning of progress if it is only available to the greedy corporations? Is it progress if it does not uplift the general public ?
In complete honesty, the themes this novella tackles are very well more interesting than the novella itself. While it was an interesting read, it only serves as a haunting reminder of what does already occur in the real world and the witchy grasps of corporations on human life.
In complete honesty, the themes this novella tackles are very well more interesting than the novella itself. While it was an interesting read, it only serves as a haunting reminder of what does already occur in the real world and the witchy grasps of corporations on human life.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty and Gore
Moderate: Animal death
Minor: Vomit
livlamentloathe's review against another edition
dark
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
I previously read Mandelo's Summer Sons, and The Woods all Black. I enjoyed the former and loved the later, so I was surprised not to like this one at all.
Anything you gain from reading this story could be assumed from the start. The struggling relationship of Sean and her wife gets worse but comes to a resolution. Sean's team of scientists endanger one of the last pack of wolves, and Sean only begins to care about this possibility once neuro-linked. That's it. There is more depth to Sean's thought-process and storyline but if you have any assumptions about what will occur in this book, you're probably right.
Sean's wife believes Sean underwent a form of growth and change over the course of the book, but if that was a positive thing, then I massively misunderstood the book. I don't believe Sean learned anything she couldn't have gained through empathy and meaningful conversations with her wife. Much of their fighting could've been resolved if Sean had cared enough to argue her side. It felt like she was a ghost moving through things that happened to her. As if she wasn't the architect of her own failures. That said, Riya, Sean's wife, was just as culpable for decisions she made during their relationship. The corrosion of their marriage was toxic and two-sided.
Every book doesn't need positive change, but I don't think this book included change, period. I don't believe Sean learned anything.
Does the dog die? Yes.
Even worse, she's killed by the venture capital funders when the project goes awry.
Anything you gain from reading this story could be assumed from the start. The struggling relationship of Sean and her wife gets worse but comes to a resolution. Sean's team of scientists endanger one of the last pack of wolves, and Sean only begins to care about this possibility once neuro-linked. That's it. There is more depth to Sean's thought-process and storyline but if you have any assumptions about what will occur in this book, you're probably right.
Sean's wife believes Sean underwent a form of growth and change over the course of the book, but if that was a positive thing, then I massively misunderstood the book. I don't believe Sean learned anything she couldn't have gained through empathy and meaningful conversations with her wife. Much of their fighting could've been resolved if Sean had cared enough to argue her side. It felt like she was a ghost moving through things that happened to her. As if she wasn't the architect of her own failures. That said, Riya, Sean's wife, was just as culpable for decisions she made during their relationship. The corrosion of their marriage was toxic and two-sided.
Every book doesn't need positive change, but I don't think this book included change, period. I don't believe Sean learned anything.
Does the dog die?
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal death, Toxic relationship, and Medical trauma
Minor: Animal cruelty and Infidelity
sakisreads's review
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
I was looking for something short and sweet; I definitely got the former 😂
The intimacy Sean and Kate encapsulated felt incredibly human and I couldn’t stop reading 😳IMAGINE A HUMAN AND A WOLF BRAIN LINKING UP LIKE THAT!
I also thoroughly appreciated Riya’s honesty. I know I’ve been Riya before so to watch her go through her and Sean’s relationship was difficult but necessary ❤️
I’ll be thinking about this book for a while I think. 4 out of 5 stars for me, thank you ✨
The intimacy Sean and Kate encapsulated felt incredibly human and I couldn’t stop reading 😳
I also thoroughly appreciated Riya’s honesty. I know I’ve been Riya before so to watch her go through her and Sean’s relationship was difficult but necessary ❤️
I’ll be thinking about this book for a while I think. 4 out of 5 stars for me, thank you ✨
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty and Injury/Injury detail
lizardgod's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Alcoholism
Minor: Cursing and Racism
laurianeisreading's review against another edition
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty
Moderate: Animal death and Torture
Minor: Kidnapping
scifi_rat's review against another edition
dark
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Cursing, Infidelity, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Medical content, Grief, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Sexism and Vomit
readingpicnic's review against another edition
3.75
Failing sapphic marriages in books make me sooo sad (similar to Our Wives Under the Sea). This story posed very interesting questions about ethics, conservation, and intimacy. The main character was genuinely so morally gray, and I did NOT support most of her behaviors, but my discomfort and disgust with her actions and thoughts also intrigued me. You can see her growth throughout the story as she learns the cost of her selfishness with her work project and her ambivalence towards and unappreciation of her wife. Their relationship was so complicated but felt very real. It gave me hope that after everything, they were still working on it, even though they had both made mistakes and had miscommunications. The wolf scenes were so visceral and strange, but also cool. I could definitely see this type of scenario posed by the book taking place in real life where a big corporation funds something like this in order to monetize it to the masses as a VR experience. What a trip.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Gore, Violence, Medical trauma, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Infidelity, Sexism, and Terminal illness
Minor: Racism
mar's review
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.5
idk i think this should've gotten more fucked up sorry. i mean i got the themes it was going for - kinship with animals, ethics in science/research, loneliness, repression - but it just fell competely flat for me :/
also, very confused as to why this book is labelled as horror - it's unsettling in the way a nonfiction book about climate change is unsettling, but i really wouldn't call it horror. unless you're creeped out by a failing marriage ig
also, very confused as to why this book is labelled as horror - it's unsettling in the way a nonfiction book about climate change is unsettling, but i really wouldn't call it horror. unless you're creeped out by a failing marriage ig
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, and Sexual content
Moderate: Gore, Blood, and Medical content
Minor: Racism and Sexism