Reviews

Once There Were Wolves by Charlotte McConaghy

letstalkbooks's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful fast-paced

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

3.5

emliketheletter's review

adventurous emotional reflective fast-paced

3.5

scknitter's review against another edition

5.0

Raw, powerful, sad, hopeful, violent, beautiful – these all describe one of the most compelling books I have read this year. The story of wolves and how they live and breed and communicate, how hard it is to reintroduce them to an area where they are feared and misunderstood, and how vital they are to help the environment would be enough reason to read this book. But it is also a story of twins and the utterly amazing bond between them, it is a story of past trauma and how it affects people in different ways, it is a story of ordinary people and how they are not a whole lot different than wild animals in certain circumstances. It is a story so complex that it can not possibly be given justice in a short review. You must read this yourself to understand the true depth and beauty of this novel.

mhsenglish's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

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

3.0

cfischer15's review against another edition

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? Yes

4.25

taural41's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious 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? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Animal death, Murder, and Domestic abuse

Moderate: Toxic relationship, Mental illness, and Pregnancy

huberis's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious sad tense

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

4.5

This book has the most beautifully written, moody description of forests I've ever read. It has some really heavy themes, but I loved the conversations about nature, conservation, and learning how to communicate with people who feel so far away from your own perspective.

readeroncaffeine's review against another edition

5.0

Absolutely terrifying. But completely favourite.
Had me hooked up from the first page and till the very last word. Can’t decide if it’s a fantasy or a non fiction or a romance or a thriller. About thrill, it did the job till inside of my bones. The story and genre is one of a kind. I guess I have a new favourite author from now on and the funny thing is that this is not the most popular book of the author :) So there’s more to this I guess!!!!!!

duckyn's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense slow-paced

0.75

archerb's review against another edition

5.0

FUCK a book hasn’t left me crying this hard in a long time. I’m still collecting myself and my thoughts.

I can’t in good conscience recommend this book because of how it affected me and the ITENSE graphic triggers but, SHIT dude.

TW: big one for sexual assault (on the page, not implied, ch26), domestic violence, physical violence, graphic gore for humans and animals, guns/knives/darts, BIRTH, DEATH, truly everything.

Unreliable narrator perhaps? Idk if that’s a trigger necessarily.

I need a big blanket and fluffy reads for a WHILE to recover from this.