Reviews with content warning for Child abuse - Täällä oli susia

I'm not into mysteries but I really enjoyed this one. although, there's more to this book than just the mysterious death. it deals with environmental recovery, trauma, and community. interesting characters but I think trigger warnings need to be put out there, because a good chunk of the book is gory and there's are a few scenes of sexual assault and abuse. It was a great book, though. the characters seemed real because they were all flawed. sad book but a good book, too.

Content Warnings

kapbanana's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark emotional mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

4.5

I enjoyed Once There Were Wolves more than I expected. It was interesting the ways that McConaghy wove all the pieces of the story together. There's a murder mystery, a love story, a strong message about preserving/connecting with the wilderness and addressing climate change, and a harrowing tale of past tragedy. Inti Flynn was an interesting character. I was fascinated with her mirror-touch synesthesia and thought that added a really interested layer to her character and the story. It helped root the story in the body and explore all that that meant.

The story became a bit overly dramatic in the very end.

The whole pregnancy & birth in the middle of the woods made me roll my eyes. I was heartbroken by the death of Duncan's dog. That was more graphic than I expected.

But still, McConaghy does an excellent job of exploring dark and terrible things while not going into traumatic details. Her writing feels well balanced and the story, well paced. Overall, a thought-provoking and compelling read!

Content Warnings

jessereadsthings's review against another edition

Go to review page

mysterious tense medium-paced

4.0

Content Warnings

moonbasket's review against another edition

Go to review page

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.

Content Warnings

randeerebecca's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense slow-paced

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

4.0

Content Warnings

dragonswoodfairy87's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring lighthearted mysterious reflective relaxing sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

Content Warnings

caylacolclasure's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-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

Content Warnings

ejsimpson's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous emotional reflective sad medium-paced

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

3.0

have had this book for three years but never read it because I was convinced it wouldn’t be as perfectly spectacular as Migrations. Reading the majority of this book had me second guessing that, but then that twist came and ruined absolutely everything for me.
The world building, the characters, the setting, <i> the wolves </i> and the slow build up of tension in the town, between Inti and the farmers or some other characters, the emotional reveal I knew was waiting for me later in the book about Inti and her sister. We were gearing up for a promising five star if not solid four star title. But the reveal, after so much was lost, it wasn’t the type of emotional devastation I was expecting. I wasn’t devastated, I was furious. This completely ruined the story for me, everything just suddenly fell apart and felt like it didn’t matter at all. I was mad at everyone, mad that I was enjoying this story as equally as Franny’s, and that it all came crashing down in a sort of unforgivable way.

⚠️ Spoilers:
The dog dies. No, you know what, he was murdered.
There is a pretty graphic scene with one of the wolves, think GoT-like. And others of them who are killed, or die.
Aside from it being released a few years before OTWW, this had to have been inspiration for My Sister, the Serial Killer.

Content Warnings

More...