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downtown_kb's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Inti is in Scotland with her team to reintroduce several wolves into the wild, hoping to "rewild" Scotland and save the forests that are dying. The locals are against her and Inti knows that the wolves must not only survive the wild but also the farmers who do not welcome the idea of predators.
This book captivated me. Not only is the writing very atmospheric and poetic but the story had a surprisingly gritty darkness to it. Things unfold slowly but build to a perfect fever pitch towards the end. It makes the reader face the question of how violence changes us and how far we are willing to go for the things we love.
This is a story about Inti, a story about her sister, a story about the wolves, and a story about nature and the planet we are set on destroying and a story that looks at the darkness of humans. And there is also a romance. (Not the focus, but not a side note either).
"This is how the world dies, he said, with laziness."
I just fell in love with how McConaghy slowly showed us who Inti was and didn't hold back from the darker side of this story. I did not see if coming at all. And honestly, these characters are flawed and messy and they make mistakes but they also learn to find a lifeline and pull themselves out of the darkness of their past. I fell in love with Inti. If you like a gritty murder mystery and if you like nature you should really give this a read. TW: domestic violence.
This is, and I imagine it will remain, one of my favorite reads this year.
"We all have that choice, and most of us make it. There is cruelty to survive, to fight against, but there is gentleness more than anything, our roots deep and entangled. That is what we hold inside, what we take with us, the way we look after each other. "
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Gore, Medical content, and Pregnancy
Moderate: Animal death, Rape, and Sexual content
Minor: Murder
mainereading's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Death, Domestic abuse, Infertility, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Dementia, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, and Pregnancy
lonelyghost173'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? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Graphic: Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Bullying, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Infertility, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Murder, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Cursing, Drug use, Forced institutionalization, Excrement, Medical content, Death of parent, and Pregnancy
Minor: Vomit
moonbasket's review against another edition
- 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
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.
Graphic: Animal death, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Blood, Murder, Pregnancy, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Misogyny, Sexism, Suicide, Violence, Xenophobia, Vomit, Grief, Stalking, Death of parent, and Sexual harassment
Minor: Alcoholism, Drug use, Gun violence, Infertility, Infidelity, Medical content, Abortion, and Alcohol
Animal violence details:alisylvi's review against another edition
- 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
4.25
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Domestic abuse, and Blood
Moderate: Mental illness, Rape, Sexual violence, Violence, Death of parent, Murder, and Pregnancy
Minor: Sexual content
dragonswoodfairy87's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Child abuse, Chronic illness, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, and Sexual harassment
caylacolclasure's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Animal death, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Grief, Murder, Pregnancy, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Child abuse and Stalking
chelle22's review against another edition
3.0
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Bullying, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Infidelity, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Abortion, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Cultural appropriation, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
sharanle0808's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
I consider myself to be a fanatic of carefully curated prose. I know it's not everyone's cup of tea, but I cannot help myself. At first, the writing was captivating and I expected myself to be impressed even further. However, towards the end, the quality of the prose declined, and I couldn't fail to notice, at which point, I became rather annoyed. Again, I'm well aware that prose is not the sole criterion to evaluate the value of a book, but this is entirely down to my personal taste.
Plot-wise, I think it's okay. The first half stood out to me more, and it was a harmonizing blend between mystery/thriller and litfic, which is usually up to my alley. But as the story proceeded, it shifted into being slightly unbelievable. I don't mind the violence mentioned, but I also struggle to feel that they're necessary. Some of the plotlines or details could have been omitted. I wasn't really intrigued by the backstory of Aggie's trauma, despite how relevant I recognized it was to the primary plotline. I have a feeling that had McConaghy decided to diminish that aspect of the book, I would have been more engrossed. In short, I could have done without it. On top of that, I'm quite nitpicky when it comes to a rushed ending. The ending just flashed by, or it seemed, and I was totally underwhelmed. Some conflicts were solved very easily within a few lines.
It's such a shame because, at the start, I had so much connection with the main character, but due to the rushed ending combined with the increasingly plain prose, Inti was turned from a complex female character with profound thoughts into a violent caricature (I do not deny her traumatic experiences, but the author failed to inflict a strong emotion on me with the character).
However, I'm still glad that I read this book. I don't think it's a bad book at all. In fact, I think it's pretty impressive. It was a nice palette cleanser to my reading slump, and it was the first book I've ever read on Kindle so I do hold a sentimental attachment to it. Moreover, the book conveys a vital message about wildlife conservation. I would definitely recommend it to someone who opts for mystery/thriller novels and is interested in diving into an atmospheric setting of the wild forests.
Graphic: Animal death, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Terminal illness, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Medical trauma, Murder, Pregnancy, and Sexual harassment
Moderate: Vomit
Minor: Dementia
sonlight21's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
At first I found the writing style hard to get into. It felt broken and chopped. I didn't slip into it until the last 60 pages or so. Some of the plot felt broken and missing such as the main relationship. It felt like it was just sprung into existence no feeling or relationship built.
Please read the content warnings!
Graphic: Animal death, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Murder, Pregnancy, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Death of parent and Gaslighting
Minor: Hate crime