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malonesilence's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Rape, Suicide, Blood, Medical content, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail
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: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
northernfleabag's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Violence, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, and Sexual harassment
jaedee09's review against another edition
- 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
5.0
Graphic: Animal death, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Blood, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Infertility, Infidelity, Medical content, and Death of parent
Minor: Alcohol
olivebleu's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Graphic: Alcoholism, Animal death, Body horror, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Pregnancy, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, 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
mmc_librarian's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Mental illness, Misogyny, and Suicide
Minor: Ableism
allyem_reads's review against another edition
2.5
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!
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