Name: ONCE THERE WERE WOLVES.
Rating: 4.193798449612403 (129 reviews)
ISBN: 9781784744403

CHARLOTTE. MCCONAGHY

ONCE THERE WERE WOLVES.

Charlotte McConaghy

From the author of the beloved national bestseller Migrations, a pulse-pounding new novel about a woman who will do anything to save the wolves of Scotland, and her twin sister Inti Flynn has never believed in the story of the big bad wolf. She knows the truth: it is men who are the real monsters. Inti arrives in the Scottish Highlands to lead a team of scientists tasked with reintroducing wolves into the wild, fiercely determined that nothing will distract her. But at home in her new cottage, where her traumatized twin sister Aggie barely leaves her bed, Inti can’t help but remember the painful secrets that drove them out of Alaska. As the wolves surprise everyone by thriving, Inti settles into the rhythms of her new life. She begins to let her guard down, making friends and even opening herself up to the possibility of romance. Her fragile peace is shattered when a farmer is mauled to death, and Inti can feel the town turning against her. Unable to believe her wolves could be responsible, Inti makes a reckless decision to protect them. But if the wolves didn’t make the kill, then who did? And will they strike again? Fiercely beautiful and propulsive, Once There Were Wolves is the unforgettable story of a woman desperate to save the creatures she loves, and, perhaps, save herself and her sister along the way—if she isn’t consumed by a wild that was once her refuge.

Once There Were Wolves

Cassandra Tang

* INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * From the author of the beloved national bestseller Migrations, a pulse-pounding new novel set in the wild Scottish Highlands. Inti Flynn arrives in Scotland with her twin sister, Aggie, to lead a team of biologists tasked with reintroducing fourteen gray wolves into the remote Highlands. She hopes to heal not only the dying landscape, but Aggie, too, unmade by the terrible secrets that drove the sisters out of Alaska. Inti is not the woman she once was, either, changed by the harm she’s witnessed—inflicted by humans on both the wild and each other. Yet as the wolves surprise everyone by thriving, Inti begins to let her guard down, even opening herself up to the possibility of love. But when a farmer is found dead, Inti knows where the town will lay blame. Unable to accept her wolves could be responsible, Inti makes a reckless decision to protect them. But if the wolves didn’t make the kill, then who did? And what will Inti do when the man she is falling for seems to be the prime suspect? Propulsive and spell-binding, Charlotte McConaghy's Once There Were Wolves is the unforgettable story of a woman desperate to save the creatures she loves—if she isn’t consumed by a wild that was once her refuge.

Yulez

Why was this so painfully and beautifully written?!! 😭<br /><br />rtc

Open up a book with twins in it and it’s going to be the most batshit thing you’ve ever read. Why? I don’t know, but authors seem to all agree on this 

Margo Koss

Really lovely. Enjoyed the intimacy of this so much

Katharine kollman

Yes, would you like a book to just hurt you? Call 1-800-PAIN and get your copy of this book shipped straight you you today! 

Cw: domestic abuse, assault, SA, birth, animal death, trauma

Apiecalypse Jen

Yes, would you like a book to just hurt you? Call 1-800-PAIN and get your copy of this book shipped straight you you today! 

Cw: domestic abuse, assault, SA, birth, animal death, trauma

Well-plotted and well-written. McConaghy has a knack for blending eco-fiction with dark drama. 

That said, she seems to regurgitate a lot of what she accomplished in Migrations. Parts felt overwrought.

elizabeth

Well-plotted and well-written. McConaghy has a knack for blending eco-fiction with dark drama. 

That said, she seems to regurgitate a lot of what she accomplished in Migrations. Parts felt overwrought.

This was a strange story. The stream of conscious telling of the events was a little hard to follow at times and I almost didn't stick with it. However, I just had to know what was going to happen to the wolves so I stuck it through and this story blossomed. Inti is a complex, detailed character that will leave you concerned and invested in her story. Inti and her wolves somehow managed to teach me a lesson about being just a little bit more caring for the world. Worth the read. 

Jackelyn

This was a strange story. The stream of conscious telling of the events was a little hard to follow at times and I almost didn't stick with it. However, I just had to know what was going to happen to the wolves so I stuck it through and this story blossomed. Inti is a complex, detailed character that will leave you concerned and invested in her story. Inti and her wolves somehow managed to teach me a lesson about being just a little bit more caring for the world. Worth the read. 



McKenzie McWhorter

This was so impactful, it was beautifully written and a very layered story. I felt a wide range of emotions reading it, I think McConaghy did a great job with this book.

**The New York Times Bestseller** 'So damn good. A page-turner that makes you think and has a huge emotional impact' Jeff VanderMeer A wild and gripping novel about one woman's quest to reintroduce wolves to the Scottish Highlands at any cost Inti Flynn arrives in the Scottish Highlands with fourteen grey wolves, a traumatised sister and fierce tenacity. As a biologist, she knows the animals are the best hope for rewilding the ruined landscape and she cares little for local opposition. As a sister, she hopes the remote project will offer her twin, Aggie, a chance to heal after the horrific events that drove them both out of Alaska. But violence dogs their footsteps and one night Inti stumbles over the body of a farmer. Unable to accept that her wolves could be responsible, she makes a reckless decision to protect them. But if the wolves didn't make the kill, then who did? And can she trust the man she is beginning to love when he becomes the main suspect? Propulsive and unforgettable, Once There Were Wolves is the spellbinding story of a woman desperate to save her family, the wild animals and the natural world she loves, at any cost. 'One of those very rare, special novels that changes you as you read' Laurie Frankel

Fraser Simons

Unhinged women is rapidly just becoming a subgenre that ticks all my boxes, apparently. Combined with climate fiction (cli-fi), the thematic considerations work in tandem with the unhinged narration angle. It’s fraught, a difficult read, cuts you to quick, and forces you to confront questions in which there is no easy or “good answer”. 

Basically, it’s everything I want from this intersection. 

The main characters are two women; twins, raised by separated parents with views that overlap in the distrust of humanity, go to Scotland to introduce wolves to an ecology that has been altered by human occupation. Deer run rampant, systems are out of whack. The Scots think they know what they’re doing. The team going to Scotland to introduce the wolves think they know what they’re doing. 

The past trauma—which is quite vivid, and deserves a content warning for sexual assault and domestic abuse, both physical and emotional—the women have suffered directly correlate to the plot and themes. The releasing of wolves into the wild is an apt comparison to loosing traumatized people who have not come to grips with their trauma into a similar unknown habitat. 

When a person goes missing, events conspire to force the twins to confront their past, as well as every characters’ preconceived notions regarding nature and the degree to which a person, or animal, can alter the fundamental components at its core. 

Lived experience, internalized trauma, socialization, ingrained, primal response. The animal aspects of human nature interrogated here create so much interesting tension in the plot. We know and learn as little about ourselves in our lifetime as we like to think we know about ecology and nature and the earth. Our very presence and continued existence is both something we cannot change and a force that rarely comes to anything but destruction. 

In a real way, this story is a demonstration in intent vs impact, as much as everything else. 

It’s a feat, then, that it’s such a pleasure to read. You’re in the head of those people dwelling in hurt and pain. It’s unsettling and impossible not to empathize with and get caught up in. But as with many trauma survivors, the ability to empathize, especially in one woman’s case, is heightened and their perceptions altered. But the rhythm and cadence of the disturbing makes it enticing, too. As if it begs, just like anger, to be listened to and allowed to encompass a person whole.

From the author of the beloved national bestseller Migrations, a pulse-pounding new novel set in the wild Scottish Highlands. Inti Flynn arrives in Scotland with her twin sister, Aggie, to lead a team of biologists tasked with reintroducing fourteen gray wolves into the remote Highlands. She hopes to heal not only the dying landscape, but Aggie, too, unmade by the terrible secrets that drove the sisters out of Alaska. Inti is not the woman she once was, either, changed by the harm she’s witnessed—inflicted by humans on both the wild and each other. Yet as the wolves surprise everyone by thriving, Inti begins to let her guard down, even opening herself up to the possibility of love. But when a farmer is found dead, Inti knows where the town will lay blame. Unable to accept her wolves could be responsible, Inti makes a reckless decision to protect them. But if the wolves didn’t make the kill, then who did? And what will Inti do when the man she is falling for seems to be the prime suspect? Propulsive and spell-binding, Charlotte McConaghy's Once There Were Wolves is the unforgettable story of a woman desperate to save the creatures she loves—if she isn’t consumed by a wild that was once her refuge.

Floofyflower

I genuinely loved this book. The last few chapters are an emotional suspenseful rollercoaster, and the way McConaghy reveals the answers is beautiful. The only reason I gave it 4 stars is because I wanted a little more character development, and I really wanted more growth and depth in the relationship between the two characters who fall in love. 

Josefina

3.5
if you get upset with animals dying, then this is not the book for you, i almost sobbed

Katie Doonan

** spoiler alert **
           I wanted to love this book, but I ended up so disappointed. The narration was contrived, preachy, and patronizing and the characters stayed unlikable throughout. The conservation writing, coming from a conservationist, felt like the author tried really hard to evoke an emotional tie while also berating you. The ending was especially contrived between the childbirth in the snow on horseback, her sister murdering men without repercussions, and everyone was just happy from there on out? I spent a good amount of effort trying to give the book a chance, but I would not recommend at all.

juliana

Anything wolves is an instant addition to my tbr and the Scottish highlands setting just made my want to read this even more so. I went into this book with just knowing those two things and was very pleasantly surprised. There's a great mystery/thriller intwined into the mc's story when her personal life gets intwined in the small town where these wolves are being rehabilitated. Great story, if you have an interest in wolves and like mysteries I definitely recommend!! Also a nice quick read and beautifully written.

ONCE THERE WERE WOLVES.

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