Once There Were Wolves
Once There Were Wolves is a story that is a combination of literary fiction and murder mystery, and unlike anything I’ve ever read.
Synopsis: 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?
What appealed to you most in this story?
My favorite part and plot in this story were the sections about the wolves. I loved discovering what it is like to spend months tracking them as they travel, hunt, and grow their packs. It was so interesting to learn about their environmental impacts. What added to the suspense and kept me turning the pages even more was the local resident’s distrust and fear of the wolves.
Did the multiple subplots work in the story?
While I was hooked on the subplot that focused on the environment/wolves, I didn’t care as much for the subplots. I thought the story would have stood well enough on its own without the romance (not sure if it really was a romance) and one other subplot that really made no sense to add (can’t say what due to spoiler). The backstory of the twins was depressing, and I didn’t buy the fact that nearly every single man in Inti’s and Aggie’s life was abusive. I think just sticking to the plot with the wolves would have been plenty. In all honesty I was more invested in the story of the wolves than the humans.
How was the pace?
This story had a steady pace that kept my interest to the very last page.
Do you recommend this book?
There are a ton of reviews loving this book, and I’m glad I read it for the wolf part. So, for me, this book gets two ratings:
Three stars for the story itself and four stars for the plot with the wolves.
P.S. There really is a movement to reintroduce the wolves into Scotland!
