Reviews tagging 'Animal cruelty'

The Last Migration by Charlotte McConaghy

10 reviews

nataliecoyne's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional hopeful sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

I don't think that this is a bad book by any means, and to an extent, I did enjoy it. I still feel comfortable giving it 3 stars, so that does mean a level of enjoyment. But I found it to be more interesting in the abstract, overall idea of the book sense. The actual contents of the book just didn't end up being as interesting, and was boring at times (particularly the sections set in the past, and especially the sections in the beginning that were set in the past, were boring).

However, this was a book that I kind of stepped out of my usual comfort zone to read, I don't usually partake in sci-fi/speculative fiction/dystopian fiction books and I could definitely see someone who is a huge fan of these genres enjoying this book more than I did.

In conclusion, it's good, but it just didn't hit the way I was hoping it would for me.
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jessereadsthings's review against another edition

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adventurous dark sad medium-paced

3.0

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abicaro17's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional funny mysterious reflective sad slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

This beautiful and sad odyssey of one woman's journey as she follows the last migration of the Arctic Turns in a world facing the disastrous effects of climate change and greed is a must read. Franny is a bird lover but, birds are basically extinct due to global warming and the government's lack of concern with hunting and overfishing. She is on a mission to follow the last of the Arctic Terns, a bird that migrates from pole to pole. She joins a ragtag crew on their fishing boat with promises of a catch they have long searched for. As Franny and the crew journey with the birds, the reader journeys through Frannys childhood, her married life, and what led her to hop on a boat and follow the terns. This novel is a beautifully written picture of the risks of global warming framing one of the most gut wrenching side romances i've ever read. Franny is a complicated and fearless free spirit who works to fulfill her dreams at any cost. She's strong, determined, a tad delusional, and a fantastic character. Niall, her husband, is a dreamboat. No spoilers obviously, but that man is a catch and almost every time he spoke I was practically swooning! In addition, all of the side characters are amazingly complex as well! Even Nialls mom, who has like maybe two chapters? From Ennis, the gambling captain to Lèa the French engineer, the entire crew has a complicated backstory, development, and dialogue. Its amazing that this whole book is less than 300 pages. It packs a punch! I wish I could read this again for the first time. 
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wallanderem's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional reflective 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

4.25

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libbyajt's review against another edition

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dark reflective tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

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genny's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful mysterious reflective sad slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I read the ebook immediately after finishing the audiobook because I suspected I would appreciate it more the second time around, and I was correct. This is a perfect little gem, so much emotion packed into a short novel! I kept getting choked up at the simplest, quietest moments. While climate change is a big part of the story, it isn't really the focus as it serves more as a parallel to Franny's personal journey...I've seen reviews that were disappointed because of that, so take that into account when deciding whether to read this. I personally loved all of it: her nomadic nature warring with her desire to grow roots, her relationship with her husband who always saw right to the heart of her, and their hopes for a dying world.
I'm so happy that it ended on a hopeful note! This could easily have gone the other way, but oh my god did I desperately need that scene of Franny & Ennis celebrating the sight of the animals.


McConaghy works magic with her words. I'm so thankful I took a chance on this. I look forward to reading Once There Were Wolves, but I need breathing space first. 😅
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madelynfrank's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

Unreliable narrator, twists. Gone-girl era vibes made it a page turner although ultimately none of the many twists were too shocking. The near future mass extinction setting was ominous. Very atmospheric and adventurous. Interesting and diverse characters attempted, many of the secondary characters were left disappointingly underdeveloped. Some of the prose was really wonderful. Read tag warnings cuz omigod. Also the dog dies. 
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mandib's review against another edition

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4.0

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nehashtyle's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional informative sad tense 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

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bakerreads's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective 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

Tragic, haunting, dark, and beautiful.
This story is set in the near future, where most every wild animal is extinct. We follow Franny Stone, an unreliable narrator with a dark past, as she tracks the last known flock of Arctic terns on their final migration.
This story is fairly depressing, but there’s a found family aspect that I just absolutely adored and loved how the characters interacted with one another (for the most part). McConaghy is amazing at writing complex, and realistically flawed characters. This is a story about love, and loss, and finding your place in the world, and I thought it was perfect.
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