Chelsea’s review of Wild Dark Shore > Likes and Comments
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Thanks for this review! This book is the May selection for the book club at my local bookstore. Which I will skip. You’ve spared me what sounds like a truly dispiriting read.
I host a book club and I will be presenting this book in the fall. It is worth reading.
I really liked the book and the characters and the evolution of Rowan’s character. But that ending! I came here to see if anyone else had a problem with it. I’m tired of books where the female main character’s purpose ultimately is to further everyone else’s character arc … and then die. I didn’t think this one was headed that way. And yet I still think this is worth reading. I found the characters fascinating and the stories of the seeds really intriguing. I would actually love to learn more about the seeds.
Sue wrote: "I really liked the book and the characters and the evolution of Rowan’s character. But that ending! I came here to see if anyone else had a problem with it. I’m tired of books where the female main..."
This was a prime example of "the ending really tanked it" for me. At first I was just mad about Rowan because it was so stupid, but then the more I thought about, the more I realized it was EVERY woman in the book who was treated so terribly, typically to further the character arc of a man; even Fen's terrible treatment serves more to develop her father's character than her own.
Thank you for this review. I just finished the book and came here looking for exactly this take, which I agree with wholeheartedly. Ugh.
This tracks. I read Once There Were Wolves and was HORRIFIED by the author’s insistence that traumatized people cannot heal and are not worth living. She had two different characters literally crawl into the woods and die. I am seriously worried for this author’s mental state
Ohhhhh, this is a good review and I am going to update my rating. I didn’t even think of alternating breaths 😂
This is such an interesting review! Because I agree with 90% of it, and gave it a low rating for very similar reasons, but I don't recall Fen being forced out by her father--I think she's the one who chose solitude, and one of the very few things I respected Dominic for was actually giving her the space she needed.
But seriously, I'm glad someone else also saw the issues with this one and is pointing them out.
E. wrote: "This is such an interesting review! Because I agree with 90% of it, and gave it a low rating for very similar reasons, but I don't recall Fen being forced out by her father--I think she's the one w..."
Nah. You don't let a child who has been sexually abused go live alone on a beach in a hut that could collapse at pretty much any moment. He could have let her stay in her room all he wanted, go for long walks around the island, etc. but you make sure your kid is living SAFE inside your HOUSE. He can barely look at her for most of the book and there's no way that doesn't contribute to her running away as much as she can, given they're on a tiny island.
I didn’t really dislike this book until the end. I felt bored and it took me forever to get through but holy crap that ending made me want to throw the book across the room.
Agree with the ending—I wanted to yell at Rowan to take a breath too, it was just so dumb for her to go like that. This is yet another book I’ve read that has so much potential and then fizzles. But I liked the albatross, whales, and seals.
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Colleen
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Apr 06, 2025 10:53AM
Thanks for this review! This book is the May selection for the book club at my local bookstore. Which I will skip. You’ve spared me what sounds like a truly dispiriting read.
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I host a book club and I will be presenting this book in the fall. It is worth reading.
I really liked the book and the characters and the evolution of Rowan’s character. But that ending! I came here to see if anyone else had a problem with it. I’m tired of books where the female main character’s purpose ultimately is to further everyone else’s character arc … and then die. I didn’t think this one was headed that way. And yet I still think this is worth reading. I found the characters fascinating and the stories of the seeds really intriguing. I would actually love to learn more about the seeds.
Sue wrote: "I really liked the book and the characters and the evolution of Rowan’s character. But that ending! I came here to see if anyone else had a problem with it. I’m tired of books where the female main..."This was a prime example of "the ending really tanked it" for me. At first I was just mad about Rowan because it was so stupid, but then the more I thought about, the more I realized it was EVERY woman in the book who was treated so terribly, typically to further the character arc of a man; even Fen's terrible treatment serves more to develop her father's character than her own.
Thank you for this review. I just finished the book and came here looking for exactly this take, which I agree with wholeheartedly. Ugh.
This tracks. I read Once There Were Wolves and was HORRIFIED by the author’s insistence that traumatized people cannot heal and are not worth living. She had two different characters literally crawl into the woods and die. I am seriously worried for this author’s mental state
Ohhhhh, this is a good review and I am going to update my rating. I didn’t even think of alternating breaths 😂
This is such an interesting review! Because I agree with 90% of it, and gave it a low rating for very similar reasons, but I don't recall Fen being forced out by her father--I think she's the one who chose solitude, and one of the very few things I respected Dominic for was actually giving her the space she needed. But seriously, I'm glad someone else also saw the issues with this one and is pointing them out.
E. wrote: "This is such an interesting review! Because I agree with 90% of it, and gave it a low rating for very similar reasons, but I don't recall Fen being forced out by her father--I think she's the one w..."Nah. You don't let a child who has been sexually abused go live alone on a beach in a hut that could collapse at pretty much any moment. He could have let her stay in her room all he wanted, go for long walks around the island, etc. but you make sure your kid is living SAFE inside your HOUSE. He can barely look at her for most of the book and there's no way that doesn't contribute to her running away as much as she can, given they're on a tiny island.
I didn’t really dislike this book until the end. I felt bored and it took me forever to get through but holy crap that ending made me want to throw the book across the room.
Agree with the ending—I wanted to yell at Rowan to take a breath too, it was just so dumb for her to go like that. This is yet another book I’ve read that has so much potential and then fizzles. But I liked the albatross, whales, and seals.
