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beck22's review
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
nhixxie's review
Good but lost interest for it and wanted to read other things. Maybe in the future i’ll pick it back up
creativelifeofliz's review
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This book was a bit hard to rate. The pacing was a bit of a struggle for me because the story covers a lot of time. However, Damien's growth was amazing and heartwarming.
elyseisreading's review
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
secret_librarian's review
5.0
Rating: 5
Steam: 2
PoV: single, 3rd person
Genre: paranormal romance, MM
Main tropes: hurt / comfort, shifters, found family
I didn't pick this one up expecting to have my heart shattered, but oh my... Damien went through so much in this story and my heart completely broke for him.
It was so difficult to read about the abuse Damien suffered while in foster care, and I was so relieved when he found his place in the Salgado pack. There were still struggles, but I loved seeing him with Mia and her family, being safe and cared for. Though it was clear that Damien still felt a bit like an outsider, being the only human in a pack full of werewolf shifters, the Salgado's still tried their hardest to include him in everything.
The pining in this story was fantastic - it was a true slow burn romance, with most of it happening towards the end of the story. Damien spent years pining for the older brother in the Salgado pack, Hakan, and had pretty much accepted that there would never be anything between them. I loved the way things happened between them, and I really wish that there were more of their relationship - they were utterly precious together!
The way Hakan reacted when he smelled another shifter on Damien? The possessiveness, the growls... So hot! And how Damien was totally clueless about why he reacted that way? Adorable! It was for sure one of my favourite scenes.
In This Iron Ground was a gorgeously written story, I love the way Marina Vivancos writes her stories and this one was no exception. It was a devastating read in a lot of ways, but it was also a moving and beautiful story about family and unconditional love, and definitely worth all the heartbreak and tears!
Steam: 2
PoV: single, 3rd person
Genre: paranormal romance, MM
Main tropes: hurt / comfort, shifters, found family
I didn't pick this one up expecting to have my heart shattered, but oh my... Damien went through so much in this story and my heart completely broke for him.
It was so difficult to read about the abuse Damien suffered while in foster care, and I was so relieved when he found his place in the Salgado pack. There were still struggles, but I loved seeing him with Mia and her family, being safe and cared for. Though it was clear that Damien still felt a bit like an outsider, being the only human in a pack full of werewolf shifters, the Salgado's still tried their hardest to include him in everything.
The pining in this story was fantastic - it was a true slow burn romance, with most of it happening towards the end of the story. Damien spent years pining for the older brother in the Salgado pack, Hakan, and had pretty much accepted that there would never be anything between them. I loved the way things happened between them, and I really wish that there were more of their relationship - they were utterly precious together!
The way Hakan reacted when he smelled another shifter on Damien? The possessiveness, the growls... So hot! And how Damien was totally clueless about why he reacted that way? Adorable! It was for sure one of my favourite scenes.
In This Iron Ground was a gorgeously written story, I love the way Marina Vivancos writes her stories and this one was no exception. It was a devastating read in a lot of ways, but it was also a moving and beautiful story about family and unconditional love, and definitely worth all the heartbreak and tears!
abrittlebee's review
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
leersinlimites's review
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
consumed_by_mold's review against another edition
4.0
This is a very angsty childhood friends-to-lovers slow burn. Half of the book is them being kids with no mention of anything sexual and I really enjoyed that they became best friends first. They only have a two year age gap and didn't do anything while the younger was underage either.
It's also the first werewolf book that genuinely gave me true pack energy. Family is so important to them and you could really feel it. The romance wasn't the most important in the beginning, which is good caus the themes are first and foremost about belonging, self-worth and connecting to people.
Our main character reads strongly as neurodivergent, maybe ADHD? It's not named in the story, but I suspect it. This book features Native American and Pakistani werewolves, but there are some other shifters of color as well (black and asian I believe?)
The rambly dialogue can be a bit much at times during serious scenes (it's perfect for the funny ones though) and there's a few monologues that go on for way too long. The ending was a little too quick and sappy for my tastes, but it's still cute. Just kinda wish it didn't stop so suddenly and leave other character interactions/conclusions out.
Overall very funny yet emotional book, I liked the found-family dynamics and the werewolf smut a lot.
Content warnings: Child Abuse (including punishment for being neurodivergent imo), Self-Harm, Child Attempting Suicide Twice (once by running away into the woods, once by taking pills), PTSD, Panic Attacks
It's also the first werewolf book that genuinely gave me true pack energy. Family is so important to them and you could really feel it. The romance wasn't the most important in the beginning, which is good caus the themes are first and foremost about belonging, self-worth and connecting to people.
Our main character reads strongly as neurodivergent, maybe ADHD? It's not named in the story, but I suspect it. This book features Native American and Pakistani werewolves, but there are some other shifters of color as well (black and asian I believe?)
The rambly dialogue can be a bit much at times during serious scenes (it's perfect for the funny ones though) and there's a few monologues that go on for way too long. The ending was a little too quick and sappy for my tastes, but it's still cute. Just kinda wish it didn't stop so suddenly and leave other character interactions/conclusions out.
Overall very funny yet emotional book, I liked the found-family dynamics and the werewolf smut a lot.
Content warnings: Child Abuse (including punishment for being neurodivergent imo), Self-Harm, Child Attempting Suicide Twice (once by running away into the woods, once by taking pills), PTSD, Panic Attacks