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A review by writtenechoes
In This Iron Ground by Marina Vivancos
4.0
I think this takes the cake for the slowest burn I’ve ever read. Honestly I’m not even sure this can be called a romance. Really this is just Damien’s story of pain and suffering until one day there’s just less pain and no suffering. Don’t get me wrong it was a beautiful read and the hurt was hurting because it’s Marina but like damn …. this has a small percentage of relief.
The majority of this takes place when Damien is 13-15. His parents died when he was young leaving in the care of multiple foster homes. The most recent, the Mckenzie’s, are highly abusive. After attempting to run away one day he’s found by a werewolf family. They strangle take him under their wings. He spends time at their home after school. He becomes friends with Koko, the girl his age, and the son, Hakan, who is two years older. The teenage years are rough. The abusive is awful to read and there’s an attempted suicide that’s on page. Relief comes in the form of the Salgado’s again but Damien struggles against it. He struggles with believing himself worthy of love and family.
As teens do, Damien slowly, over a long time, comes to terms with feelings for Hakan. He thinks the feelings are returned so he attempts a kiss but it’s rebuffed. Ouch. Now Damien knows he will lose this family, this pack. Of course he doesn’t but the fear is real. Hakan goes away to college and Damien blooms. He goes from teenager to a young man. And he discovers himself even more when he finally goes away to the same college Hakan is at. The two don’t really see one another. Damien makes some friends and some friends with benefits. Literally this story is just Damien’s story. No romance. He hooks up with another werewolf and Hakan smells it on him. This kind of spurs … everything. They start hooking up but Damien knows it’s not love, knows it’s not pack. Damien isn’t stupid it’s just his trauma but it was kind of infuriating lol. Hakan obviously loves him but Damien refuses to see it. Like Hakan is scent marking him and wanting to spend so much time with him.
Damien didn’t want to hear whatever it was that Hakan wanted to say. He could already read it on Hakan’s face. The questions, the need to reassure Damien. But Damien was fine. For Hakan to be in love with Damien would be such an anomaly as to be impossible. This was the rightful order of the world. LIKE DAMN.
This was just a lot lol. Damien suffers a lot in the beginning so I expected more relief at the end but the romance is really only in the last 10% …….. it takes that long for feelings to be admitted. I loved this because I love this type of pain, Marina is great at it, but I finished it and felt tired. Exhausted. There wasn’t enough time spent with them as a couple.
I’m rating it 4 stars despite all that because it was moving and it made me feel a lot of things. And knowing Damien is happy now, with his mate, and his pack, well that is worth 4 stars too.
The majority of this takes place when Damien is 13-15. His parents died when he was young leaving in the care of multiple foster homes. The most recent, the Mckenzie’s, are highly abusive. After attempting to run away one day he’s found by a werewolf family. They strangle take him under their wings. He spends time at their home after school. He becomes friends with Koko, the girl his age, and the son, Hakan, who is two years older. The teenage years are rough. The abusive is awful to read and there’s an attempted suicide that’s on page. Relief comes in the form of the Salgado’s again but Damien struggles against it. He struggles with believing himself worthy of love and family.
As teens do, Damien slowly, over a long time, comes to terms with feelings for Hakan. He thinks the feelings are returned so he attempts a kiss but it’s rebuffed. Ouch. Now Damien knows he will lose this family, this pack. Of course he doesn’t but the fear is real. Hakan goes away to college and Damien blooms. He goes from teenager to a young man. And he discovers himself even more when he finally goes away to the same college Hakan is at. The two don’t really see one another. Damien makes some friends and some friends with benefits. Literally this story is just Damien’s story. No romance. He hooks up with another werewolf and Hakan smells it on him. This kind of spurs … everything. They start hooking up but Damien knows it’s not love, knows it’s not pack. Damien isn’t stupid it’s just his trauma but it was kind of infuriating lol. Hakan obviously loves him but Damien refuses to see it. Like Hakan is scent marking him and wanting to spend so much time with him.
Damien didn’t want to hear whatever it was that Hakan wanted to say. He could already read it on Hakan’s face. The questions, the need to reassure Damien. But Damien was fine. For Hakan to be in love with Damien would be such an anomaly as to be impossible. This was the rightful order of the world. LIKE DAMN.
This was just a lot lol. Damien suffers a lot in the beginning so I expected more relief at the end but the romance is really only in the last 10% …….. it takes that long for feelings to be admitted. I loved this because I love this type of pain, Marina is great at it, but I finished it and felt tired. Exhausted. There wasn’t enough time spent with them as a couple.
I’m rating it 4 stars despite all that because it was moving and it made me feel a lot of things. And knowing Damien is happy now, with his mate, and his pack, well that is worth 4 stars too.