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rowanmoth's review
dark
emotional
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
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Torture, and Murder
Moderate: Mental illness, Medical content, Kidnapping, and Grief
Minor: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child abuse, Confinement, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Gore, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Religious bigotry, and Abandonment
Cult deprogramming, Deprogramming, prior mental abuse that was severe.ashlikes's review
dark
emotional
hopeful
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? No
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Medical content, and Kidnapping
Moderate: Death, Sexual assault, Torture, Violence, Murder, and Alcohol
Minor: Gore, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail
endemictoearth's review
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.75
I am not one for gif reviews. However:
(can't get it to post, so you get a link instead)
This is the kind of dark book that I find lovely and cathartic. Someone who has been treated abominably learning to start to trust the people around them again. Those people not always recognizing the issues that character is overcoming. If you liked In This Iron Ground in particular, I think there are lots of similar themes here. And, as ever with Marina Vivancos, the way that therapy is incorporated into these books. The characters need it, but it is a journey to trust that process, too.
The two things that kept this from being 5++++ stars are
1. The cover. I love Vivancos and her writing, and her covers are always beautiful, BUUUT, either change your description to fit the photo in said cover or keep looking at stock images.
2. I don't know why, but mentioning real world media pulled me out slightly. When they were talking about watching Severance . . . I was thinking, "You live in a world with this very extreme biokink . . . I can't imagine the TV shows would be the same?"
That being said, the feels? Top tier. The worry and concern I felt for Roman and also Tyler? Too real. My hope that there is another book in this world forthcoming? Most fervent.
I received a copy for review from Gay Romance Reviews, and my admiration of Marina Vivancos's prose is most sincere.
3/14/23 re-read - Yes, I re-read it the day it was released and you know what? It was even better on the re-read. I noticed a lot of the worldbuilding and talk of how the magic works in this world more the second time through, and Tyler felt more real and I could appreciate how he really felt terrible for how he misread/misjudged Roman at first. The third act (external) conflict did seem a bit convoluted, but I could understand why it was included and what it lent to the character and relationship development.
(can't get it to post, so you get a link instead)
This is the kind of dark book that I find lovely and cathartic. Someone who has been treated abominably learning to start to trust the people around them again. Those people not always recognizing the issues that character is overcoming. If you liked In This Iron Ground in particular, I think there are lots of similar themes here. And, as ever with Marina Vivancos, the way that therapy is incorporated into these books. The characters need it, but it is a journey to trust that process, too.
The two things that kept this from being 5++++ stars are
1. The cover. I love Vivancos and her writing, and her covers are always beautiful, BUUUT, either change your description to fit the photo in said cover or keep looking at stock images.
2. I don't know why, but mentioning real world media pulled me out slightly. When they were talking about watching Severance . . . I was thinking, "You live in a world with this very extreme biokink . . . I can't imagine the TV shows would be the same?"
That being said, the feels? Top tier. The worry and concern I felt for Roman and also Tyler? Too real. My hope that there is another book in this world forthcoming? Most fervent.
I received a copy for review from Gay Romance Reviews, and my admiration of Marina Vivancos's prose is most sincere.
3/14/23 re-read - Yes, I re-read it the day it was released and you know what? It was even better on the re-read. I noticed a lot of the worldbuilding and talk of how the magic works in this world more the second time through, and Tyler felt more real and I could appreciate how he really felt terrible for how he misread/misjudged Roman at first. The third act (external) conflict did seem a bit convoluted, but I could understand why it was included and what it lent to the character and relationship development.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, and Violence
A lot of the stuff happens in the past, but Roman is still dealing with ramifications, shame, and a whole host of other things during the book._isabel_'s review
challenging
emotional
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
This was absolutely gorgeous.
Marina Vivancos is a hurt/comfort GODDESS. I cannot state it enough: no one does emotional angst quite like her. Her books have been among my favourites for a while now, and I have the feeling this series will easily top that list.
"Oh, Sacred Dark" is intense and dark and subtly magical; it's bittersweet and emotionally charged and packed with complex and nuanced angst; it's also softly romantic and deeply, gorgeously sweet and I loved it to absolute bits.
I think the world (*cough* at least I do) deserves more biological D/s romance books, so I'm very, very happy Marina has decided to join the ranks of this particular genre.
I have a weakness for touch-starved wrecks as MCs, especially when touching and affection is considered something of a necessity, a medical need that has been overlooked and underplayed by all the people in that character's past, and that only the love interest (and, of course, their found family) has bothered to fulfill. If I could choose one trope I'd happily read for the rest of my life, it would be that one.
And Roman and Tyler were precisely the type of main characters I'd happily read about forever. Both of then are wonderfully and easily lovable, and their relationship was the sweetest, softest thing ever.
I felt for Roman so much: he's been through so much, and he goes through a lot during the events of the book as well. I just wanted to jump into the book and wrap him in blankets and keep him safe from everyone and everything. His resilience, his quiet and steadfast strength, the way he slowly but surely started trusting himself and the world again, everything about him was wonderful and lovable: I adored him to bits.
And Tyler? Tyler was as fantastic and lovable as Roman. He's the literal embodiment of the comfort part in hurt/comfort (seriously, in a hypothetical and entirely fantastical dictionary of romance tropes, his name would appear next to that particular trope because Tyler IS aftercare, and all types of care, incarnate), and he's also the epitome of a service Dom, and ugh, the way he was with Roman? Priceless and swoon-worthy. I also loved that, although this book is pretty much centred on Roman, and his recovery from a lifetime of abuse and self-hatred, Tyler also gets his chance to be vulnerable and needy and afraid.
Their relationship was amazingly done: slow-burn, with a dash of one-sided enemies-to-lovers, soft and sweet, and riddled with tons and tons of care, affection and mutual respect. I love D/s romances with my whole soul, but admittedly, sometimes a few of the most well-known and popular ones veer into a darker, more possessive and toxic portrayal of that type of dynamic: don't get me wrong, dark and possessive is still my catnip, but I do love it when authors take time to actually portray consent and respect and boundaries and limits properly. And I loved that even though Roman is a sub, and he needs subspace and orders to function, his agency and independence are still fully cherished.
Marina doesn't spend a huge amount of time explaining that particular aspect of the book, the biological D/s dynamic, plus the way magic factors into the world-building: I think in some ways some readers could find it a bit jarring, but I think it makes sense that this first book is much more about the emotional, romantic journey than outside elements like the plot or world-building. You'll have to go with the flow, and also read with the understanding that there are quite a few more books to come in this series; so, plenty of world-building left to explore.
Anyway, I loved the little bit of the magic and magic system we get to witness: all the different types of magic were beyond fascinating, as was the way the D/s dynamic was portrayed in the book, with sub and Domspace, Drops and aftercare.
I also adored all of the side characters, and I cannot wait to discover if one of them will be the next protagonist(s) in this series or if new faces will appear.
Finally, once again, I have to applaud Marina Vivancos for her portrayal of trauma: not every author gets in right, and some portray love as a magical cure for everything; I think Marina Vivancos has, once again, done an excellent job at showing how insidious abuse, of any kind, is, and how a survivor's mind manages to shield itself just for the purpose of survival. Roman was a deeply complex character, multilayered and nuanced, and I completely fell in love with his, and Tyler's, journey towards a well-deserved HEA, as individuals and of course, as a couple too.
I'm so, so, SO excited to read the next book.
Thank you GRR for the ARC. I received it in exchange for an honest review.
Marina Vivancos is a hurt/comfort GODDESS. I cannot state it enough: no one does emotional angst quite like her. Her books have been among my favourites for a while now, and I have the feeling this series will easily top that list.
"Oh, Sacred Dark" is intense and dark and subtly magical; it's bittersweet and emotionally charged and packed with complex and nuanced angst; it's also softly romantic and deeply, gorgeously sweet and I loved it to absolute bits.
I think the world (*cough* at least I do) deserves more biological D/s romance books, so I'm very, very happy Marina has decided to join the ranks of this particular genre.
I have a weakness for touch-starved wrecks as MCs, especially when touching and affection is considered something of a necessity, a medical need that has been overlooked and underplayed by all the people in that character's past, and that only the love interest (and, of course, their found family) has bothered to fulfill. If I could choose one trope I'd happily read for the rest of my life, it would be that one.
And Roman and Tyler were precisely the type of main characters I'd happily read about forever. Both of then are wonderfully and easily lovable, and their relationship was the sweetest, softest thing ever.
I felt for Roman so much: he's been through so much, and he goes through a lot during the events of the book as well. I just wanted to jump into the book and wrap him in blankets and keep him safe from everyone and everything. His resilience, his quiet and steadfast strength, the way he slowly but surely started trusting himself and the world again, everything about him was wonderful and lovable: I adored him to bits.
And Tyler? Tyler was as fantastic and lovable as Roman. He's the literal embodiment of the comfort part in hurt/comfort (seriously, in a hypothetical and entirely fantastical dictionary of romance tropes, his name would appear next to that particular trope because Tyler IS aftercare, and all types of care, incarnate), and he's also the epitome of a service Dom, and ugh, the way he was with Roman? Priceless and swoon-worthy. I also loved that, although this book is pretty much centred on Roman, and his recovery from a lifetime of abuse and self-hatred, Tyler also gets his chance to be vulnerable and needy and afraid.
Their relationship was amazingly done: slow-burn, with a dash of one-sided enemies-to-lovers, soft and sweet, and riddled with tons and tons of care, affection and mutual respect. I love D/s romances with my whole soul, but admittedly, sometimes a few of the most well-known and popular ones veer into a darker, more possessive and toxic portrayal of that type of dynamic: don't get me wrong, dark and possessive is still my catnip, but I do love it when authors take time to actually portray consent and respect and boundaries and limits properly. And I loved that even though Roman is a sub, and he needs subspace and orders to function, his agency and independence are still fully cherished.
Marina doesn't spend a huge amount of time explaining that particular aspect of the book, the biological D/s dynamic, plus the way magic factors into the world-building: I think in some ways some readers could find it a bit jarring, but I think it makes sense that this first book is much more about the emotional, romantic journey than outside elements like the plot or world-building. You'll have to go with the flow, and also read with the understanding that there are quite a few more books to come in this series; so, plenty of world-building left to explore.
Anyway, I loved the little bit of the magic and magic system we get to witness: all the different types of magic were beyond fascinating, as was the way the D/s dynamic was portrayed in the book, with sub and Domspace, Drops and aftercare.
I also adored all of the side characters, and I cannot wait to discover if one of them will be the next protagonist(s) in this series or if new faces will appear.
Finally, once again, I have to applaud Marina Vivancos for her portrayal of trauma: not every author gets in right, and some portray love as a magical cure for everything; I think Marina Vivancos has, once again, done an excellent job at showing how insidious abuse, of any kind, is, and how a survivor's mind manages to shield itself just for the purpose of survival. Roman was a deeply complex character, multilayered and nuanced, and I completely fell in love with his, and Tyler's, journey towards a well-deserved HEA, as individuals and of course, as a couple too.
I'm so, so, SO excited to read the next book.
Thank you GRR for the ARC. I received it in exchange for an honest review.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, and Suicidal thoughts
mousie's review
challenging
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, and Physical abuse
Abuse was during a prior relationship
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