Divine Rivals Book Review
Check out my review of Divine Rivals by Rebecca Ross, a young adult enemies to lovers fantasy novel that uses letter writing to build the romance.
Divine Rivals feels like a gift from author Rebecca Ross to readers who love words.
Letter writing and the power of words to change hearts are predominant themes in this dark fantasy romance set at the war front during a battle between two gods.
Curious if this book is for you? Check out my full review below.
If this is your first time reading one of my reviews, you may want to check out how I score my reads with this scale guide here.
Summary of Divine Rivals
When two young rival journalists find love through a magical connection, they must face the depths of hell, in a war among gods, to seal their fate forever.
After centuries of sleep, the gods are warring again. But eighteen-year-old Iris Winnow just wants to hold her family together. Her mother is suffering from addiction and her brother is missing from the front lines. Her best bet is to win the columnist promotion at the Oath Gazette.
To combat her worries, Iris writes letters to her brother and slips them beneath her wardrobe door, where they vanish―into the hands of Roman Kitt, her cold and handsome rival at the paper. When he anonymously writes Iris back, the two of them forge a connection that will follow Iris all the way to the front lines of battle: for her brother, the fate of mankind, and love.
What I Liked
Here’s what I would tell my best friend about the book:
- The Writing: It is very clear to me that the author is in love with words themselves and the old-fashioned art of letter writing. The romance between the main characters builds through letters but they really connect over their love of writing.
- Attention to Detail: It was obvious the author took the time to research World War 1 trench warfare before writing parts of this book. Even though this is a fantasy novel and the war is between gods, it felt very real.
- Found Family: I loved watching the characters form bonds through difficult situations. A recurring theme is choosing joy through life’s trials and love matters even in dark days. This is a powerful message that is very relevant to our world.
What I Didn’t Like
Every reader needs something different from a book. What I may not have preferred may be your favorite part.
I wasn’t prepared for how dark this story is but that is my fault for not picking up on all the references to war and battle right in the book summary.
The ending frustrated me but since it leads into Book 2, I’ll reserve judgement until I know how the story finally plays out.
How Spicy Is It?
🌶️🌶️: Divine Rivals rates a Level 2 on my spicy books rating scale. It’s a gentle open door romance that uses vague language in just one scene that supports the connection between characters.
Tropes
This is an enemies to lovers romance between two competing journalists during wartime.
Overall Score
⭐⭐⭐⭐
I give Divine Rivals 4 stars for a moving story about an intriguing main female character. I loved the writing style and creative world building. While not a page-turner, it kept my attention and was good enough for me to start the second book right away.
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