Name: Katie Allard's review of Divine Rivals by Rebecca Ross
Item: Divine Rivals
Rating: 5
Author: Katie Allard

Rebecca Ross

NO GOD NO CREATURE NO WAR CAN COME BETWEEN THEM The latest from the number one SUNDAY TIMES bestseller Rebecca Ross

Letters of Enchantment #1

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.

Letters of Enchantment #1

"We all grew up in the same town, you see," Lark began. It's a place north of here, hard to find on a map. We're farmers; we toil under rain and sun, we know everything about the loam, and we count our lives by seasons more than years. 

Before we left home, we decided to carve our initials into the great sycamore tree that overlooked one of the fields. The tree was on a hill, like a sentry. It had been struck by lightning twice but had yet to split and fall. 

And so we believed that there was magic in that tree, that its roots gave nutrients to the soil we tilled and planted and harvested. That is boughs watched over our valley. 

We carved our initials into its bark. It was a prayer for the magic of home to watch over us. A prayer and a promise we would all return someday

Esse é um jeito tão simples mas tão eficaz de encapsular um trauma, sobretudo quando se trata da guerra.

Pedro Rodarte

We woke up this morning to one world, and now the sun is setting to another.

I don’t think you realize how strong you are, because sometimes strength isn’t swords and steel and fire, as we are so often made to believe. Sometimes it’s found in quiet, gentle places. The way you hold someone’s hand as they grieve. The way you listen to others. The way you show up, day after day, even when you are weary or afraid or simply uncertain. 

alexys <3

At last, she understood his hesitance to be seen by Enva's army, his constant worry. Why he stole Roman's jumpsuit. Why he was running, Why he had never written to her. 

 "Forest," Iris whispered. “Why? Why Dacre?"

In spite of all of that hope, my fear is sharper. It's a knife in my lungs, cutting me a little more, a little deeper with each breath I take. I fear I will never see you again. I fear that I won't get the chance to say all the things I never said to you.

HE CRAWLED TO GET HER😭😭😭💔💔💔💔

The light dimmed. The colors were melting. But she saw Roman rise from the grass. He was only five meters away. He could no longer run; he could hardly walk. Her heart broke when she realized he had 

 through the gold to reach her. Blood dripped from his chin.

She whispered, "I want to touch you." "Now 

 wasn't in the letter" he said wryly. "I would have framed it on the wall had it been."

Attie smiled, tugging on her hand. "T'm telling you that Roman Carner Kitt is in the garden, waiting to marry you."

"Marry me, Iris Elizabeth Winnow, Roman whispered, drawing back to look at her. "I want to spend all my days and all my nights with you. Marry me"

i’m going to stop reading if i keep getting called OUT 

I am so afraid. And yet how I long to be vulnerable and brave when it comes to my own heart.

"Don't run from me, Iris,"Roman said as he began to hobble toward her. "Don't run from me, not after what we've just lived through. Not without granting me one final request."

She has to survive this, Roman thought. He didn't want to live in a world without her and her words. 

But he remained close at her side, keeping her warm through the darkor hours before dawn.

It was the voice of a boy who had arrived at her flat on the worst day of her life. Who had brought her abandoned coat to her, as if he were worried she would catch cold. The voice of a boy who had followed her to war and thrown paper wads at her face and set a newspaper in her hands with her article on the front page and challenged her to run up a hill to see the view beyond it.

"That's it. You're doing great, Winnow." 

She felt his hands slide down her back, resting on the curve of her hips. If she wasn't so exhausted and stiff from the harrowing encounter they miraculously survived, she would have knocked away his touch. She would have slapped him. She might have kissed him. He only smiled as if he had read her mind, and said, "It's good to see you again too, Winnow."

“I don't want to wake up when l'm seventy-four only to realize l haven't lived."

Everyone I care about eventually leaves me, whether it's death or war or simply because they don't want me. They go places I can't find, places I can't reach. And I'm not afraid to be alone, but I'm tired of being the one left behind. 

Iris’s hand froze in the air. Stars began to dance at the edges of her sight as she stared at her mother. Dead and pale and in a place so far away, Iris would never be able to reach her.

And yet I keep moving forward. On some days, I'm afraid, but most days, I simply want to achieve those things I dream of. 

By all means, don't stop on account of me or my floor. I claimed who I wasn't, and you then--quite naturally-asked who I am, but I think it's better this way. That we keep our identities secret and just rest in the fact that some old magic is at play here, connecting our doorways. But just in case you were wondering ...Ill gladly read whatever whatever you write. 

blue

I think we all wear armor. I think those who don’t are fools, risking the pain of being wounded by the sharp edges of the world, over and over again. But if I’ve learned anything from those fools, it’s that to be vulnerable is a strength most of us fear. It takes courage to let down your armor, to welcome people to see you as you are. Sometimes I feel the same as you: I can’t risk having people behold me as I truly am. But there’s also a small voice in the back of my mind, a voice that tells me, “You will miss so much by being so guarded.”

Katie Allard

Sina Meier

Gives WW2 mixed with a bit of fantasy vibes

It started so well and different but got quite boring, kinda disappointed with the ‘enemies to lovers’ - they were enemies for about 30 seconds

Only reading the second one because this one was left on a cliffhanger 

Ella Williams

Gives WW2 mixed with a bit of fantasy vibes

It started so well and different but got quite boring, kinda disappointed with the ‘enemies to lovers’ - they were enemies for about 30 seconds

Only reading the second one because this one was left on a cliffhanger 

I liked this well enough but the pacing was... a choice. Just very weird to a point where it made the romance feel instalove-y. They are - spoilers - rivals, in any meaningful sense of the word, for about 20 minutes. But the chemistry was good so I guess there was that. Not getting-married-at-18 good but good.

Also the world-building was just not there, period. It almost comes off as if Ross did not want to write a WWI / WWII story because there is actual research involved and would much rather make sure the setting is convenient to the plot (can you imagine what the ending is hinting at if this novel were set during WWII, for example?) The trouble with stories like these is that the point of real-life history to which the in-story setting is equivalent is too close to current times to not take away from the fantasy aspect of it. (I think fantasy novels ask a very valid question as to whether we would have invented cars, for example, if we had magic.)

I think what also makes this stick out so much to me at the moment is that I finished Katherine Arden's "The Warm Hands of Ghosts" recently. Its premise, setting-wise, is not dissimilar; and it still features magical elements, in spite of being very grounded in historic events. And trust me when I say, it was dramatically better executed.

And while I feel like "Divine Rivals" was a little underdeveloped, I am simultaneously happy that Ross had the self-restraint not to make this 700 pages of repetitive scenes to try and convince us Roman and Iris are in love, as it seems to be common for the genre. I feel like I need to acknowledge this, as well as the premise and potential of the series - thus, the rating.

I liked this well enough but the pacing was... a choice. Just very weird to a point where it made the romance feel instalove-y. They are - spoilers - rivals, in any meaningful sense of the word, for about 20 minutes. But the chemistry was good so I guess there was that. Not getting-married-at-18 good but good.

Also the world-building was just not there, period. It almost comes off as if Ross did not want to write a WWI / WWII story because there is actual research involved and would much rather make sure the setting is convenient to the plot (can you imagine what the ending is hinting at if this novel were set during WWII, for example?) The trouble with stories like these is that the point of real-life history to which the in-story setting is equivalent is too close to current times to not take away from the fantasy aspect of it. (I think fantasy novels ask a very valid question as to whether we would have invented cars, for example, if we had magic.)

I think what also makes this stick out so much to me at the moment is that I finished Katherine Arden's "The Warm Hands of Ghosts" recently. Its premise, setting-wise, is not dissimilar; and it still features magical elements, in spite of being very grounded in historic events. And trust me when I say, it was dramatically better executed.

And while I feel like "Divine Rivals" was a little underdeveloped, I am simultaneously happy that Ross had the self-restraint not to make this 700 pages of repetitive scenes to try and convince us Roman and Iris are in love, as it seems to be common for the genre. I feel like I need to acknowledge this, as well as the premise and potential of the series - thus, the rating.

I could talk about this for hours, I'm upset I read it so fast because now it's over, so I'll keep this short and sweet. The concept of book is ingenious, a sister grieving her brother, accidentally sending magical letters to a brother grieving his sister... oh, and THEY ARE RIVALS. The way they grow to love each other through their grievances and their love for writing only to pick each other apart while working together - ugh it's perfect.

The story is high stakes, fast pace and has a perfect setting. Their relationship feels so tangible and real, I'm not even sure how to explain it. Safe to say I was devastated by the ending, please don't speak to me for 3-5 business days.

Eimear O'Connor 

4.75 STARS!!!

Where do I even start...

I could talk about this for hours, I'm upset I read it so fast because now it's over, so I'll keep this short and sweet. The concept of book is ingenious, a sister grieving her brother, accidentally sending magical letters to a brother grieving his sister... oh, and THEY ARE RIVALS. The way they grow to love each other through their grievances and their love for writing only to pick each other apart while working together - ugh it's perfect.

The story is high stakes, fast pace and has a perfect setting. Their relationship feels so tangible and real, I'm not even sure how to explain it. Safe to say I was devastated by the ending, please don't speak to me for 3-5 business days.

౨ৎ | “but i think there is a magical link between you and me. a bond that not even distance can break.”

i’m a sucker for enemies to lovers and the workplace aspect. i absolutely fell in love with iris and roman and i wish i could forget about this book just to reread it again. once i started i couldn’t put it down till it was finished to which i then thought about it for hours after.

౨ৎ | “but i think there is a magical link between you and me. a bond that not even distance can break.”

— ★ 5/5

i’m a sucker for enemies to lovers and the workplace aspect. i absolutely fell in love with iris and roman and i wish i could forget about this book just to reread it again. once i started i couldn’t put it down till it was finished to which i then thought about it for hours after.

reread count: ll

Eu tava sedento por um livro que me deixasse completamente imerso, e finalmente achei um. Esse é um livro espetacular, extremamente bem escrito, sem defeito nenhum? Não. Eu não tô nem aí? Sim :). As vezes tudo que você precisa é de um mundo interessante, um cenário bem construído e um romance bem tropey que te deixa giggling kicking your feet.

It’s mysterious. It’s full of yearning. It made me laugh. I thoroughly enjoyed Divine Rivals. It’s a bit of a slow start, but the second half is full of twists and turns. The end was heart wrenching and I cannot wait to read the sequel.

Alissa 

it did what it needed to do for me by being fast paced and keeping me engaged. it was kinda insta love but still felt endearing. i did like the magical aspects and how the fantasy elements were set up it was interesting to see it kinda feel like mythology retelling during wartime. 

ariana :)

one of those books where the author tells you you should care about the romance instead of showing the characters and letting you start to root for them yourself. the whole book felt a bit forced in all aspects but was mostly enjoyable, although lost me a bit with the whole marriage thing

rachel

whoever called this book enemies to lovers lied to me.

shiya

i honestly forgot what had gotten into me until i decided to pick up this book. this book was beautifully written, it was poetic but not overly so. the romance and the character were decent. but the plot, somehow, became vvvvvv dull towards the end that i had to find my reason not to drop this book (by looking through fanart). there were simply not enough stakes and thrills to keep me invested. i guess i’m just not keen of this kind of story 😭

hana

I enjoyed the opening and Ross' prose, but the story might have worked better had the only fantasy element been the magical typewriters. The gods and the war upon which the premise of the novel are so flimsy that it is hard to care about the circumstances that shape the characters. "World War I except the politics have been stripped and replaced with bootleg Hades and Persephone with poorly explained opposing sides" is a setting that distracts more than it provides context or intrigue. It doesn't help that the pacing is clunky (especially the leap from rivals to lovers!) or that the side characters are paper-thin plot devices. Most baffling is the use of dual POVs in a novel that doesn't need one: imagine if, like Divine Rivals, Pride and Prejudice had been written with 80% of Elizabeth's POV and intermittently flipped to Darcy's for the rest, thereby sabotaging the impact of learning both his feelings and development as a character.

alice

Oh my gods literally. Roman and Iris are one of my new favorite couples ever. The rivals to lovers was rivals to lovers-ing. The ending I can't wait to read the second one!!

Stella 💫

Let's start off with what I found most impressive, the writing! It is beautiful; it is immersive; it is heartfelt. The voice actors did a great job narrating this book! I loved the plot and the unexpected ending. And the characters didn't read as flat, they had their goals and dreams and pasts, and most importantly, they showed growth as the story proceeded. Iris took her time getting rid of her prejudices, but when she finally did it was beautiful. Once she realized Roman gave her no reason not to believe (in) him, she shed the untrustworthiness she felt that was only a disguise for her fear. In comparison, it took Roman little time to move past his prejudices. However, that didn't mean it was the end of his character arc. He made decisions, faced their consequences, got inspired, and learned along the way. They both inspired each other and learned on their journey. What I enjoyed less was the reveal that he was Carver, although Iris reacted rationally which is what I wanted, the reveal in and on itself was underwhelming: the way she found out was not exciting at all. Lastly, the author did a great job in their commentary on the press and its crucial role in (mis)informing folks. They touched on how easily the news can be manipulated and how the government and the press only show us what they want to see. All in all, it was a good read, I'm looking forward to reading the second book. And kudos to the author for including a queer couple!

Slow to start with but soon quickens and several twists and turns. Really nice read. 

Charlotte Osborne 

issa

This was a really good book! I love the characterization so much. The language and the flow of events is poetic, almost like a dance. Absolutely amazing! I want to read it again!

Camron Swartzendruber

Still debating on the 5 stars cause the world/magic/gods/typewriters idea is incredible! But the plot a little lacking on one specific point. But we can look past that. 

Nina May

Best book in this year so far ngl.

Still debating on the 5 stars cause the world/magic/gods/typewriters idea is incredible! But the plot a little lacking on one specific point. But we can look past that. 

Divine Rivals has been one of the best books I’ve read in a long time. I think the author is such a good writer and I love the poetical way she describes things. This book made me love words and writing more than I already do. The plot is in-depth, well thought out, and intriguing. The romance is adorable and this book made me feel deeply- both pain and joy.

Jeweliet Coffee

Ok so this was a really great story but I so desperately wished that it had discussed the politics of the war more and was like 200 pages longer. The two main protagonists needed more time together to really evolve their relationship to the level it was at. Overall it’s a great read— would recommend!

Abigail Marie

Madii

3.75/5. It's okay. The romance between the protagonists got me bored af. But the tale between the god Dacre and goddess Enva got me 💕. I wish Rebecca would write more about gods and goddesses romance or something.

OMGJAKFJSKFJWKFJSKE WTF this was so good aaa so funnn (also ive been putting it off for so long and in kinda glad bc now i only have to wait like a month and a half for the second one instead of like 8 months)

nany

I fully understand the hype this book got when it first released and can say I’m now a fan of Rebecca Ross for life. This is one of the best YA books I’ve ever read. The world is an interesting meld of 1940’s Great Britain and a fantastical new world with magical elements and warring gods woven through. I also caught the influence of Greek mythology. It’s so beautifully written, and the love story that unfurls is so tender and heart wrenching. It’a hands down one of my favorites ever. The voices Ross has given to her two main characters are so raw and real in their pain and joy and even as an adult, there were MANY things I related to and understood. The ending left me wanting to scream into the void and desperate for the end of this duology. 

Katie Allard &
Divine Rivals by Rebecca Ross

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