Scan barcode
lawbooks600's review against another edition
adventurous
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Score: Six out of ten.
I own this book.
Divine Rivals by Rebecca Ross was overhyped. So overhyped. I wanted to read this one ever since it won an award for the Best Young Adult Fantasy and Science Fiction book in 2023. No library had it at the time so I had to buy it. I glanced at the blurb, making it seem intriguing, but when I closed the final page, I thought it was only okay.
It starts with Iris Winnow and Roman Kitt, living their separate lives amid a war between two all powerful beings, with Iris sending letters to her missing brother while working as a reporter at a news company. Unexpectedly, Roman, intercepts those letters, which is eventually the start of a relationship between the two, even though he was Iris' rival. The story promised an enemies-to-lovers romance set in a historical urban fantasy setting akin to World War One, but it felt more like a typical romance. Divine Rivals tried to do too much, detracting its plot with so many subplots I didn't know what it was about. Focusing on one storyline would've improved the reading experience.
Roman wasn't a rival nor an enemy, nor did he have any grudges with Iris, making the blurb slightly misleading. The characters are okay, but lack depth, and I didn't feel like Roman and Iris had any chemistry and the relationship felt shoehorned, not genuine. If Ross wrote more depth into them, she'd convince me that the two central characters have chemistry. I prefer to read fantasies with little to no romance and not a romantasy, which may explain why the worldbuilding felt like a wasted opportunity. The fantastical aspects were barely there, and how could Roman and Iris live like the war doesn't exist? Plot armour? Perhaps. Expanding the world would've made me enjoy Divine Rivals more. The conclusion is abrupt, leaving me hoping the next and final instalment, Ruthless Vows, will be better.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Grief, Death, Injury/Injury detail, War, and Panic attacks/disorders
Full trigger warnings: Military violence and war themes, explosions, blood, grief and loss depiction, death of a sister in the past in a body of water and a mother, physical injury, conscription, hospitalisation, panic attackkermittuesday's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
fast-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
4.0
Used the word raiment far too much. Just say clothes every once in a while.
Content Warnings
Graphic: War
Moderate: Medical content, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Death of parent, Blood, and Grief
Minor: Child death, Sexual content, Alcoholism, and Vomit
Despite the amount of triggers I listed, this is not a horror book but it does involve war so it has this stuff. The sexual content is very minimal but because it’s a YA book, you might want to know it’s there.melist6's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-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? No
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: War, Grief, Death of parent, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, and Death
Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, and Blood
theinkedpath's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
sad
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
4.75
ES:
Hacía meses que un libro no me transportaba tanto a una historia. Me tiemblan las manos mientras escribo...pero qué bonito, qué atmósfera, la magia y madre mía, qué personajes (sobre todo los protas). Me he visto reflejada en Iris un millón de veces.
Y el final me ha dejado destrozada. Directa al segundo.
Reseña: Me encantaría que fuera pronto.
EN:
I an in love with this story and this world. It evokes in me the spark of writing (as a journalist and as a writer, when both flames died years ago).
I loved the atmosphere, how vivid and real it was (while including glow of magic in between). However, I do believe the characters are the best aspect of the novel. I loved both protagonists but Iris has a special place in my heart (she reminds me of myself most of the time if I am honest). The characters are human and I believed them. As I said before, Iris has a special place in my heart, but Roman has stolen...so points for the journalists!
Directly to the sequel. I cannot wait.
Review: I hope it can be soon.
Hacía meses que un libro no me transportaba tanto a una historia. Me tiemblan las manos mientras escribo...pero qué bonito, qué atmósfera, la magia y madre mía, qué personajes (sobre todo los protas). Me he visto reflejada en Iris un millón de veces.
Y el final me ha dejado destrozada. Directa al segundo.
Reseña: Me encantaría que fuera pronto.
EN:
I an in love with this story and this world. It evokes in me the spark of writing (as a journalist and as a writer, when both flames died years ago).
I loved the atmosphere, how vivid and real it was (while including glow of magic in between). However, I do believe the characters are the best aspect of the novel. I loved both protagonists but Iris has a special place in my heart (she reminds me of myself most of the time if I am honest). The characters are human and I believed them. As I said before, Iris has a special place in my heart, but Roman has stolen...so points for the journalists!
Directly to the sequel. I cannot wait.
Review: I hope it can be soon.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Vomit, Death of parent, Death, Panic attacks/disorders, Injury/Injury detail, War, Blood, and Violence
jessnotjen's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
mysterious
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: War, Injury/Injury detail, Death, Death of parent, Alcoholism, and Grief
sizzlesteaks's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Death of parent
melissaslibraryy's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-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
Roman Kitt my beloved, you hold my heart in your hands <3
Content Warnings
Graphic: Medical trauma, Abandonment, Injury/Injury detail, Gun violence, Grief, Medical content, Blood, Death, Murder, Death of parent, Violence, and War
amy_q13's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
medium-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? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, War, Blood, Death, Death of parent, Grief, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Car accident, Classism, Alcoholism, and Addiction
Minor: Forced institutionalization, Sexual content, Physical abuse, and Vomit
ctara2123's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Grief, Cursing, Violence, War, Death, and Blood
Moderate: Vomit and Gun violence
amy_in_the_city's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-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? No
4.75
I loved the epistolary elements of this book, and the writing was absolutely beautiful! The love story felt very Pride & Prejudice-inspired. I liked the setting, but I thought there could have been a bit more worldbuilding. The fantasy elements (other than the magic typewriters and Kitt's magic house) felt too abstract. I don't feel like I got a good sense of the gods and the monsters, but I'm assuming that will be explored more in the sequel. Still, for most of the book, I felt like I was just reading a WWI historical novel instead of a different fantasy world inspired by WWI. I didn't understand the main characters' decision to stay and defend the town even though they were not soldiers and had no fighting training or equipment. They didn't accomplish anything at all by staying, so the decision felt contrived for plot reasons. . Another thing that seemed contrived for plot reasons is Forest not revealing himself sooner and instead deciding that waiting to kidnap Iris during battle was the best course of action.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, War, Grief, Blood, Death of parent, Death, Classism, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, and Violence
Moderate: Car accident, Addiction, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Child death, and Medical content
Minor: Sexual content and Stalking