Reviews with content warning for Vomit - Divine Rivals

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Divine Rivals by Rebecca Ross

112 reviews

sophierosemaria's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring mysterious sad tense medium-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

4.75

It took me a moment or two to get into it (vastly different vibe than my previous book), but soon I was squealing and unable to put this book down. Loved it.

It’s always a scary moment when the love interests get together when there is still a quarter of the book left. Even more so when you know there is a sequel. I couldn’t put the book down and am already starting Ruthless Vows. I need to know how they get back together!!
My only qualm is that I think the world building could use some more elaboration, especially at the start. It did build throughout the book but even at the end I still had this distinct feeling like I couldn’t picture it in my mind. I’m hoping I’ll get some more detail in the next one.

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abbey_marie's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging emotional funny inspiring mysterious 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

5.0

Stunning. This book is such a whirlwind of emotions, so real and raw and beautiful. I haven’t read a book that has moved me so much in so long. I will treasure this book so much. I am proud to have it on my shelf and hope to one day share it with my children. I don’t even have kids yet but I’m convinced that this will be on my shelf for a lifetime, it’s so beautiful and I never want to let it go!

It started out slow and I honestly quite liked the pacing of that. In the middle and end is where it really ramped up, many emotional scenes that had me needing to take a break from reading because they were so raw and well written. It’s truly moving.

If you’re looking for a high fantasy book, this isn’t it. It doesn’t have a lot of the fantasy elements, though I’ve heard the second book does. It has more magical realism I think than fantasy. But if you’re looking for a beautiful love story, a book with elements of what feels like historical fiction (it seems to be set in the 1910s or 20s), an atmospheric novel, an emotional adventure of a read, this is it. This is everything I didn’t know I needed and I am beyond excited for the second in the duology! (And so glad that it isn’t a trilogy because my heart might explode if I had to wait for a third book!)

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vettechmama3's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring mysterious sad tense 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? It's complicated

4.25

This took me a little bit to get into. And then out of nowhere it had me crying and hooked. The love story is beautiful and many parts had me smiling, laughing, crying - all which I appreciate in a good book. It has a very historical feel with some fantasy aspects thrown in which gave it the perfect touch. I really loved this book in the end and am excited for the next one.

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inkysplodge's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional tense 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

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howboutjane's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging 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

5.0

This book was like having an extended warm cozy hug and then being yanked away and thrown into a bucket of ice water. I laughed, I awwed, I cried happy tears. There was also panic, shock and the feeling of my heart being ripped from my chest. It was perfection 👌🏽. Highly recommend.

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unavaleriaconpecas's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

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itstruly_flower's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging emotional inspiring medium-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? Yes

5.0

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annag77's review against another edition

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If I’m being brutally honest? The world building just didn’t seem consistent and there were plot holes. There was A LOT of telling without showing and I had to guess a few times in order to try and fill in gaps. I couldn’t really connect with the characters, except maybe Roman. Things were a little forced and/or woke in parts.

oh, and a HUGE newspaper hiring teenagers as reporters and columnists? Really. Ok.

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joygarcialim's review against another edition

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adventurous dark hopeful medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

This wasn't a book which I could give a straightforward rating. At the core of it, it was a fun plot to uncover, an imaginative concept to dissect, and an interesting setup for romance. However, the writing was inept. I wanted to find out what happened, and yet I couldn't stop putting the book down. It was a very oxymoronic experience in that sense.

The plot was what really made the book so damn interesting. The magical channel of two potential lovers sending love letters was at the heart of the story, and it possessed an abundance of charm and mystery.

The whole history about the typewriters as well was brilliant.

There were so many well-delivered plot twists and that were well placed so they weren't overwhelming nor absurd, and even the predictable ones were good.

Although there wasn't enough details to evoke a powerful imagery of the sceneries, such as how Oath looked like, there was a sense of an antique world. There could have been a lot more done to contribute to the world-building other

than the magical typewriters, as there wasn't a lot of magic until Iris went to Avalon Bluff

(and I'd still say it was really close to bare minimum to be considered a fantasy). There was a scene where

Roman was talking to his magical lights but it just came across as powered Google home. It didn't make sense when other appliances and objects seemed to sense Roman's needs and fulfil them without his command.

I questioned my own ability to understand emotions and relationships many times throughout the book, whilst simultaneously questioning Rebecca Ross's.

Iris grieving her mum didn't seem authentic. Then she quits her job for a day before she started to miss Roman, her supposed enemy, and their relationship hadn't been built up enough to reach a point of missing or longing. The only way it made sense is if Rebecca was lonely, but she did have a friend.

She started to see Roman as a romantic partner a few days after he arrived in Avalon Bluff, after he straight-up lied(by omission) about his identity as Carver. There was a real missed opportunity to write a romantic conflict and working towards conflict resolution, which would have made the relationship seem a lot more romantic and wholesome. They got married within a few days of starting a relationship, which is just a bad message to young readers, since this is YA after all.

It would have been a lot more palatable if the romance had been fleshed out, if the characters got to know each other so much better, especially

after Roman went to Avalon Bluff. and a lot of it just served corn and not roses. It would have been a lot more interesting if there was more fleshing out of Roman's arranged engagement/marriage.

It's just a shame as there were so many missed opportunities.

The stylistic choice of writing gave me a lot of uncertainty about what Rebecca Ross was trying to convey. Whilst the skeleton of the writing was fabulous, the flesh had been severely starved. It was not good and honestly is what took out a lot of enjoyment.

For instance,

“This was one of the finest restaurants in Oath, where Roman’s parents had fallen in love over a long candlelit dinner.” The average time for men to fall in love is actually 88 days and it's longer for women, one dinner doesn't cut it unless this long dinner was 88 days.

“Iris watched her bolt down the hallway, knowing she was probably going to wax vengefully poetic to the professor who had once dismissed her writing.” I'm not even sure what this means.

“What marks would it leave on them, shining like scars that never faded?” But don't all scars fade, even if not completely? And do scars shine?

“So many loose pages, fluttering like snow down to the floor.”

“He continued to hold their stare, deadly serious. “If I asked you, would you say yes?” I was so confused. Did Iris become enby during that one sentence?

“She ran to Keegan with a shriek, weeping and laughing, leaping into her arms.” Was Marisol was happy to see her wife amidst an impending war zone?

“This was the life she wanted—slow and easy and vibrant, surrounded by people she loved.” People she hardly knew.

Finally, the book gave left a lot of unexplained situations, which I hope are hints for things that are to come in the second book.

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sarah_hutchins's review against another edition

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adventurous dark tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.25

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