Reviews with content warning for Death of parent - Divine Rivals

I'm not great at writing book reviews, and even after finishing this I am not sure exactly what to say that would be any help to someone looking to pick this up, but I don't think I can just put this book down without talking about it. My God, this book is beautiful. There is something so deeply touching and human about this story. It's beautifully written, and in many ways I think it touches on the ugliness and desperation of war without forgetting that there is beauty to be found even when it seems like the world is ending. It has also got to be one of the most genuinely romantic stories I've read.

YA books aren't normally what I go for, but I was pleasantly surprised to find the kind of story I didn't know I needed. I finished it in one day!

Content Warnings

ju_harue's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

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

5.0

Uma escrita envolvendo combinada com uma história maravilhosa. Agora entendi (e endosso) o hype. Foi tudinho. Em certos momentos me lembrou um pouco a história de O Estranho Sonhador, então li empolgada.
A forma como a magia se mistura com o cotidiano dos personagens é muito interessante. E eu amei que a ideia norteadora da autora - descrita nos agradecimentos - foi pra frente de forma magistral. Fiquei completamente rendida aos protagonista e demais personagens. E já estou empolgada pra ler o segundo volume.

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wordsofclover's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful tense medium-paced

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

4.25

Iris and Roman are each other's competition as they both compete to become a columnist at their local paper. But with war looming beyond the city between gods Enva and Dacre, Iris finds herself alone when her brother goes to fight and begins to write letters to him - that mysteriously disappear. When someone begins to write back, Iris forges a deep connection with this mysterious stranger and this follows her as she leaves home - and Roman - behind to become a war correspondent.

This was a really enjoyable, and romantic read. We follow two people who are the outside are very different but their souls are the same as they both face family struggles, loss, grief and the terrifying realities of war and what this means. I thought the world was great being so similar to ours but just that bit different with the inclusion of gods and a war between them that drags in innocent humans on either side. I did wonder how this works out for the humans who are actually doing the fighting. How can you win against a God? It did feel all a little bit hopeless at times.

I loved the relationship between Roman and Iris and how it developed, as well as that between Iris and Carver. There was a soft romance on the verge of great between them, and you can't help but completely fall for it. I do think they moved from 'oh I like you' to love and marriage very, very quickly but at the same time I do kind of get it as they are literally only a town away from war and enemy forces. I think I would have liked a bit more time with them as they got to know each other in different ways before everything went to hell.

I think the mystery between Enva and Dacre is a really big intriguing part of this story and it's just lightly touched on and will hopefully be explored more in the next novel. I'm looking forward to reading it very soon!

Content Warnings

renee_fae's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional lighthearted tense fast-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? Yes

3.5

Content Warnings

ladyheatherslibrary's review against another edition

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emotional sad tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes

5.0

Guernsey Literary Potato Peel Pie Society meets Little Women, but make it fantasy and add a war between gods and voila, you have this tender-hearted little read that has captured my heart even more the second time around 🖤

Content Warnings

fantasycorner's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

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