Reviews tagging 'Body horror'

Divine Rivals by Rebecca Ross

31 reviews

lizzye33's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring lighthearted mysterious reflective relaxing 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? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Death, War, and Blood

Moderate: Vomit, Violence, Toxic relationship, Panic attacks/disorders, Medical content, Gun violence, Death of parent, Medical trauma, Injury/Injury detail, Emotional abuse, and Genocide

Minor: Cursing, Sexual content, Child death, Confinement, Abandonment, and Car accident

outer_books's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional funny hopeful 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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: War, Deportation, Gore, Blood, and Death

Moderate: Death of parent and Body horror

Minor: Child death, Grief, Alcohol, and Addiction

amburrella's review against another edition

adventurous dark 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, War, Blood, and Body horror

Minor: Misogyny

booksalacarte's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional funny inspiring 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? No

5.0

5⭐️ 2.75🌶️

New adult
Mid Fantasy
Rivals to lovers
Slow burn
He falls first
Found family
🏳️‍🌈 side characters
War/WW2 vibes
Grief
Parental death
Magical beasts
Love letters
Anonymous pen palls
Secret identity


I barely came up for air as I read, it was that good.

The juxtaposition of a familiar historical setting like World War Two in Great Britton and the mid fantasy with magic, folklore and mythology guiding and reshaping was really compelling! Nothing is more visceral than knowing about how GB bombings happened, being familiar with the uniforms, sirens, military involvement and seeing it on the page with vengeful gods and mythical beasts. I’m excited to see it dive deeper into the classically fantasy side of this plot!!!

I loved Iris and Roman and how they interacted and grew. Going through their grief, battling emotions and setbacks. Their tension was well written. Their love is so sweet!!! I was giggling at them and my heart melted when things finally took off! 

I can’t wait until the next book comes out and we can see how this story moves forward. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Gore, Gun violence, Alcohol, Death of parent, Violence, Vomit, Body horror, Blood, Death, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Medical content, and War

wrensreadingroom's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Abandonment, Medical content, Mental illness, Murder, Sexual content, Vomit, War, Addiction, Classism, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Toxic relationship, Blood, Grief, Gun violence, Alcoholism, Alcohol, Cursing, Gore, Body horror, Death of parent, Panic attacks/disorders, Violence, Bullying, Car accident, Injury/Injury detail, and Kidnapping

literaryintersections's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional medium-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

4.0

“It’s not a crime to feel joy, even when things seem hopeless.” A solid 4 star for me. I enjoyed this book - even amidst some of the confusing world building, predictable ending, and one big plot point that idk if I can get behind. 

My favorite parts of this book were the depictions of war. Ross doesn’t shy away from it - war isn’t some fun thing that you go do. It is brutal. And I think paired with how fourth wing treats war, I loved this so much more. 

Other than that, the letter writing was stunning. The stories they wrote to each other and the love they built was fab. I do not think

they should have gotten married like girl you are 18 this is a wartime decision and it’s a bad idea

BUT the prose in this was stunning. 

In the next book I want:

More Marisol and Attie

Enva and Dacre - they are so fun and giving me Hades and Persephone vibes and I’m digging it need more. 

A fucking map cuz where were all these places?!??

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, War, and Death of parent

Moderate: Vomit and Body horror

missgarceau's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional reflective tense fast-paced

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

4.5

I felt this story in my whole body! 

It brought tears to my eyes, had butterflies dancing in my belly, gave me chills and had my heart racing with anxiety! 

The love and grief that this story delivers is overwhelming & beautiful. 

If it wasn’t for the cliffhanger ending  that felt like it came out of left field- it would have been 5⭐️
I felt like the ending was more for shock & unnecessary/avoidable drama that simply ripped my heart out. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Blood, Body horror, Fire/Fire injury, Mental illness, Violence, War, Addiction, Alcohol, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Alcoholism, Death, Death of parent, Gore, and Grief

This book might be triggering for anyone who has military involvement or military upbringing. It deals with a lot of grief & the difficulties of war.

emilysreadingbooks's review against another edition

adventurous emotional mysterious medium-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

4.0

After her older brother goes off to fight in the war between the gods and her mother loses her job, Iris Winnow has to drop out of school and work at the local newspaper. There, she becomes rivals with her coworker, Roman Kitt, as they compete for the promotion to columnist.

At home, Iris has been writing to her brother. She has no address to send her letters, but she discovered that her letters disappear when put into her closet. She hopes that, somehow, her brother is receiving the letters, until one day she receives a letter back, and she discovers that she is somehow connected to a stranger.

This book starts out strong, and is able to maintain interest through to the end. While I was able to guess some things before they happened, I was always kept curious about how they would happen. There is also a twist at the end that I did not see coming, and added and entire new layer that has me impatiently waiting for the next book to come out in December.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Death of parent, War, Injury/Injury detail, Medical trauma, and Violence

Moderate: Alcohol, Alcoholism, Blood, Body horror, Gore, and Grief

Minor: Animal death, Sexual content, Stalking, and Abandonment

paperdreams's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional hopeful inspiring 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? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, War, Body horror, Death, Grief, Violence, and Death of parent

Moderate: Classism and Alcoholism

Minor: Sexual content

sunrae_booknook's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny mysterious sad medium-paced

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

5.0

The ugliness of WWI reimagined to a war between gods. Iris and Roman’s story was romantic, heart wrenching, and full of fiery passion. I can’t wait for book 2. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence, War, Alcoholism, Panic attacks/disorders, Violence, Death of parent, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Death, and Gore

Moderate: Blood, Child abuse, Classism, and Body horror

Minor: Addiction and Abandonment