Reviews tagging 'Gun violence'

Divine Rivals by Rebecca Ross

69 reviews

kds247's review against another edition

adventurous dark 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

3.75

This book was quite entertaining. It had decent world building and I loved the letters sent between the characters. The romance was also fun and I thought the story got better as the book went on. However, I felt like the author had a tough time with the delivery of exposition with characters, instead of it being spread out evenly in the story, having multiple pages  of a singular monologue to explain everything which I found very bulky. I also think she had trouble finding the characters’ unique voices at times. At certain points in the book I had trouble distinguishing who was saying what, especially quick dialogue between Roman and Iris. Though overall, it’s a solid book.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder, and War

loveat1stwrite's review against another edition

dark hopeful slow-paced

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

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Death, and Blood

Moderate: Gore, Gun violence, Violence, Grief, Death of parent, War, and Injury/Injury detail

kinsportch's review against another edition

adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring 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

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Death, Genocide, Gore, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, War, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Gun violence and Classism

Minor: Sexual content

finnzebelle's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional 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

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Death, Gun violence, Mental illness, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Abandonment, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Violence, Medical trauma, War, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Sexual content and War

sofieishere's review against another edition

adventurous emotional hopeful 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? Yes

4.75

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Death, Gun violence, Violence, Grief, Death of parent, Alcohol, War, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Child death and Sexual content

blacksphinx's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional 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

4.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Death, Violence, Grief, Death of parent, War, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Child abuse, Child death, Gore, Gun violence, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Blood, Medical content, and Classism

Minor: Excrement and Vomit

CW: Drowning

brandywyne's review against another edition

adventurous emotional sad tense medium-paced

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

3.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Blood, and War

Minor: Addiction, Alcoholism, Child death, Genocide, Medical content, Death of parent, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

nicksalex's review against another edition

adventurous emotional 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

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Death, Gun violence, Violence, Blood, Death of parent, War, and Injury/Injury detail

rylin_marie's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark hopeful mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

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

5.0

maybe my fav book of 2023???this might be my fav read of the year! the academic rivals to lovers trope is so perfect in this book! my heart was torn to pieces, but i was left NEEDING more !! so here i am, restlessly and anxiously waiting for ruthless vows to release. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Panic attacks/disorders, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, War, and Injury/Injury detail

nerdyforbooks_'s review against another edition

adventurous 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? Yes

4.5

This book is solid, yes in a good way. While it didn’t totally knock it out of the park for me - this book has its issues - it’s a solid YA without feeling childish.

Does it lack some world building? Yes, but I have a feeling a lot of that is to come in the next book. There’s a lot we don’t know about why this war started. Is it a spurned lovers thing or something else? This world also generally isn’t that complex right now. It’s a world set in the equivalent of Earth’s 1940s (which some tweaks). Their tech isn’t fancy, their world isn’t fancy, and the magic isn’t their doing. 

The romance is very YA in nature where they kinda do a quick enemies to lovers deal, or others have said - you’ve got mail. Does that make it bad? IMO no, we know the characters have about 5-6 months history with each other already. There is already some attraction there as well. It wasn’t this totally unexplained whirlwind. 

All-in-all, I thought it was a solid read. Does it fall into some YA “issues”? Sure, but overall I thought they were navigated decently to not make me constantly eye roll or want to step away. I’ll be excited for the sequel to see what happens to our MC’s. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Gore, Gun violence, Medical trauma, and War