Reviews tagging 'Gore'

Divine Rivals by Rebecca Ross

89 reviews

cole_tergeist_boo's review against another edition

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adventurous inspiring tense fast-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

Oh my god! I cried often reading this book. It’s so passionate and tense, with beautiful writing and characters. I need the second one immediately. 
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paigehf's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional sad tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

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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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thesoulessrider's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful mysterious reflective sad tense slow-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

OMG, Divine Rivals was such a wild ride! I was hooked from the first letter between Iris and Roman, two rival journalists who fall in love through a magical connection. They have to deal with a war between gods, family drama, and media censorship, and it was so intense and emotional. I loved the enemies-to-lovers vibe, the historical references, and the gorgeous writing. The characters were so real and relatable, and the romance was hot and heartbreaking. This book made me cry, laugh, and gasp so many times, and the epilogue was… speechless. I was totally wrong about the enchanted entity, by the way. It was such a clever twist! If you love Rebecca Ross and fantasy romance, you need to read this book ASAP.
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lamoore72's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional 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? Yes

5.0

😭😭😭🤌🤌🤌✍️✍️✍️
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lumoslovely's review against another edition

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challenging emotional tense fast-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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backitupmoony's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

5.0

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taryn_g's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging sad tense 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

4.25

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aliceloyallaleon's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional 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? Yes

5.0

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alibrarymouse's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging emotional hopeful reflective sad tense 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

I didn’t think I was one for historical fantasy until Divine Rivals. With its World War I vibe and epistolary aspects, I’ll be the first to admit I was so skeptical of how it would all play out, but, honestly, Ross’ world works. 

Iris is plucky, determined, and loving underneath the bluster she has to present to the world. While Kitt is someone looking to make up for his mistakes and find who he really is after. It would have been so easy for their characters to deviate in deference to the plot and overarching themes of the book as a whole, but Ross was amazing at keeping them consistent and creating a story that works with who they are while still being engaging and interesting. 

The warring gods storyline is something I hope to see more of in the next book since we’ve gotten a glimpse of their mythos, and I hope to see more answers to some of my guesses and questions. However, as a first book in this duology, Ross beautifully builds expectations, hopes, and the story in such a way that it’s clear this is a romantasy taking place in a fantastical war. The deviations and twists were stunning, and the emotional buildup and release were perfection. This book made me cry over characters we literally had met only pages before, and is one of the most respectful to its soldiers and their accounts. 

What I truly appreciate is that, while graphic, Ross didn’t go grimdark. It would have taken away a lot of the nuance she gave to her characters and  the situations they found themselves in. Overall, this is definitely worth the hype. 
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