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chelly_reads's review against another edition
- 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
4.5
Graphic: Death, Medical trauma, War, Grief, Blood, Gore, Murder, Medical content, and Violence
tabea1409's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: War, Chronic illness, Gore, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Fire/Fire injury, Vomit, Genocide, Mass/school shootings, Gaslighting, Violence, Murder, Medical content, Gun violence, and Grief
lawbooks600's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Score: Seven out of ten.
Surprisingly, Ruthless Vows by Rebecca Ross was better than Divine Rivals. It was more difficult to get a hold of this one since no library or bookstore had it. I had to request it from a library, and I got it a few months later. I glanced at the blurb and headed in with low expectations, but when I closed the final page, I found it more enjoyable.
It starts (more like continues) with the characters that need no introduction, Roman and Iris, living their separate lives with Iris fighting for one all powerful being, Enva, while Roman is stuck in enemy territory with another equally potent being, Dacre. Ross solved almost every issue I had in Divine Rivals with this instalment, and those changes made such an improvement. The characters, hard to connect or relate with initially, eventually grew on me as I read more about them, particularly Roman and Iris, but other characters are still in the background.
At this point, the two protagonists weren't rivals or enemies anymore, since they already started their relationship and now I see them deepen it. Ross brought more of the worldbuilding and fantasy aspects into the spotlight when I saw more of the ongoing war, specifically Dacre's side, and Enva got more page time, but there was no backstory, but it's fine. Divine Rivals said the two deities have always been rivals. There's no explanation on where they came from, though. The slow pacing works now because of the characters, when previously it was tedious to read, but the writing style tells more than shows, and the setting is one I don't see every day (a historical urban fantasy.) Perhaps adding more detail could further improve the reading experience. At least the climax is a high note when Enva and her side win the conflict.
Graphic: Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Grief, War, Death, Fire/Fire injury, and Blood
Full trigger warnings: Military violence and war themes, death of a mother from a train accident and a sister in a body of water in the past and murder, beheading, physical assault and injury, blood, grief and loss depiction, explosions, firejessiemp2024's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Moderate: Gun violence, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Medical trauma, Murder, Violence, War, and Chronic illness
music_girl84's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
Moderate: Confinement, Death of parent, Murder, Death, Blood, and War
Minor: Sexual content
melissaslibraryy's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Grief, Gun violence, Medical content, Medical trauma, Blood, Body horror, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Fire/Fire injury, Violence, Kidnapping, Murder, War, Classism, and Vomit
kdelong's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
4.25
Graphic: War
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Confinement, Violence, and Death
annick's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Vibes: Ww2 and blitz. The vendetta aftermath again Dacre’s army really reminds me of the horrors of war (eg soviet solidera brutal treatment of German speaking civilians in late stages of ww2)
The gods and magic didn’t really make sense to me. The cosy Miyazaki vibes of the magic in ordinary houses and objects was appealing but doesn’t really manifest or follow through. The gods got a bit derivative of the Greek pantheon for me (ichor). Perhaps there is a prequel or series of short stories that Ross had in mind.
The Alouette and Lt Shane. Missing opportunity of adversity if the unused typewriter wasn’t destroyed.
Graphic: Gun violence and War
Moderate: Death, Bullying, Murder, Blood, Chronic illness, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, and Medical content
llcardenas's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Minor: Death, Grief, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Sexual content, Violence, and War
aavss's review against another edition
- 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
4.25
Moderate: Gun violence and Murder