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aksmith92's review
- 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
4.0
The story opens with Iris back in Oath, reeling from recent battles and trying to save her brother, Forest. Meanwhile, Roman, now under the influence of the god Dacre, has lost his memories and unknowingly becomes a pawn in Dacre's plans.
Ross masterfully intertwines Iris's and Roman's journeys with a rich tapestry of dreams, enchanted typewriters, and clandestine letters, creating the same type of atmospheric novel as Divine Rivals. We watch as the divine war continues and how Roman and Iris's love evolves in unique and profound ways.
What I Liked: You are a lovely writer, Rebecca Ross. Ross's writing was beautifully atmospheric in this novel and made for such a pleasant experience. The poetic prose brought an added layer of beauty to the narrative. Additionally, my character development itch was scratched in this novel. I loved reading about Iris and Roman and plenty of the other characters, too. Their stories were beautiful, and I loved getting to know them even more. Lastly, love, memory, and resistance themes were skillfully woven throughout the book. Ross questions the nature of heroism and the cost of war, providing readers with more than just a fantasy adventure but a commentary on the human condition. This novel had a dark undertone but somehow intertwined hope and intimacy, making for a well-rounded emotional experience.
I also simply loved when Iris and Roman were intimate - Ross had a very subtle way of talking about them being together, but it was touching and beautiful nonetheless.
Why Not 5 Stars? This was a long book. While I loved Ross's prose, I must admit that the pacing was occasionally slow. Some parts dragged on a bit too long, and honestly, the typewriter scenes didn't hit as hard as the first book, although I still thoroughly enjoyed them. My biggest reasoning for not giving this five stars, though, was because the fantasy element of this novel - the divine war - just didn't make sense to me. Maybe we're not supposed to understand it, because Ross wanted to talk about the impacts of war, but the divine war truly felt like a throw-in to accompany the magical typewriters more than anything else.
Lastly, this novel was a bit YA, and the characters were actually very young, which sometimes cheapened the romance. That is more of me thing than anything else, so I didn't let it sway my rating or review too much.
Overall, Ross knows how to write a book!
Graphic: Murder, Violence, Gaslighting, Abandonment, War, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Classism, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Child death, Grief, and Death
Moderate: Medical content, Sexual content, and Emotional abuse
aileron's review
- 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
2.0
Graphic: Violence, Death, Grief, and War
Moderate: Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Confinement, Gore, Medical content, and Vomit
Minor: Alcoholism, Classism, and Death of parent
abicaro17's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Vomit, Gore, Body horror, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Genocide, Grief, Blood, Classism, Fire/Fire injury, Sexual content, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, Torture, Violence, Cursing, Physical abuse, Stalking, Kidnapping, War, Confinement, Death, Medical content, Toxic friendship, and Murder
katharina90's review against another edition
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
2.0
Moderate: Death, Classism, War, and Violence
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
haley49's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
Graphic: War and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Medical content, Grief, Sexual content, Death, Vomit, Torture, Gore, Death of parent, and Blood
Minor: Classism
barda's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25
Graphic: War
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Blood, Murder, Death, Death of parent, and Grief
Minor: Sexual content and Classism
katievallin's review against another edition
- 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
4.0
Some excellent quotes:
"Write me a story where there is no ending, Kitt. Write to me, and fill my empty spaces."
"He let his hands relax at his sides, realizing that he was safe here, that he needed to open those old scars so they could heal."
"It was not always a happy story, although it was an honest one."
Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Classism, Blood, Murder, and War
Moderate: Grief, Injury/Injury detail, and Medical content
Minor: Medical trauma, Chronic illness, and Sexual content
witcheep's review
- 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
Let's begin my review with the things that made me hesitant, though: the main characters being separated and the plot taking steps backwards regarding the relationships built in the first part. Ruthless Vows continues the plot from where the Divine Rivals left off, but because of Roman's amnesia, it feels like the main couple has taken multiple steps backwards to the starting point when they didn't know each other yet. Moreover, the war keeps them apart and constantly in danger: Roman being held at Dacre's side of war and Iris staying at Enva's, it seems like their setting has expanded into an even bigger rivalry than at the beginning of the duology, when it was just professional rivalry between the two. This is a kind of setback that I usually do not like as a plot device, but Ross manages to write this kind of plot better than many other authors I've read a sequel including a similar premise from.
I tend not to like the main characters of a book being separated in a book, even if they had a means to communicate with each other. It's just too heartbreaking, especially when the separated people belong to each other's side as clearly as Iris and Roman are meant to be together. I would love to see more happy things going on for these two sweethearts already, or at the very least them allowed to get back together to each other
A great strengts of Ross's is making her characters form meaningful relationships that make each individual a stronger person. This is shown in Ruthless Vows, especially through Iris. Iris remembering everything of the events from the Divine Rivals makes her determided to get Roman back. She doesn't shy away from any means necessary to do so, and proves it time and time again by facing dangers, such as
Dacre believed he had the upper hand, grooming Roman to be his dutiful correspondent. But little did he know that he was not the only source of magic.
"You will regret ever taking him from me," she whispered through her teeth, feeding paper into her typewriter.
I'm in love with the beauty of Ross's writing! It's very descriptive with the use of imaginative metaphors, while the story advances in a great pace, and the overall feel of the text is captivating.
How could he mourn something that he couldn't remember? Roman wondered if there was a word to describe such a feeling, for the way it gathered on his shoulders like snow. Cold and soft and infinite, melting as soon as he touched it.
Even shower thoughts in this book are very eloquent and metaphorical. Or perhaps it's just Roman's character
After reading the book, I needed a couple of days to contemplate the contents of it and my thoughts about it before I could even begin writing my review. This usually is an indicator of a great book: it leaves a lasting imprint and isn't easy to separate from your mind. So, if you hesitate picking up this sequel, I urge you to hesitate no longer. You'll be heartbroken through reading the book, but it's very much worth it in the end.
Review written 17.3.2024
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Kidnapping, Classism, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Confinement and Violence
r3ader'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
3.0
On the other hand, this book did not live up to the first one. Especially the first half was veeery slow and not really interesting.
I do love the showing of the war. It's not the main theme, but it's still there. And due to current events (#freeπ΅πΈ), it feels even more real and just overall more emotional.
The ending was intense and like I said, I liked it it was by far the best part of this book.
I would recommend this book only to those who REALLY want to know what Romans and Iris' fates are. If you are content with the ending of the 1st book and aren't that interested in the 2nd, you don't need to start this one tbh. π
Graphic: War
Moderate: Violence, Death, and Confinement
Minor: Death of parent, Murder, Classism, Chronic illness, Blood, Medical content, Injury/Injury detail, and Grief