Reviews tagging 'Medical trauma'

Divine Rivals by Rebecca Ross

53 reviews

thewildeausten's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional hopeful mysterious tense medium-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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luna_lovelace's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional hopeful lighthearted reflective sad 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? It's complicated

5.0

This book exceeded my expectations, it was such a unique story that I had no idea what would happen next. It's probably the sweetest love story I have read out of all the enemies-to-lovers tropes thus far. 
My only concern was not knowing whose point of view it was, but it wasn't hard to figure out.

The MCs are so lovable, including the friends FMC makes along the way. I wasn't fully prepared to read some sorrowful moments, so it caught me off guard! 

The chemistry between Roman and Iris is unlike any other. It is a slow-burn but it's worth it. I loved the idea behind
the magical typewriters, it made the love story that much sweeter!


It made this book so joyful to read. I can't wait to read the next book,
I am dying to know what happens to Roman!
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joygarcialim's review against another edition

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

3.0

This wasn't a book which I could give a straightforward rating. At the core of it, it was a fun plot to uncover, an imaginative concept to dissect, and an interesting setup for romance. However, the writing was inept. I wanted to find out what happened, and yet I couldn't stop putting the book down. It was a very oxymoronic experience in that sense.

The plot was what really made the book so damn interesting. The magical channel of two potential lovers sending love letters was at the heart of the story, and it possessed an abundance of charm and mystery.
The whole history about the typewriters as well was brilliant.
There were so many well-delivered plot twists and that were well placed so they weren't overwhelming nor absurd, and even the predictable ones were good.

Although there wasn't enough details to evoke a powerful imagery of the sceneries, such as how Oath looked like, there was a sense of an antique world. There could have been a lot more done to contribute to the world-building other
than the magical typewriters, as there wasn't a lot of magic until Iris went to Avalon Bluff
(and I'd still say it was really close to bare minimum to be considered a fantasy). There was a scene where
Roman was talking to his magical lights but it just came across as powered Google home. It didn't make sense when other appliances and objects seemed to sense Roman's needs and fulfil them without his command.


I questioned my own ability to understand emotions and relationships many times throughout the book, whilst simultaneously questioning Rebecca Ross's.
Iris grieving her mum didn't seem authentic. Then she quits her job for a day before she started to miss Roman, her supposed enemy, and their relationship hadn't been built up enough to reach a point of missing or longing. The only way it made sense is if Rebecca was lonely, but she did have a friend.

She started to see Roman as a romantic partner a few days after he arrived in Avalon Bluff, after he straight-up lied(by omission) about his identity as Carver. There was a real missed opportunity to write a romantic conflict and working towards conflict resolution, which would have made the relationship seem a lot more romantic and wholesome. They got married within a few days of starting a relationship, which is just a bad message to young readers, since this is YA after all.
It would have been a lot more palatable if the romance had been fleshed out, if the characters got to know each other so much better, especially
after Roman went to Avalon Bluff. and a lot of it just served corn and not roses. It would have been a lot more interesting if there was more fleshing out of Roman's arranged engagement/marriage.
It's just a shame as there were so many missed opportunities.

 The stylistic choice of writing gave me a lot of uncertainty about what Rebecca Ross was trying to convey. Whilst the skeleton of the writing was fabulous, the flesh had been severely starved. It was not good and honestly is what took out a lot of enjoyment.

For instance,

“This was one of the finest restaurants in Oath, where Roman’s parents had fallen in love over a long candlelit dinner.” The average time for men to fall in love is actually 88 days and it's longer for women, one dinner doesn't cut it unless this long dinner was 88 days.

“Iris watched her bolt down the hallway, knowing she was probably going to wax vengefully poetic to the professor who had once dismissed her writing.” I'm not even sure what this means.

“What marks would it leave on them, shining like scars that never faded?” But don't all scars fade, even if not completely? And do scars shine?

“So many loose pages, fluttering like snow down to the floor.”

“He continued to hold their stare, deadly serious. “If I asked you, would you say yes?” I was so confused. Did Iris become enby during that one sentence?

“She ran to Keegan with a shriek, weeping and laughing, leaping into her arms.” Was Marisol was happy to see her wife amidst an impending war zone?

“This was the life she wanted—slow and easy and vibrant, surrounded by people she loved.” People she hardly knew.


Finally, the book gave left a lot of unexplained situations, which I hope are hints for things that are to come in the second book.
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seattlehols16's review

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adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious 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? It's complicated

4.5

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lamoore72's review

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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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lanna_aud's review against another edition

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

3.25

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ash_the_gray's review

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emotional hopeful lighthearted mysterious reflective sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

Lovely rivals-to-lovers story. I loved the writing style and the author’s approach to the magic in this world. Easy read and am looking forward to the sequel.
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lizzydreadful's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging emotional hopeful informative sad tense fast-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? It's complicated

5.0

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kds247's review

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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.
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laneyreadz's review

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dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective 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

I LOVED this book. It falls outside of my usual preferences since it’s YA and the characters are so young, but it ended up being a wonderful and meaningful read. I’m so glad I picked it up and gave it a try! It’s a blend of fantasy and realism and the mythology of the story is seamlessly tied in. 
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