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soniajoy98's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
sad
medium-paced
- 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
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Cursing, Death, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Child death, Vomit, Kidnapping, and Classism
Minor: Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, and Medical content
plainromance's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
sad
tense
fast-paced
4.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Sexual content, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Cursing, Infidelity, and Kidnapping
readwithria's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
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? No
4.0
Divine Rivals wasn’t what I expected, but it swept me off my feet nonetheless. Rebecca Ross crafted a beautiful story full of spellbinding prose and a lovely cast of characters.
I was so excited to read this book! I love Rebecca Ross’s writing, and this book is no exception to that. She has crafted a beautiful story and I’m so glad I got to read it. The epistolary elements really gave us a look at the characters’ writing style, and as reporters I think that was a really important element of the book.
I loved Iris. She really took it upon herself to do what she thought was right, and do what she needed for herself. I really appreciated her strong sense of self, and how much she was willing to step out of her comfort zone.
Roman was also lovely, and the growth of their relationship was so adorable. I do think his POV sections felt a little bit unnecessary at times, but there are bits and pieces that definitely added to the very end of the book. I know that she added his POV later in the writing process, but this definition feels like Iris’s story and his sections didn’t feel as important or as necessary.
There were a couple of things that didn’t quite work for me. I don’t think all of the side characters were flushed out enough for me to care about them individually, especially Attie. I also think that sometimes the book suffered from too much exposition and tell vs show. This was especially true in the first half, but improved later on. This last one is a tiny nitpick, but the time period of this fantasy world is definitely based on WWI, and at one point Iris mentions wearing a bra, but bras didn’t exist yet. This is a fantasy world so it’s not the biggest issue, but she would definitely be wearing a corset.
Even with those few complaints, this really was a beautiful book. I appreciate the fact that wow this book definitely had historical inspiration from World War I, Ross created a world without patriarchy, and it felt more queernormative than our own. It was so refreshing to read a book taking place in a time that feels familiar without the usual trappings of historical fantasy and misogyny.
I am definitely excited to read book two when it comes out! This was an adorable fantasy romance, and I’m looking forward to learning more about the gods. 4 stars.
Thank you to Wednesday Books and NetGalley for providing me a review copy. All thoughts are my own.
I was so excited to read this book! I love Rebecca Ross’s writing, and this book is no exception to that. She has crafted a beautiful story and I’m so glad I got to read it. The epistolary elements really gave us a look at the characters’ writing style, and as reporters I think that was a really important element of the book.
I loved Iris. She really took it upon herself to do what she thought was right, and do what she needed for herself. I really appreciated her strong sense of self, and how much she was willing to step out of her comfort zone.
Roman was also lovely, and the growth of their relationship was so adorable. I do think his POV sections felt a little bit unnecessary at times, but there are bits and pieces that definitely added to the very end of the book. I know that she added his POV later in the writing process, but this definition feels like Iris’s story and his sections didn’t feel as important or as necessary.
There were a couple of things that didn’t quite work for me. I don’t think all of the side characters were flushed out enough for me to care about them individually, especially Attie. I also think that sometimes the book suffered from too much exposition and tell vs show. This was especially true in the first half, but improved later on. This last one is a tiny nitpick, but the time period of this fantasy world is definitely based on WWI, and at one point Iris mentions wearing a bra, but bras didn’t exist yet. This is a fantasy world so it’s not the biggest issue, but she would definitely be wearing a corset.
Even with those few complaints, this really was a beautiful book. I appreciate the fact that wow this book definitely had historical inspiration from World War I, Ross created a world without patriarchy, and it felt more queernormative than our own. It was so refreshing to read a book taking place in a time that feels familiar without the usual trappings of historical fantasy and misogyny.
I am definitely excited to read book two when it comes out! This was an adorable fantasy romance, and I’m looking forward to learning more about the gods. 4 stars.
Thank you to Wednesday Books and NetGalley for providing me a review copy. All thoughts are my own.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Death, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Blood, Vomit, Grief, and Death of parent
Minor: Alcoholism, Cursing, and Classism