Reviews with content warning for Stalking - Divine Rivals

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Divine Rivals by Rebecca Ross

7 reviews

amy_in_the_city's review against another edition

dark emotional 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? No

4.75

I loved the epistolary elements of this book, and the writing was absolutely beautiful! The love story felt very Pride & Prejudice-inspired. I liked the setting, but I thought there could have been a bit more worldbuilding. The fantasy elements (other than the magic typewriters and Kitt's magic house) felt too abstract. I don't feel like I got a good sense of the gods and the monsters, but I'm assuming that will be explored more in the sequel. Still, for most of the book, I felt like I was just reading a WWI historical novel instead of a different fantasy world inspired by WWI. I didn't understand the main characters' decision to

stay and defend the town even though they were not soldiers and had no fighting training or equipment. They didn't accomplish anything at all by staying, so the decision felt contrived for plot reasons.

. Another thing that seemed contrived for plot reasons is

Forest not revealing himself sooner and instead deciding that waiting to kidnap Iris during battle was the best course of action.

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linblythe_pub22's review against another edition

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lighthearted slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.0

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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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zanazy's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

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? It's complicated

3.5

Divine Rivals is a surprising, likable read. It is an enemies turned lovers, you got mail trope, with slight fantasy elements that I hope I learn more about in book 2. This book centers mainly on Iris and Roman’s story of rivals at work who fall for each despite their class and social standing differences, and with war going on. A lot of their love story was predictable and I often grew frustrated with Iris not realizing

Roman and Carver where the same.

That said, the fantasy war mystery also woven throughout the story adds a lot. There is a connection between Roman, Iris, and the gods that is slowly unraveled. The typewriters are one thing, but the families clearly know more. This was a quick read as I could not stop reading. It’s been awhile since that happened. The book ends on a cliffhanger so ‘I am on to book 2 and happy to read it’s a duology.

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rypie1916's review against another edition

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slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes

4.0

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rayreyes's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional lighthearted sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

At first, I LOVED this book. 50% of the way in I still loved this book. But as soon as the love story resolves, there’s still 25% of the book left and it feels like pushing a tertiary storyline from ground zero to go-mode. I was eating this book up, wrapped around its little pages like a phone charger around the beaterbrush of my dyson vacuum.

It slowed all the way down and then threw a curveball that I saw coming and expected me to care. Maybe the author needed more time than the deadline allowed to flesh out the end like the rest of the book. She’s an incredible writer so I’m not done with her works yet. But jeez did that pacing shift and sudden story arc shift impact the ride.

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emilysreadingbooks's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional mysterious medium-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

4.0

After her older brother goes off to fight in the war between the gods and her mother loses her job, Iris Winnow has to drop out of school and work at the local newspaper. There, she becomes rivals with her coworker, Roman Kitt, as they compete for the promotion to columnist.

At home, Iris has been writing to her brother. She has no address to send her letters, but she discovered that her letters disappear when put into her closet. She hopes that, somehow, her brother is receiving the letters, until one day she receives a letter back, and she discovers that she is somehow connected to a stranger.

This book starts out strong, and is able to maintain interest through to the end. While I was able to guess some things before they happened, I was always kept curious about how they would happen. There is also a twist at the end that I did not see coming, and added and entire new layer that has me impatiently waiting for the next book to come out in December.

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