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aavss's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
tense
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
4.25
Content Warnings
Moderate: Gun violence and Murder
aaliyajaensch's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
lighthearted
sad
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? Yes
4.0
Spoilers ahe
After binge reading the first book in one sitting because it just was so good, it took me so long to finish this one. It was one of my most anticipated reads because of the first book but it wasn’t really it (for me). The Plot was captivating but also predictable at the same time. I honestly didn’t really care about the plot especially after Roman got his memory’s back.
But it still was an amazing read. (Just not as good as the first book)
Rebecca Ross writing style is a 10/10, love it so much.
I really really enjoyed the dual povs and even more the letters.
Then I also love love love the characters.
Roman and Iris love story is too good, I mean they found each other again and again. And I was so glad that they got the happy ending they deserved.
I also love Attie and Tobias. And of course Marisol and Keegan, although i wish Marisol would have appeared more often.
I cried multiple times because this book hit hard, especially the ending.
I also love Attie and Tobias. And of course Marisol and Keegan, although i wish Marisol would have appeared more often.
I cried multiple times because this book hit hard, especially the ending.
Is keegan the new chancellor?? (I really hope so)
„Keep writing. You will find the words you need to share. They are already within you, even in the shadows, hiding like jewels. —C.”
I look forward to the next chapter. The one you will write in your story, as well as the one we write together.
Love, Iris“
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, War, Violence, and Vomit
Moderate: Death, Gun violence, Grief, Blood, Fire/Fire injury, Kidnapping, and Violence
Minor: Death, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Blood, Death of parent, and Kidnapping
kirstenpod_'s review against another edition
adventurous
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
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: War, Death, Murder, Confinement, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, and Kidnapping
Moderate: Blood
Minor: Medical content, Sexual content, Gun violence, and Vomit
booktalkwithrae's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
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? Yes
4.0
I love Divine Rivals, and although this one did not quite live up to my expectations, I still enjoyed it from beginning to end.
I was really surprised to see that we were getting a deep dive into Darce, his story, and the war. I did really appreciate it because I felt like in the first book. We were really lacking a lot of information and understanding of the war and the mythology so it was nice to fill in some of those gaps in this book. However, I think I need to build up from the first book to really appreciate and understand the war.
I love Iris and Roman. I love their individual characters, and I love the romance between them. I was really excited for the amnesia trope. I felt like it was an opportunity for them to fall in love all over again, and that was some of my favourite parts from the first book. However, I was sad that there wasn’t more of a buildup between them as Romans‘s memories began to return to him. I definitely wanted more.
In this book, we saw a lot more of the side characters have their own storylines a little bit. And for a duology that sometimes hard to do because you don’t have a lot of book to give the side characters a lot of attention. But Rebecca Ross did an excellent job in making the side characters feel so real and have their own story on the side.
Overall, I love this zoology, and it is one of my favourites and one that I will recommend too many people. I am sad to leave this world, but I also think it was the perfect length, and I am very excited to see what else Rebecca Ross will do in the future.
I was really surprised to see that we were getting a deep dive into Darce, his story, and the war. I did really appreciate it because I felt like in the first book. We were really lacking a lot of information and understanding of the war and the mythology so it was nice to fill in some of those gaps in this book. However, I think I need to build up from the first book to really appreciate and understand the war.
I love Iris and Roman. I love their individual characters, and I love the romance between them. I was really excited for the amnesia trope. I felt like it was an opportunity for them to fall in love all over again, and that was some of my favourite parts from the first book. However, I was sad that there wasn’t more of a buildup between them as Romans‘s memories began to return to him. I definitely wanted more.
In this book, we saw a lot more of the side characters have their own storylines a little bit. And for a duology that sometimes hard to do because you don’t have a lot of book to give the side characters a lot of attention. But Rebecca Ross did an excellent job in making the side characters feel so real and have their own story on the side.
Overall, I love this zoology, and it is one of my favourites and one that I will recommend too many people. I am sad to leave this world, but I also think it was the perfect length, and I am very excited to see what else Rebecca Ross will do in the future.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Gun violence, Blood, and War
picaresquedreamer's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Kidnapping, Gaslighting, Death, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Sexual content, Blood, Gun violence, and Grief
katievallin's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
sad
tense
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? No
4.0
I've read a few books by Rebecca Ross, and I really like her writing style. This one was very enjoyable but sad. I like that there was never any doubt about Roman and Iris finding each other again, and I really like their relationship and chemistry. I wasn't planning on reading this book because I was annoyed and stressed about the cliffhanger at the end of the first one, but this was very well done and a good conclusion.
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."
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."
Content Warnings
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
ilana_pop's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, War, Gun violence, and Death
katelynndzindzio's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
inspiring
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? Yes
5.0
Favorite quotes:
"She was the same as she had been centuries ago, drawn from very old wind and cold constellations.
But she was not here to fall prey to what had been." -Enva; Ruthless Vows
"Soon it would be night; the stars would pierce the sky like nails, and he would light the candles and write by fire because the words came easier in the darkness" -Roman; Ruthless Vows
"He wouldn't change a thing. Because if he could, would the two of them still be here, bound together by vow and trial and love that had crept up on him like ivy on stone?" -Roman; Ruthless Vows
I sit here wishing there was more to their story, the story of Iris and Roman. One where they live together in piece forever and no tragedy surrounds them; however, that isn't their story. They once believed they were rivals, but honestly they never truly were. If they were they wouldn't have been drawn to each other so intensely. Even without their magical typewriters that they inherited, they would have found each other.
"She was the same as she had been centuries ago, drawn from very old wind and cold constellations.
But she was not here to fall prey to what had been." -Enva; Ruthless Vows
"Soon it would be night; the stars would pierce the sky like nails, and he would light the candles and write by fire because the words came easier in the darkness" -Roman; Ruthless Vows
"He wouldn't change a thing. Because if he could, would the two of them still be here, bound together by vow and trial and love that had crept up on him like ivy on stone?" -Roman; Ruthless Vows
I sit here wishing there was more to their story, the story of Iris and Roman. One where they live together in piece forever and no tragedy surrounds them; however, that isn't their story. They once believed they were rivals, but honestly they never truly were. If they were they wouldn't have been drawn to each other so intensely. Even without their magical typewriters that they inherited, they would have found each other.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Death, War, Violence, Gun violence, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Vomit and Terminal illness
agirlsnightbookbash's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: War
Moderate: Gun violence, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Torture, and Violence
erinreadsbooks's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
This book has evocative description and exciting plot points, but I was honestly a bit disappointed in it overall. I loved Divine Rivals but for some reason, the sequel didn’t grip me as much.
This book had just as much plot and just as high of stakes, but the pacing felt a bit rushed to me. I didn’t feel like the characters had much time to breathe and because of that, I’m not sure we got to see the characters develop as much as we saw in the first book. I wanted to see more character interaction with the lovely side characters like Attie, Marisol, Keegan, and Tobias. But because there was so much action, we didn’t really get to see much interaction, which made it feel a bit removed. I wasn’t as invested in this book as I was with the first.
I also missed the epistolary bits of the first book; I wish this one had more of that. I understand that Iris and Roman didn’t have much time to be writing long love letters but that is central to their relationship, a point we are reminded of at the end. If they were to be separated for practically all of the book, I wanted to see more of their relationship through letters. It felt a bit like two different stories for most of the book, and I missed the passion and longing from the first book.
All in all, it was still an entertaining storythat I’m glad did not end in too much death . It did feel a bit rushed, though, and I don’t think it compares to Divine Rivals.
Read if you liked Divine Rivals, if you like wartime stories, or if you like action-packed low fantasy.
This book had just as much plot and just as high of stakes, but the pacing felt a bit rushed to me. I didn’t feel like the characters had much time to breathe and because of that, I’m not sure we got to see the characters develop as much as we saw in the first book. I wanted to see more character interaction with the lovely side characters like Attie, Marisol, Keegan, and Tobias. But because there was so much action, we didn’t really get to see much interaction, which made it feel a bit removed. I wasn’t as invested in this book as I was with the first.
I also missed the epistolary bits of the first book; I wish this one had more of that. I understand that Iris and Roman didn’t have much time to be writing long love letters but that is central to their relationship, a point we are reminded of at the end. If they were to be separated for practically all of the book, I wanted to see more of their relationship through letters. It felt a bit like two different stories for most of the book, and I missed the passion and longing from the first book.
All in all, it was still an entertaining story
Read if you liked Divine Rivals, if you like wartime stories, or if you like action-packed low fantasy.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Terminal illness, Gun violence, Blood, Vomit, Violence, War, Classism, and Grief