A review by onthesamepage
Divine Rivals by Rebecca Ross

emotional 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? No

5.0

ARC provided by the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

He drank his lukewarm tea and listened, and he began to see the invisible threads that drew him to Iris. It didn’t feel like fate; Roman didn’t quite believe in such fancies. But it certainly felt like something. Something that was now stealing his sleep and making his chest ache with each breath.

To set the right expectations, I think it's important to know 3 things before picking this up:
* While it's technically fantasy, it's low magic, and the fantasy elements are minor
* It reads like historical WWI fiction
* This is predominately a romance

If I didn't just hit any of your anti-buzzwords, grab yourself a copy, because this is absolutely worth a read.

When it comes to romance, I tend to pick up adult titles over YA ones, since I'm not the target audience for YA. Despite that, the romance between Iris and Roman hit all the right spots for me. It's rivals to lovers, with a slow build, and feelings that develop when they start writing letters to each other. Ross's writing is stunning as always, and really lends itself to heart-aching moments. Because both characters end up on the front lines of the war, there's a constant feeling of tension and high stakes when it comes to their relationship, and I honestly loved every moment.

I love you, Iris.
And I want you to see me. I want you to know me. Through the smoke and the firelight and kilometers that once dwelled between us.
Do you see me?

It's very easy to root for Iris and Roman as a couple, but also as individuals. We follow Iris's perspective for most of the book, but there are a couple of chapters from Roman's POV, which I appreciated. I liked that we got to see what both of them struggle with, and that we are given enough information to understand Roman's motivations for the things he does, rather than having to guess at them.

This is very character-driven, which I absolutely loved, but the author sets up quite the story by the end, and I can't wait to see how it concludes. 
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