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A review by elissapoletti
Divine Rivals by Rebecca Ross
adventurous
emotional
medium-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? No
4.0
"You've Got Mail" meets "Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society" meets "Clash of the Titians"
Pros:
- slow burn romance
- WWII like setting
- letter writing through magical means
- rivals to lovers
Cons:
- not very fantasy heavy
- vague magic system
- could use a little more world building
**************************SPOILERS AHEAD***************************************
I wasn't to sure what I was getting into when I bought this book. The blurb doesn't give much away and as is my way, my purchase was mainly based off how pretty the cover was.
I enjoyed the world war ii style setting, and in the beginning it was giving me Narnia vibes, particularly with the seemingly magical wardrobe (which we find out isn't magic but more on that later) where letters pass between our two main characters.
This story follows Iris and Roman, rival columnists at newspaper the Oath Gazette, both competing for the role of head columnist. Iris, six months earlier, had farewelled her brother Forest as he joined Enva's army to fight in the gods war. We learn that Enva and Dacre, a goddess and god who have been asleep for many years, have awakened and are at war with one another. Iris hasn't heard from Forest the entire time he has been gone, despite his promise to write. To help quell her anxiety at his silence, she writes letters to him on her grandmothers typewriter and puts the letters in her wardrobe. She soon finds out that her letters are being read but not by Forest, instead by a mysterious boy.
When the Oath Gazette's competition the Inkridden Tribune, posts an advert looking for war correspondents, and a devastating accident causes Iris life to more or less implode, she finds herself in Avalon Bluff, writing letters for soldiers. And as she feels herself falling for the mysterious Carver from across the wardrobe (who has a matching magic typewriter), she finds herself thrust into Roman's proximity again as he follows her to the frontlines as another war correspondent.
As I mentioned earlier, I enjoyed the world war ii style setting, and although this book is a fantasy, it is not very fantasy heavy. There are a lot of things that I would like the author to expand on, particularly the mythology or history around the gods and the magic system that she has put in place. There seems to be magic imbued in this world however it isn't very prominent or really talked about. It is mentioned that Roman's house is built on a sort of leyline and as such his house is somewhat alive and will do things in service of him. It is also said that the sister typewriters that both Iris and Roman own are imbued with magic and that is why they can communicate. Other than this, the only other magic that seems to exist is the magic of the gods, Enva who ferries the dead and plays a magic harp and Dacre who is the god of healing. From this I assume that magic is something not really honed or used by humans other than when in possession of objects imbued with it. So it really is a background element to this story. There is mention of two fantasy creatures, hounds and eithrals which Dacre uses in his army and before this they are thought to be myths.
I hope the next book also expands on the world building, it is clear there are Northern, Eastern, Southern, Western and Central boroughs and of the five gods mentioned, each dwells in a dreamlike state within one of the boroughs, but I would love a map to show this and where all the towns/cities mentioned sit in each of these boroughs. As I said earlier, the fantasy aspect is very light on and sort of only serves as a vessel for Iris and Roman's letters and the reason for a divine war.
That being said, the story is hooking and well written, the romance is sweet and a nice slow burn. The characters are very likeable and who doesn't love a You've Got Mail like plot? The action is gripping and the cliffhanger ending leaves you desperate for more. If Ross can bring more magic law and more world building into the sequel, this could be an almost perfect duology.
Pros:
- slow burn romance
- WWII like setting
- letter writing through magical means
- rivals to lovers
Cons:
- not very fantasy heavy
- vague magic system
- could use a little more world building
**************************SPOILERS AHEAD***************************************
I wasn't to sure what I was getting into when I bought this book. The blurb doesn't give much away and as is my way, my purchase was mainly based off how pretty the cover was.
I enjoyed the world war ii style setting, and in the beginning it was giving me Narnia vibes, particularly with the seemingly magical wardrobe (which we find out isn't magic but more on that later) where letters pass between our two main characters.
This story follows Iris and Roman, rival columnists at newspaper the Oath Gazette, both competing for the role of head columnist. Iris, six months earlier, had farewelled her brother Forest as he joined Enva's army to fight in the gods war. We learn that Enva and Dacre, a goddess and god who have been asleep for many years, have awakened and are at war with one another. Iris hasn't heard from Forest the entire time he has been gone, despite his promise to write. To help quell her anxiety at his silence, she writes letters to him on her grandmothers typewriter and puts the letters in her wardrobe. She soon finds out that her letters are being read but not by Forest, instead by a mysterious boy.
When the Oath Gazette's competition the Inkridden Tribune, posts an advert looking for war correspondents, and a devastating accident causes Iris life to more or less implode, she finds herself in Avalon Bluff, writing letters for soldiers. And as she feels herself falling for the mysterious Carver from across the wardrobe (who has a matching magic typewriter), she finds herself thrust into Roman's proximity again as he follows her to the frontlines as another war correspondent.
As I mentioned earlier, I enjoyed the world war ii style setting, and although this book is a fantasy, it is not very fantasy heavy. There are a lot of things that I would like the author to expand on, particularly the mythology or history around the gods and the magic system that she has put in place. There seems to be magic imbued in this world however it isn't very prominent or really talked about. It is mentioned that Roman's house is built on a sort of leyline and as such his house is somewhat alive and will do things in service of him. It is also said that the sister typewriters that both Iris and Roman own are imbued with magic and that is why they can communicate. Other than this, the only other magic that seems to exist is the magic of the gods, Enva who ferries the dead and plays a magic harp and Dacre who is the god of healing. From this I assume that magic is something not really honed or used by humans other than when in possession of objects imbued with it. So it really is a background element to this story. There is mention of two fantasy creatures, hounds and eithrals which Dacre uses in his army and before this they are thought to be myths.
I hope the next book also expands on the world building, it is clear there are Northern, Eastern, Southern, Western and Central boroughs and of the five gods mentioned, each dwells in a dreamlike state within one of the boroughs, but I would love a map to show this and where all the towns/cities mentioned sit in each of these boroughs. As I said earlier, the fantasy aspect is very light on and sort of only serves as a vessel for Iris and Roman's letters and the reason for a divine war.
That being said, the story is hooking and well written, the romance is sweet and a nice slow burn. The characters are very likeable and who doesn't love a You've Got Mail like plot? The action is gripping and the cliffhanger ending leaves you desperate for more. If Ross can bring more magic law and more world building into the sequel, this could be an almost perfect duology.