A review by thereadingraccoon
Divine Rivals by Rebecca Ross

adventurous 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

5.0

Divine Rivals is a young adult fantasy novel about two young reporters trying to follow their dreams when their world is on the cusp of war. 

Iris Winnow is nineteen when her brother Forest abruptly leaves for the war front. An ancient goddess (Enva) is starting to “call” young men and women to help push back the forces of her enemy (Dacre) as he begins to terrorize the land searching for her. In Forest’s absence Iris has no choice but to quit school and accept a position at a local newspaper where she quickly engages in a workplace rivalry with handsome Roman Kitt. During the day sparks fly between the two reporters and at night Iris writes long letters to her brother shoving them into a wardrobe while she waits for word on how to reach him. But someone, somewhere is answering her letters and it’s not Forest. The letters will be a bright spot in the middle of some of her darkest days as Iris is forced to face her insecurities, loss, love and war. 

Divine Rivals is a truly unique novel in young adult fantasy. I loved the workplace banter between Iris and Roman and the realistic WW1-like details of the battles waging in their world. Both characters felt real and whole without a lot of cliches. I found myself smiling, laughing and getting emotional as the chapters flew by. Readers will find this a hard book to put down and eager for a sequel. 

I highly recommend this smart, imaginative and romantic new young adult fantasy for readers of all ages. 

5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️