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A review by aksmith92
Divine Rivals by Rebecca Ross
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
reflective
tense
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? Yes
4.0
I was thoroughly impressed by this book! Although, in the end, I felt the pacing was a bit "off" (I can't describe it well, or maybe it also read a bit young?). Also, I did really like the romance, but it seemed rushed near the end? I'm not sure why it just didn't DO it for me. Nonetheless, I enjoyed it a lot!
Iris Winnow and Roman Kitt are journalists at a pretty toxic newspaper company, competing for the promotion to correspondent. Iris and Roman couldn't be more different but seem to be pulled together by something. I liked their banter and the true rival-to-lovers trope that Rebecca Ross worked into this novel. I also enjoyed the sub-theme of vulnerability, which is incredibly hard to do when you always wear masks. In addition to the friendship/romance, we also have a war going on between two gods in this world, and the gods enjoy pulling in mortals to help them with their war. I thought the gods' piece was quite an interesting take on the fantasy element in this novel. The world/world building isn't that complex, particularly because it seems that there will be a sequel that might explain more, but this honestly is a book about war and all the trauma, challenges, and after impacts from it. It wasn't a light read - it broached some tough subjects and made me sad throughout.
I liked many of the characters, and the plot was most certainly intriguing, especially with some minor twists at the end that I will say were rather predictable, but I enjoyed how Ross portrayed them nonetheless. I believe this book is worth the hype it's getting, and I look forward to reading the next one when it comes out.
Iris Winnow and Roman Kitt are journalists at a pretty toxic newspaper company, competing for the promotion to correspondent. Iris and Roman couldn't be more different but seem to be pulled together by something. I liked their banter and the true rival-to-lovers trope that Rebecca Ross worked into this novel. I also enjoyed the sub-theme of vulnerability, which is incredibly hard to do when you always wear masks. In addition to the friendship/romance, we also have a war going on between two gods in this world, and the gods enjoy pulling in mortals to help them with their war. I thought the gods' piece was quite an interesting take on the fantasy element in this novel. The world/world building isn't that complex, particularly because it seems that there will be a sequel that might explain more, but this honestly is a book about war and all the trauma, challenges, and after impacts from it. It wasn't a light read - it broached some tough subjects and made me sad throughout.
I liked many of the characters, and the plot was most certainly intriguing, especially with some minor twists at the end that I will say were rather predictable, but I enjoyed how Ross portrayed them nonetheless. I believe this book is worth the hype it's getting, and I look forward to reading the next one when it comes out.