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A review by myleejmiller
Ruthless Vows by Rebecca Ross
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
In the sequel and finale to the story within the pages of Divine Rivals, Roman Kitt has been taken captive by the dangerous and maddened god Dacre, who seeks to destroy both Roman's memory and the city where Roman previously lived. On the other side of the war and with her raw memories in tow, Iris comes to terms with losing Roman-who she recently wed-and her role in turning the tide in the God's War. While Roman is trapped underground and seeks to recover his memories, Iris hopes to find a way to help him recover as well as use his precarious position to their advantage. More than their lives are at stake if they fail, even the lives of the gods.
To start off, I will be the first to admit that I adore when I can see an author improve from one book to the next. In Divine Rivals, the first book in this stunning duology, there were a lot of problems regarding the plot of the novel (plot holes), pacing, and characterization discrepancies and inconsistencies. However, perhaps due to the established backstory from book one, Ruthless Vows is a major step up from the content of the first installment. The prose is rich and vivid, the characters are impactful and complicated, and the stakes are nail-bitingly enthralling. I found myself thinking of this story every time I set it aside to go about normal life. All I wanted to do was continue reading - but also for the story to never end.
To say Ruthless Vows is worth the read would be an understatement; it's worth rereads and late-night binges and movies and worldwide acclaim. It was a joyful experience. As a writer, I was not only touched by the message the entire storyline shared but also by the personalization of the author's experiences throughout both books in the series. Even without knowing Ross personally, I felt as though I did know her to an extent due to the complex and intrinsically reflective narrative structure of the storytelling, artistic style, and themes throughout the books.
That being said: read this duology, you won't regret it!
To start off, I will be the first to admit that I adore when I can see an author improve from one book to the next. In Divine Rivals, the first book in this stunning duology, there were a lot of problems regarding the plot of the novel (plot holes), pacing, and characterization discrepancies and inconsistencies. However, perhaps due to the established backstory from book one, Ruthless Vows is a major step up from the content of the first installment. The prose is rich and vivid, the characters are impactful and complicated, and the stakes are nail-bitingly enthralling. I found myself thinking of this story every time I set it aside to go about normal life. All I wanted to do was continue reading - but also for the story to never end.
To say Ruthless Vows is worth the read would be an understatement; it's worth rereads and late-night binges and movies and worldwide acclaim. It was a joyful experience. As a writer, I was not only touched by the message the entire storyline shared but also by the personalization of the author's experiences throughout both books in the series. Even without knowing Ross personally, I felt as though I did know her to an extent due to the complex and intrinsically reflective narrative structure of the storytelling, artistic style, and themes throughout the books.
That being said: read this duology, you won't regret it!