Divine Rivals is like “You’ve Got Mail” meets front line correspondents and fantasy all wrapped up into one. It’s one of those books where I wasn’t sure about how the different elements would combine, but they do in utter perfection! Keep reading this book review for my full thoughts.
Summary
After centuries of sleep, the gods are warring again. But eighteen-year-old Iris Winnow just wants to hold her family together. Her mother is suffering from addiction and her brother is missing from the front lines. Her best bet is to win the columnist promotion at the Oath Gazette.
To combat her worries, Iris writes letters to her brother and slips them beneath her wardrobe door, where they vanish—into the hands of Roman Kitt, her cold and handsome rival at the paper. When he anonymously writes Iris back, the two of them forge a connection that will follow Iris all the way to the front lines of battle: for her brother, the fate of mankind, and love.
Review
(Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher. This has not impacted my review which is unbiased and honest.)
Divine Rivals is a book that screams character and art. With rival journalists, magical letters to each other, and the grief of loss, it’s rooted in the connection we have to Iris and Roman. Immediately I became so attached to Iris, to the ways she’s trying to prove herself, but also to the pain of her loss. At the same time, I loved Roman from the beginning not only in their banter, but in the ways it stems from a respect, an admiration of their talents.
Do you love those rivalries where one party is taking it more seriously and the other is just like, “wait you were seriously hating me”? That’s the vibes of Divine Rivals but meets fantasy. The characters pull you through with their vulnerabilities and tender dreams. They’re surrounded by a world where the gods have pulled humans into the crosshairs. Seeing through both of their perspectives, Ross fosters this connection we have to both of them, to their lives as journalists, and to witnessing the horrors of the war.
Overall,
To the pieces of life and love we cling to when tomorrow isn’t promised to us. When we see how fragile each second is. I was fortunate to also be able to listen to some of Divine Rivals on audio book which was an utter delight. Not only is this dual narrators, but the accents and emotions Alex Wingfield & Rebecca Norfolk are able to infuse truly takes Divine Rivals to a new level. And with the ending of Divine Rivals, you’ll be hearing my screaming until the sequel.
(Disclaimer: Some of the links below are affiliate links. For more information you can look at the Policy page. If you’re uncomfortable with that, know you can look up the book on any of the sites below to avoid the link)
Talk about an ending that is gripping to the very last word. Divine Rivals is my latest obsession and I’m only getting started. You have to read this is you love all those different elements! Find Divine Rivals on Goodreads, Storygraph, Amazon, Bookshop.org, Blackwells, Libro.fm, and Google Play.