Man. I don’t normally read YA, and I don’t normally like books about angsty teens. But damn, this book.

Somehow part a dark Harry Potter book, some part fantasy, some part you’ve got mail and yet an entirely unique book. Anxiously await the sequel.

Synopsis:

Iris’ life isn’t working out how it’s supposed to, ever since her brother went off to fight the war among gods. Her dream job at a newspaper is slipping through her fingers to her nemesis Kitt and she only has herself to blame. To distract herself, she’s been writing letters to her brother and sending them off into the abyss until one night someone answers her. When tragedy tests what she’s made of, will Iris rise to her potential?

Arc provide in exchange for an honest review.

I must say I did not go into this book expecting to have my heart ripped out of my chest but look what happened. This book was superb and made me smile, gasp, and nearly start crying. It was lovely for that and I really appreciated it.

The characters were super intense and dynamic and I found myself rooting for them almost instantly. Characters that are not committed to a cause but are instead committed to people continue to rip my heart out every day and I love them for it. They had conflicting motivations and inner conflicts. The only thing I would have wished is that they had more hobbies (or even just one hobby) besides writing. However they were very well done and I loved it.

I also want to note that this book had a rivals to lovers plot that actually worked. I was so happy with this, as quite a few rivals to lovers (and enemies to lovers) plots have the “he’s just mean to you because he likes you” and a very fast way to actually I love you. However this book had a slow getting to know you process and worked really well for that. I enjoyed reading them getting to know each other and connecting and just having a great time. It was super nice to read and laugh with the characters and connect with them.

And the plot with the war and journalism was really well done too I think. I enjoyed how both characters could explore the conflict and see why it was so bad, without actually being in the conflict themselves (directly). From family relations like Iris to having a morality conflict like Ronan, it was just so nice to see them interact with the war in a way that wasn’t by directly fighting.

The letters that were exchanged in this book were so fun and I thought quite realistic. As someone who is writing letters to a friend during my exchange year, I can confirm that people get more emotional when writing letters. So I thought the baring of ones heart was realistic and very fun to read.

The style and flow of the book was also superb. The letters were well written and the entire book was well-written and it felt like I was being dragged into the book and experiencing the setting with the characters. That was really nice and I was just completely impressed with it all.

Once again I got writing style envy, but what else is new.

The relationships drew me in and not just the romantic ones. Iris and her brother Forest, away at the war, and Iris and her alcoholic mother and mean boss, and Ronan with his family and betrothed and Nan and not really family. It was so interesting.

However I would warn you, this book is a series and the first book does end on a (slight of) cliffhanger. So if you’re not into that, then wait until the sequel is coming out before purchasing. I know I am anxiously awaiting the sequel.

All in all, I would definitely recommend this book. All of the relationships were so heartfelt and the plot was incredibly interesting. I can’t wait to read the sequel.

"Even when the world seems to stop, threatening to crumble, and the hour feels dark as the siren rings...it isn't a crime to feel joy."
This was such an original story about a girl named Iris fighting to find her brother in a war-torn world. The world she lives in is being destroyed by two gods that have started a war. Iris is a journalist that writes for a local newspaper with the hope that her words will inform people about important events going on in the world. Working for this local newspaper she is rivals with a high society boy that drives her crazy. They are both competing for a better position and they spend every day doing small things to annoy each other. Iris also owns a magical typewriter that allows her to exchange letters with a mysterious recipient. Iris's brother has gone missing in the war and one day she decides she must find him. She embarks on a journey that will change her life.
This book was full of love, surprises and most importantly was completely unique. I have never read a story like this one and it was very enjoyable. Cannot wait to continue with the next one.
This book would work great in a high school literature class. It would provide students with an opportunity to decide what their own articles would be about had they encountered the same situation. Would they have responded the same way and written about the same events Iris chose to write about?
Fun, engaging story for many age levels.
Thank you St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for an e-reader ARC of this book.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press, Wednesday Books and NetGalley for an electronic ARC of this novel.

Eighteen-year-old Iris Winnow has always aspired to become a writer, and she lands an opportunity of a lifetime to become a columnist at the prestigious Gazette in her hometown of Oath. Unfortunately, she has a rival in the form of Roman Kitt, her wealthier and arrogant competition, who enjoys needling her as much as she gives to him. Her world is in the mist of a war, which came about when an angry God, Dacre, who was put to slumber years ago, woke up and declared war and on the God who wronged him, Enva. Mortals chose sides, and thus began a bloody war.

Iris' brother volunteers to fight and is soon missing in action. Full of despair, Iris writes letters to her brother that magically seem to disappear when she pushes them underneath her wardrobe...and one day, she finds a reply.

Divine Rivals by Rebecca Ross, is a well written and entertainment novel that depicts young love, belief, found family and the devastation of war along with a mixture of magic and Gods living among us. I really enjoyed this - the world building, the characterization and the plot were all on point. The only quibble I have with this novel is that it's set up for a sequel, which definitely leaves you hanging, and I hope that I will have a chance to read that one as well.

Fans of romance, a strong female protagonist, friendship, found family, wartime journalism and fantasy will definitely enjoy this book!

I finished this book weeks ago, and I still think about it. Howl's Moving Castle meets Violet Evergarden in this whimsical war time story. There's an enemies to lovers work rival romance, secret notes and typewriters. The only complaint I have is that I have to wait so long for the next book because the ending hurt.

This book is so good! Rebecca Ross's writing is beautiful and atmospheric and the story premise for this is so unique. I loved the bits of magic and whimsy that twined all through this tale of war, and writers, and rivals to lovers romance. My only complaint is that I NEED THE SEQUEL!!!

Overall: Special thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press/Wednesday Books for providing me with an e-arc in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own. 4.5⭐️!


Content warnings: gore, violence, loss of loved ones

Rep: rivals to lovers, sibling relationships

Thoughts
Neutral thoughts:

Rebecca Ross does not miss. Not at all. This made me laugh, made me feel sad and gave me the butterflies that Ross is just getting better and better writing about with each book. I can’t wait for the concluding sequel! Stuff was revealed at the end of this book and we need answers.

The longing and the angst was done really well! Ross writes emotion so well and you actually feel what the characters are feeling. There were some laugh out loud moments, some really sad moments and some really happy/cute moments that just pull on your tiny little heart strings. And the lore was really interesting! We get tidbits of info about the 2 gods that are at the center of this war and we even got to meet one of them! 👀 I just had a good time with this one and it's one I definitely recommend those who love historical fiction, fantasy historical fiction and any of Ross' previous works

The only “gripe” I have about the book is the war part of the story, it just went over my head because that stuff is sad AF & it’s hard to read bout so I would just skim the more heavy war/battle scenes.

Phenomenal writing with excellent world building and a memorable cast of characters. It took a bit for me to feel the chemistry between the two leads, but I enjoyed how it ended. Definitely recommend

This book was beautifully written. It reminds me of why I love reading!

Rebecca Ross created something truly great and I look forward to more of her work

Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the advanced copy of the book.

I believe that there are some books which are made better when you go in blind. If you love romance and fantasy books about war, gods, and female protagonists who take on the world, this is a book for you. Roman, my newest book boyfriend, has raised my romantic standards even higher and I loved rooting for Iris throughout this first part of her journey. I’m afraid that I’ll be obsessing over Divine Rivals until the sequel comes out which is going to completely derail my tbr (again).

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read an ARC copy of this book! This book was, in a word, enchanting. The premise was everything I could have wanted out of it - think WW2 love story crossed with the Iliad crossed with the story of Hades and Persephone. A lot going on but it just works. Not to mention the perfect enemies to lovers (where he falls first!). The story follows 2 rival journalists at the middle of an on-going war between 2 long, formally asleep, gods. We follow them to the front lines, where we are witness to just what a modern war with a mix of divine intervention would look like. War rages on, tensions flare, rivalry turns to romance. Again, the concept just works and I devoured this in one sitting. Absolute adored this book and can’t wait wait for the sequel.

Absolutely yes! I really enjoyed reading this novel. The characters were fun, it held my interest, and provided an escape from reality. I would definitely recommend!

This book is exactly why I love to read. Rebecca Ross has conjured such real characters, and her beautiful writing drew me in from the start.

Divine Rivals is like a book out of time. Mixing the mid-twentieth century with lore, it feels truly magical to read. Iris Winnow and Roman Kitt work at the same newspaper and are quite literally each other’s competition and rivals. They come from two different walks of life, but are drawn together by higher forces when the letters Iris writes to her soldier brother somehow end up in Roman’s hands. One day, Roman decides to respond and thus my absolute favorite trope: anonymous penpals, is born.

I could not put this book down. It has consumed me. For the first time ever, I’m sad to have read this early, because now I have to wait even longer for the second book. I will be thinking of Roman and Iris every day until then.

Rebecca Ross truly has a way with words. Her writing is so romantic and lush. Her world building is just beautiful and her characters are so rich and real. I get lost in all her stories and devour them in a day. Divine rivals is no different. If you like folklore, beautiful prose, war and romance, you won’t want to miss this one.

I really enjoyed this one!

Having adored Rebecca's other books, of course I jumped at the chance to dive into this one as soon as I could, and it was as addicting as the rest. I wasn't sure what to expect; I admit I hadn't even bothered to read the premise, but as usual, I was pleasantly surprised.

I will say-it took me a while to feel settled. It seems like we're in a 1920-1940 setting, which I struggled to pick up on in the first pages. I couldn't tell how modern it was until little tid bits of world building became more obvious. That aside, I loved being thrust right into the rivalry between Iris and Roman. Basically, they are rival writers at a newspaper, both clamoring for a promotion, to which there's only one spot. Delicious! Though,I wish the hate-to-love aspect had been drawn out a bit more. I also adored Iris as a main character, especially with how hard her life was (and how it reminded me of some aspects of my own). I think readers will find her highly relatable.

I wasn't sure what to expect when we dove into the war. I have some mixed feelings, in that the lore of the warring gods felt very unexplained. It took until almost half the book to even get a description of them, and I'll admit I'm still quite confused as to the political landscape and how these recently resurrected gods got people to fight for them in this manor. Even so, though, once Iris arrives on the frontline, I felt quite gripped, even more so when you-know-who shows up after. Definitely tense, maybe more so than I would like (the reason I avoid war movies - my heart can't take death on that scale) - and this definitely had WW1 vibes. Still, the romance that blossomed amidst it all was quite lovely, and after the end, I'll definitely have to pick up the next book!

Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publisher for providing a requested copy to review. All opinions are my own.

Oh my heart! Do you ever read a book and you're mad that you read it because it was so perfect, but now it's over and you have to wait ages for the sequel? All I can think about is how MUCH I loved Iris and Roman, how they made me smile, and laugh, and cry, and just feel so many feelings. This is both a tough book about war and loss and heartbreak, but it's also a freaking adorable "You've Got Mail" style romance with magic typewriters. Becca Ross is just a magician with words and I really can't emphasize how many times my heart was squeezed in both delight and anguish throughout the story. Everyone should just read literally everything she writes at this point.
I'll just be over here, waiting impatiently for the sequel, yelling at everyone to read this book now so they can wait on tenterhooks with me.

Iris Winnow loves her brother more than anything. When he enlists, Iris spends every waking moment worried about his safety. Even though she hasn’t heard from him in months, she writes him letters, letters that she slips under her wardrobe, letters that disappear each time, like magic.

Iris spends her days working at the Oath Gazette where she and her rival, Roman C. Kitt, are both in the running for columnist. Iris does all she can to earn the coveted post, channelling all her energy into her work. But soon she is distracted when a letter appears under her wardrobe door. A letter that is not from her brother. Iris discovers that what links them is not the wardrobe but a very special, magical typewriter, of which only 3 were ever made. Iris exchanges letters with the mystery pen pal all while her life falls apart around her. She makes the difficult decision to head to the front as a war correspondent and she is furious when her rival follows along after her.

Words cannot express how much I adored Rebecca Ross’ Divine Rivals. I haven’t been so enamoured by or devastated by a book since I first read Clockwork Angel twelve years ago. I am looking forward to reading more about Iris and Roman in the future. This was indeed the right book at the right moment.

Please note, I will post this to my instagram and amazon review pages on publication day. It is already on Goodreads.

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

"Divine Rivals" by Rebecca Ross
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
✈️ to: a fantasy world
TWs: war

I finished this book a couple of weeks ago and have not been able to start anything else since. "Divine Rivals" completely took me by surprise me and threw me for a loop. It's an unlikely enemies-to-lovers story about two competing journalists who communicate via magical typewriters set during a war between gods. This is a truly one-of-a-kind tale that has very common/popular tropes, i.e. enemies-to-lovers (as I mentioned), as well as office romance/competing for a promotion, penpals, and found family.

Sometimes the best books require the simplest reviews: I loved "Divine Rivals" and think you may too. It's subtle, lyrical, memorable, and I would already bet that it will be one of my top books of 2023. Read it, read it, read it!

This book started off a bit slow and it took me a while to grasp the concept, but once it picked up I really enjoyed it!

*Many thanks to NetGalley for providing an ARC of Divine Rivals in exchange for a fair and honest review*
Divine Rivals was absolutely... divine! This book was charming, witty, completely captivating, and superbly written! Ross drew me in early, sunk her claws in, and did not let go! I am days out from finishing this book and it is still impacting my thoughts and feelings.
This was an enchanting tale about Iris. A girl that was forced into womanhood due to a series of unfortunate events that life dealt her. However, Iris met these challenges head-on with stoicism and grace. During this time she discovers magic in writing letters to a mysterious stranger/pen pal. This unlikely relationship helped her to find her true self and discover a courage buried within her to change the course of her life from that point on.
The characters were incredibly well-developed. I fell in love with Iris and her wit, stoicism, and heroism. She was so very relatable and my heart ached for her and her hapless circumstances. I became enamored with Carver and even Roman eventually. I love the POV for both of our main characters and the peak into their lives and innermost thoughts and feelings.
While the world-building was good it fell slightly shy of great. I could tell this was loosely based in a British-esque setting with strong WWI vibes. My only real mark against this book was the lack of elaboration on their gods, customs, beliefs, etc. This book was spun to contain magic but there was very little to speak of. I was expecting a bit more. Otherwise, I have no real complaints against this novel.
This was a truly well-written, joyous, gut-wrenching, absolutely emotional tale. I am a bit upset with myself for not realizing it was a part 1 before devouring it and am EAGERLY anticipating its sequel. Bravo, Ross. You have gained a fan!