I adored the Letters of Enchantment duology so I was thrilled to receive this ARC knowing that it was set in the same world. There were aspects of it that I really enjoyed, but the first 50% felt very slow to me and I was struggling to connect with the story. I was bothered by how “mortal” the divine seemed. They could all be injured and even killed so easily that it was hard to remember that they were supposed to be immortal gods and goddesses. I enjoyed the scenes with Matilda & Vincent together, and the relationship between Matilda and Bade. I will continue to read Rebecca Ross’ work, but felt like Wild Reverence left me wanting more.

I loved divine rivals and ruthless vows and I also really liked a river enchanted so I was so excited and thankful to receive this arc but unfortunately this book was not for me. I just couldn’t get into it at all, it was so slow and I felt no connection to the characters and none of the characters had a connection with each other either. The writing was magical just like Rebecca Ross’s writing always is but I got to the 30% mark which took me forever and I had to give up on this book. I skipped to the ending to see if it could convince me to go back and continue reading but unfortunately not. Maybe I’ll pick this book up another time but too slow and the pacing was off sadly especially since I think this book had so much potential which pains me to say.

4.5 stars

Betrayals + gods = magic.

Set in the same world 600 years before Divine Rivals, this provides the story of the gods lives intertwined with the mortals. I did not realize this going in, but was enlightened to this fact about halfway through - I love going into books blind, but I wish I had known this up front! A must read for fans of the Letters of Enchantement duology.

I enjoyed watching Matilda grow into her powers, thrust into new challenges outisde of her control. She is forced to navigate impactful decisions at the drop of a dime and wow, I applaud her selfesness. There are many relationship dynamics that I loved beyond romantic, and the found family aspects had me tearing up.

I couldn't provide a full 5 stars due to some of the godly powers just not making sense to me in the moment, and it was a bit of a slow start. Once we got to part 3 it really started to pick up for me. This did make me want to reread Divine Rivals and pay close attention to the gods

A few things you will find:
✨ Godly schemes & bargains
✨ Immortal & Mortals intertwined
✨ Betrayals & allies
✨ Dreams 🥹

Thank you, NetGalley, for this ARC!

ARC review
Publication date 02 Sep 2025

“Wild Reverence” by Rebecca Ross is a prequel for the "Letters of Enchantment" series.
In this book we found out more about the gods and their magic.

Thank you St. Martin's Press for the advance digital copy of the book (via Netgalley).
Opinions from this review are completely my own.

I fell in love with Rebecca's writing and with Iris and Roman while reading "Letters of Enchantment".
So I was very excited to go back to this magical world.
Matilda is the youngest goddess of her clan, blessed with humble messenger magic.
She carries letters through the realms, but she holds a secret that she must hide to ensure her survival.
Vincent is a mortal boy who dreams of her, and she reads about those dreams.

In the first part of the book, they are teens and only meet ones, outside dreams.
But after more than 10 years fate brings them back together.
He is now a lord that needs to protect his village and she wants to help him.

The book is very beautifully written, emotional, romantic and magical.
Matilda and Vincent go though a lot and have to suffer because of human and divine enemies.
The romance between them is a slow burn full of emotion and they have such a strong connection that transcends life and death.

I recommend this book, even if you did not read anything from Rebecca Ross before.

Before Ross’ first duology even released, I read and reviewed it.  I fell in love with the writing and story and loved that I could share it with YA readers without reservation.  Again, with Sisters of Sword and Song and Dreams Lie Beneath, Ross continued to enchant me.  I won’t say I was becoming a bit of a Stan, but I might have been close.  With A Fire Endless, however, I felt the muchness slowly start to disappear.  Ironically, the Elements of Cadence duology put Ross at the top of the bestseller charts, though the first four novels already should have already been there.  As such, this review will probably be in the minority of opinions.  That’s okay.  I’ve always been an outlier; I don’t expect that to change anytime soon.  I rather like it here, anyway.  It’s far less crowded.  Whatever.  On to the meat of the review.

Wild Reverence is a long, hot mess.  The foundational story has heart, but the wobbly structure atop it tries to support too many levels and hold too many imbalanced rooms.  Its telling reads like a procrastinated term paper handed in at the last minute, which the acknowledgements section seems to confirm for me.  Usage inconsistencies abound, and the gross overuse of simile bogged my reading with a repetition that made trudging through the book a month-long chore.  By way of support, I’ll give a few instances for the sake of brevity, but I don’t want to make this review a giant harpy fest.  

First, the correct term for putting an arrow on the string of a bow to prepare it for firing is called nocking.  One nocks an arrow on a bowstring (or to—I’ve seen heated debates over the preposition use).  If one notches an arrow, one cuts into the end of the shaft where the fletching is attached in order to be able to nock it.  Though I don’t need to look that up because I’m familiar with the terms and know what the parts of a bow and arrow are called and how to use them, any person unfamiliar with the same can quickly look up the terms to be sure.  Also, subject/object pronoun alternated back and forth between being correct and incorrect. More stuff was inconsistent; a couple of examples must suffice.

Second, and probably most inhibitive for my reading adventure, simile and metaphor can be used effectively to produce lyrical writing, but only in moderation.  My eye started twitching early on, and I wondered why.  Not long after, I noticed a pattern of repetition.  “Like” similes crop up in the book about 870 times and “as if” ones about 425.  I could only take so much of it at a time; hence, my month-long span from start to finish of this nearly 550-page tome.  

Finally, the story lacks definitive focus and symmetry.  The great love built up in the story ends abruptly.  Magic use sometimes just happens with no logical explanation.  What applies for one character in one instance does not apply for the next.  If the universe were governed by Discord from 2012 MLP, I might understand the randomness of it all.  Yes, I’ve read the other books in the universe (I even remember when the Divine Rivals duology was called Iris at the Front).  Even if I hadn’t, Wild Reverence is a standalone; and the magic still needs logic, explanation, and order.  There isn’t much here.  

Wild Reverence kicks off Saturday Books, the new NA imprint from St. Martin’s Press (Macmillan US).  I can’t say enough how happy I am that NA imprints are starting to crop up.  I hope more and more will in the future so the adult content in YA books can move on out and join the age-appropriate ranks it belongs in.  Unfortunately, the book is still YA in UK, so like the Divine Rivals series before it, it contains explicit sexual content in it not suitable for the children’s audience it’s marketed to.

Ultimately, Ross has published 9 novels; the writing should be much more polished.  This was a rushed mess.  If I had to grade this for a class, I’d have handed it back after the first few pages.  I was not impressed, and this book was too long for that much meh. In future, I think, after 5 chances, I'll have to have a high recommendation from a trusted bookish friend to convince me to pick up another Ross book.

My thanks to Saturday Books for the DRC, for which I willingly give my own, honest opinion.

Wild Reverence
by Rebecca Ross
Pub Date: Sep 02 2025

True love is more divine, than any ruthless god.

Born in the firelit domain of the under realm, Matilda is the youngest goddess of her clan, blessed with humble
messenger magic. But in a land where gods often kill each other to steal power and alliances break as quickly as they are forged, Matilda must come of age sooner than most. She may be known to carry words and letters through the realms, but she holds a secret she must hide from even her dearest of allies to ensure her survival. And to complicate matters . . . there is a mortal boy who dreams of her, despite the fact they have never met in the waking world.

Ten years ago, Vincent of Beckett wrote to Matilda on the darkest night of his life—begging the goddess he befriended in dreams to help him. When his request went unanswered, Vincent moved on, becoming the hardened, irreverent lord of the river who has long forgotten Matilda. That is, until she comes tumbling into his bedroom window with a letter for him.

As Fate would have it, Matilda and Vincent were destined to find each other beyond dreams. There may be a chance for Matilda to rewrite the blood-soaked ways of the gods, but at immense sacrifice. She will have to face something she fears even more than losing her magic: to be vulnerable, and to allow herself to finally be loved.

As a lover of Divine Rivals, I was so excited to get an advanced reader's copy of this book.

Rebecca Ross can WRITE. Her writing is so beautiful, her words majestic and flowing off the page. And while this is true, this book did take a bit for me to get into. I was not immediately hooked, as I felt the world building was a little tedious.

However, once I got past that I loved Matilda's story. While we learn to hate a lot of the gods and goddesses in DR and RV, Matilda is impossible not to love. She is unlike any of the others - compassionate, caring, and all her own. Family means something to her, as do mortals.

Matilda and Vincent's story was beautiful and made me tear up. Love can withstand any obstacle or any amount of time, and we really got to see that message with these two. Not only did we see this with romantic love, but with familial love. Matilda and Bade's relationship had me bawling in my bed at midnight.

The epilogue of this book was toooo good. It was the beginning of Dive Rivals and Iris and Roman's story. It gave us a glimpse into how it all started, and quite frankly, it gave me chills. I would not say this was the most hooked I have ever felt on a book, but I do think it was beautiful all the same. Rebecca Ross could write an advertisement and I could think it was magnificent. I can't wait for the rest of the world to get to read this one!

3.5
i don’t think i’ve ever been so conflicted as to what i should rate a book.
let me preface this review by saying this book took me over a month to read. i started it and then took a break and then read more and took a break and then finally finished. that was a struggle for sure. i also had certain expectations for this book going into it and it wasn’t what i thought it was going to be. i feel like this book just found me at the wrong time? so let me just tell you all my thoughts (spoiler free)
the first 30% or so is HEAVY on world building, back-story and matilda’s young life. she is a 13 year old during this part of the book and we learn her back story and about the world of the gods. this 30% was a STRUGGLE for me to get through (keep in mind this book is about 550 pages long and so 30% took quite some time to read). i felt disconnected from the world and the characters and didn’t feel like picking the book up at all. i was expecting more of a romance plot and that took a loooong time to get to. i didn’t really care about anything in the book at this point.
then things started to pick up. but the pacing was a bit off to me. we cover 13 years of her life in just a few pages and jump to when she’s 26. the marriage of convenience, “where’s my wife” and alll those vibes were good but they didn’t feel fun like i’m used to? if that makes sense? everything about this book felt SO. SERIOUS.
& when the two of them confess their love it left me wondering.. what do you love about each other? you saw each other in dreams and then spent a couple weeks in the same castle sharing glances and occasional touches and now you’re in love? it felt forced.
but the romance started to pick up and the action started to pick up and the last 25-30% was great. i felt the longing and the yearning. the romance felt more believable. i thought the conflicts were entertaining & unique & i was enjoying myself. and it has one of my favorite book quotes everrrr and i’m literally adding half a star to this rating because of that.
the last few chapters were everything. they almost made me forget how bored i was in the beginning 🫢 almost.
the epilogue?? that gets 5 stars!! i love how we FINALLY got our connection to iris & roman🤭
there’s a lot of beautiful lines and i do think the writing is well done.
all in all, this wasn’t a big hit for me until the last 20% and by that time i had spent a LOT of time reading already. i think people will like this book. i honestly think most people will love it. i wish i would’ve known what i was getting into, known just how long it was & that the romance didn’t really start until the halfway point. if i would’ve known that i think my rating would be much higher.

thank you net galley for this arc. my thoughts are my own.

I loved this romance filled story so much. what a beautiful way to connect this story to the divine rivals duology.

my favorite quote might be this, at the very end: I think you know that the soul can be found in words, and words within the soul. The two reflect each other in the sky, do they not?"

You know a book has you hooked when you refuse to sleep until you are finished. That’s was me for this one!

I was so happy to get an ARC of this one as I love Rebecca Ross and the Letters of Enchantment series. Her writing is so lyrical. I adore it.

I really enjoyed getting to know more about the divines in this world. Finding out there were many in the past but just 5 when Enva and Dacre started fighting was mind boggling. I loved Matilda and all her POVs were interesting and kept me going. I have to admit I didn’t love the POV shifts to Vincent. No offense to his character but when you are given access to an entire mythos through the FMC, getting back to the mortal realm is a bit on the mundane side.

So much happened in this book, yet I felt like it spun its wheels just a little in the middle. The beginning and end had me hooked but I found myself struggling sometimes. I have to admit I did not know how long this book was when I requested it so it feeling long to me may be a personal thing since I haven’t read many thick books recently.

Oh and the epilogue was divine (see what I did there). I admit, I cried.

All in all a very interesting story that may have been a bit too drawn out for me but still very good. Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

Thank you to the publisher for the chance to read and review this book early.

I will start this by saying, this is my first Rebecca Ross book.. and wow. I was crying so frequently. 😭

I do think I should have started with Divine Rivals, I feel like this is a prequel? (Correct me if I'm wrong, I haven't read it I have just heard about it).

We start our following a young Matilda who is the daughter of an Underlying Goddess and an unnamed Skyward God father. She lives in a world where God's can kill each other for power, and love is seen as a weakness.

It makes for an incredibly sad childhood, with one bright spot: she ends up in the dreams of a mortal boy. There she learns much about humanity, and herself. She and Vincent share an lovely friendship, before tragedy breaks them apart.

The story takes a time jump, and we visit them both again as adults.

This story has everything I love, found family, a strong FMC, and well written secondary characters. The world building is wonderful, and the way she writes it's poetic and heartbreaking.

There's nothing I disliked about this book. It was pure magic, start to finish.

Wild Reverence first grabbed my attention due to its connections with the world of divine rivals but I was delighted to find that it reads well as a stand alone outside of that duology.
Rebecca Ross continues to be a master at character work and allowing space on page for natural chemistry development.
I am recommending this title for the employee recommends shelf at our store and certainly nabbing a physical for my at home shelf when it drops in September.

This is the year of the prequels OH MY GOODNESS.
Absolutely stunning. The woman you are, Rebecca Ross.

If you loved Divine Rivals, and want to know more lore- especially to do with the gods… READ THIS.

Ross just never disappoints. I loved immersing myself once again in the lush vibes her words and worlds can bring. This story was slower paced and definitely more in line with her A River Enchanted release in style and structure. But the characters were still lovable, and it was hard to put my Kindle down until I knew exactly what was going to happen to them.

Rebecca Ross delivers a breathtaking prequel to Divine Rivals with Wild Reverence, weaving a tale of gods, mortals, and the threads of fate that bind them. Set 600 years before the events of the Letters of Enchantment duology, this standalone novel introduces Matilda, a young goddess with messenger magic, and Vincent, a mortal whose dreams have long been touched by the divine. ​


The world-building is rich and immersive, with realms that feel both fantastical and deeply human. Ross's prose is, as always, lyrical and evocative, painting vivid images of the natural landscapes and the characters that inhabit them. ​


The romance between Matilda and Vincent is a slow burn, filled with yearning and emotional depth. Their connection is both tender and intense, making their journey all the more compelling. ​


For fans of Divine Rivals, Wild Reverence offers a deeper understanding of the world's mythology and the origins of its magic. However, it also stands strong on its own, making it accessible to new readers. ​


Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

If you know me, then you know I’ve been a fan of Rebecca Ross’s books for years so I was so excited to read Wild Reverence in advance thanks to St Martin’s Press, Saturday Books, and NetGalley. Let me just tell you, this book did not disappoint! I will never get tired of Rebecca’s writing, it always feels so enchanting.

This book is so romantic as it follows star-crossed lovers, one a goddess and one a mortal man. I’m obsessed with Matilda and Vincent’s story and know my fellow readers will love them too. I was constantly smiling over their interactions. There was so much yearning and anytime they so much as touched I’d be kicking my feet. There was even a “Who did this to you?” moment that had me enthralled.

Besides romance, this book is full of epic action and climactic battles, with magic and politics webbed throughout. It had everything I’d want in a fantasy novel!

I also really enjoyed the exploration of the gods in this book. Readers will be somewhat familiar with these gods and their stories from Divine Rivals, but having this expanded view of their world was so intriguing. The gods are conniving and quick to betray each other, which Matilda experiences throughout her life with them. I did love Matilda’s unique relationship with Bade, the god of war. He helps train her and acts almost as a father figure.

Also, in true Rebecca Ross fashion this book had me emotionally ruined. I was fighting back tears while reading between my classes. Despite the tears I loved this book from the very first page to the epilogue and can’t wait for all of you to read it!

Thank you for St Martin's Press and NetGalley for granting me an e-arc of one of my most anticipated reads of the year! (I was actually among the first 1000 who were approved to read now which was exciting).

Reading this book was, however, a love hate relationship. I spent 19 days reading it and I am not proud of it. 85 chapters later, here we are with a potential reading slump when the year was going so well for me.

The prose of this book was so beautiful and the characters held a lot of depth for me, especially Matilda who is my favorite but I need to be honest when I say that I feel the story could have been a little shorter. The fantasy is heavy, along with a length novel...it just made for a daunting read. I was reluctant to pick it up every time even though the story was interesting most of the time. I still enjoyed Matilda's character arc from an underestimated goddess in both realms to one of the most powerful yet graceful. It was interesting how she had claimed she doesn't care for mortals yet she did before she was brave enough to acknowledge it to herself, especially her love and loyalty to Vincent under the pretense of answering a prayer when it was clear it was something else. I found her powers as a herald to be moderate as best...but what came after? Now that was very interesting and something to be envied for definitely.

If I had to choose a quote to end this review with, it would be this one:
"We were doomed, she and I.
One day, I would perish, and she would live on, endless as the stars.
But if we were doomed, then let us fully embrace it."

WILD REVERENCE by Rebecca Ross is a stand alone adult fantasy novel set in the Divine Rivals world from her previous series. As soon as the email hit my inbox, I requested this eARC. I'm a huge fan of this author, and was so excited to read her next book. Friends, it was fantastic! The world building was phenomenal, the magic system so unique and creative, and I fell in love with many of the characters. Before I gush on more, let me share the setup.

The story revolves around two main characters:

We meet Matilda when she is first born, a young goddess of the underling realm. Her mother, Zenia, goddess of winter, fire, and cunning, takes her to the goddess of death, who reads Matilda's horoscope. To Zenia's surprise, Matilda is a Herald, a goddess who will be able to cross between realms to deliver messages between the mortal realm, the underling realm, and the skyward realm. As we follow her journey, we see Matilda grow up in the underling realm. When she is in her early teens, one of her mother's allies, the goddess of dreams, starts sharing scrolls that have mortal dreams written on them. There's a boy who dreams about Matilda, even though he has never met her. She is fascinated by him. After a terrible betrayal by a former ally, Matilda must escape to a different realm to avoid being killed.

Young teen Vincent of Beckett is the third son of a powerful man when we first meet him in the mortal realm. For some reason, he has stressful, anxious dreams about drowning in the river that surrounds his castle home. But then he meets a young woman, a girl with red hair, who helps him out of danger. He's intrigued by this young goddess and wishes he could have more time with her.

When he needs her help the most, Vincent calls to Matilda, but he doesn't receive an answer because she has escaped to a different realm. Many years later, after he's set aside his thoughts and feelings for Matilda, she comes back into his life. She has a message from Death that he refuses to read. Matilda, feeling terrible that she failed to answer Vincent's prayer all those years ago vows to help him in his struggle to protect his home.

Will Vincent ever forgive Matilda for failing him when he needed her help? Will Matilda be able to avoid the gods and goddesses who want to kill her and take her magic for their own? Will Vincent successfully protect his home, with Matilda's help? Read this excellent book and find out.

What I loved most:
- The world-building was so engrossing and so well done. The constellations representing gods and goddesses and the way that they can either be snuffed out if a mortal kills a god or taken by one god if they kill another god was so brilliant and added such depth to the story. The different realms, how they felt, smelled, looked... it was transporting.
- There's such a deep understanding of the history of the characters that this book conveys which helps set up what happens later. But rather than slow the story down, it made the plot deeper, more complicated, and more steeped in lore.
- Matilda and Vincent's romance was beautiful to read in these pages. It was slow burn, and sweet, and passionate.
- Speaking on Matilda and Vincent, I found them each to be such well-drawn and crafted characters. They've both suffered deep loss, and both go through a transformative journey in these pages that left me emotional in the best way
- The secondary characters were also very well crafted. We get found family, fake allies, dutiful servants and knights. The list goes on and on.
- The villains are complicated and varied in this story. Most of them you could call morally grey. One of them is just evil, a jealous menace that I couldn't stand. But even he had mixed motivations, which makes for a great villain
- The themes of loyalty, duty, allowing oneself to be vulnerable all resonate in this deeply rich narrative
- The Divine Rival and Ruthless Vows Easter eggs.

What didn't work:
- Honestly, I can't think of a single thing that needs improvement. This story beguiled me in the best way. Bravo!

WILD REVERENCE is a deeply satisfying read brimming with lush lore, adventure, romance, and otherworldliness, with a strong cast of characters. I highly recommend it. Run, don't walk, to purchase this fantastic novel!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press | Saturday Books for providing me with an eARC of this book for my honest feedback.

There’s something indescribably magical about the way Rebecca Ross writes — like my soul is being undone in every sentence. Her words don’t just tell a story; they breathe it into you. This felt like a story for the dreamers and the devoted.

I felt completely immersed in the setting and the story unfolding around Matilda and Vincent. Everything felt so vivid, as if I could literally taste the magic in the air. This story was brimming with yearning, heartache, and self-discovery.

The epilogue had goosebumps rising on my skin because the way it connects to divine rivals?? Beautiful. This is a prequel done right! Ross makes the impossible feel intimate, and the fantastical feel true.

Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for providing me with an e-ARC!

OMG Rebecca - you’ve done it again! The magic that is woven with these words is top notch. I loved meeting new characters, and learning more about others that were in DR/RV!