Thank you St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the ARC!

When I saw that Rebecca Ross was adding onto the Divine Rivals duology I was ecstatic!

This book takes place in the same world as Divine Rivals, but also in the realms of the gods. We get some more back story of Enva and Dacre's relationship (the gods that are at war in Divine Rivals). The main characters are the goddess Matilda who is a herald to the gods and a mortal man named Vincent.

I can tell a lot of hard work was put into writing this book, given the length and the extensive vocabulary used...but this book was unfortunately not for me. Maybe it will be for you.

I am capable of reading books with descriptive prose and 20+ characters, when I can vibe with the two main characters and swoon at their romance and/or friendship. I did not vibe and I did not swoon. I felt bored and frustrated. 😞

I didn't feel connected to Matilda or Vincent and I didn't feel connection between the characters. Their relationship and characterization were very surface level and flat. I found a lot of the character interactions and friendships/rivalries to also be flat.

There was so much going on that it made it feel like nothing was important. I kept asking myself, "what is the main plot"? That is never a good sign.

I don't like giving negative reviews, but I wanted to be open and honest with my thoughts. I will continue to read Ross's books, this one just happened to be a miss for me.

This book is meant to take place many many years before the Divine Rivals duology, but you don’t need to have read those books to enjoy Wild Reverence. (It should also be noted wholeheartedly Divine rivals is marked YA this book is adult romance) It follows a young god who is torn between the gods above, gods below, and the mortal realm. It is a new mythological tale that intertwines a love story and the politics of gods.

I have really enjoyed most of Rebecca Ross’s other books, and the elements of cadence duology (river enchanted and fire endless) and 2 of my favorite modern fantasy book. So I was really excited for this latest release from Ross. Unfortunately for me it didn’t hit the mark. Wild reverence is longer than her other books, which I don’t mind, but somehow it still manages to feel underdeveloped in many places and the pacing felt off to me. I’ve read one of Ross’s earlier books, Sister of Sword and Song, and felt similarly about that book. (That being said, if you liked sword and song you’ll probably like this book!) I think there’s a lot going on, and you never quite get enough time with the story about the gods and their magic or the romance developing between Matilda and Vincent. For me I just never cared enough about the characters to want to keep reading.

Where Ross always shines is in her lyrical writing, and that is still true in Wild Reverence. And the divine system she built and the magic is unique and interesting, and I would have loved more time with it.

All being said, while it didn’t meet my expectations, I do think fans of Rebecca Ross should check it out for themselves.

Thanks to NetGalley and St Martins Press for the opportunity to review.

Yet again, Rebecca Ross has written another literary masterpiece! The way she writes the most beautiful, emotional, romantic stories with such strong impacts & messages is something that needs to be studied bc omg the brain & heart of that woman!! I am truly so impressed.

I absolutely adored being back in the world of Divine Rivals, this time following the gods themselves and Matilda specifically. She is the herald to all three realms but she is also so much more. Her development over the years was so amazing to see & her love story is one for the ages!!

I loved the politics wrapped up in the story, both mortal & gods alike. The relationships that held true throughout everything brought me to tears & the relationships that broke under pressure had me fuming.

I truly felt all the things reading this incredible story & know it will stay with me for a long, long time!

We fall into the world of what it was like for the Gods and Goddesses in the past before Divine Rivals. Following Matilda and her new powers as a herald. A goddess that is to travel between the Underling and Skyward realms.

She is given scrolls of dreams and meets a boy named Vincent who she starts to develop feelings that are essentially forbidden amongst the gods. Exposing her fault line which is her heart. We see the past and how Dacre works; how he and Enva came to be and the war that errupts as she leaves him in Divine Rivals.

I desperately wanted to love this book, I saw so much potential within it and unfortunately it did not live up to the standards I had of it. I had to force myself to read X number of pages everytime and couldn't fall in love with the story as much as I hate to say it. Rebecca Ross still has such beauty in her writing and it was still enchanting to learn more of the gods worlds. It just unfortauntely was not a good, enjoyable read for me.

I truly appreciate the ability to read and review this ARC and do hope others love it more than I was able to! Thank you NetGalley and Ross for allowing me early access!

This is @RebeccaRoss third book in the same universe. This a gods and goddesses magic book FMC Matilda is a goddesses of heralds that and has messengers magic. I’m not really a fantasy time reader so I really couldn’t get into the story and yes I’ve read the other books and felt the same. This book is already popular in the genre so I know it will do well but for me i didn’t enjoy it

This book was pure perfection! I fell in love with these characters and this beautifully written story. I loved learning more about the gods in this world and Matilda’s role as a goddess. She comes into her own and becomes a badass that will do what she needs to protect those she loves.

I’m usually not a big fan of the arranged marriage trope but Rebecca Ross does an incredible job at flawlessly incorporating it into this story where it makes sense for the characters to enter this arrangement. The love story between Matilda and Vincent is beautiful and endearing. The ending almost killed me 😭😭😭.

I absolutely love a book that makes you care for the side characters just as much, and sometimes more, than the main characters. This book did it with my love for Bane and his fatherly relationship with Matilda. I loved this story and all its characters. Highly, highly recommend!

This book was beautifully written. Rebecca Ross is such a talented author. I loved learning about the gods and goddesses that we read about in Divine Rivals. Also, the love story was so perfect. I loved everything about this book and would recommend it to anyone.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC copy of this book.

Loved it. The plot, characters, and the overall mood made it an amazing novel. Definitely will be reading more of this author's style.

This story focuses on a bond between a mortal boy and a young goddess. Their meeting through his nightmares somehow becomes interwoven in reality. We also get some background knowledge and story on the Gods spoken of in Divine Rivals and the mystery of how the enchanted letters came to be.

I am always in awe of Rebecca’s writing. The lyrical fluidity of her words and how they not only flow with the story, but match certain time periods is one of the reasons why I will pick up anything by her. Although, a time period is not stated, other than it being a prequel to Divine Rivals, it’s easy to infer with Rebecca’s gorgeous, vivid descriptions. She uses borrowed myth and historical settings to paint a clear picture.

The prose was so beautiful and romantic. If I had to describe Wild Reverence in one word I would say POETIC. I loved the journey of our characters and the longing of their souls to be together despite distance and hardships. They are so sincere in caring about one another that I kept getting a lump in my throat.

Oh Matilda. She is such a smart and compassionate fmc. I loved her so much. I felt she made good decisions and was not overly powerful as some are.

While the pacing was slow at times, I think the unhurried tempo works for this specific type of book. The book is truly stunning and I wanted to highlight so many quotes. 4.5 ⭐️

Rebecca Ross has mastered the craft of storytelling, worldbuilding, and writing a romance that defies all odds. I absolutely loved the Divine Rivals duology and was very excited to dive back into the world and learn more about the characters from the books. Matilda is, of course, a very special individual. She belongs to two realms and has more power than originally imagined. Vincient is a mortal but is able to meet Matilda through his dreams. While I was reading this book, I felt as though I was transported into another world. The timeline of this book was amazing because I was able to better understand Matilda and her actions. I think Vincient and Matilda's relationship was not only perfect, but also realistic. They spent years apart, so the fact that they didn't fall in love right away was a nice touch. My favorite part, though, was the Epilogue. It concluded the book with the perfect segway into Divine Rivals and allowed a connection between the books! Overall, this book was a spectacular read and a great addition to the series!

5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️. Wow. I need a minute to take that in.

After reading the Divine Rivals duology, I found myself wanting to read more about the mythology, worlds, and gods that Rebecca had painted. And this book was even more incredible than I imagined. This felt like a grand adventure woven through poetry.

Rebecca has this way of slowly building a beautiful story together, full of joy, sorrow, trials, discovery, and more.

My favorite quote: “But in my heart, she had always been the wind, never staying in one place for too long.” I think it perfectly captures Matilda’s story so well, and I LOVED how Rebecca was able to portray this aspect of her that lended to a truly unique story, like nothing I’ve read before.

This is definitely a book worth revisiting 😊🩷

Thank you to Rebecca Ross & team for the arc copy 🩷🩷🩷

Wild Reverence is a lush, atmospheric fantasy that feels both intimate and sweeping. Rebecca Ross delivers a story brimming with lyrical prose, layered characters, and a setting that hums with magic and mystery.

What really shines is the balance between character-driven emotion and the grandeur of the world itself. The relationships are tender but complicated, and the story carries an undercurrent of reverence—for love, for nature, for the fragile beauty of belonging—that gives it real emotional weight.

Ross’s writing has a dreamlike quality, pulling you into a world that feels alive, while still grounding the story in the struggles and growth of her characters.

If you’re drawn to fantasy that reads like poetry and lingers in your mind long after, Wild Reverence is one to savor.

I’ve linked my Goodreads review below. This is an amazing reminder of why Rebecca Ross is one of my favorite authors. I find her prose to be so lyrically beautiful and I just want to be in her worlds. Thank you for this early copy

This book was such a fun read! By far my favorite by this author. I loved the FMC and getting to see all the different relationships she made with other characters throughout the book. I’m very interested to see where the next book takes us.

Unfortunately DNF’ing this at 70% 😔 I had high expectations for this but it felt like a chore every time I picked it up, and it would probably take me another week to finish the last 200 or ages. Rebecca Ross’s writing is beautiful, and I was enjoying the characters, but the pacing and the storyline failed to hook me. I definitely think this will hit for some people, but I am not one of them!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martins Press for the ARC!

Wow. This book was everything I wanted it to be and more. From chapter one, I was hooked. Rebecca Ross’s writing is just so beautiful. And the setting… atmospheric is the perfect word for it. It’s moody and magical and just completely immersive.

But what really sealed this book as a five ★ read for me were the characters. They felt real, layered, and I was genuinely invested in their journeys.

This book is the whole package: gorgeous writing, a setting that pulls you in, and characters you can’t help but root for despite their flaws. Easily one of my favorites this year.

Huge thanks to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the ARC! I’m so glad I got the chance to read this early!

I cannot put into words how much I loved this story. Rebecca's writing to so whimsical it reminded me a lot of Once Upon A Broken Heart by Stephanie Garber and I'm obsessed with that world. The story just felt like a huge magical fairytale and those are my favourite types of stories. This book had a lot more magic than Devine Rival and Ruthless Vows and I feel like that's why I loved it so much. I was obsessed with the way the magic system worked. She included astrology and stars in such a unique way, I was so fascinated with how it was all linked to the God's creating and magic and she did it in such a fun way.

THE YEARNING?!??!?!!! ARE YOU KIDDING ME???? Vincent was such a lover boy who was obsessed with Matilda and I loved that aspect about him. All the characters were so fully fleshed out and getting to see both Matilda and Vincent grow from children into adults was incredible because you got to witness so much growth from both of them.

The feelings and emotion it evoked from me is literally why I love reading so much. Its everything I love wrapped into one amazing story

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC opportunity! Divine Rivals/Ruthless vows still lives rent free in my head so I was very excited for this book. The main story follows a goddess, Matilda. I was expecting it to be all about Dacre, and was happy that he was just a sub plot. The journey starts with Matilda as a 12 year old, and she was a child for the first quarter of the book (had me a little nervous 😂), but she grows up, don’t worry! This story was a bit slow paced, and while it did sometimes feel like we were going in multiple directions, I really enjoyed reading it and being back in the world of Divine Rivals.

This book was pure magic. Rebecca Ross writes beautiful lyrical prose and it is just as enchanting in this book as her previous works.

The gods are mysterious, brutal, and so different than mortals. Power makes them cruel and immortality makes them indifferent to the plights of man. When Matilda, a god-child, meets Vincent, a boy, there is a fascination that grows between them, linking their fates together.

Matilda is so well written, her character development is excellent. Her relationship with Vincent is filled with yearning and the tension there really works. There is so much world building in this book, but it isn’t too confusing. A little slow in the beginning, but at the same time, I wish I learned even more about some of the other gods’s backstories. (*ahem more Bade please).

Overall, an enchanting, aching, beautifully written book about love that defied reason and fighting for yourself against all odds.

4.5⭐️

*Thank you to Netgalley for providing an ARC for an honest review. All opinions are my own*

As a huge fan of Divine Rivals, I went into this book with high expectations that, unfortunately, weren't met. While I was intrigued at first, I found the book a bit too long, and the plot felt drawn out. The romance in this book was a letdown for me because it was almost nonexistent. Similar to Ruthless Vow, the main characters barely interacted, and I didn't feel any emotional connection to them.