Thank you to the author and publisher for providing me with an ARC of Wild Reverence. I have loved every one of Rebecca Ross’s books and this may be my favourite. This book takes place in the same world as Divine Rivals and goes so much deeper into the mythology and world building in a way that makes you feel like you’re a part of the story.

Loved
- Matilda starting her life being dismissed as not powerful or special enough to need attention
- The father-daughter relationship between Matilda and Bade
- The ties to all the gods referenced in Divine Rivals and Ruthless Vows
- Vincent and Matilda’s story starting in dreams
- SPOILER - When Warin killed Bade and Matilda had to choose between saving Vincent or accompanying Bade through the wastelands. I sobbed. I had to join a work meeting afterwards and had three people as what happened
- The themes of vengeance throughout, sometimes being tied with mercy

I am already trying to decide which trophy version of Wild Reverence I will purchase for my shelf, but in the meantime, I may go back and re-read it to capture some of the magic once more.

alright this is going to be a long one. only midway through this book I was I informed this is in the world of Divine Rivals. I was not a huge fan of the duology, especially the second book was a disappointment. however I genuinely loved the God lore and the general world building. when I first heard about this book it sounded incredible but because of my not so great time with Divine Rivals I was hesitant. however I start this book and right of the bat, the first 200 pages have me in a choke hold. I LOVED ever single page. it kept me up at night cause I wanted to keep reading. it was amazing world building that was unafraid to take it's time and create a truely great lore about Gods. I also loved how the gods really felt outworldly, they are immortal and their petty arguments have a lot more different stakes than mortal. I loved everything about it. after that incredibly strong intro however comes the second act. and this is where I would argue the main event of the book takes place. the war at the castle and of course the inevitable reunion of Mathilda and Vincent. I feel the entire second act from the beginning of the war to the end created a major pacing issue for me. the whole book takes place over many years, but the biggest plotline takes place over a week. it felt really off to me. it was overall a great plot but it did not feel like the same tempo as the rest of the book. and my second and biggest gripe with the book is Vincent and Mathilda. I loved that they knew each other since childhood. it laid a great foundation for their relationship and it made a really cute reunion. however their relationship moved insanely fast afterwards. they go from not seeing each other for 13 years to become soulmates in 2 days. I think Rebecca Ross has many strengths as an author but I don't think creating a authentic love story between her main characters is one of them. both for this book and in Divine Rivals I felt like the characters just kept telling us how much they love each other than to make it fell like they do. in both books the love they have feels disingenuous and forced. I specifically said main characters cause I think Bade and Adria's story was incredibly well crafted. maybe less is more sometimes. I also really liked Mathilda's parents story, in a way of begrudging love.
all said and done, this was an incredible book. I just wish the romance aspect of this romantasy was as strong as the fantasy.

This one was really hard for me to get into - I honestly did not finish it - the world building and tone to the writing was hard to follow. The premise to the story was good / just not for me!

Matilda is the youngest of the under realm goddesses. Born from a mother from the under realm and a father from the sky realm, Matilda’s sheltered childhood hasn’t allowed her to explore her powers as a messenger between realms. But in a world where gods kill each other to steal their powers, Matilda will have to flee the under realm to find her father and hone her prowess.

In the mortal realm, Vincent of Beckett has nightmares about drowning where he is saved by a beautiful goddess he refers to only as “Red”. When Matilda and Vincent meet in real life, a connection is forged that will bond the two throughout the many seasons of their lives. But keeping the relationship means Matilda will have to let down the walls and defenses she’s built her whole life.

This was a sweeping saga combining mythical gods, magic, betrayal, and love. The story takes us between three realms, each with its own set of rules and expectations. The weaving of the characters in each of the worlds and the interactions of their stories was so beautifully written. Wonderful world building! I did not want this book to end – so creative and multi-faceted. I recommend this book to anyone who loves epic fantasies!

The magic system is fascinating, mixing gods with constellations in a way that feels both unique and immersive. The tension, world-building, and character dynamics kept me hooked from start to finish.
By far, this is an easy 5-star read and one I’ll be recommending to fellow fantasy lovers!

I felt that the book started a little bit slow but started to pick up about 20% in. The relationship between the FMC and the MMC really touches the heart. Their relationship and love was so wholesome that it was actually refreshing. Even though the book felt long at moments Rebecca Ross shoes she really knows how to build a world, it felt Luke I was watching a movie in my head as I read.

I think this book literally changed my life. I am pretty stingy when it comes to giving 5 star ratings to books, and Wild Reverence is a 6 (SIX) star book. I am in awe. The prose is so stunning and the flow of the story feels like a magnificent Ancient Greek epic. There is love and heartache, quiet/private moments and dramatic battles, betrayal and revenge, and some of the most top-tier yearning I have ever read! This book is set in the same world as the Letters of Enchantment duology, which I loved, but Wild Reverence is even better. I will think about this book every day for the rest of my life.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the free eARC! This review has been posted on my StoryGraph, and will also be posted to Amazon, Books A Million and Barnes and Noble.

So romantic and epic and gives the backstory that was so lacking in divine rivals. Mortal x goddess? So so good. 🩷 I missed this world and this book definitely scratched the itch. Pacing is my main qualm though - I love our characters and the necessary back story for the magic system etc but the plot felt rushed and not very tidy in many places. 4.25-4.5 for me !

Wild Reverence takes us back to the same world as Divine Rivals, but to a time before when gods and goddesses still roamed their world and before the war that provides the setting for Divine Rivals.

The story is told primarily through the viewpoint of Matilda, a young goddess who we see learn about the world and grow into her powers while navigating complex politics and as the rare entity that is able to go into all the realms. We also at times get told the story though the eyes of Vincent, a mortal man living in the mortal realm.

Wild Reverence is at its heart a sweet and tender story about the love between Matilda and Vincent while Matilda in particular balances competing things that take up her time and attention. There are quite a few threads throughout and the story is fairly complex, so I found the story interesting and gripping throughout.

One of the things that I found to be lacking in Divine Rivals was the worldbuilding and backstory of the gods/goddesses so this really scratched an itch for me and was a delightful way to dive back into the same world.

Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin's Press/Saturday Books for the ARC.

The writing of this one was so beautiful! I love Rebecca Ross’s storytelling and her ability to create beautiful words and characters. I loved Divine Rivals, so I was very excited to read this one, but unfortunately it fell kind of flat for me pacing wise. I think I would’ve loved to have more childhood interactions between Matilda and Vincent in order to build up their relationship a little bit more before jumping into the main overall plot.

What a magical story! I love Rebecca’s writing, divine rivals is one of my favorite reads of 2023, Wild Reverence is topping my summer 2025 charts! She has a way with writing the most lyrical, romantic prose! Vincent & Matilda will stay with me forever! The epilogue was EPIC & i loved learning the entire story of how Roman & Iris were eventually allowed to reach eachother via “magical” typewriters! Bade—God of war, you have my heart. The father daughter aspect of the story between him and Matilda had me so emotional & jumping for joy when he finally expressed his feelings towards her. I love the magic system with the constellations! There was talk of not enough info given in The letters of enchantment duology about the gods & magic (which didn’t bother me at the time) but here you go! This has it all & im a forever changed from this story! Thank you so much for allowing me to read the arc, i can’t wait to get out on pub day and get my copy!

I first off want to say thank you NetGalley so much for this arc!

I unfortunately am dnfing it so I do not want to leave a review on Goodreads. I don’t feel it’s right for me to leave a star rating on a book I’m not finishing.

I absolutely loved Divine Rivals. It’s one of the most beautiful books I’ve ever read. Ruthless vows intrigued me when the gods came into play. So I was excited for this to find out about them. It has taken me a week and I have only gotten to 25% because the pacing is just off for me. I usually finish books in a couple of days so this is slow for me. I just don’t think much has happened and I’m not interested in the story anymore. Rebecca Ross does have beautiful writing so I’m sure the story would come together beautifully but unfortunately I can’t get myself to want to continue.

Thank you so much for this arc!

Rebecca Ross’s storytelling is always enchantingly beautiful. This story was incredible, the love and yearning between Matilda and Vincent was heart wrenching and so wonderfully written. The backstory between the Gods, the story of Matilda, it was brilliant.

I truly enjoyed Rebecca Ross' upcoming novel, Wild Reverence. The characters of Matilda and Vincent were endearing. Ross does a good job of making the reader root for Matilda as she yearns for love and affection in her life, from a young god-child to a adult goddess. She is caught in the web of petty and power hungry gods and goddesses, all the while wanting connection and peace. I would have loved more Bade, but overall, I was enthralled with this story. What a lovely addition to the world from the Letters of Enchantment series! Will definitely not hesitate to recommend this one!

After loving Divine Rivals so much I was absolutely delighted to read Wild Reverence. The first 30% of this story started out so slow. Hang in there! Rebecca's writing is so beautiful and boy can she tell a story. I loved revisiting this world and enjoyed being lost in this story. Thank you forbthe opportunity to read and review!

I’m probably going to give this 3.75 starts but round up to 4 for GR sake. I did really enjoy this book, but I felt that it could’ve benefited from being a geology. So much happens that I feel could’ve been better if we had more time to sit with to really form emotional attachments and maximum emotional payoff for certain things that happen. But I did really enjoy the concept and the execution of the story. Otherwise, I just thought everything could’ve used a little more time to marinate. I did really love them main characters and their dynamic but again I just wish we had had more time to see their relationship develop. I do also love how this tied into divine rivals and ruthless vows, and I think learning so much about the gods in this book filled a lot of gaps that were left by Divine rivals and ruthless vows. all in all I did enjoy this book and would recommend it to anyone who loved the original duology!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the advance copy to review!

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for offering me the chance to read this book in advance and offer my true opinion. I was beyond thrilled to be given the chance to review Wild Reverence.
With that being said…I have to give this one 1.5 stars (ouch that hurts to type). I am hoping on my next read of this novel I will feel differently.
Rebecca Ross is just one of those authors whose writing I have always loved. Her prose is lyrical and often beautiful. There were definitely lines in Wild Reverence that I stopped to reread. Despite the pretty writing, I unfortunately struggled with this book more than I wanted to.
The pacing is where things really fell apart for me. The first 35% dragged so much it became a chore to pick the book back up. I don’t mind slower world-building when it feels necessary, but here it just felt like everything was stretched out far too long for the plot happening. The book itself is long, and in my opinion could have been a couple hundred pages fewer. By the time the story gained momentum, I was already worn out from waiting for it to “start.”
Additionally, I was disappointed by the romance. Based on the setup length, I expected it to be a strong emotional thread, but the payoff just wasn’t there. There were hints of chemistry and a few good moments of tension, but the relationship never developed in a way that felt satisfying to me. After all that buildup, it just fell flat.
That being said, I don’t think this book is without merit. Ross has a way with atmosphere, and if you enjoy immersive, slow-burn fantasy with gorgeous writing, you might find more to love here than I did. Personally, the length and slow pacing in the beginning overshadowed the good parts in the back 20%.
In the end, I closed the book feeling more relieved than fulfilled, which is never how I want to feel after finishing a Rebecca Ross novel. Wild Reverence has its shining moments, but for me, they weren’t enough to make up for how tough it was to push through the beginning and how underwhelming the romance turned out to be.

I have been in my feelings.

Like everyone under the sun, I was a big Divine Rivals / Ruthless Vows girlie. It was possibly one of my favorite reads of the last few years. I felt really blessed when I got the ARC for this one.

It is a slow build but you can't do without it. As much as I might have wanted to skip ahead, the build up is required. And once it gets going? It gets going. Ross still writes beautifully and heartbreakingly. I only mildly hurt hours later.

But the ending just didn't work for me. I don't know how it could have ended for me. I think that's why I was so intrigued as it went on, I couldn't see how it would end. Then it just was over. I'm glad it's a standalone but it just doesn't work the same for me.

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC.

I am actually so sad about this book because I was so excited for it. I’m not sure if it was a wrong book, wrong time situation and I just need to come back to it when I’m ready for it, but as of right now, it wasn’t my favorite thing. I felt like I couldn’t connect with the characters and just wasn't vibing with the world I think.

I LOVED THIS BOOK!!! Rebecca Ross is the queen of writing worlds that feel so lived in and lush! I absolutely adored Matilda and couldn’t stop turning the page to find out what happened next! This is going to be the next hot book!