Did I just read over 500 pages to find out how the Alouette typewriters were made? Yes. Yes, I did. Could I have gone my entire life without knowing that information? Also yes.

To preface this review, I am not a Greek mythology girlie. I don’t know why, but every time it pops up in a story, my brain checks out. And this book read like Greek mythology fanfic, and not the fun smutty kind.

I absolutely *adored* Divine Rivals and Ruthless Vows, so I was fully prepared to ugly cry, swoon, and make this my entire personality for a few days. Instead, I got a lore-heavy info dump with a small sized order of McDonalds fries for romance.

I read an ARC copy (thank you so much NetGalley and Saturday Books — you are saints for putting up with us opinionated readers), but I genuinely thought there were pages missing because… surely this wasn’t the entire plot? 😬

If you love Greek mythology and are dying to know the history of fictional magic typewriters, this book might just be your Super Bowl. Unfortunately, for me, this was a miss.

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC access to this book.

I'm a Ross fan but this book didn't hit for me. The world building was kind of intense and I just didn't connect with the characters and the storyline. I finished the book and listened to audio on Spotify.

I'll be keeping an eye out for her other work but this wasn't for me. Good book. Good story. Just not of my interest.
The storyline dragged at times and the world building was very involved.

It might be better suited for someone with more interest in fantasy and intense world building.

This was SO GOOD.
I loved Matilda as a main character and seeing her stay true to herself, while also growing fully into herself.
I am in the minority of people who enjoyed seeing more of the world and the gods in ruthless vows, so I did not doubt for a second that I was going to love this story. This is so much better than anything I could have ever expected. Rebecca Ross writes such beautiful stories and I will forever continue to devour anything and everything she comes out with.
I felt every emotion under the stars while reading this. I am obsessed with Matilda and Vincent. And Bade. His relationship with Matilda was everything.

Roman Empire status. This was just chefs kiss. It was nothing like I’ve ever read.

I really just genuinely adore Rebecca’s writing. The imagery she puts in your mind is beautiful. Even though I have aphantasia and CANNOT actually see in my head…this is the closest I get.

The character arc for Matilda was so good. Watching all she goes through. Her life between so many facets of realms and turmoil was so interesting. I felt like I was learning about a real character, almost like reading a memoir.

As someone who reads 99.9% romance books, the romance really took the backseat here and I was a thousand percent okay with it. It didn’t feel forced. Her and Vincent were soulmates. They had troubles, their love story wasn’t perfect. I adored them. A friend said they were giving Aragorn and Arwen…literally perfect description.

I don’t know what else to say here. Just please read this. It’s such a journey and unlike any books I’ve read lately. Perfection.

Thank you to the author and publisher for the gifted e book.

A lovely return to the world of the Divine Rivals duology. It’s been a while since I read the original duology and I think Wild Reverence stands on its own if you haven’t read it or it’s been a while. Ross has become a must read author because I’ve enjoyed everything I’ve read by her and WR is no different. Matilda is a like-able heroine who we get to grow with as she learns to better understand the worlds of gods and mortals.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for access to an ARC of Wild Reverence.

Initially, I was skeptical since I’m not usually a fan of prequel-style books, but this book was a beautiful addition to the Letters of Enchantment series. I would highly recommend reading the duology before reading Wild Reverence. It could technically be read as a standalone, but the story will have a much deeper meaning and larger significance if you read the duology first.

The story follows the lives of young goddess Matilda and mortal Vincent and how their fates become intertwined. Their romance is slow-burning and bittersweet and filled with so much yearning. I was emotionally distraught near the end of the book, worried about how their story would end, but I was left very satisfied.

The plot and world-building were well done. I enjoyed getting more details about the gods/goddesses from Divine Rivals. While the book doesn’t focus on Enva and Dacre, they are present in the story.

Currently, I’m still a bit speechless after finishing the book. Rebecca Ross is gifted at writing raw emotion into her stories. This is one of those books that I will be thinking about for a while.

Reading if you enjoy:
* Romantic letters
* Star-crossed lovers
* Yearning
* Strong FMC
* He fell first, but she fell harder

Love, love, love it. I could take ten more books set in this world. It’s a story of a young god figuring out her place in the world. I think the book is considered YA even though the FMC is of adult age for the majority of the novel, probably due lack of detail in the spice scenes.
There is a lovely combination of political intrigue, romance, tension, twists and turns, and emotional depth. I got choked up several times and had a mild book hangover afterward in the best of ways. I wish I could read it for the first time again.

Thank you SMP / Saturday Books for the advance copy.

Wild Reverence by Rebecca Ross is a beautiful written, mythological story. But there were times it dragged and often felt too long.

I can see why readers will love this but for me, it was just ok.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for access to the eARC of Wild Reverence by Rebecca Ross. I loved the Divine Rivals duology and was intrigued by this prequel that delves into the world of the gods and goddesses and realms that our beloved Divine Rivals live and love in. It was interesting to learn more about the inner workings and political trappings of the gods, to get to know them each better and to see what led up to the world of Divine Rivals, but sadly I just did not love Matilda and Vincent as much as Iris and Roman and the connection they had through their letters was so much of what drew me to their story. Vincent and Matilda get some of that through their connection in dreams and in the very end, the hint at a further connection, yet, somehow they just did not burrow into my heart like Iris and Roman did. I was glad to be in the world built by Rebecca Ross, but will return to the duology rather than this prequel when I wish to return to the world again.

Wild Reverance follows the life of a young god who was born of two realms. Drawn into the dangerous politics of the gods and experiencing a great loss, she flees from her home, finds herself becoming a Herald between realms, and of course becomes entangled with the fate of a human.

If you like stories involving “the gods”, (ie. God of War, The Fates, etc) you’ll probably really like this one. I went into this completely blind so didn’t realize, but it wasn’t my cup of tea. I did enjoy how its story connected to her other series, Divine Rivals, and also liked the main male character. There were some heartwarming pieces to this story as well, but I just didn’t like the protagonist. But again, that could come back to the fact that I don’t love those character types.

If you love Rebecca Ross I’d highly suggest you read this one because you’ll probably like it! It just wasn’t for me!

Rebecca Ross writes such beautiful books and this was no exception. I adored Vincent and Matilda and was so invested in their story. The book took a bit to get going for me, but then I was totally hooked right to the end. 4.5 stars!

this is definitely for my orpheus eurydice girlies . I was so in love .

“He dreamt of me before I knew of him. His soul found mine before I even knew how to look for his.”

This story was true LOVE. YEARNING .

“I will love you to my grave, and even beyond it .”

My only hiccup was how seemingly long it was , the story felt never ending . Then as soon as it got to the story I truly wanted Vincent and Matilda it was done .

Also wow the deaths . THEY HURT ME ! They were written so well, every character hit me in the feels . It was beautiful.

This was powerful and it definitely sparked my orpheus / eurydice spark and I’ve been listening to hadestown all throughout reading .

I wasn’t a fan of Divine Rivals, particularly due to the strangely rapid progression from work rivals to married couple in that book. I was, however, curious to read more of Rebecca Ross’s writing (and I didn’t realize until I started reading it that Wild Reverence is a prequel to that duology).

If you loved the Letters of Enchantment series, you’re probably already sold on reading this. But if, like me, you were hesitant to dive (back) into that world, you may be relieved to know that Wild Reverence works well as a standalone. While it does its job in setting up the mythology behind the enchanted letters and building the world’s backstory, it can be read independently without needing prior knowledge of the series.

Ross’s mythology is original but draws heavily from Greek and Norse influences. If you’re familiar with tales like Eos and Tithonus or Selene and Endymion, you’ll notice some similar themes here, particularly in the challenges of romantic relationships between goddesses and mortal men. Like many modern mythological retellings, I appreciated how this story centered female characters, leaned into a revenge fantasy, and addressed the erasure of strong women from traditional narratives. I also appreciated that the protagonists were older and brought more life experience than Iris and Roman did in the duology.

Unfortunately, the romantic element was the weakest part of the story. Much like the myths it draws from, the imbalance between a goddess and a mortal man makes it difficult to craft a fully developed, equal relationship. Vincent lacks much of a personality beyond his devotion to Matilda and his sense of familial duty. Most of their romantic development occurs in his dreams, and with the exception of one dream, Matilda is not an active participant. She only learns about them through transcripts afterward, creating a strange dynamic that raises uncomfortable questions about consent and agency. It’s a troubling narrative choice, particularly in a story that aims to uplift and reclaim female voices.

Wild Reverence is a quick read, and Ross’s prose is engaging and fluid. But while it hits many of the expected beats for a mythological retelling, the emotional distance and underdeveloped romance ultimately made it forgettable for me.

Thanks to Saturday Books and NetGalley for the advance reading copy.

If Rebecca Ross writes it, I'll read it and give it 5 stars. I have no words other than this is such a beautiful story and I'll be thinking about it for weeks.

THANK YOU to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Okay okay okay. Divine Rivals has been on my to-read list since it debuted 2 years ago, but I haven't gotten around to reading it due to constantly reading ARCs instead 😅 So when I saw this was a Prequel, well... I couldn't resist. I thought, maybe I should wait and read them in the order written but... NAHHH, I took my chances.

I LOVED THIS. The world building was so rich and Matilda's story was so intricate. I was completely invested from the start. I couldn't tell where anything was going, and there were more surprises than expected. I just loved this entire in-book universe and the way it functions.

As for characters, I liked Matilda and her relationships with others as the powers/connections were super interesting, though all the Gods did feel a little confusing at times (keeping them all straight since there's so many). The thing that felt lacking, and the only thing that felt lacking, was emotion between characters. Even our FMC & MMC felt a little lack luster. Obviously there is love and hate between multiple characters, but it did feel more like I was experiencing it more than they were at times.

Ultimately this didn't distract me from the story though. The plot was soooooo rich. I just loved it. Absolutely 5 star for me and I cannot wait to see how book 1 and 2 go!

🖤💌 Book Review Template 💌🖤
📖 Title: Wild Reverence
✍️ Author: Rebecca Ross
📚 Genre: Fantasy, Romance, Gods and Goddesses
🌟 Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.75/5
💭 My Thoughts:
First Impressions: I took a second to get into it. I was thinking of the Divine Rivals universe and wasn’t into this plot at the very beginning. But it quickly stole my heart. I love Rebecca Ross’s writing style.
Quick Overview: Matilda is a god child when the story begins, and we see her growth throughout this book. We see her grown into her power, into her forbidden emotions, and into the goddesses she is fated to be.
Favorite Character: Matilda (of course 👑)
Plot Vibes: I loved the vibes. They were fantasy they were love they were dark they were light they were dreamy they were powerful. The vibes that Rebecca Ross creates with her writing style is just superb. The tensions were amazing and when they broke, they broke well. The characters are all incredible and I am so happy I was able to read this.
💫 Final Thoughts:
This book made me feel many things. And boy do I love when a book actually makes me feel. I had to take a break here and there just to calm my mind, heart, and dive back into this story after. I’d recommend it to anyone who loves Divine Rivals or stories of fated loves and worlds of goddesses and gods.
Would I read it again? Yessssssss

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for allowing me to experience this eARC.

I loved this. What a beautiful universe Ross has created. I don’t even know where to start. This will be one of the books that I daydream of for years to come.

🍃📜 Wild Reverence by Rebecca Ross 📜🍃

🍃 This one is about Matilda, and honestly, I don’t know how to explain this book briefly? Matilda is the child of two gods, and she wishes the god of War was her daddy because he’s the daddy who stayed, but unfortunately he is not the father. Upon her birth, her constellation reveals certain things about her and she becomes a messenger for the gods, but her mother (an “underling” god) wants her protected below-ground from her father (a “skyward” god). In this story, gods are really backstabby, so she needs to be on her guard at all times. She learns about the mortal world by reading about the dreams of a mortal boy named Vincent, but such things are not real. A friendship formed in a dream would never translate into life, would it? Unless, one day, they’re fated to meet… 📜

🍃 Confession: I haven’t read Divine Rivals yet so this was my introduction to Rebecca Ross. I absolutely get the hype! Her writing is so beautiful and the prose is so rich and lyrical. The world-building is pretty immense but it’s revealed slowly enough that if you pay attention and let the story wash over you it’s a very enjoyable book. As a mood reader I did have to find the right mood (concentration mode) because a lot of the information is delivered in crumbs. But wow. What a story! We follow Matilda through her early life and then a slowly building relationship with her mortal friend turned something more, Vincent. Matilda isn’t the damsel in distress here, she’s often the one that has to bail out the mortals when they’re in trouble. And wow do they get into trouble. But, in fairness, they have to deal with a war and some very fickle, meddling gods so there’s that. 📜

Thank you so much to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the eARC!

4.5stars! This book was super good I loved Matilda and Vincent and Bade. Made me kinda wanna do reread of divine rivals and ruthless vows.

Wild Reverence is nothing short of extraordinary. From the very first chapters, I knew this would become my favorite read of the year, a prediction that proved absolutely correct.

Returning to the world of Divine Rivals felt like coming home, filled with all the nostalgia and familiarity I craved. The introduction of new characters alongside the intricate layering of divine and mortal storylines showcases truly brilliant storytelling craft.

What struck me most was how consistently engaging the narrative remained. Not once did I find myself bored or waiting for the story to pick up pace. Ross has mastered the art of weaving complex plot structures that never feel overwhelming, maintaining momentum while allowing space for profound character development.

Speaking of character development… it was absolutely incredible. Each character felt fully realized, with growth arcs that were both surprising and inevitable.

If I could give this book infinite stars, I would. Wild Reverence is a masterclass in fantasy storytelling that will undoubtedly stand as one of the year’s best releases.

Highly recommended for fans of: Divine Rivals, mythological fantasy, character-driven narratives, and anyone seeking their next favorite read.