I have no words. This book was beautiful.
The world building, the turmoil between gods, the yearning, the subtle nods to Divine Rivals. All perfection. I can't think of a single thing I didn't like.
Divine Rivals and Ruthless Vows are books I think about often. Wild Reverence will be added to that memory.
Another story weaved into the tapestry I won't be able to undo anytime soon, and I wouldn't have it any other way.

I loved this. It was such a beautiful blend of mythology inspired lore, a love story, and bonds thicker than blood. Ross created her own story of gods and goddesses, with a familiar sense of scheming, treachery, fate, and the mortals caught in the middle. Mix in some yearning between a mortal and a goddess and it’s *chef’s kiss* (maybe Aragorn + Arwen vibes?) This book immediately reminded me of Circe and The Witch’s Heart. It’s a great blend of those and Divine Rivals. As much as I enjoyed the love story, one of my favorite storylines was with Bade, the god of war. Rebecca Ross mentioned he was inspired by none other than Kratos! I’m going to miss being in this world.

I had the pleasure of getting the ARC from Netgally, and I wasn't able to finish it before it was released. That said it did not stop my from buying the book and finishing it now. I fell in love with Divine Rivals, and like so many was hungry for more. when I first heard of a prequel I didn't think it was going to fill the hunger I had for the story, but I was wrong! Rebecca Ross is a goddess in her own right! the story was absolutely amazing, I loved getting to know the worlds and characters and the storyline was just amazing! I love how it came full circle, I almost forgot it was before. I don't have the words to describe how beautiful this story is and how deeply I felt it, but I recommend it too all.

Stunning. Rebecca Ross never disappoints, the way she tells a story is captivating and lyrical and lovely. Matilda is part Skyward, part Underling and a herald of the gods. Vincent is a mortal lord who first meets Matilda in his dreams. Their story is filled with heartache and miscommunication and pure emotion. This is definitely a “slower” book but it is so beautiful and the world we saw a bit of in Divine Rivals is so complex. Very different from the DR duology but lovely all the same.

forgot to write my review for this one but i loved it so so much! this was such a whimsical, magical read and it was just so entertaining and addictive. Rebecca Ross you have done it again! Thank you for the ARC!!!

2.5 ⭐️

This book took me forever and a day to get through.

My history with this series is thus:
I thought Divine Rivals was good and I DNF’d Ruthless Vows. I’m not sure why I thought I wanted more of this world because I really didn’t. This felt very much like an author trying to capitalize on a world in which they’d had previous success by writing a story that didn’t necessarily need to be told.

Now don’t get me wrong, Rebecca Ross can write a beautiful sentence. Her writing was much of what I appreciated in Divine Rivals. This didn’t particularly feel like that. The prose in this book felt repetitive (I swear every time I saw the word “ichor” I wanted to hurl my kindle across the room.) The metaphors felt overdone and like complete filler to get the word count up for what was otherwise a bland story. And boy was it bland. Plot? Where was she? Never saw a trace of her until the end. The majority of this story was Matilda hopping between realms, checking in with Vincent for a few minutes and then leaving again.

Let us talk about Vincent and the relationship at the center of this story. The relationship between these Vincent and Matilda felt entirely unearned. I believe we were supposed to feel like they had this deep history that bound them together. In reality, they actually meet each other once for a brief moment and when they are reunited a decade later they both instantly act like the other one is their reason for existing. I don’t believe that and because I don’t believe that I found myself not caring about them at all. Matilda felt extremely emotionally detached as a character for me, which makes sense because she is immortal. Emotions make you vulnerable. So it was hard for to believe she would go to the lengths she went to in pledging herself for a mortal dude she barely knew.

Overall this was not for me. I wasn’t so taken in by Divine Rivals that I was just happy to be back in the world. I think many who absolutely loved Divine Rivals will probably love this and my opinion will be the minority. I believe in Rebecca Ross’ ability to write a good story so I will try something else from her in the future but I have no interest in reading anything else she writes in this particular world.

*Thanks to the publisher for an ARC for review.

the gods backstory was always the most confusing/vague part of this series so I think this prequel was needed and done well!! the pacing was too slow for me to give it 5⭐, but it was still a fun read!

Thank you Netgalley and St Martins Press for the Advanced Readers Copy. I absolutely love Rebecca Ross’s writing; It is beautiful

I did not realize that this was related to the Letters of Enchantment duet, however, I was pleasantly surprised. This prequel added so much to the universe; I recommend it to anyone who has read the duet!

4.5⭐️
Although it took me a while to get through, I instantly fell in love with not only Matilda and Vincent, but also bade. And the epilogue, beuatiful. I love how it tied into the letters of enchantment duology and gave us insight on that part of the world. 🤍

This book was one of my most anticipated reads of the year but I was a bit disappointed with it. I'll start with my likes because the list is shorter than my dislikes. I really enjoyed and appreciated the multiple POV. I wish more books were like this. I loved the different realms and gods, although the names got confusing at times. It was refreshing to read a fantasy that is different from others I have read. I loved the relationship between Bade and Matilda. The way it took Matilda a while to understand why Bade kept showing up for her was bittersweet. I enjoyed the nods to the Divine Rivals duology as well. Now for the dislikes. I found it hard to picture things quite often and I don't think it was for lack of imagination. I truly couldn't understand some of the scenes the author was trying to lay out. I also found the changing of scenes to be confusing at times especially in the beginning of the book. I found this book to be a bit too long and could've easily been shaved down 100 pages. I got bored at times. There were so many metaphors throughout the book that were unnecessary. It got to a point where everything started to sound the same. Lastly, I found there to be no chemistry between Matilda and Vincent. It felt forced. I didn't care for Vincent much. I almost wish that there wasn't romance in the book and instead it stuck to gods and politics. Overall I enjoyed the story and I had a good reading experience. Thank you to Netgalley for the arc.

Loved the extra insight into the Gods, really appreciated that Rebecca shared more of this world with us!

The characters both felt larger than life as gods and also very authentic and human. The way Rebecca writes just feels so rhythmic and soft, I greatly enjoy her attention to detail in her story telling.

This book was so lovely. Raw, emotional and so powerful, I thoroughly enjoyed this novel wholeheartedly. I haven’t read Divine Rivals yet but am definitely going to after this! The stories of the gods was some epic worldbuilding with a star-crossed lovers, devastating love story.

Thank you NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Rating: 4.5⭐️

4.5! this book took a bit to hook me, but by the end i was 101% invested in the story. one of the most beautifully written books i’ve ever read in my entire life, i’d even say i liked it more than divine rivals. i’ll definitely remember these characters and their love story forever.

Thank you to the published and net galley for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.
Let me start off by saying, I’ve read divine rivals and its sequel. I liked them both fine, but this book was different from the start. I was enamored and entranced. I did not want to put this book down once I started it! Maybe it’s just me, but I feel like the author has gotten a lot stronger with her writing and I am HERE FOR IT! I love books surrounding gods but I often struggle to pay attention or fully grasp the concept that is laid down, but I had no problem with this book. That isn’t to say that it’s “simple” that’s to say that the writing was so sharp and clear. Would recommend!!!

I was unaware this is a prequel to the Divine Rivals duology! As someone who did not enjoy the first book this book isnt a good fit. I wish this was stated more before release!

Thank you to author Rebecca Ross and St. Martin’s Press for an e-ARC of Wild Reverence in exchange for an honest review.

Set in the same world as Divine Rivals, Wild Reverence is easily my favourite of the series. The setting is so immersive and beautifully described. The characters and their relationships were truly mesmerizing. I loved every second!

I found the beginning a bit slow to get into and this carried though the story. Lots of characters and word-building all at once. The first chapter, though, had hooked me from the start, even if I was a little confused as to what exactly was going on. I didn't realize this was a prequel to the Divine Rivals series--I only thought it was loosely related--and this likely contributed to some of my confusion. Unfortunately, this title didn't hold my attention and beg me to read it immediately, which, combined with its length, made it hard to get through. The writing was lyrical and fantastical. I think I will try this book again after I've read the duology and have more time to dig into this hefty tome to give it a better shot.

I received this book as an ARc, to provide my honest opinions. This book took me a while to read. Not because it wasn't good, but because I was not ready for it to end.
Hoping it would be a duology like Divine rivals, I did not want to leave the world. I was first introduced to this world with the Letters of Enchantment duology. Which to this day has been my favorite read of all time. So, getting a book that gave us more details about some of the Gods we were introduced to, was amazing.
The way Rebecca Ross writes, she can transport anyone into her world. The world building was unique from the way the 3 separate worlds all intertwine, the Underlings, Mortals, and Skywards, you get to see the worlds in new light. The magic system and how the Gods interact with the mortals all feels unique.
wild Reverence is an adult romantasy set about 600 years prior to the Letters of Enchantment Duology. The story centers around matilda, a young goddess with messenger magic, and vincent, a mortal lord. Their lives are tied together between dreams, prophecy's, and letters.
My Final thoughts are... I NEED MORE of this world. I need more about enva and her time we did not see. I need more about Bade and Adria. I love this story as much as I do the Letters of Enchantment duology. I fear there is no other story that can compare to these.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the Advanced eARC.

Maybe a 2.5*
Wild Reverence is a Prequel to the Divine Rivals series that explores the world of the Gods. Unfortunately, this one was not for me. I received an eARC and could never get into it. I finally gave up and waited for the audiobook to come. I don't know if it is just where I'm at right now, but I did not enjoy that.
It was very long, much longer than it needed to be. The beginning was really hard for me to follow because there were so many characters and different Gods with different powers.
While I was reading and listening I found myself having to reread passages or rewind the audio because my mind kept wandering.
The "payoff" of the entire story and how it relates to Divine Rivals was not worth the 22 hour audiobook.

It looks like I'm in the minority here, and I'm hoping in the future I can revisit this and enjoy it.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press Books for the E-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Sadly DNF'd around 30%.

I was so excited to receive an e-arc for this after shortly reading the Divine Rivals duo logy, which are part of my favorite books to date! This book is an adult prequel to the popular duo-logy. I was hoping this book was about Enva and Dacre, the main god and goddess from the duo logy before their conflict but it wasn't. This book was more about a goddess (Matilda) and a human (Vincent), and I honestly don't understand what they do so read more about my initial thoughts under lol

I jumped straight into this book as soon as I received the arc and while Divine Rivals and Ruthless Vows were still fresh in my mind. I first started reading the arc but unfortunately, I could not get into the book, it was very slow-paced and solemn compared to the Divine Rivals books. Then a few days after, I was able to check out the audiobook from my Libby app and decided to listen to it instead. But it was the same feeling of just not getting excited for this book. Narrators did a great job tho! I thought maybe it was just wrong vibe, wrong time? So I read many other books in between before getting back into this. And....I just frustrastingly can't get into it! Pacing is super slow burn, definitely different than Divine Rivals, and I could not relate to Matilda or Vincent. But a lot of people did enjoy this book, I unfortunately just was not one of them. I still recommend other Divine Rivals fans to still give this book a try! Just because this wasn't for me, doesn't mean it won't be for you.