Reviews with content warning for Alcohol - Divine Rivals

This book was unfortunately a bit of a letdown for me, and maybe that’s due to the fact that it’s hyped pretty aggressively on booktok and other social platforms.

This was a fine book but it is definitely what I’d consider a romance focus with a light dusting of fantasy/magic elements. The fantasy elements are not explored or explained in any sort of depth. Though this is YA, it doesn’t compare to series like Shadow & Bone that gives you a vivid fantasy world with a true magic system. The focus is nearly wholly on the two main characters - both young journalists living in the capital or a fictional country at war. While war rages through their lands, it has not yet come to the capital and many believe it won’t. Their lives and interactions are the focus of this book, with a side quest/plot of the magical war that is apparently tearing society apart at the seams.

My issues with this book is that there are so many things that are really skipped over in service of the romance and to great detriment to the rest of the plot. While I commend the author for her creative way of introducing information (and doing it slowly) via letters, there simply is not enough to understand why the war is raging and what the rest of society is up to (we get a limited handful of side characters, most of which don’t drive the plot forward much).

There are more than a few plot holes - and it’s frustrating to get intrigued by a topic being introduced only to jump immediately to something else happening.

I will give props where deserved - I think the author does a nice job of conveying the brutality of war to a YA audience and setting up a compelling concept - who wouldn’t be intrigued by the concept of a world where the gods were at war and humans were being recruited to fight on their behalf?

I’m intrigued enough by the last ¼ of the book and the cliffhanger ending (which I’m mad about for other reasons but we don’t have time to get into that) that I will likely pick up the second book and hope that Ross treats us to a more developed fantasy world where her characters can truly shine.

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scvqa's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

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juliesleseecke's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional hopeful mysterious slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

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katiekaiser's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Almost immediately, I knew this was going to be a 5-star read. Rebecca Ross’s writing style immediately drew me into this world. I loved Iris and Roman. The book was so well-written. I felt like I was there with them. I couldn’t put it down. I can’t wait to read the second book and find out what happens.

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micaelamariem's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional hopeful reflective tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

Ahhhhh! I’m so glad I finally got around to reading this! It was a slow start for sure but that made me appreciate the characters for who they were and the writing style as well. I love the “you’ve got mail” type of concept (but make it ✨ magic ✨). I also appreciated the World War Two parallels—the propaganda, the banning of music, the bombs and bunkers, the sirens. It was like looking at history with a fantasy lens in a fantasy world. The friendships were heartwarming and the romance adorable.
And the cliffhanger plot twist ending??? I need more omg. I’m so nervous for these cinnamon roll characters and there are still so many questions I have about the war and the myths and the impeccable Worldbuilding. I need the sequel now.

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reading__redhead's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional inspiring mysterious sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

(Potential) Highlight of the year! The first book where I really wanted to annotate, but I’d love to read to English version and annotate that one!!

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thestarsaresad's review against another edition

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emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

I can’t decide whether I’m glad or regretful to have read this book. The way that the human experience of war, grief, family, and love is written was so good.

On the one hand, I’m glad that I read this book, because I thoroughly enjoyed reading about Iris and her relationships with Roman, Attie, and Marisol. I loved seeing her development throughout the book, mixed with both courage and fear in the face of war. On the other hand, I’m absolutely devastated that I subjected myself to reading this book and having to feel the emotions of Forest dragging Iris to safety at the expense of Roman. There’s no doubt that that scene was written well though, the anger and absolute stress I felt had me racing to finish. I so desperately wish I could read the second book so I can see what happens. I just wanted a happy ending, but I guess war proves otherwise.

OH HOW HAPPY I AM TO DISCOVER THAT THIS IS ONLY A DUOLOGY AND THE SECOND BOOK IS ALREADY OUT. THANK THE BOOK GODS.

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aksmaestri's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny inspiring reflective relaxing tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

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