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claireltravers's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Child death, Death, Grief, Death of parent, and War
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders
bluelien's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
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? No
3.5
Let's start off with what I found most impressive, the writing! It is beautiful; it is immersive; it is heartfelt. The voice actors did a great job narrating this book! I loved the plot and the unexpected ending. And the characters didn't read as flat, they had their goals and dreams and pasts, and most importantly, they showed growth as the story proceeded. Iris took her time getting rid of her prejudices, but when she finally did it was beautiful. Once she realized Roman gave her no reason not to believe (in) him, she shed the untrustworthiness she felt that was only a disguise for her fear. In comparison, it took Roman little time to move past his prejudices. However, that didn't mean it was the end of his character arc. He made decisions, faced their consequences, got inspired, and learned along the way. They both inspired each other and learned on their journey. What I enjoyed less was the reveal that he was Carver, although Iris reacted rationally which is what I wanted, the reveal in and on itself was underwhelming: the way she found out was not exciting at all. Lastly, the author did a great job in their commentary on the press and its crucial role in (mis)informing folks. They touched on how easily the news can be manipulated and how the government and the press only show us what they want to see. All in all, it was a good read, I'm looking forward to reading the second book. And kudos to the author for including a queer couple!
Content Warnings
Graphic: War
Moderate: Alcoholism and Injury/Injury detail
crystaldianee's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Alcoholism, Child death, Grief, Death of parent, and Alcohol
infusionofviolets's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
reflective
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
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Violence, Grief, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Alcoholism, Blood, and Death of parent
aprilb_reads's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
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
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: War
Moderate: Alcoholism, Confinement, Death, Gore, Sexual content, Blood, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
persephonefoxx's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
“I don’t want to wake up when I’m seventy-four only to realize I haven’t lived”
I get why this book was so beloved last year. It has so much going for it. Rivals to lovers, falling in love through letters, a tragic boy. Some of my favourite things.
I really loved the dynamic between Iris and Roman. And I found the magic system and the way the characters coexisted with their magical surroundings really creative and interesting.
This was a beautiful story about love and war that really put my heart through the wringer. A story that didn’t shy away from the truths of war, even if it was a fantasy depiction of one. I may not have expected the paths this story went down, but I enjoyed every one.
Also, it’s important to know that Roman really had me kicking my feet a little. There is just something about fictional men that makes my bisexual heart go ‘brrr’
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Death of parent, and War
Moderate: Alcoholism, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Sexual content and Vomit
emamazee's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Death of parent, and War
iloponis's review against another edition
4.0
this was soooooo fun
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Death, Grief, Death of parent, and War
oxfordcommas91's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
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.
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.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Child death, Death, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Abandonment, Alcohol, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Moderate: Sexual content
Minor: Bullying and Sexism
lsaunder0724's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Read more like historical fiction than fantasy. Not as many fantasy elements as what was seen in ACOTAR or Fourth Wing. That’s my preference though. I don’t like to dig through a lot of misc world building and am more interested in the characters and Divine Rivals was a big hit for me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, and War
Moderate: Alcoholism, Gore, Medical content, Death of parent, and Classism