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rosiehr's review against another edition
4.0
4.5 ⭐️
“ I am coming to love him, in two different ways. Face to face, word to word.”
“ I am coming to love him, in two different ways. Face to face, word to word.”
natashaleighton_'s review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Emotionally intense and utterly romantic, I couldn’t put it down!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Death of parent, and War
Moderate: Alcoholism, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Vomit
katrae22's review against another edition
4.0
Really enjoyed it! I was so unsatisfied with the ending. It was like a series and if I knew I’d have to wait almost a year for the second one, I would’ve waited to read it that being said, I couldn’t put it down. I enjoyed the story and wanted to keep going.
yunooooo's review against another edition
5.0
Divine Rivals really restored my faith in humanity. That’s an overstatement, but yes this book really deserves all the hype and praise. It’s so well and beautifully written. I didn’t expect to fall into Rebecca’s writing, and how wrong i was. It was a delight to read through the pages.
As the author puts it, “A story about a girl who writes letters to her missing brother and the boy who reads them”. The concept itself is so simple yet so charming. I love the build up to the relationship and how fast the story progresses, but the 80% mark fell a bit dull to me, but i still enjoy it either way. I just wish there was more tension and more build-up because i really enjoy reading their letters to each other.
This is such a heartwarming story, and i have never read any book about journalism so this was very unique to me. I found the letter aspect of this book so fun and captivating to read mainly because of the writing style. She really has a way with words, and i fell in love with the writing since chapter one. It was certainly poetic and eloquent. The way she wrote Iris’s letter felt very distinct from Roman’s letter and it’s just so much fun to read.
The romance was so adorable and this come from someone who really don’t like a lot of romance in their books. I found Roman very sincere and caring through his letter, and the fact that he knows who she is but she doesn’t is very heartwarming to me. i was so afraid for the moment when Iris found out, and i cried reading it. This really warms my small heart.
What really stood out to me was how adorable the use of middle name is. Roman C. Kitt, and Iris always found a negative adjective starting with C to describe him, like calling him Roman Cunning Kitt, Roman Cantankerous Kitt, or Roman Conceited Kitt. It was hilarious. Roman, on the other hand, describes Iris middle name with such beauty adjectives, like Iris Ethereal Winnow, Iris Enchanting Winnow or Iris Exquisite Winnow. I found that so adorable and funny. I see that word really plays a huge role in this story.
The main thing i love is the war aspect of this book or more like the consequences of war. I feel so nervous throughout the book, especially towards the later half where we are so close to the battles. I felt myself holding my breath many times because a bomb will definitely drop at any moment and our MCs are at risk every time. Our MCs are not at the front lines by any means, but there was a scene when they have to go and risk their lives in order to witness the battles and write about it, and damn my anxiety spiked up so high. It was so devastating and the book is not afraid to depict what it is like. And the scene when our MC had to witness a soldier dying. it was so heartbreaking.
Altho the ending was quite rushed, I still love it. It was a beautifully heart wrenching story about two people falling in love amidst all the war and chaos, and i can’t wait to read the second book.
-> 4.5 ⭐️
As the author puts it, “A story about a girl who writes letters to her missing brother and the boy who reads them”. The concept itself is so simple yet so charming. I love the build up to the relationship and how fast the story progresses, but the 80% mark fell a bit dull to me, but i still enjoy it either way. I just wish there was more tension and more build-up because i really enjoy reading their letters to each other.
This is such a heartwarming story, and i have never read any book about journalism so this was very unique to me. I found the letter aspect of this book so fun and captivating to read mainly because of the writing style. She really has a way with words, and i fell in love with the writing since chapter one. It was certainly poetic and eloquent. The way she wrote Iris’s letter felt very distinct from Roman’s letter and it’s just so much fun to read.
The romance was so adorable and this come from someone who really don’t like a lot of romance in their books. I found Roman very sincere and caring through his letter, and the fact that he knows who she is but she doesn’t is very heartwarming to me. i was so afraid for the moment when Iris found out, and i cried reading it. This really warms my small heart.
What really stood out to me was how adorable the use of middle name is. Roman C. Kitt, and Iris always found a negative adjective starting with C to describe him, like calling him Roman Cunning Kitt, Roman Cantankerous Kitt, or Roman Conceited Kitt. It was hilarious. Roman, on the other hand, describes Iris middle name with such beauty adjectives, like Iris Ethereal Winnow, Iris Enchanting Winnow or Iris Exquisite Winnow. I found that so adorable and funny. I see that word really plays a huge role in this story.
The main thing i love is the war aspect of this book or more like the consequences of war. I feel so nervous throughout the book, especially towards the later half where we are so close to the battles. I felt myself holding my breath many times because a bomb will definitely drop at any moment and our MCs are at risk every time. Our MCs are not at the front lines by any means, but there was a scene when they have to go and risk their lives in order to witness the battles and write about it, and damn my anxiety spiked up so high. It was so devastating and the book is not afraid to depict what it is like. And the scene when our MC had to witness a soldier dying. it was so heartbreaking.
Altho the ending was quite rushed, I still love it. It was a beautifully heart wrenching story about two people falling in love amidst all the war and chaos, and i can’t wait to read the second book.
-> 4.5 ⭐️
jaymileehoward's review against another edition
challenging
sad
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? No
5.0
jennareadsromance's review against another edition
5.0
When I say this book was amazing, I mean AMAZING. I am speechless. There are still tears in my eyes from my sobs at the ending so let me just say, Ruthless Vows better mend my aching heart in December.
raenoel's review against another edition
4.0
4 ⭐️
I could do without the teen marriage, but I get that she was going for a quick romantic moment with the whole "we could die tomorrow" cliche. I'm just personally over that and don't think you need to be married to be convinced you are right for one another. It felt like a weird add-in that could have been mentioned and postponed for sure. This also read like a historical fiction, not a fantasy, so I was waiting for more fantasy elements outside of the God War, but there wasn't too much besides sprinkled in moments of random shops to help boost that their typewriters were magical. I know world-building is what makes all exceptional fantasy series like 450+ pages (realistically, 600+), and I also know that I am always complaining to myself that not every fantasy book needs to be 450+ pages, but now I think I truly understand why they do need to be so long lol. Liked the story, liked the characters, but just felt like the development was rushed and I wanted more from such a great idea.
I could do without the teen marriage, but I get that she was going for a quick romantic moment with the whole "we could die tomorrow" cliche. I'm just personally over that and don't think you need to be married to be convinced you are right for one another. It felt like a weird add-in that could have been mentioned and postponed for sure. This also read like a historical fiction, not a fantasy, so I was waiting for more fantasy elements outside of the God War, but there wasn't too much besides sprinkled in moments of random shops to help boost that their typewriters were magical. I know world-building is what makes all exceptional fantasy series like 450+ pages (realistically, 600+), and I also know that I am always complaining to myself that not every fantasy book needs to be 450+ pages, but now I think I truly understand why they do need to be so long lol. Liked the story, liked the characters, but just felt like the development was rushed and I wanted more from such a great idea.
sharkem16's review against another edition
5.0
One of my favorite books ever. Everything tied together at the end, and there was even a cliff hanger that had my heart WRENCHING. I love this book so much.