A review by katherineharnisch
Divine Rivals by Rebecca Ross

adventurous emotional 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

 
A war between gods? Magical typewriters? Rival journalists turned war correspondents? Yes please, I will take it all! 
 
Iris and Roman are both working at a newspaper, vying for the coveted position of columnist. Iris’s brother has left to fight in the war, and her mother is struggling to cope with his absence (mostly by spending all of Iris’s money on alcohol). Roman comes from a wealthy family, and is under pressure to be the son his father wants him to be. To make things even more interesting, Iris’s brother is fighting on the opposite side of the war that Roman’s family supports. They could not be further opposites. 
 
When tragedy strikes, Iris begins work as a war correspondent (partially to flee from Roman and the newspaper). In a twist of fate, Roman is assigned war correspondent duties in the same area as Iris. It’s life or death, and they are forced to examine their tenuous work relationship. 
 
The side characters in this book were so great. When Iris is working as a war correspondent, the woman who takes her, Marisol, in steps in as a mother figure for her. She also lives with another war correspondent, Attie, who becomes like a sister to her. Marisol, Attie, and Iris are all incredibly supportive of one another and look out for each other in any way they can. This was so heartwarming to read when iris had just been displaced from everyone in her family. 
 
This book was enthralling. Even before Iris became a war correspondent, the things she goes through to get to that point were heartbreaking. This book shows grief so well, from so many different viewpoints. It also examines what it means to fight for someone, and why we choose the sides we do (this is shown in the religious and political aspect as well as the relationship/family/friendship aspect). There’s also a great romantic subplot, and a WILD cliffhanger at the end. 
 
I simply cannot wait for the next book to come out!!!