ARC Review : Divine Rivals by Rebecca Ross



Divine Rivals by Rebecca Ross
Series : Letters Of Enchantment  #1
Genre : Fantasy
Publisher : Wednesday Books
Publication Date : April 4th, 2023
NO GOD
NO CREATURE
NO WAR
CAN COME BETWEEN THEM

The latest from the number one SUNDAY TIMES bestseller Rebecca Ross
When two young rival journalists find love through a magical connection, their fate depends on their facing the depths of hell … together.

After centuries of sleep, the gods are warring again …

All eighteen-year-old Iris Winnow wants to do is hold her family together. With a brother on the frontline forced
to fight on behalf of the Gods now missing from the frontline and a mother drowning her sorrows, Iris’s best bet is winning the columnist promotion at the Oath Gazette.

But when Iris’s letters to her brother fall into the wrong hands – that of the handsome but cold Roman Kitt, her rival at the paper – an unlikely magical connection forms.

Expelled into the middle of a mystical war, magical typewriters in tow, can their bond withstand the fight for the fate of mankind and, most importantly, love?

An epic enemies-to-lovers fantasy novel filled with hope and heartbreak, and the unparalleled power of love.

B&N

I'd finished reading this book last month and I don't know what to do with my life now because I want the next book asap😩 I'd requested it on Netgalley immediately after seeing that blurb - like hello, an enemies to lovers story with two rival journalists who end up writing letters to each other through magical means? I was like sign me up!!! And my god, the writing was so beautiful right along with the characters!

This was a mix of historical+fantasy with something like a world war setting but with gods and magic - quite unique. And Iris and Roman are two journalists working at the Oath Gazette while competing for the columnist position. Iris has a lot of things on her plate - with a mother who is addicted to alcohol and a brother who went off to war and might be missing. She pours out her frustrations and fears into a few letters to her brother and slips them beneath her wardrobe door, never expecting that Roman Kitt ends up receiving them and they strike up a correspondence - that ends up changing both of their lives!
I love books with epistolary elements in them and I could really feel the connection between Iris and Roman, on paper and when they interact irl too. More than that, I loved the fact that they tried to become the best version of themselves because of each other. I loved watching them gain courage and find strength in vulnerability! Also, the focus on grief and war, and how it changes lives irrevocably was very realistic, but not too heavy as it was balanced well with everything else. 

I knew something was going to happen in the last few chapters just like the characters, I was waiting for the other shoe to drop but gods what a cliffhanger. I can kinda guess which direction book 2 would go in but I just want everything to be alright for these two quickly! Please gimme the next book!😩 

P.S. Also would love to know more about the gods and what's up with Dacre and Enva - I feel like he must have more motivation for doing all this than just the snippets of the myths that we're getting(feels like a twisted/everything-went-wrong version of Hades-Persephone)

You can also find my review on my bookstagram here


*I was provided with an ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review*


Rebecca Ross writes fantasy novels for teens and adults. She lives in the Appalachian foothills of Northeast Georgia with her husband, their lively Australian Shepherd, and an endless pile of books. The Queen’s Rising, The Queen’s Resistance, Sisters of Sword & Song, and Dreams Lie Beneath are her titles for young adult readers. A River Enchanted is her adult fantasy debut, publishing February 15, 2022 with its sequel, A FIRE ENDLESS, to follow. When not writing, she can be found reading or in her garden, where she grows wildflowers and story ideas.

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