Divine Rivals

A beautifully written story. Not typically my style but a beloved author of mine from early works.

As a sister who writes longingly to a missing (passed) brother this book sliced like a knife between my heart and my soul. The emotional hurricane of a mc felt tortured and truthful and brave and required no imagination as often what she wrote or thought felt transpired from mine own. Heartbreaking page upon page. I have few words to describe how this book has left me feeling. But put simply this is the quickest I have read a book in a while, a mere two hours that passed like minutes... thank you for putting your pen to paper as always Rebecca Ross.

3.5 ⭐

i haven't devoured a novel this quick in a very long time. i would've finished it yesterday in one sitting, but academic responsibilities were due, and it didn't hurt to put this wonderful book aside for a while as my fondness for iris & roman had grown so much. it was rather nice to take my time and cherish every page whose words have found their way to my soul. what a pleasant read!

however, this isn't an enemies-to-lovers like how it is marketed at all. they just throw banters—not daggers—at each other. while i might prefer bloody feuds between the two in another timeline, still they are rivals in a sense that they competed on journalism. unknowingly, both of them thinks the other's words are impeccable, and i couldn't help but hope for them to kiss.

... pondering how to respond to something that felt so intimate it could have been whispered from her own mouth ...

Perhaps it begins with one person. Someone you trust. You remove a piece of armor for them; you let the light stream in, even if it makes you wince. Perhaps that is how you learn to be soft yet strong, even in fear and uncertainty.

That was what he was absently thinking about—his gratitude for the wind, Iris, his future articles, Iris, how much longer until sundown, Iris.

She has to survive this, Roman thought. He didn’t want to live in a world without her and her words.

Don’t run from me, not after what we’ve just lived through.

This ring was the only proof she had, the one tangible thing to whisper to her, Yes, it happened, and he loved you.

my heart is, again, fraught with woe! but god, do i love basking in mutual pining.

This isn't my first Rebecca Ross book, and so I knew going in that the writing would be beautiful. Everything about this book was so good, and I absolutely devoured it! Her writing style is some of the most beautiful I've ever read; it breathes so much emotion into the story and the characters. Divine Rivals follows Iris and Roman, rival journalists for their town's newspaper. Iris's brother is at war, fighting for one of their gods, and Iris promised to write him letters. When her letters start to get replies, Iris is intrigued by the man responsible the words. Y'all, the letters. I loved the letters so much. So many of their words hit me in the feels so hard. Iris and Roman's romance is incredibly special, it's just so tender and sweet! The ending of this book broke me and I'm starting Ruthless Vows very soon! Divine Rivals is a young adult fantasy romance, 16+ mild sexual content very vague in description.

Loved that Iris is a super well-rounded character! her mind doesn't focus solely on a love interest, she has present family, friendship, and career topics. Never expected what this book would be about just by reading the synopsis. It's a super recommend to me!

Be aware that this reads more like a magic realism book for the most part, there aren't a LOT of fantasy elements until the end.

what the FUCK. the last portion of the book caused me HORRIBLE anxiety.

get me someone who loves me like roman loves iris. such a good book. i think if i actually cared about the fantasy aspect and the world building i would have liked it less but i dont really care about it too much so i enjoyed the book.

authors need to quit calling everything an enemies to lovers. they were RIVALS. they were never enemies.

Beautifully written, amazing prose. On first read, I was engrossed and amazed at the poetry of Rebecca Ross's writing. However, on later reads, I was more aware of pacing issues, including lack of buildup of the rivalry into romance, a lack of greater world building especially around the gods that we are pushed to side with because of the ongoing war throughout the book, and the quickness of which Iris fell in love. Don't get me wrong, this is a stunning book with incredible writing, but I hope book two fleshes out this amazing world and gives us a bit more deep emotion. 

THIS DAMNED BOOK!

I am screaming. It's so damned good.

I inhaled it. The prose is so lyrical and made me want to keep reading. The audiobook hooked me, each character stood out and had so much depth I had no choice but to fall in love. Iris! Roman!
I loved every damned second of this book. The struggle of Iris, Roman's struggles with his father. I want nothing more than to see each of these characters be happy.
And the letters! The romance that built between the two was so beautiful. I was crying.
Then THEN ENDING.
THE ENDING.

I almost cried. I knew something bad was going to happen, but I still hoped that it wouldn't. It was far worse than what I could ever have thought.

All the stars. Perfection.