This one definitely took me by surprise. I haven’t read anything by this author before so I didn’t really know what to expect. I loved this book though. I loved the letters and the relationships between the correspondents and Marisol. I wasn’t the biggest fan of the war aspect but I loved the lore aspect and the magical typewriters.

Absolutely enchanting and immersive, Ross weaves together an atmospheric experience for readers that’s pitch perfect with Divine Rivals.

Blending a stark and gritty London circa 1930’s-40’s vibe with lush fantasy elements, Divine Rivals has something for every reader.

Tropes found and done well:
- enemies to lovers
- quest
- war amongst gods
- found family
- star-crossed lovers

Oh my gosh, I think everything Rebecca Ross touches is gold. I could not put this book down once I started it.

Iris and Roman are both journalists competing for a promotion. Iris is from a poor family that is struggling after her brother leaves to fight in the war. Roman is rich and trapped doing whatever his father tells him to.

It’s like a fantasy guided age war story and it’s pitch perfect. Iris is tough and layered and Roman is a darling.

In a time when gods are waring, and people are their pawns, times are tough for Winnow. Her brother is lost at war, and her mother is struggling with addiction. It’s up to her to try and save her family, and the writing position at the Oath Gazette is her only way to do that. Too bad her rival Roman is also going after the same job -- only one person can get the role. Through a little bit of magic, all of Winnow’s letters to her brother somehow end up in Roman's hands, creating an unbreakable connection between them, eventually sending them to the front lines.

Rebecca Ross is an incredible and whimsical writer. It’s a story about love, war, and magic. I would you read A River Enchanted Duology first if you haven’t read anything by this author.

Many thanks to Net Galley for providing me a copy of this book. While I did not read this book in its entirety, due to limited time to read as of late thanks to my job unfortunately, I still loved it.

The premise, and also the beautiful book cover, caught my eye on Net Galley so I wanted to take a peek at the world that is to come. And there is so much promise held within the first few chapters I was able to read, that I cannot wait to get my hands on a physical copy!

The world we enter is war torn. A sister is separated from her brother and lives in poverty. She works at a newspaper to afford to stay alive, but works with someone who she considers a rival. Her mother is an alcoholic and their place is absolutely littered with different types of bottles. Her current reality is absolute hell.

Her rival Roman works at the same press that she does. They fight for the main article and main page. What makes their path more interconnected is a magical cupboard that sends her letters to him. She has absolutely no idea that he’s on the receiving end, but he knows it’s her who sends the letters to her brother.

And this is where I was left. We hear of monsters and possible sightings of them on the war front and now I’m left wanting to know if there are monsters. And what does it mean for the world that these two live in if those monsters were to come in and uproot chaos upon them?

All I know is that I cannot wait to read more! I wish I had more time on my hands to fully read everything on my NetGalley shelf. Yet I’m afraid reality has asked me to take a rain check on the reading for a small while. I’ll update when I can.

Much love,
Tirzah

As a book promoted as Shadow and Bone meets Lore, I found this to be misleading. In this world, a war is being fought for the gods in a WW2-esque timeline, but the focus is mainly on the romance between the lead characters. I find the title to be misleading as well as the only rivalry between the characters is a short competition for a job that they both leave early on in the book. Iris and Kitt are from the same region, and such, the same side of the war.

The fantasy aspect of this book was also lacking a bit: the world-building felt very much like our own complete with similar technology and mannerisms of the 1930s, but there are gods (that rarely come into play) and a magical connection between the main characters that allow them to communicate magically.

While not a bad book, the pacing did not feel consistent and the romance was quite sudden so it did not feel like there was a chance for it to develop. The writing did feel atmospheric, and reminded me of a Narnia setting so I suppose that's one thing I liked.

This book is typically not one I'd read but I thoroughly enjoyed it. Once I did get into it, it captured and kept my attention. I loved the rivals dynamic and the angst but the plot itself felt slow at times.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for providing a copy of Divine Rivals by Rebecca Ross in exchange for an honest review.

This book checks a lot of boxes: enemies-to-lovers, magic, a quest, war, found family, mythical Gods and creatures. Somehow it all just works. The Gods have been asleep for centuries and have woken and war has broken out with sides being taken. Iris has a newspaper job and dreams of being a star reporter. Trouble is, Roman is after the same position and manages to excel while she is struggling. With her Brother off fighting in the war, and her Mother struggling with her addictions, Iris has a lot on her plate. Iris writes to her brother and places her letters in her wardrobe and every morning they are gone. She never hears back from her brother, until one night she receives a reply. The person receiving the letters is not him. Through the exchange of letters, we learn that the typewriters possess magic and one of the writers knows the identity of the other. When fate leads Iris to another newspaper, she is sent closer to the front. Her brother still hasn’t written and she fears the worse. She is hoping that she might be able to find him if she reports from the war. Iris finds success and is published, and is joined by her formal rival Roman who isn’t what he seemed.

I found myself often thinking that this book could easily have been taking place during World War II during the bombings and in the trenches, only the bombings were from mythical creatures. The letters in the wardrobe gives the story Narnia vibes as well. I look forward to the next installment in this series.

I’m at a loss for words because of how good this was. Genuinely shook to my core and want to now read anything and everything Rebecca Ross has written.

LOVED everything about this. Rivals-to-lovers perfection, interspersed with mystery, a high stakes war setting (that was presented in such a believable, emotional, and gritty way), found family, and allll the emotions. As someone who ruins every book for myself by overthinking and guessing every plot point, this one genuinely surprised me so many times!

The ending was incredibly stressful though and this is moving close to the top of my “need the sequel immediately” list.

FIVE STARS. And then another FIVE STARS.

This book is so good I read it in ONE (!!!!) sitting. It’s got everything I expect from Rebecca Ross and then it delivered more! I absolutely loved Dreams Lie Beneath and the Elements of Cadence Duology, but this one was so tender and engrossing and hopeful.

It’s set in a WWI fantasy world, with two gods at war and the humans caught in the middle. Iris is trying to keep her life together by working for a columnist position at a newspaper against her rival, Roman, while her brother is off at war and her mother deals with alcoholism and depression. Her perseverance and kindness and personality were a joy to read, and I was immediately hooked.

The best part: ENCHANTED TYPEWRITERS! (Rebecca Ross, you complete genius) Letters filled with yearning? Dangerous war front depictions coupled with found family and angry gods? Yeah I didn't know I needed it until I read it. I now NEED the second book so badly. I just listened to the audiobook again to relive some of the banter 😅

Thank you to the publisher Wednesday books and Netgalley for the digital arc. This did not affect my review in anyway!

I am giving all the stars to Divine Rivals!! I may be a bit biased because Rebecca Ross can do no wrong in my eyes but this book blew me out of the water.

Rebecca Ross has an unmatched ability to create the most magical and beautiful worlds. There is probably no one else who can take a WW2-era-type world and mix fantasy into it to create such a stunning story. Readers will find themselves transported into a story full of love, heartache, magic, friendship, and loss that they will not want to end.

Roman and Kit's story is one that will stick with you long after you close this book and I am so happy this is a duology because that ending is jaw-dropping.

This book was well written and I could clearly picture the landscape. The romance was great and I felt like the story had great pacing throughout.

Oh my goodness. I am speechless with how amazing this book was! I loved the romance so much! The writing was just so beautiful, and I cannot wait to read the next book.

I adored Rebecca Ross's recent Elements of Cadence duology, so when I read she was writing a new book, I was intrigued even before I got the details - WWI inspired! Rival journalists! The Shop Around the Corner-style plot! Hello, I am SO in for this.

I wasn't disappointed. While the writing sometimes felt a little more simplistic and straightforward than I expected (appropriately so for YA, don't get me wrong), it's still a lushly, richly described world (the rainy cobblestone smoky city vibes, they are impeccable) peopled with compelling characters. The story falls into two halves for me, moving first from the city, some distance from the war, into the hell of the conflict itself. Iris and Roman, and their complicated relationship, shine in both halves, and I can't wait to read the sequel.

Thank you to Wednesday Books for the advance review copy!

Divine Rivals follows Iris Winnow and Roman Kitt, aspiring columnists who work at the same paper, while gods are recruiting civilians to fight in their war. Iris begins writing letters to her brother, who hasn’t been heard from since he left for the war and slides them under her closet door to be forgotten. Except they don’t stay in her closet. They disappear and fall into the hands of Roman Kitt, her work rival.

I cannot help but love stories were two rival characters end up unknowingly writing letters to each other. Add in warring gods and magical typewriters and I was hooked from the start. I recommend this to anyone who loves character driven fantasy books, rivals to lovers, and the movie You Got Mail.

My rating: 3.75 stars

Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

An absolutely excellent read - great fantasy. Can't wait to put this one in my library for my high school students!

Thank you to netgalley for the advanced reading copy of divine rivals by Rebecca ross. This was very good and I can see this being a next big thing if the right people get it but I am getting copies for my book shop.

What an emotional ride this was! I’ve always loved falling in love with someone through some form of communication, and typewriters magically connected was so sweet. Iris and Roman are protagonists that balance each other out and have beautifully heartbreaking emotional arcs that tie together, much like how they fall in love. The world building was subtle and never overwhelming, and I’m kind of in need for more World War II/ancient deities vibes in books. AND THE ENDING. Lordy loo, did I cry. I need the next one asap.

DIVINE RIVALS by Rebecca Ross is the first in a Young Adult Fantasy duology described as Shadow and Bone meets Lore. It's set in a world with a WWII vibe except the war is between two clashing gods. I loved the two main characters, Iris Winnow and Roman Kitt, and the magic, the letters, and the mutual attraction that draws these rivals together. Other than the sob-inducing cliffhanger ending, I adored this book and can't wait for the next installment. Before I gush on more, let me share the setup.

Iris Winnow is suffering the aftereffects of her older brother, Forest, leaving to fight in the war. He was called by the goddess to fight on her side. It's been five months, and she hasn't heard a word from him. Iris's mother has fallen into an addiction to alcohol and is no longer working at the Revel Diner. To help make ends meet, Iris enters a contest and wins the opportunity to work for one of the major newspapers in town. If she can secure the position of columnist, it will help her better support herself and her mom. Iris is not a shoo-in for the position because her rival, the annoyingly handsome Roman Kitt, is also in the running for the job. Using her grandmother's antique type-writer, she writes a letter to her brother and sticks it under her wardrobe to "mail it". To her great surprise, it disappears. She continues to send letters, wondering if they are actually getting to her brother. One day, someone responds, "I'm not Forest." You'll never guess who it is... or maybe you will.

What I loved most about this book:
- I thoroughly enjoyed the twists and turns, yes, even that ending
- The little details that made this world come together. For example, the way people at the newspaper go by their last names, but then outside of the newspaper they sometimes keep up the habit, and sometimes not.
- I love how Iris and Roman are from completely different backgrounds, yet they can still connect over their shared human experience and trauma
- As a writer, the idea that this couple was sharing bits of themselves in written form really resonated and is such an interesting hook
- The settings. Every single one was described with such fantastic prose I felt like I could be standing there.
- The unique mythology intrigued me and I want to learn more
- This book contained so many of my favorite tropes: rivals to lovers, found family, secret identities
- The romance was a masterclass in how to write romance.
- War, what is it good for? Lots of action sequences depicting the tragedy of war will open reader's eyes to how horrible and devastating it is.

What didn't work:
- Honestly, I can't think of a single thing that needs improvement. Bravo!

DIVINE RIVALS is a pacey, enjoyable read with an original mythology, a swoon-worthy romance, and a strong cast of characters. I highly recommend it. Run, don't walk, to purchase this fantastic novel!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press, Wednesday Books for providing me with an eARC of this book for my honest feedback.

Words cannot describe the way this book gripped my soul and refused to let go until I'd read those crushing final words. Rebecca Ross, what have you done? What magic did you weave to create this utterly exquisite story full of love, longing, and grief? I knew I would enjoy this book simply because it was a war-time tale of rival correspondents, a perfect recipe for my favorite type of tale, but I had no idea I would fall so completely in love with Roman and Iris as they fell in love with each other. And while we were given only tantalizing tastes of the complex mythology and magic of this world so similar and yet so unlike our own, I know the next volume of this story will throw us right into the thick of things. I anticipate that this incredibly talented author will break our hearts into tiny pieces before we reach the end, but hopefully, she will mend them along the way as well.