Divine Rivals is Rebecca Ross' newest fantasy series debut. Set during a war of the Gods, it follows Iris and Kitt who are rivals at the local newspaper. When Iris' brother goes missing while fighting in the war, Iris begins to write him letters, which magically disappear and, unbeknownst to her, end up in the hands of Kitt. When he starts to write back, they start to forge a connection.

When I read Ross' A River Enchanted and A Fire Endless last year, I fell in love with her ability craft a story, set the atmosphere, and develop lovable characters. That series cemented her as a top fantasy writer and gave me high expectations for future works. That, coupled with a synopsis that sounded right up my alley, made me super excited to dive in to this one. I'm happy to say, Rebecca Ross has further cemented her standing as one of my auto-buy authors.

What I loved:
- Enemies to Rivals: I love the enemies-to-rivals trope! It's one of my favorite! But the presence of this trope is not an automatic score for me. I've read several novels recently that didn't strike the appropriate balance between those two standings, so it was refreshing to read a novel that did such a fine job of it. Iris and Kitt's relationship development was top notch and I couldn't help but root for them!
- The tension: This book had me so anxious! While anxious might not sound like a good thing, it was in the best way, the way only a well written book can do. I was on the edge of my seat from the point where Iris went off to war onwards. It made this a very fast and easy read!
- The ending: Ugggghhhhh! Do I really have to wait for the next book! I am so excited to see where this story goes, especially for Kitt! I can see Rebecca writing the heck out of book two and I am here for it!!

What I would have seen differently:
- The secondary characters: Honestly, there's VERY little I would alter about this book. The only thing I could possibly come up with is that I wish the secondary characters, especially Attie, were a little more developed. I try not to compare books, though it's often hard, so my context is comparing Attie to Torin and Sidra from A River Enchanted. Those two were so deeply developed, which is what I would have liked to see more of for Attie. I recognize the Torin and Sidra were really more like main characters, but I still wanted more for Attie.

This was a strong series debut for Rebecca Ross and I CANNOT WAIT FOR BOOK 2!! As far as series debut endings, definitely one of the best. Top notch cliffhanger!

This was a quick, lovely read.

I wasn't so interested in the Gods and mythology and at times the writing felt a little too straightforward even for YA, but Iris and Roman's stories, their romance, the magical typewriters, and the secret letters were all incredibly fun. Maybe these references are too obscure, but this book was like Shop Around the Corner meets the Kdrama Chicago Typewriter. In some ways cozy and romantic but with war and action threaded in. Looking forward to the sequel!

Divine Rivals is the slow-burn historical fantasy romance I needed! The prose is hauntingly beautiful, and the characters are well-developed and thought out. I loved the pacing of the love story, and how it made me ache for them to get together. And as much as I crave a good fantasy, I actually really enjoyed how understated (for the most part) the magic is in this book. For me, it made the story feel that much more 'real'. And OMG THE ENDING! I won't give spoilers, but book 2 can't come fast enough.

Rebecca Ross's A River Enchanted was a top read for me last year and as this was my first peak into her YA books, I was naturally excited and nervous to pick this one up. In exchange for my review, I was gifted both the ebook and audiobook by Wednesday Books via netgalley.

DIVINE RIVALS has so many different hats. From RR's own posts about what to expect with rival journalists, celestials, magic, war, and secret pen pals. It is an ambitious book to bring all these little details together. The beginning of the book left me a bit confused about what precisely this world was supposed to be: it feels like historical WWII vibes: there are typewriters, candles, and Iris' brother had just enlisted in a war and was saying goodbye. There is talk about the gods but it is talked about in a way that we are dumped straight into the story. Thankfully, the pieces slowly come together throughout the first 30% of the book, but I wish the prologue made better use of setting that stage.

The worldbuilding takes a backseat, in the beginning, to get us straight into this rivalry between Iris and Roman. Roman is from a wealthy family and was placed at The Gazette with the assumption he would be a columnist. Then, when Iris's brother joins the war and she needs to start earning a paycheck she drops out of school and joins The Gazette as Roman's competitor for the columnist spot. Their dynamic feels natural (they both have pressure to get the job and don't necessarily understand the other's situation) but they also push each other to be better and with that have deep comradery. It reminds me a bit of The Atlas Six where they are two magnets just circling each other. It was incredibly fun to read. THEN we add this additional layer to their dynamic where Iris has been sending magical letters to her brother but they've ended up going to Roman and they begin this unlikely pen pal friendship. Now, I really truly deeply dislike this trope specifically WHEN only one person knows who the other is while a relationship is building in real life (yes, I realize this is a very specific situation, but it just ruins it for me) so I got a bit nervous but I think RR did this impeccably and really made this trope bring the best out of these two characters. I think some of my favorite parts of these letters are the vulnerability, especially around grief and insecurity, and that this is the medium used to give us more context on the god mythology (which I loved and hope we get even more more more in Book 2).

OK, so that is all a third of the book (yes, there is EVEN MORE PLOT). As the series suggests, Iris goes to the front to start writing about the war. At this point, the story becomes less about their rivalry (don't worry, Roman does not go anywhere) and more about the role of journalism and words to bring the world to life and give people hope and connection. It was very heartbreaking and beautiful. We are introduced to a lot of new characters but never felt that they were fleshed out enough as full people and I was disappointed by that because I could see a lot of potential there.

By the last 20% of the book, I was stressed because I knew this book wasn't going to end well. It was well balanced between teasing a stressful ending, actually having dangerous situations, and lots of sweet, heartwarming moments. Again, RR is balancing so many plates with this one and while I acknowledged it had a lot going on, it was done well and I loved every moment. The ending had me screaming and there were some tears. But mostly I am desperately excited to see what happens next from Iris and Roman.

✨ARC Review✨

“Because that was the hardest part-sharing the words she wrote. Words that could splinter steel, exposing the soft places she preferred to hide.”

“I don’t want to wake up when I’m seventy-four only to realize I haven’t lived.”

“He is mine, she thought, the words a pleasant shock to her soul. I am his.”

This book is magical realism, wartime, pen pals, and a beautiful romance all wrapped up into one! Iris finds herself at odds. Her brother is off to war, and she is up against her rival, Roman for a columnist promotion at the newspaper they work for. Iris types out letters to her brother on her typewriter, but once she slides them under the door, they go to a different recipient, her secret pen pal, aka Roman. Roman knows pretty early on that his “pen pal” is Iris, but this information is unbeknownst to her.

What is thought to be an enchanted portal for the exchange of the letters, ends up being magical typewriters of sorts, three to be exact, connected through previous generations, previous friends. Iris ends up going on the front lines as a war correspondent for a different paper and meets new faces along the way, and maybe an old one too…

This book took me by complete surprise! I loved the vulnerability of Iris and Roman, as they write back and forth. There are some moments of loneliness and grief, and a bit of feeling misunderstood, but there is also so much love. Although they are deemed “rivals”, Roman and Iris actually have a lot in common, and share high regard for one another respectively. Their love story within these pages is absolutely poetic. The book is also sad, simply due to the harsh reality of war, and how it has affected those close to Iris, namely her brother. I loved this book so very much, and will be shouting it as a recommendation to anyone who will listen!

What’s On The Pages:
-part one of a duet
-rivals to lovers
-pen pals
-gods/goddesses myths
-romantasy
-he falls first
-war frontlines
-enchanted buildings
-magical typewriters
-found family
-a cliffhanger

✨Rating✨
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
Steam:🔥/5

A special thank you to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for this eARC! Divine Rivals is out April 4th!

After centuries of sleep the gods are awaking and war has started.  Iris is trying to hold her family together but her mom is fighting an addiction and her brother is missing from the frontlines in the war. She's desperate for a promotion to columnist at her job, Oath Gazete. She finds solace in writing letters to her brother and slipping them under her wardrobe door where they disappear. Someone begins to write back and it's not her brother.  Iris forms a connection with this person who turns out to be her arch nemesis, Roman at the Oath Gazete.  The two end up heading closer to the frontlines to report on the war where their connection deepens. 
I thought this was such a cute enemies to lovers story.  I adored the letters that went back and forth between Roman and Iris. The romance was central to the story and I would have liked more background on the gods that were at war as well as what was going on with the war.  At the same time this IS a series and I think the storyline is building to that.

Overall I really liked the story and look forward to continuing the series. We were left with a bit of a cliffhanger which makes me excited for future books.  This book isn't super fantasy heavy which I think will appeal to those who like fantasy but sometimes struggle with the complexity that fantasy can have sometimes.  

Not only am I looking forward to continuing this series but I am looking forward to reading this author's other novels.

What a beautiful, beautiful story. A fun twist toward the end too! I loved the world and the romance and the sweet little bits of magic that felt as if they could be real.

Thank you so much for the opportunity to read Divine Rivals as an ARC! I recently fell in love with Rebecca Ross's writing and I was so excited to be approved for this title. This story begins as a sort of workplace rivals-to-lovers, but dives into a much more intricate fantasy story; there's magic, journalism, secret letters, found family-ish, grieving, love, looming war between divine powers.. what's not to love? This flows really nicely as a young adult novel and sets up the storyline BEAUTIFULLY in preparation for the second book. I really enjoyed the relationship building between Iris and Roman (although I do wish their love story was drawn out a bit more, but it definitely makes sense for a YA book!). Overall, I found this to be a really enjoyable read and look forward to seeing where the sequel eventually takes us. Rebecca Ross, as always, has done a beautiful job.

That ending destroyed me!! Rebecca, no rush, but I need book 2 ASAP!

I don’t like to repeat the synopsis because you can read that yourself. This book is highly character driven with less plot movement, however, I suspect things will pick up in book 2. The character development and pacing was wonderful! I loved loved our FMC and MMC! The romance was *chefs kiss* everything I want in an enemies to lovers trope. This book truly made me feel things, and I really appreciate that in a book. I cried, had butterflies, and wanted to throw the book from anger.

There are a few TW:
Violent images/War/PTSD
Death/Grief/Heavy subject matter

I’ll end with my favorite quote:
“because sometimes strength isn't swords and steel and fire, as we are so often made to believe. Sometimes it's. found in quiet, gentle places. The way you hold someone's hand as they grieve.
The way you listen to others. The way you show up, day after day, even when you are weary or afraid or simply uncertain. That is strength.”

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an E-Arc in exchange for an honest review.

I didn't expect "Divine Rivals" to impact me as much as it did. In fact, I thought that I might enjoy it. That was not the case. I loved this book. It was romantic, haunting and heart-wrenching. It was filled with genuine relationships, a wealth of emotion, great characters and magic. It starts off with a rivalry between two opposing forces at a newspaper: Iris and Kitt. That is all you think this novel will be, but it turns into so much more. I couldn't put this book down as I learned more about Iris and Kitt through their letters and the places they go. This book to me was a what-if "The Hating Game" was centered in a magical environment with gods, feuds and war. It was everything I didn't realize I needed. After reading this I hunger for its sequel and other titles written by this author. This book was perfection.

It is a joy to give this book a well deserved five out of five stars. There is no doubt that this story is incredibly well written and well plotted; if this doesn’t rocket Rebecca Ross into every reader’s TBR list I would be surprised.

I do think the blurb is perhaps too simple, too short to encompass what this book truly is. The title and the book comparisons spin a story about an enemies to lovers romance set against a magical war. But this book is much more grounded and complex than those short words can describe. The bones of this book, giant gods and a war from the myths, could easily have been inflated into explosive action kaiju fighting and the humans trampled beneath. But that is not this book. This book is emotionally centered on humans and the human heart above all. It is more of a war book than I expected, with details that could be pulled from a BBC miniseries on WWI, but the peppering of magical elements kept me guessing at each twist. The book finds its roots in a character driven story; the early half of the book pulls you in with relatable, delightful characters that you root for. The emotional heart of this story is Iris and Kitt, and their chemistry is believable and lovely. This becomes important; with the heart of the book being the characters, it makes it all the more painful and heart wrenching when the greater looming plot, gods and wars, intrudes on the budding relationship.

I think this is a book better enjoyed the less you read in reviews. The plot beats are both as you expect and utterly unexpected. The ending left me with tears in my eyes. And, spoiler alert, the ending will leave you thinking about it for days, wondering and hoping what will happen to our beloved characters.

Overall, I think this was a super ambitious book with how it balanced the grounded “reality” of a war story, and the magical elements. The character focused heart of the book gave the story, and us the audience, a strong ground to stand on. I think some readers may not completely jive with the genre blending if they are strictly a fantasy reader or strictly a historical fiction reader, but I highly recommend giving this book a try to shake up your usual genre reading!

This book was wonderful! I have loved all of the authors books. I will recommend this book to everyone. I will purchase a physical copy when it releases!

This story has the same effect as seeing a glimmer of light whilst being held in a space immersed with seemingly impenetrable darkness.

Its amazing to me how RR has taken the horrors of war and crafted a narrative that guides the reader to focus on hope, new directions, and comfort. Just like that light. It’s really quite lovely, and its all because of the writing. there is such a light and ethereal quality to it, which helps lift the heavy and traumatic events of the plot. and the writing also really suits both Iris and Kitts personalities, as well. To me, this doesn't feel like an author telling a story about two characters, but rather two characters telling their own story themselves.

I am absolutely blown away by this book and know it’s one that I will come back to again and again.

A tremendous thanks to st. martins press/Wednesday books and Netgalley for the ARC.

I've liked everything Rebecca Ross has written so far and this is no different!
She really does take you on a journey. This novel transported me to the world she created, the time of war, along with the dueling gods. It was atmospheric and immersive. I loved the two leads. They came alive for me, and I could hear their voices in my head. I loved the banter and the back and forth, and the letters! Oh, the LETTERS! This definitely gave a You've Got Mail vibes, and I'm all for it. It also revived my interest in antique typewriters and I must have spent a good afternoon or two just browsing them. I may also have bought one (!!!) so yeah, that's a testament to the power of Ross' writing.

Release Date: 4.4.2023
Review Date: 2.13.2023

I was given a copy of this book by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Opinions are my own.

When two young rival journalists find love through a magical connection, they must face the depths of hell, in a war among gods, to seal their fate forever. After centuries of sleep, the gods are warring again. But eighteen-year-old Iris Winnow just wants to hold her family together. Her mother is suffering from addiction and her brother is missing from the front lines. Her best bet is to win the columnist promotion at the Oath Gazette. To combat her worries, Iris writes letters to her brother and slips them beneath her wardrobe door, where they vanish―into the hands of Roman Kitt, her cold and handsome rival at the paper. When he anonymously writes Iris back, the two of them forge a connection that will follow Iris all the way to the front lines of battle: for her brother, the fate of mankind, and love.

I have found my new favorite author of 2023. Quite by accident I read A River Enchanted right before this and Rebecca Ross has put me in a reading slump for anyone else. I have other things that I need to read (and will) but my heart just wants to read her entire backlist now. The writing in both her books I've read so far is stunning. Her character work, Amazing. This book had me laughing and crying. And more importantly nearly screaming aloud over the things Iris and Roman said and wrote to each other. The world building was also very good. Very good mix of fantasy and historical. I really don't know how to express everything I felt for this book. Any words I write will be inadequate. I preordered this as soon as I finished reading it and may reread it as soon as it comes out.

WWI vibes. Rivals-to-lovers and strangers-to-friends. Slow burn but with a suspenseful ending. There's so much to love about this book and everyone in it. I wish the POVs were a little more balanced (Iris gets way more than Roman) and the war between gods was a little more centered - I would call this a historical romance that happens to be set in a fantasy world. Also, whoever wrote the last line of the blurb needs a new job. This is not like Shadow and Bone, and it is not enemies to lovers. It's a great book, don't insult it by using the wrong phrases to describe it.

Once I saw “magic typewriters” in the description of the book, I knew I had to read “Divine Rivals” by Rebecca Ross!

Iris Winnow is at the end of her rope. Her brother is missing in action, after he had enlisted to serve in the goddess’s army, and her her mother is drowning her sorrows over her missing son, Iris is the only one fighting to keep the family afloat on the home-front.

All of Iris’s hopes are pinned on her getting the coveted columnist position in her town’s prestigious newspaper, but she has fierce competition in the form of handsome but aloof Roman Kitt. The two are attracted to each other but have a difficult time reconciling those feelings with their rivalry.

When fate deals Iris another devastating hand, she decides to travel to the frontlines in search of her brother and to use her words to do more. She takes with her her magic typewriter, which connects her to someone Iris slowly begins to fall in love with as they exchange letters.

One of the last lines of this book’s description is “[an] epic enemies-to-lovers fantasy novel filled with hope and heartbreak, and the unparalleled power of love.” That line succinctly describes Ross’s beautiful novel, “Divine Rivals.”

“Divine Rivals” is one of the most creative fantasy novels I’ve read in the past few years. The delicate blend of the in-universe mythology and subtle magic system with our world’s WWI was a fascinating idea and it worked. The use of WWI imagery helped to set a familiar scene for readers and also grounded the magic, giving it a unique sense of realism.

As someone who has recently done research on World War war correspondents for work, I was very impressed by how well Ross captured their experiences—even in a fictional world imbued with magic and gods. She shared with the reader what it was like for a civilian to see the action face by the soldiers in the trenches and was able to convey the horror of war without reveling in the gore and violence. The well-paced plot of the two magic typewriters connecting Iris and [redacted] was compelling enough that it created a beautiful love story in sharp contrast with such tragedy.

Ross has considerable writing talent to pull off “Divine Rivals” for not only did she have to write the book well enough to be published and win accolades—as it certainty will—she also had to develop multiple writing styles for her reporter main characters and write beautiful letters exchanged throughout the book by the two people in possession of magic typewriters. I admit that I was nervous the first few chapters of the book, because I wasn’t sure that having Ross could keep up writing for such gifted writers but i was soon embarrassed by my concern because she excelled at it.

Not only did Ross write letters and snippets of newspapers articles well, she also wrote her characters well. We spent the majority of the time split between Iris and Roman and get to know them very intimately. There could not be two people any more different, and yet…the connection between the two is transcendent. “Divine Rivals” is enemies-to-lovers done right. The pair have a fierce rivalry, but nothing so insurmountable as the true hatred many YA fantasy novelists write when they try the trope.

In truth, my only complaint with this book is that the sequel doesn’t come out until 2024! “Divine Rivals” was an amazing love story set against the harsh backdrop of a war between two gods. The interesting main characters, Iris and Roman, work past their rivalry and slowly begin to see beyond the walls each erected to defend themselves against more pain. As the reader watches the pair grow over the course of the book and the plot begin to unfold, they will stay up far past their bedtime to find out what happens next!

“Divine Rivals” is absolutely a five star read, so don’t wait to take it off your TBR!

Rebecca Ross has me for life after this book. I was a huge fan of River Enchanted and A Fire Endless. I am amazed at Ross's ability to create characters that just win your heart from the very beginning and her exquisite prose. I didn't think it would be possible to top that duology, but Divine Rivals is almost perfect. I was super intrigued by imagining a magical fantasy world with waring Gods with 1940's Agent Carter Vibes. Quite an original.concept. But the stars of this story are the main characters. It doesn't take long to fall in love with Roland and Iris. Enemies to lovers pen pals done romance done with slow burn pacing that made me unable to put this book down. I was riveted! Don't miss out on this wonderful book!

Thanks to NetGalley and Wednesday books for access to this ARC in exchange for a fair review.

Divine Rivals takes place in a country besieged by two gods at war that humans are fighting on behalf of the gods.
Iris works at a newspaper and is desperately trying to win a position as a columnist while being pitted against Roman who is also up for the same position. Iris has not heard from her brother, Forest who is off at war, for at least 6 months. She begins to type letters to her brother and they magically disappear. One day she receives a letter in return and begins a correspondence with an unknown person that she believes might be from another time.
I absolutely loved this story. I think all of the characters were written well, I cared about all of them. It was a lovely read and such a sweet story to read. I am excited to read the second book in this duology and will definitely be buying a copy of this book.
Thank you to NetGalley and St.Martins Press/Wednesday books for the chance to read and provide an honest review of this book. I am giving it 5 stars as I loved it!

LOVE this one! Rebecca Ross is becoming a favorite author of mine. I dare say this is my favorite book I've read from her so far.
This book is set in the early 1900s with English vibes, but set in a fantasy world during a time when the gods are at war. The magic is this book is so fun! And Ross' beautiful writing makes it all the better!