Color me obsessed! I need book two NOW! I had no clue what this book was about or what it was going to be like, but I absolutely loved it. I really enjoyed the whole premise of the book and that ending had me actually screeching because I was so distraught. I cannot wait for book two and this one isn’t even officially out yet!!! I just need to know what happens to Iris and Roman because I am wholly and fully invested in them as characters.

I really applaud the author for how they handled the topics of grief from both Iris and Romans perspectives. It made my heart crack and made me just want to befriend both of them. I did feel that the romance between the two of them felt a little forced and maybe a bit unnecessary, but on the other side of the coin I am obsessed that Roman literally walked into a warzone for Iris and proved to her how much he wanted to be with her. I could not handle it!

I also definitely got some strong The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy vibes with the whole magic closet that would deliver letters to Roman and Iris from one another. The way that he fell in love with her through the honesty of her writing in the letters made me actually swoon. I do hate the mild “hidden identity” concept as Roman did kind of lie to Iris and lead her on by using his middle name as his correspondent name. JUST USE YOUR REAL NAME AND THIS ALL COULD HAVE BEEN AVOIDED!

Overall, I really loved this book. I would definitely recommend it and also would recommend the audio version of this because it did give more depth to the emotions that the characters were feeling at certain moments of the book!

⚠️TW: war, addiction, death, death of parent, alcoholism, violence, domestic abuse

Thank you @macmillan.audio @stmartinspress and @netgalley for this advance copy in exchange for my honest review! All of the thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

This book wasn’t at all what I expected and I absolutely loved it. The character development, rich plot, slow steady pace was all that I’ve come to love with a Rebecca Ross book. Some books grab your attention right away with fast action, but this story immerses you into these characters’ lives. The connection between characters is where this book shines. It’s in the small moments that you really get to know these two war correspondents reporting on a war ragging between gods.

This book was all about the romance and I wasn’t mad about it. I loved the rival relationship between Iris and Roman. This has the sweetest romance with plenty of heartbreaking moments that you’d expect in a war story.

This is historical fantasy. I loved the details of the frontline and the tense moments of war. At fist I was unsure of the time setting. It’s not clearly defined, but I started to get WW2 vibes and just went with it in my head. The world building was slow, unveiling piece by piece as the story progressed. The fantasy elements stay light in the beginning. At some points you could even forget you’re reading a fantasy. Then the ending hits you hard in the face that this isn’t a regular war. I’ve got a feeling that book two will dive much deeper into the world building and fantasy elements.

Usually when I’m reading a series, I have a idea of where I think the story is going. This time I’m truly clueless. The ending left me gasping and angry that I have to wait so long for book two.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC.

Rebecca Ross can weave words together in such a stunning way. Her writing style is so unique and beautiful. I loved Iris and Roman and their story. I saw this book described as “heartbreakingly beautiful” and that felt like the perfect description. A little too bleak for me sometimes, but it was worth it for the story, the friendships, and the romance.

Thank you Netgally for the arc in exchange for my honest opinion.

Winnow writes for a local paper. She's competing for a promotion while simultaneously trying to keep her mother from succumbing completely to her addiction and also worrying endlessly about her brother off at war. A war started by the gods who were until recently slumbering. Window starts writing letters and slips them under her wardrobe door where they vanish. And soon she is receiving letters back from a man, who she doesn't know is her handsome rival at work, Roman Kitt. As Winnow develops feelings for this stranger, she embarks on a journey to find her brother and document a war.

I love this. It's a story of grief and war and finding love. An epistolary, magical sweet enemies to lovers. I loved the magic of the how the letters are sent! I liked both characters and I loved their compatibility and where the story goes. The mythology brought to life around the war was present without being overbearing and even though I wanted to know a little more, it was fine not knowing more. The story isn't complete at the end of this book, so we have to wait for the neighbors to find out what happens next. I really liked the choice to have the war correspondents' perspectives on this war - about war without it being about soldiers or politicians.

Pub Date: April 4th

Thank you to Netgalley, Macmillan Audio and St. Martins Press for an advanced copy of this book!

Divine Rivals 🌕🌕🌕🌕/5

Summary: Iris Winnow and Roman Kitt are two news correspondents who are edgy, competitive and complete opposites. An immortal war between the Gods is raging in the West where Iris’ brother has been deployed.
As Iris begins typing letters bound for Forest they begin to magically disappear, however there comes an unexpected response.
The story that unfolds is one in which even Iris could not fathom writing.

What I Liked:
- Enemies to Lovers trope.
- Iris’s character is meticulously stitched into the story with raw emotion.
- The climax was unexpected.
- How words themselves carry more power than action alone.

What Could Have Been Improved:
- Dacre & Enva failed to impact the plot. They were distant and their parts in the story required more action, dialogue and not just lore.

Final Thoughts:

This book created a whirlwind of emotions for me and thats what made it perfect. The main characters, Iris and Roman are undoubtedly loveable and a couple who will remain in your heart forever. There was a deep exploration of self, grief, hope, and fierce love. A must read!

Thank you to Wednesday Books, St. Martins Press for the eARC.

Iris Winnow has been working as a journalist ever since her brother left to fight in the God's War a few months ago. She loves writing and wants to work her way up, reporting about things that matter. This would be easy for her to do if it weren't for her rival, Roman Kitt, vying for the same job as her. Feeling lonely and missing her brother, Iris writes him letters and slides them under her wardrobe door only for them to magically disappear. But instead of being magically delivered to her brother, someone else is receiving them... and now starting to write back. Connected by magic, Iris has no idea that her own rival, Roman, is actually the one reading and replying to her letters. As she falls in love with this mystery boy, Iris begins to face the tragedies and harsh realities that come with a war just around the corner from her. She must open her heart and gather her courage in the days coming or she could lose just about everything.

Divine Rivals is the kind of book you pick up and cannot put down. I couldn't get enough of Iris and Roman and had to see how their story ends. The world was grittier than I imagined, but interspersed throughout with fairytale-like magic. Though there were some plot points that I felt were a bit rushed, I immensely enjoyed the book overall. Iris and Roman displayed great courage and devotion throughout the story and I cannot wait to continue their journey in book two. I will definitely be recommending this book to other fans of fantasy and romance.

Thank you so much to Net Galley, the publisher, and author for providing this book for my honest review. I am so in love with this book. I have enjoyed everything I have read by Rebecca Ross, but this is my absolute favorite so far. I can not wait for the sequel! This book ends on the most delicious cliff hanger and I can not wait for more! This enemies to lovers romantic fantasy is so beautifully written. It hooks you from the start and keeps the reader interested the entire time. Thank you again to Net Galley, the publisher, and author for providing this amazing book for my review. I loved every minute of it!

I will start the review by saying I’m bias because I already love this author. But this was her best book she was written! It picks up as soon as you start reading it. The world building is laid out and the little bit of magic makes sense. It reminds me of Atonement with a hint of Greek mythology. I loved how it didn’t overdue the magic and everything happened for a reason.
Roman is to die for. Him falling first and giving his all to Iris. It is swoon worthy. I know I’m the second book this author plans to develop his character so much more. Iris was amazing and really beautifully written as a strong female lead. I love how the author showed grief through actions and let the character discover what was setting her back.
I can’t say that this story is completely enemies to lovers because the characters are quick to start noticing the attraction to each other. But the slow burn was definitely there. I love the side characters as much as the two lovers. I really can’t wait to see what this author does with the next book!

I'm not sure I've ever loved an author as much as I love Rebecca Ross! Every story she writes is more amazing than the last. As usual, I was sucked into the story from page one, and I did not want to put this book down. The writing is beautiful and immersive and lyrical. I really enjoy that she just jumps right into the story and I never feel like I’m wading through a bunch of world building before actually getting excited about what I'm reading. Though at the same time I still get enough info to follow along. I loved the premise of this story. l love lris and Roman and the progression of their relationship. I love that I felt all kinds of emotions, and that the pain only made everything more beautiful. And I loved that the beautiful moments snuck up on me, but I was still able to figure them out a moment before they happened in the most delicious way possible. I absolutely cannot wait to find out what happens in the sequel!

2.75/5

Set in an England-esque land closely resembling a World War I/World War II time period complete with portable typewriters and a war with fronts, Divine Rivals sets a somewhat fantastical stage for a rivals-to-lovers romance with loads of other tropes thrown in for good measure. Iris Winnow and Roman Kitt compete for a spot on the staff of a reputable newspaper, the Oath Gazette. As the title and synopsis of the series suggest, Iris eventually makes her way to the front of the war as a correspondent. Reminiscent of the magical pen pal exchanges in The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy, including the aspect where the man knows with whom he corresponds but the woman does not, the two continue to exchange letters magically while falling completely in love with one another. Unfortunately, what I expected to be a brilliant YA fantasy romance turned out to be a very busy plot with haphazard, superficial world building and no clear focus as to what kind of story this book aims for.

I feel there are many things this book tries to be, but it doesn’t quite succeed at being any or even one of them. It is simultaneously a war-time romance, pen-pal romance, supernatural-gods-and-vengeance story, Hades and Persephone retelling, and many others that are too numerous to list. To begin, the enemies-to-lovers aspect starts off strongly, but our two main characters barely have any on-page, face-to-face interactions to build tension before we see them start to exchange letters via magical means (hint: it’s not the wardrobe). They are also not technically rival journalists, but I’ll leave the details of that statement for readers to figure when they read the book. It is somewhat a fantasy, as it’s set in a different world from ours with dead gods (or asleep gods) and different names for days of the week, with tiny touches of magic here and there; but it is clearly based off of our world with a setting and time period around World War II, except the Germans don’t drop the bombs on the London-esque city (Avalon Bluff), wyverns from a Hades-type god do.

The book is relatively short, sub 400 pages, for a fantasy novel (though it is a duology, so in total, it’s probably going to be 760-800 pages). I feel there is a lot lost with Divine Rivals because of how similar the world is to ours during early 20th Century time period of the world wars. If not for the casual mentions of mythical beings and gods and 21st century practices like same-sex marriage, it would be historical fiction. I would call it fantasy-lite or fantasy-adjacent. As it is, it feels more like a puzzle was just stuck together with pieces that kinda fit and were forced together to say it was done. It may have been better to just write around 550 pages and trim down the excess to make it more polished and put together.

Divine Rivals also does not read like a YA novel (not even an upper-YA novel). The themes are very adult, corresponding to the age range of the characters, who are all 18 or older. It doesn’t fit a typical trope for YA novels, such as coming-of-age or young love.

I’m sad the past few books from Ross have just been giant disappointments for me; they just don’t feel like they’re written by the same author. This one in particular would have been better as a historical fiction because that is essentially how it reads. The magic system and world building don’t feel organic enough and act as gimmicky clutter instead, and it also derivates a bit from the author’s two previous novels, A River Enchanted and A Fire Endless, with its use of music as a magical power (complete with a magical harp player) over the conflicting gods of the narrative. Readers who are new to Ross starting with Dreams Lie Beneath or A River Enchanted will find this book fits the writing style, but those who have been reading Ross since the 2018 debut of The Queen’s Rising may have to squint a bit at the world building and plotting to find a resemblance.

My thanks to NetGalley and for the ALC and the eARC, for which I willingly give my own, honest opinion.

It was a mistake to read this– because now I have to wait OVER A YEAR FOR THE SEQUEL


Divine Royals by Rebecca Ross plays at the heartstrings and makes a perfect enemies-to-lovers trope. Iris, our main protagonist, has such a special place in my heart. Her love of writing and her determination to matter in a world which views her background first and her qualifications second sets up the stakes early in the book. Her brother goes off to war, so she writes to him in hopes that one day he will get her messages. She has the world on her shoulders, and mr. Roman C. Kitt does not help. When he first meets her, he holds prejudice, as he is an aristocrat and she is from the lower rungs of society. At first I got Narnia vibes because the way Iris sends her letters is through her wardrobe, and the man who mysteriously starts to respond to her does the same. Especially because this is set around the time of World War 1 (as I am assuming due to the fashion, technology, and the stakes that are discussed in the book). With impending war against the gods, Iris wants to be more. I was on the edge of my seat with this book, and I would recommend that when it comes out April 4th, that you reserve Divine Rivals, whether from your local library, bookstore, or a friend.

***spoilers ahead***

I loved the “logic” behind how the letters traveled. I love a logical magical system– I know, a little oxymoronic, right? But there is something about making magic realistic that makes it all the more fun to read. Having not only this generational understanding of Iris and Roman, but also a neutral conversation through anonymous pen pals breaking down the barriers of class and rivalry. I do think it is interesting that he knew who she was the whole time, because realistically, he is the one who needs to “change” his mindset– it makes me wonder if there is a dual-protogranoist motion between them. We start with Iris first, so we are lead to believe she is the protagonist– she definitely has a lot more stakes in the sense that her brother is off at war, she is dealing with a now alcoholic mother, and knows that she cannot use any of this information at work because people will say that she is trying to find excuses. Her no point of return was when her mother died, the last tie to Oath, especially after she lost the competition.

However, I believe Roman also has a protagonist role because we see his perspective, his stakes. We see that he has sacrificed, that he has extreme guilt over the loss of his younger sister, and that his father holds his future above his head. He has to grow and understand himself, understand his wants and desires. His turning point was no longer having the comfort and security of Iris being near him, even if she isn’t a fan of him yet.

I do think Ross keeps it a slow burn– it is almost three quarters through the book before they kiss.

My only qualm with the book is that I don’t really understand how the gods play a role (besides the obvious war). What do the other gods do? There are five gods, but we only really hear about Enva and Dacre and their turmoil. I am curious about how the rest of them play a role, and I hope that in the sequel we get a little more nuance, as because Roman has been taken to the underworld, I’m expecting some of his chapters to be set there.
Ross has a way of storytelling that makes the fantastical real, and with beautiful imagery, I felt like I was there in Oath, I was there in the east, the trenches, and more. I am already recommending this book to others and I am hoping that you will pick this book up as well, if only to share in my pain of having to wait for over a year!

This was so much better than I was expecting. It was my first book by Rebecca Ross and it certainly did not disappoint. I loved it. So much emotion and heart. Cannot wait for the sequel cus that ending..... ugh. Definitely recommend this o e.

Thank you so much to Netgalley and the publishers for a chance to read the eArc.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for a review!
"A girl who writes letters to her missing brother, and the boy who reads them."
Divine Rivals follows Iris Winnow in a world where the Gods are at war. Her brother has just left to fight and Iris is working towards getting a promotion at the Oath Gazette if her workplace rival Roman Kitt does not get it first. It has been months since her brother left and she has not heard from him but she continues to send him letters that magically vanish from her wardrobe door. Iris believes the letters go to her brother but they fall into the hands of none other than Roman Kitt. When Iris is drawn to the front lines as a war correspondent, she continues to correspond with her anonymous friend but it is difficult to find hope and love at the front.
Divine Rivals is a novel I was highly anticipating after hearing raving reviews from some of my favorite YA authors. It is my first Rebecca Ross book and it certainly won't be my last. I absolutely loved this book! I was invested from start to finish crying and smiling the whole way through. From the beginning, I felt so connected to the characters and so immersed in their world. I loved that Roman got a POV and I hope to see more from him in the sequel since his POV was less frequent toward the end. I feel like I got to know Iris and Roman so well and I am very invested in them as a couple and individually. It never felt like the author was telling us about these characters, it felt like they were telling us themselves. The writing was so beautifully done in this book. I already described its effect on the characters but it truly immersed me in the world. I could picture everything so clearly and even after finishing the book I still feel so connected to the world. I will say this book does not end perfectly and you will be wishing for the sequel to come sooner. I have already preordered a copy of Divine Rivals because I loved it and I highly recommend it!

Thank you to Wednesday Books and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review. Truly and honestly, if I loved this book less, I might be able to talk about it more. But I don't wish for that. I was hesitant to have such high expectations for Divine Rivals because it is my favorite trope in my favorite genre because the disappointment might be more than I could bear, but I am so glad I did because this book deserves all the praise and more. The book's magic felt whimsical at times but set amidst a war, it teetered between light and devastating all at once. Two rival journalists find themselves through a magical connection when Iris sends letters to her brother at war, only to have them received by her charming and handsome—but utterly annoying, of course—work rival, unbeknownst to her. The rivalry between Iris and Roman felt authentic, which has been thoroughly lacking in other rivals to lovers stories. I felt their tenacity and drive, but also the way they were drawn to one another. They both had faults but it made sense for their characters, which were real and made me ache in every possible way. The plot was moving, never feeling like there was a dull moment as it always felt like it was inching towards the finale, and it was, and it absolutely paid off. I cannot believe I have to wait until who knows when for the second book. I cannot stop thinking about it and honestly, I don't know if I want to. This book is incredible, and it is absolutely the rivals to lovers book of my dreams.

don't know if maybe I simply haven't happened about WWI-era/1910s fantasy, but this is the first fantasy book I've read set in the 1910s and I liked it? To be clear, this book is not set in OUR world, but the setting mirrors the 1910s in terms of technology, fashion, etc... and the war happening isn't WWI, but it is reminiscent of it.

I will mention I was very confused at the beginning. I didn't quite notice the fantasy elements right away. HOWEVER, the world-building was done in a caring, gradual way, rather than a heavy dump of information. I liked how the mythology was revealed, and I like how the mythology itself was structured (won't go into the details for spoilery reasons). Even to the end you still receive more and more.

As for general experience, this book was a roller coaster despite not really being that long. The ending murdered me where I stood. I am not emotionally well. And now I have to wait extra long for that wound to heal. How DARE you??? I teared up, a lot. So much talk of grief and healing and being whole.

Also Roman C. Kitt? He has my heart. Another addition to the long list of book boyfriends.

I'm a big Rebecca Ross fan and her latest book, Divine Rivals, is right up my alley. Historical fantasy is one of my favorite genres and while this was an entirely fictional world, it had WWI vibes with magic that I really loved.

Things I Likes
Upper YA - the themes in this one were definitely for a more mature YA reader
The letters - I loved that this book is told from the POV of the letters exchanged
Dual POVs

There's nothing I didn't love about this book except perhaps the devastation caused by the ending. I can't wait to read the sequel and this is easily my favorite Rebecca Ross book to date.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I would like to thank the publisher, Netgalley, and the author for the ARC of this book. I read an advanced copy of this book, so the final edition of the book might be slightly different. All thoughts and opinions are my own, as always.

I read Ross’s The Queen’s Rising back in 2018, and utterly adored it. I was so excited to finally get back to Ross’s writing after so long (I’ve bought every single release since The Queen’s Rising, but foolishly kept putting them off!). This seemed like the perfect book to finally get back to her writing, with the combination of knowing it was an author I’d loved a book from before and an extremely intriguing synopsis.

This book is honestly beautiful. It’s a story about love and war, with so many dark moments and heartbreaking realizations, but with a constant core of hope and light shining from within. It’s such a comforting book in a way, as it feels like a reminder that no matter how dark the world seems to be, and how much you may have lost, there’s also something to reach for and strive for, and there’s always love. It’s a book that reminds you to find the beauty in the heartbreak, without actually trying to dismiss the existence of that heartbreak, and shows characters learning to be happy even with their sorrow.

A story like this is always a tough burden to bear for a writer, as it’s something that can so easily fail if something in the story doesn’t work. The characters have to be strong enough to feel the whole spectrum of emotion, and have to be able to connect with the reader in order to pass on the emotions. The world has to somehow be dark enough to inspire great depths of sadness and pain, yet still have a string of light to follow back out of those depths. And on top of all that, the writing needs to be able to properly convey all of it, without losing any of the meaning in muddled sentences or too dense descriptions. Somehow, Ross has managed all of this all at once, and she managed to capture my entire soul in this book so quickly. From only a few pages in, I was feeling it. I was feeling the weight of Iris’s fear and her responsibilities, I could feel myself being crushed by the expectations that Roman was bowing to, and that was somehow only the beginning of everything. The book just kept becoming more and more and more, until suddenly my head was all full of Iris and Roman and Roman and Iris. It was just, wonderful, and I already miss being in this book so much.

I cannot recommend this book enough, for so many reasons, and I can’t wait for the world to finally experience what I did, and see why I loved this book as much as I did. (Though at the same time, I almost want to selfishly keep it to myself, a secret just for me).

Review will be live on my blog on January 27

I really liked this book. Imagine a world where Gods exist and are waging a war, and human soldiers also fight. Imagine that this takes place around the early 1900's, where women are still considered second class citizens and have difficulty getting jobs and promotions.

Winnow is a young woman whose mother didn't take the death of her husband well and is emotionally unstable. Her mother lives with her sister and her family, and Winnow has a small apartment. Her brother went off to fight in the war, and is missing. She is working at a newspaper where the pay is not really enough to support her, since she also contributes to her mother's upkeep. She is a typist, and is occasionally allowed to write a woman-centric article. She is so lonely and afraid that she writes notes to her brother, and slips them under the connecting door to the empty apartment next door.

To her shock, her letters disappear, and she receives replies, but not from her brother. Her anonymous pen pal is one of the bright spots in her life. She needs that bright spot since she works next to an obnoxious young man from an aristocratic family. The two of them are rivals in a contest at the newspaper for best article. Winnow predictably loses, and volunteers for the war effort hoping to find her missing brother. She meets someone at the front that she didn't expect to see.

I enjoyed this unique story immensely. I received an e-ARC from the publisher St. Martin's Press/Wednesday Books via NetGalley, and voluntarily read and reviewed it.

I’m not going to lie, I did a happy dance when I saw the e-arc arrive for Divine Rivals! I am a huge Rebecca Ross fan, so I had a feeling going in to this book that I would love it. Spoiler alert: I did!

This was so different from Rebecca Ross’ other fantasy novels, but no less brilliant! It leaned more towards historical fiction than fantasy, but still with some fantasy elements that kept me intrigued. I’m not a big historical fiction fan, but I loved this book!

As with her other novels, this book was so beautifully written. Rebecca has such a unique writing style that I find captivating. Each line flows lyrically to the next in such a way that you can’t help but to compulsively read her books. There’s just a magical quality to her prose that always hooks me. I cannot wait to reread this again when the books officially comes out and am (not so) patiently waiting for book 2!

So many thanks to Wednesday Books and NetGalley for the advanced electronic copy.

Thank you NetGalley for giving me an advance reader of this book in exchange for a review!
I would give this book 4.5 stars out of 5. This book was such a good surprise! I loved the Elements of Cadence duology by Rebecca Ross, and she is becoming an auto buy author for me. Her writing is so good and makes you really feel for the characters. Divine Rivals is a young adult historical fiction fantasy/ romance. I haven’t read anything like it before!

The setting was in the early 1900s, where a war is brewing between Enva a Skyward goddess, and Dacre a formerly defeated Underling god. We meet Iris, an 18 year old newspaper writer and one of her coworker writers Roman. They do not get along to say the least, with lots of snarky banter between them. However, there is a magical link between two typewriters where both Iris and Roman are able to send letters to each other. They fall in love with each other through the letters without fully communicating who they are. There are lots of twists and turns along the way with the war getting worse. The ending is a total cliffhanger! I’m so glad there will be a sequel, but it can’t come fast enough! We need so many answers!

I probably would give it 5 stars, but honestly find it so hard when my last book was A Court of Mist and Fury! Such high standards! I would very much recommend this book! It will officially release on April 4.
Be aware of trigger warnings- alcoholism, war, death of family member, some violence.