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.
Shadow and Bone meets Lore in Rebecca Ross's Divine Rivals, an epic enemies-to-lovers fantasy novel filled with hope and heartbreak, and the unparalleled power of love.
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.
Shadow and Bone meets Lore in Rebecca Ross's Divine Rivals, an epic enemies-to-lovers fantasy novel filled with hope and heartbreak, and the unparalleled power of love.
Title: Divine Rivals (Letters of Enchantment #1)
Author: Rebecca Ross
Publisher: Wednesday Books
Publication Date: April 4, 2023
Review:
This was not what the hype made it out to be. Lots of potential but overall just a bland story.
After hearing such great things from so many of my friends, I finally jumped into this in the hopes it would cure me of my fantasy slump since reading another highly rated fantasy that's been floating around. Was it good? Yes. I enjoyed it enough. But was it what everyone was making it out to be? No, not in the least.
I'll start by saying I am not a big historical fiction reader. I find most of them rather boring unless it's a romance set in the 17th century (then all bets are off because they do such naughty things you'd never think of them doing). And, while this isn't technically historical fiction, it reads like it to me. The whole time I was absorbing the story, I felt like I was supposed to be back in the 1930s or 1940s. It's just the vibe I got. Not sure if that's what the author was going for.
Then there is the pacing. The story was good, don't get me wrong, but it was super slow. I needed a bit more action. I did feel things ramp up when the FMC and MMC started exchanging letters, but once that was out in the open and they run off to war, I felt bored.
The world building was interesting though a bit confusing for me. There's not much modern technology (leading me to my statement above about historical fiction), but there are a few things the characters have available to them. I liked the magic of they typewriter and how the FMC and MMC could exchanges letters that way. And it was more intriguing since the FMC did not know who was on the other end. Thus, the enemies to lovers trop. The war aspect with the Gods just confused me. I really didn't get the sense of what was going on. Just that there was fighting and they were or were not fighting for certain Gods favor. I honestly didn't feel the fantasy aspect as much as I wanted to feel it.
The characters are built out well enough. They develop and falter and ultimately connect. But there wasn't anything that stood out between the two. They weren't any different than what I would see in a historical fiction novel of this era.
The romance was a slow burn, which I usually like. But I honestly didn't feel the chemistry between these two characters. I did see the lead up and potential for love in the letters they exchanged but ultimately, the connection fell flat for me. Even once they were together, it didn't feel as much genuine as it did forced.
I did enjoy the writing. This is my first book by this author and I would venture to say I would pick up more from her in the coming years if I had the chance.
Overall I'm not sure if I will read the second book in this series. I wanted so much more. More magic, more angst, more of just anything fantasy. It's been a few months and I still don't really have a great desire to pick it up and see what became of the characters.
Rebecca Ross is the #1 New York Times and Sunday Times bestselling author of fantasy books for teens and adults.
She has written multiple highly acclaimed duologies, including LETTERS OF ENCHANTMENT, ELEMENTS OF CADENCE, and THE QUEEN’S RISING as well as two standalone novels: DREAMS LIE BENEATH and SISTERS OF SWORD & SONG.
When not writing, she can be found in her garden where she plants wildflowers and story ideas. She resides in Northeast Georgia with her husband and her dog. Find her on Instagram @beccajross or online at www.rebeccarossauthor.com.
Rebecca is represented by Suzie Townsend of New Leaf Literary & Media.
She has written multiple highly acclaimed duologies, including LETTERS OF ENCHANTMENT, ELEMENTS OF CADENCE, and THE QUEEN’S RISING as well as two standalone novels: DREAMS LIE BENEATH and SISTERS OF SWORD & SONG.
When not writing, she can be found in her garden where she plants wildflowers and story ideas. She resides in Northeast Georgia with her husband and her dog. Find her on Instagram @beccajross or online at www.rebeccarossauthor.com.
Rebecca is represented by Suzie Townsend of New Leaf Literary & Media.
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