This book absolutely blew me away. The story itself is stunning and the quotes are phenomenal. I highlighted quite a few in my copy. Divine Rivals, written by Rebecca Ross, follows nineteen and eighteen year old Roman Kitt and Iris Winnow, who are rivals at a publishing company. This takes place during a war among the gods in their world. Iris's brother goes to war, and she writes letters to him that disappear when she places them in the closet. But they don't go to Forrest; they go to Roman instead. He anonymously replies and they begin to build a friendship. This is a story full of war, love, and heartbreak. But one you won't be able to put down.
Warning: The rest of this post contains spoilers. If you haven't read it yet, and you want to, come back later. Otherwise, keep reading!
What I loved about Divine Rivals
The love that builds between Roman and Iris is slow, but so beautiful. They begin as rivals, but as they communicate in real life, and anonymously through the letters, Roman falls in love with her. You can see how much he cares for Iris as they story progresses, and even in the beginning, you can tell he doesn't hate her. It's the kind of love that makes you better, comforts through loss, and follows you anywhere. Even though Roman got the coveted position on the column, he gave everything up for Iris. Including his family.
Iris slowly falls in love with Roman too, but first through "Carver's" letters. Then, when Roman follows her to the war zone, she thinks she falling for both. I think that's truly an arresting illustration of how when you're in love, you know on an innate level they're the one for you. Even though Iris thought they were separate people, she felt the same for each.
I enjoyed how the typewriters were the magical part, that kept Roman and Iris connected. The typewriters being passed down by each grandmother was a nice touch to the story. The world Rebecca created was alien, yet familiar with her use of created gods and different words to represent the days of the week and months of the year.
Divine Rivals Quotes
The Divine Rivals QUOTES. There's a plethora of good ones. Here's some of my favorites:
“I think we all wear armor. I think those who don’t are fools, risking the pain of being wounded by the sharp edges of the world, over and over again...But there’s also a small voice in the back of my mind, a voice that tells me, ‘You will miss so much being guarded.’”
“Sometimes I’m afraid to love other people. Everyone I care about eventually leaves me, whether it’s death or war or simply because they don’t want me. They go places I can’t find, places I can’t reach. And I’m not afraid to be alone, but I’m tired of being the one left behind. I’m tired of having to rearrange my life after the people within it depart, as if I’m a puzzle and I’m now missing pieces and I will never feel that pure sense of completion again.”
“The days to come will only grow darker. And when you find something good? You hold onto it. You don’t waste time worrying about things that won’t even matter in the end. Rather, you take a risk for the light.”
"I don't want to wake up when I'm seventy-four only to realize I haven't lived."
The last one certainly resonated with me. That feeling is why I created my "thirty-by-thirty" journey, and ultimately this blog. I won't talk about my mental health much on here, but it is well-known by those close to me, that depression won most of my twenties. I spent most of them fighting for my life. And now I want to live.
What I didn't love about Divine Rivals
The cliffhanger. I hate them. So much, in fact, I usually wait until a series is finished before I begin reading it. R raved about this one, though, so I threw caution to the wind and read it anyway. It was well worth it, but I hate waiting for the rest of the story.
I found myself constantly annoyed by how Roman wouldn't simply tell her he's Carver. He kept waiting for the "right" time, but as they both learned, time is fleeting. Waiting for the perfect moment won't change that. I love that reminder.
I loathe her brother. First, he's a traitor. Not by choice, but still. Thanks, Dacre. Not only that, but he took Iris away from Roman during the chaos. Forrest didn't care at all about doing so, and that made me angry.
Speaking of becoming a traitor, is Roman going to be one now, too? I'm not sure I like that direction, but Rebecca hasn't let me down yet, aside from the terrible cliffhanger, of course.
Overall rating Of Divine Rivals
I give Divine Rivals 4.5 stars. I enjoyed this story so much. It was intriguing and held my attention. I'm a sucker for a beautifully written love story, and this book has exactly that. Have you read it yet? What did you think? Let me know in the comments!
-xx Alycia
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