Review #456
“It helps to know someone is hearing me. Someone is reading what I pour onto a page.”
Divine Rivals is the first of a duology. I give this (historical?) fantasy romance a 4.8/5 stars. It’s positively frustrating when an author makes writing look easy. The amount of steps and work it takes to create a project that seems so flawless is harder than one can imagine.
This story by Rebecca Ross has two points of view and is meant for YA readers. On page 37 a second POV is introduced which was a pleasant surprise. Though I’m not a fan of head hopping within chapters. (There is a “vague” sex scene that’s thankfully not completely fade to black.) It flows so well for being third person narrative because I usually don’t connect to third narrative easily.
I’ve read A River Enchanted duology and enjoy that she has a musical element theme in this series too. I love they their myths aren’t heavy and lethargic
“Do you ever feel as if you wear armor, day after day? That when people look at you, they see only the shine of steel that you’ve so carefully encased yourself in? They see what they want to see in you- the warped reflection of their own face, or a piece of sky, or a shadow between buildings.”
I read this for a bookclub so I have more notes than usual…
Spoilers ahead.
The prologue was written so beautifully with amazing visceral scents that made me feel like I was there in person. I already like Iris and her big brother Forest and am wondering who the Goddess is that she referred to and what the Goddess has to do with war?
Iris and Roman are rival writers for a magazine. At age 18, she broke her one promise to her soldier brother by dropping out of school before graduation to take this job as a possible columnist. Her and Roman are dueling for the same promotion and seem to have equal skills.
I love how she’s already making up clever middle names for his C. initial like Cantankerous and Conceited.
I’m absolutely in love with the world building after the second chapter. The author shows us how poor she is by visiting a grocery store, a basic enchanted building that automatically presents the items she can afford when she passes by the shelves. Paralleling this sentiment, it seems as if the wardrobe in her bedroom is linked to something enchanted. When she writes letters to her brother, a soldier at war, and slips them under the closet furniture piece, they disappear. Curious, yes. But this time, a fresh reply comes to her with an intriguing message.
These eithral monsters sound like dragons. What do they have to do with the war?
Sometimes I need to take notes for myself. The Skywards rule Cambria from above & the Underlings reigned below. Once the last 5 gods were overcome- Dacre buried in west. Enva in east. Mir in north. Alva in south & Luz in central- their graves were places of enchantment.
I like how Iris is learning about this history at the same time as the reader. And her questions are my questions.
Are absent & emotionally unstable parents a must-have in YA?
“Do you ever feel as if you wear armor, day after day? That when people look at you, they see only the shine of steel that you’ve so carefully encased yourself in? They see what they want to see in you- the warped reflection of their own face, or a piece of sky, or a shadow between buildings.”
Page 73 was everything.
There are so many higher worthy quotes. Thankfully I haven’t experienced a tremendous loss of someone very close to me yet, but the way this grief is described seems exactly what I’d want to hear: “Your grief will never fully fade, it will always be with you-a shadow you carry in your soul-but it will become fainter as your life becomes brighter. You will learn to live outside of it again, as impossible as that may sound. Others who share your pain will also help you heal. Because you are not alone. Not in your fear or your grief or your hopes or your dreams.”
I love her assertion that she quit.
Magical typewriters is ingenious.
Oooh lala. In chapter 23 they sign their letters with words of endearment for the first time.
At the halfway mark I’m loving the story and am very invested in where “Carver” is going?
His personality is much more enjoyable in person.
At the end of Part 2 I need to know what the second half of the message said!!! Did he reveal himself?
I don’t usually love war plots but this one feels very different so far. The description of the trenches felt a bit boring but I absolutely love that she was trying to finish reading Carver’s last letter while also being interrupted by Roman throwing written notes to her.
Well their proclamation of feelings turned into a proposal super quickly.
No! Don’t stay! Evacuate!
Who tracked through the house and why?
Chapter 41 was so good! I should’ve expected it and I didn’t at all!
Well the epilogue with the portal felt like a bit of a genre leap but the cliffhanger definitely has me grabbing Ruthless Vows asap.
I’ve written 450 book reviews in the last 4 years and I’m still trying to determine the secret formula that makes a book so good. I truly loved this but why? Yes. The the characters are great, the prose flow, the setting is visual and clear. The friendships and chemistry are relatable and realistic. So, are each of those items separately what makes the story succeed or is it the perfect blend of them all that does the trick?