Rebecca Ross masterfully weaves elements of unique mythology and magic with a very real look at war, loss, first love, and the power of the written word in her newest book, Divine Rivals.
A synopsis:
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.
Reading Divine Rivals was like taking one long, heady, exquisite sigh. Ross’ writing is so beautiful – she is incredibly skilled at setting a scene and injecting subtle, clever touches of humor and heart throughout the text. I loved the magical letters sent back and forth between Iris and Roman, enjoyed their wit and banter, felt genuine tension during all the war scenes, and was interested in the mythology of gods meddling in the affairs of humans.
This is not a big, flashy book; I don’t see a Hollywood movie or Netflix series in its future [although I’d watch either in a heartbeat!]. I agree with other reviewers who have called Divine Rivals “vulnerable,” “delicate,” “dreamy,” and “atmospheric.” I’ll be nursing some real angst over how the story ends as I wait for the sequel to release in December.
BOOK:30 