Divine Rivals (Letters of Enchantment, #1) Review

Hello, all!

As you'll know, I fell in love with Rebecca Ross's Elements of Cadence duology last year, so I was super excited to get an ARC of her latest release, Divine Rivals. Big thanks to the publisher for the copy!

Pub Date: 4-4-23
YA - Historical Fantasy

Iris Winnow is a newbie reporter at the Oath Gazette, hoping to use her words to make a difference in the war effort. When two old gods awoke from slumber, plunging the world into war and chaos, Iris's brother went off to fight, leaving Iris and their mother behind. The only solace Iris finds is by writing letters to her brother and slipping them under her wardrobe. To her surprise, she receives a letter back, but it's not from her brother. Iris strikes up a tenuous friendship with this stranger, who unbeknownst to her is none other than her infuriatingly handsome rival from the Gazette, Roman Kitt.

After a tragic accident, Iris leaves Oath and signs up to become a war correspondent. Now instead of typing up classifieds, she'll be reporting from the front lines. She also hopes her new position will help her uncover what happened to her brother, whom she hasn't heard from in months. Soon, much to her annoyance, Iris is joined by Roman. The pair have always felt a connection between them--one Iris has always chalked up to trying to best the other-- but that connection grows into something more delicate the longer they're together. With the war creeping ever closer, Iris and Roman will have to hope their love is enough to face the wrath of the gods.

Ross has this incredible way of crafting stories that are hopeful and heartbreaking all at the same time. I loved following Iris and Roman and how they went from sort of rivals to something so much more. The connection they forged was tender, and seeing it blossom amongst such a dark background was beautiful. I also thought Ross did a nice job showcasing the realities of war and how it affects people. The only minor issue I had was that it took me a while to understand the lore of the world and these gods. Other than that, I thought this was great, and I'm looking forward to the next book.

Rating: 4/5

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