After A River Enchanted and A Fire Endless, I am a huge fan of Rebecca’s writing. I was almost giddy reading this novel, just knowing I will be transported to a new world with magic and great characters. It surprised me even expecting these emotions. Absolutely lovely story of love and loss, yearning and learning. To quote the author “a girl who writes letters to her missing brother, and the boy who reads them.”

Entering a world of rewoken gods in a town called Oath. Iris Winnow, a budding reporter, works at the Oath Gazette trying to stay afloat after her brother joined the gods’ war and her mother struggles with addiction. The one person still keeping Iris on her toes is Roman Kitt, a rival journalist vying for the same columnist position in the paper. Their connection grows through their magical typewriters, writing out letters each night and slipping them through their wardrobes. Until a heartbreaking event alters Iris’ trajectory to the front lines of war.

Beautifully written and respectful to the realities of war, it was interesting to see it from a fantasy perspective. Truly deep at the core this is a story of the perseverance of love and connection between the characters. The fantasy and magic are a big bonus, I loved the magical typewriters and their owners were great characters. I enjoyed the realistic portrayal of loss and living in a world at war. I would categorize this as more adult than YA due to the seriousness of the topics portrayed in the novel, even though the characters are in their late teens/early twenties.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an early copy of the ebook, this is my honest review.

Title: Divine Rivals
Author: Rebecca Ross
Genre: Fantasy Romance / Young Adult
Rating: 5/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️