Book Club February Review: Divine Rivals by Rebecca Ross

For February's book club book, I endeavoured to choose a more romance-centred fantasy that would hopefully make me swoon without tearing apart my heart. If you've been following our blog for a while, you would know that I love angsty books that make me sob like a child, but sometimes a wholesome story is what I need. For that reason, I chose Divine Rivals by Rebecca Ross for the most romantic month of the year.

In short, Divine Rivals is about Iris as she navigates her mother's depression, her brother's noncommunication after his enlistment to fight a war between gods, and her role at the newspaper agency where Roman, her rival, competes for the same columnist role. With enchanted typewriters and feelings of loneliness, Iris and Roman send letters to each other, slowly forming a magical bond amidst the ongoing conflict.

Our Rating

⭑⭑⭑½

This was a beautifully written book that delved into relatable themes such as courage, fate, love and resilience in the face of adversity. Although this was another young adult fantasy (oops!) and some scenes felt slightly too cliché, it was a pleasant read that we both enjoyed.

Our Comments

• On Theme: Although the book was heavily centred around romance, Ross managed to weave in deeper themes that readers could resonate with. In particular, it was inspiring to see that both Iris and Roman were able to follow their hearts and be courageous enough to reveal their true selves to others despite their circumstances or upbringing. The book was able to portray that fate and love can thrive even in dark days. I would even go as far as to say that Divine Rivals leaves a slight commentary on humanity's ignorance regarding war and similar events in today's reality. This was especially true when dissecting the attitude of the people living in Oath. Because the war was so far removed from their everyday life, they didn't care about all the innocent lives being taken, choosing to remain ignorant. Not to mention the censorship of newspaper agencies! All these themes were touched upon in way that stayed true to the book's nature.

• On Characters: Whilst Roman's motivations seemed a little too naive, we felt that Iris's decision to become a war correspondent was believable. She had nothing left in Oath, and being at the warfront would allow her to investigate her brother's disappearance. In the same breath, we agreed that Iris went through a positive character arc in which she became a person that wanted to make a difference in the war. Roman, on the other hand, had a complicated home environment and a tragic past, but sometimes it felt as though we couldn't quite relate to him. How did he fall in love with Iris so easily? We don't think it really came across.

• On Magic System: Since we've been reading a lot of books with heavy magic systems, it was quite refreshing to see how Ross blended in the fantastical without overwhelming the reader with complicated laws. The threads of magic were interlaced in buildings and objects, the more powerful kind only accessible to the gods. Iris and Roman could only rely on their strength as humans to survive all the hardship, which is something that we both enjoyed.

• On Romantic Letters: This is something Kay and I are split on. Whilst Kay could see how one might fall in love with a stranger through letters because of one's own loneliness and need for companionship, I felt that I couldn't understand how easily Iris became enamoured with her pen pal. Although, this might say more about my lack of romantic tendencies and having seen too many Tinder Swindler cases than it might about Ross's abilities as a writer.

Would We Recommend It:

Kay - It was well done for YA, I'd recommend it for an easy read with a sprinkling of magic.

CY - Whatever Kay says!

Book Club Questions:

• If there was one thing about the book you would have improved, what would it be?

• Do you think the subtle magic worked in favour of the story?

• What did you think of the character arcs? Were their motivations believable?

• If you could cast Iris and Roman for a screen adaptation, who would you choose?

• Do you think you can fall in love with someone through words alone?