Title: Divine Rivals
Author: Rebecca Ross
Genre: Fantasy, magical realism
Publisher: St. Martin’s Publishing Group
Publication Date: 2023
Format: Hardcover
Length: 353
Read if you like: Enemies to lovers, fantasy that feels like historical fiction, magical realism, war setting, unique magic system, magic that comes from Gods, slow-burn romance

Rating:

Divine Rivals is easily one of my favourite reads of 2023. This book blew me away with stunningly gorgeous writing, a slow-burn enemies-to-lovers romance that had my heart absolutely aching, and a setting that felt magical and surreal, yet somehow also totally realistic. I’d seen a lot of hype about this book before I picked it up, and now that I’ve finished it, I totally get it. The only thing I wish I could change is the sequel release date (which is later this year) because I’m desperate to return to Iris and Roman as soon as possible.

Fair warning: there may be spoilers ahead for those who have not yet read this book.

The Book: Divine Rivals by Rebecca Ross

Divine Rivals is the story of two rival writers, Iris Winnow and Roman Kitt, who are both seeking the same columnist position at a prestigious newspaper. The setting is a world that feels similar to Britain around the second world war, but with magic that derives from vengeful gods. We quickly learn that these gods have begun a war of epic proportions and are actively recruiting humans to fight on their frontlines, often recruiting through magical means that lure them toward their cause. This is the backdrop in which Iris and Roman are writing and proves to be one of their main topics.

Iris has come to this race for the prestigious columnist position against all odds. Her brother, Forest, was swayed to fight for the God Enva after hearing the call of her music. Since then, her mother, whom she lives with, has been unable to successfully cope with her grief about Forest leaving and has become a raging alcoholic who can’t hold a job. This meant that Iris was forced to drop out of school to work so that they could pay their bills and survive. She manages to obtain the position she holds at the newspaper by submitting an article to a contest, which she wins.

Roman, on the other hand, has been groomed for the columnist position at the paper. His family is relatively new money, having made most of their fortunes on the construction and maintenance of the railroad, and his father is keen to see Roman grasp a position of prestige to continue elevating his family’s position. He’s forced to compete for the columnist position by his father instead of attending university and knows that his family’s expectations of him will not allow him to fail.

Iris tries desperately to succeed at the paper, but the weight of her circumstances proves to be too challenging. She’s been writing to her brother Forest for 6 months with no response, crafting the letters on the typewriter her grandmother left to her and placing them in her wardrobe where they promptly disappear. One day, after a particularly difficult day and a letter to Forest that was harsh and desperately sad, she finally does receive a response, but the person indicates they are not, in fact, Forest. While Iris is initially embarrassed and insulted by this, she quickly finds she enjoys writing to this person, who in turn enjoys writing to her. They begin to form a friendship, and Iris has no inclination that the person on the other side of her letters is actually Roman Kitt.

Roman, despite his initial impulse to dislike Iris, finds himself entranced by her writing and, eventually, by her as a person. For every inch that Iris begins to fall for Roman, so too does Roman fall for Iris. He knows he must soon tell her that it’s him on the other side of the letters, but fearing she’ll feel betrayed, finds it impossible to do so.

Iris’ mother continues to decline until she drinks herself into a devastating accident that kills her. Despite Iris’ ambition, she finds that after her mother’s death, she simply cannot bring herself to write meaningfully for the newspaper anymore. When Roman is handed the position of columnist, Iris immediately takes it as a sign to move on and do something meaningful with her life. Much to Roman’s devastation, she chooses to work for another newspaper as a war correspondent and immediately leaves for the front lines.

Once Iris is gone, she finds it’s her typewriter that holds the power to write to the mysterious man on the other side of her letters, and so when she’s settled on a small town near the front lines, she picks up her correspondence with him again. They both begin to fall in love, amidst the chaos and danger of the war, and eventually, Roman quits his job, packs up his things, and enrols as a war correspondent as well, joining Iris in her small town near the front lines to tell her that he’s the man on the other side of her letters. Together, they’ll navigate the complicated nature of living in a war zone and will decide if the bond they’ve forged through their secret is strong enough to survive the deception it was built on.

The Review

There was so much about this book that I loved that I feel like I could gush forever about it.

Firstly, Ross is a very talented writer. The narrative was this poetic prose combined with fantasy storytelling and the letters as a vehicle for communicating Iris and Roman’s emotional evolution was so beautiful that I found myself heavily invested. Her writing evokes the root of the feelings the characters are going through, and it makes your heart ache and swell for them.

The enemies-to-lovers trope that unfolded between Iris and Roman was also gorgeously executed. They were both sharp and witty and vulnerable and I loved seeing them slowly come together and fall apart. I cried both sad and happy tears following along with their love story and my heart broke into a thousand pieces at the major twist at the end.

The plot was nice and meaty, and I’m still thinking about how clever it was to create this world that felt so much like realistic historical fiction, evoking similar vibes and settings to what you’d expect from something like a World War Two novel, but combining these aspects of myths and lore and magic that gave it a magical realism. And the connection between the typewriters? Such a unique and fitting way to tie together two aspiring writers from different walks of life, but with this common thread of hope and optimism.

Divine Rivals left me with so many feelings. I was so emotionally invested in Roman and Iris that I was compulsively reading, refusing to go to bed or put my book down despite the demands of my life or schedule. Their story was frustrating and sad and hopeful and crushing all at once and I feel like my heart is still recovering from the experience. Without a doubt, this is one of my favourite reads of 2023. I absolutely cannot wait for the sequel to this stunning book, I’ll be the first in line to pick it up.