DIVINE RIVALS

REBECCA ROSS

    I came across Divine Rivals while casually scrolling through 'booktube', apparently a really good 'enemies to lovers book' and well...I decided to buy it. And now, here I am writing another review. a literal war between gods and then emotional damage is the main course.

    The story follows Iris Winnow, who is basically holding her life together with determination and mild chaos, and Roman Kitt, her annoyingly perfect rival at the newspaper. Naturally, they hate each other. 'naturally' , that doesn’t last. Because what’s better than rivals? Rivals who unknowingly write heartfelt letters to each other through a magical typewriter. The story takes a twist when Iris decides to become a war correspondent and Roman following her in the same path as he misses his rival. And then its all bickering, friendship and much more.

    Speaking of the war aspect ,it’s not just background decoration. It actually adds stakes and depth, showing how messy and unfair everything is. It also makes the story heavier, so don’t go in expecting a light read.

    Now the main part : the characters. Iris as a character is easy to root for. She’s strong without being perfect, and her struggles feel,no, are real. Roman, on the other hand, starts off as “ugh, this guy again” and slowly turns into “oh no, I would die for him.” Annoying , but fine. 

    The writing is kind of beautiful. Rebecca Ross has a way of making even small moments feel important. If you were looking forward to be bored, Spoiler: you won’t be.The book was my first step into the romance novel trope and especially the 'enemies to lovers' trope. Honestly speaking , I really don't know much about this trope, being a newbie romance reader, but I do think that this is a good one while still finding many parts a bit cringe worthy. Something that I really liked about the book is that the author normalised the concept of gay relationships through Marisol and her wife.

    If there’s anything to complain about, it’s that some parts drag slightly.A beautifully written, emotionally intense story that mixes romance and war in a way that somehow works. I would recommend the book to someone who likes romance, tension, war and fantasy mixed together.

Here are some of my  favourite lines from the book :

"I don’t know who I would be without you, but you have made me in all ways better than I ever was or could have ever hoped to be." - Roman Kitt

"But I think there is a magical link between you and me. A bond that not even distance can break." - Iris

"You keep my letters at your bedside?" she(Iris)  asked. "I reread most of them every night." (Roman)

"I'm not afraid of being alone, but I'm tired of being the one left behind" - Iris       

Ya esta!!Bisous!!