Review: Divine Rivals by Rebecca Ross

Divine Rivals by Rebecca Ross
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I was provided both a print and audio ARC of this book via Netgalley.  Thank you to Wednesday Books and Macmillan Young Listeners for the opportunity to read and review this early.  As always all opinions are my own.

The audio narrators were wonderful.  The did an amazing job brining Kitt and Iris to life.   I really enjoyed that we get alternating male and female dialogue where appropriate so if feels like they are having a conversation.   I mainly opted to listen to the audiobook and couldn't put it down once I started.  

I loved this!  I've been a fan of Ross' work for sometime so when I saw that she had a new YA Fantasy out I jumped on the chance to read it.  This follows Iris, and aspiring journalist who is struggling to keep things together after her brother leaves for the war front.  Iris is competing for a columnist position at a reputable newspaper with Roman Kitt.  Roman is handsome, rich, and put together; basically everything Iris is not.  They are opposites in everyway, but their opposition drives them to be better at their craft.  While Iris can't stand Kitt, what she doesn't know is that they are tied together in the most unusual way.  When Kitt wins the spot at the paper, Iris decides to become a war correspondent in an attempt to escaper her life that has fallen apart and to find her missing brother on the front.  Iris not only becomes a published writer, but she also finds so much more on the front than she was expecting.

I really love what Ross did with the mythology aspect in this.  I'm not sure if the myth is based on an actual myth or if she completely made it up.  Either way I really enjoyed that there was something otherworldly driving the war and a small magical and fantastical element to the plot.   I really liked the concept of the magical typewriters and I'd love to know where the 3rd one is.  I wonder if we'll ever find out.  This does heavily focus on the rivals to lovers trope, and while we do get the background myth that started the war I hope to get a bit more background or interaction with the gods in book 2.  I love mythology whether made up or based in ancient cultural myth and legend so I really appreciate when an author weaves that into their storyline.  

This is classified as YA, but it does have some more serious and mature themes.  This does end on a cliffhanger, and I cannot wait for the next book!  I'm so anxious to find out what happens next!  I loved the development of the relationship between Iris and Kitt and Iris and Carver.  I really loved Iris' character development throughout the book.  In the beginning I was wondering if she was going to throw in the towel, but she really snapped out of it and stepped up.  She was appropriately scared in the situations she was in, but she was also courageous, kind, and selfless.  As a correspondent she is supposed to write what she sees, but she was also respectful of the soldiers and wasn't just in it for a story.  While this was tense and serious at times, it also has light hearted moments as well.  The banter between Iris and Kitt is witty and their romance is fun.  

Content warnings: loss of a parent, addition specifically alcohol, PTSD, violence and injury due to war, non graphic intimacy

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