It’s time to review Divine Rivals. But first…
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Series Rating: 4 out of 5
Genre: Young Adult, 4 Star, Fantasy, Romance, Series
People who should read this: If you love stories about gods, hidden magic, and enemies to lovers.
Whelp… that was my second to last book club before I make my move across the country. And it just so happens that I got to pick the last two books. I’m not going to tell anyone…
Divine Rivals is the type of book that hooked me with the premise. Which is surprising rereading the very sparse synopsis. Maybe I’m a sucker for enemies to lovers like the rest of the world. *sigh* I was hoping to have some originality.
There were things that really irked me in Divine Rivals and some things that I really liked, but none of them actually made me feel full. In making this review, I had to quickly write down my thoughts because I was scared I was going to forget them the second I set the book down. It’s the weirdest feeling I’ve felt after a book. I just went through this wild adventure, how could that experience disappear? So unlike Fourth Wing, where I’m still trying to heal from the experience. I don’t even blame it on the third-person narrative. Again, I’m really being proven wrong. I’m leaning into this new lease on life. I can even see a third-person narrative working in one of the stories stirring in my head right now.
The main problem with Divine Rivals might come down to the world-building. I was always floating on the outside because there wasn’t enough to ground me into the story. The story begins in a world that’s similar to ours. There are some scientific advancements. Think of the late 1800s with a bit more electricity. Ross also makes sure that we know there are gods at the start. Everything else though… Now there are issues. Mostly because my brain couldn’t connect a world with magical lay lines with the one that was first spelled out. I kept wanting to be okay with the magical moments. I kept trying to remind myself that it’s not set in our world. All this to say that I was disconnected from the start.
And I’m really second-guessing stating this next fact.
*deep breath* This is going to bite me in the ass.
Ross’s writing style is different from what’s normally produced. It’s sparse while also helping to paint a detailed picture. And it’s just like mine (I even comp this title in my queries). However, I’m starting to see where the style is lacking and why my writing might be hard to get into. I can see the shoe on the other foot. Blah… The writing makes you pay attention because every word is important. It can also lead people to be disconnected if they don’t plan on a paired-down read. On the other hand, I’m in love with seeing this style in the world more. It’s making me feel like I’ll have a place soon.
The comments on Goodreads would point to the readers loving Ross’s writing.
For how sparse the writing was, I could eat and breathe the characters. There wasn’t any room to question who they were. Roman was perfectly pitted as the rival writer while leaving room for his own story. His own troubled past. Actually, I would say that Roman had his hand in vying to be the main character of this story. Too bad Iris had that seat firmly locked down.
I also really struggled with the second half of the book and the shift onto the front lines. Think 1917. Trenches. Blood. The loss of innocent lives. How quickly it all goes down. Almost written to the T of WWI. Even though the synopsis hints at the front lines, it was the story that I was expecting, making it a very hard read. Human wars aren’t at the top of my list right now. And then we come to the ending which points so clearly at book 2. It’s becoming a trend to forecast the second book. Why couldn’t we have wrapped up the entire story in the first book? There was plenty of room. I guess this is the publisher’s way of taking more of our money. This is why I do invest in thick fantasy books.
And so I sit here totally unsure of my thoughts. On one hand, I’m ready to race out and preorder the next book. But then on the other hand, I’m left trying to come up with a list of reasons that I actually liked the first story. Is Roman a good enough reason? Can a fictional boy convince me to keep reading? I guess so, even though I’m not ready for the very obvious turn of events. Please, Ross… I beg you… surprise me. So I sit here in a faux state, aimlessly wandering through the fog of words I just read.
Happy Reading.
Love,
Kait