“When two young rival journalists find love through a magical connection, they must face the depths of hell, in a war among gods, to seal their fate forever.”
This book by Rebeca Ross is like a breath of fresh air. It brings back the world I used to love: old movies about war-ravaged Britain and the outskirt villages where so much magic happened in such a dark time—films and books like Narnia and Nanny McPhee but for grown-ups.
The book is very wholesome, the characters are interesting, and various side-plots are going on throughout the book. The characters slowly re-discover the forgotten myth of gods and share it through magical typewriters.
Reading Order:
- Book 1: Divine Rivals
- Book 2: Ruthless Vows
Divine Rivals is the first part of the duology, followed by the second book, Ruthless Vows, recently published in 2024.
Plot
In a world resembling Victorian England, two correspondents are competing to get the columnist position in the prestigious Gazette. They tell the stories of a country ravaged by a war between two gods and their supporters.
Iris Winnow is facing a difficult time in a harsh new reality where her family is falling apart. Her beloved brother is missing in action on the front lines of war, and her mother is drowning in grief and alcohol.
Iris must take charge of the situation, but at the same time, she wants to keep her dream of telling meaningful stories.
An opportunity arises at Oath Gazette that could help her achieve her dream, but standing in her way is a young gentleman of noble birth with tremendous writing talent. Iris and Roman compete for a columnist position, leading to a rivalry between them.
Roman is also a mysterious boy Iris has been writing to with the help of a magical typewriter and a wardrobe. Without her knowing, letters to her lost brother put through a wardrobe door disappear and end up in another wardrobe across the city in the possession of Roman C. Kitt.
Iris’s words captivate Roman and help him deal with his pain. He falls for Iris without knowing, but cannot confess his true identity to her. Under the pseudonym of Carver, he keeps sending Iris letters even in the middle of a warzone.
World-Building and Gazette
This book was unique in its world-building and characters.
Aside from rural England-Victorian Era-like villages, we see fantasy underworld cities. The magic system is much like those you used to read in old fairy tales. It is very subtle, but it helps the characters and guides them in a way that some might consider a character of its own.
The city of Oath is a very interesting setting too. In the city, there are many enchanted buildings, like the Kitt Manson, the small cafe on the corner of the street, the museum with enchanted windows…
One of the most visited places are The Oath Gazette and The Inkridden Tribune. When they say Oath Gazette, I imagine the newspaper publishing on a high floor like something from Spiderman, with a mustache guy as an editor who is smoking a cigar. While an Inkridden Tribune is publishing in the basement with a crazy redhead as an editor.
Roman and Iris
I loved reading about Roman and Iris and their slow-burn romance. We get to read their letters, which are so excellent and moving.
They share their past, random details about each other and their fears. They encourage and help each other without even realizing how much the other needs to hear the said words. They make each other brave and better people.
I loved Roman’s character the best. He was so different from all the other YA male leads. He is not a warrior. He doesn’t have superhuman powers. All he has is his words, which turn out to be as strong as any weapon.
Although he can’t fight, he is not hesitant to run in the middle of the battle to protect Iris. At this moment, his emotions are so real. The guy is absolutely terrified. People are dying before him, and he doesn’t have the strongest stomach for it. But his fear doesn’t make him less of a man. It makes him a real person, and I appreciated his bravery and sacrifice so much more because he was willing to overcome the fear.
Iris manages to be in love but has a personality, goal, and career. She does her thing, Roman does his thing, and they are both lovers and partners in their passion for their work.
There are fantastic side characters like Attie, Marisol, and Helena and a unique new crew of characters, which we’ll meet in book two. The friendship between Attie and Iris is priceless and enriches the plot beautifully.
The Divines
The gods are wonderful characters, too. The book title refers to them since their story drives the whole plot and events that unfold throughout the book. We can see the parallels between Roman and Iris and Dacre and Enva, portraying the author’s clear outline of what some people think love is and what it should actually be like.
The story of gods is sad and leaves you with very conflicted feelings. You can’t help but feel sympathy toward the main villain, Dacre. He appears at the end of the first book and is actively visible throughout the second book.
Despite being a god, he is driven by very human emotions. Sometimes, even Roman thinks he could forget that he is a god and not a man. In contrast, Enva is more like an ephemeral creature, constantly slipping from the reader’s grasp, just as she did with Dacre.
Overall, the book is one of the best enemies-to-lovers books I’ve ever read. It warmed my heart; the world was so vivid I felt like I had been teleported there.
There is not just romance but family, friendship, love, betrayal, grief. These two books had everything done so well that it felt like a little slice of life put bare on the pages.
I would strongly recommend it to everyone. If we missed a part in this amazing book that moved you or a character you loved, please let us know and share your feelings about it here, in the Library of Eleanor Rigby.
