[A Quick Note: This was one of my highest anticipated books of 2023. I own three copies of Divine Rivals and had high expectations for its sequel. Thank goodness it delivered! I’m convinced, at this point, that Rebecca’s writing can do no wrong. She is perfection!]
“𝑾𝒓𝒊𝒕𝒆 𝒎𝒆 𝒂 𝒔𝒕𝒐𝒓𝒚 𝒘𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝒊𝒔 𝒏𝒐 𝒆𝒏𝒅𝒊𝒏𝒈, 𝑲𝒊𝒕𝒕. 𝑾𝒓𝒊𝒕𝒆 𝒕𝒐 𝒎𝒆 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒇𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝒎𝒚 𝒆𝒎𝒑𝒕𝒚 𝒔𝒑𝒂𝒄𝒆𝒔.”—Rebecca Ross
My heart is so full and heavy as I sit down to write this. Usually I wait to collect my thoughts, but this time I’m diving right in after finishing RV. Rebecca’s writing always turns me into an emotional pile of mush. I had many tearful moments. You should see how many tabs and highlights I have in my copy. I wanted to annotate everything. It was such a beautifully written story of courage and heartbreak and hope. While I enjoyed the first book more, this was a strong finish to the duology.
While the first book felt more calm, this one was downright nerve-wracking. The plot was a great balance of quiet moments and intense moments, but the intense moments were definitely higher stakes than in the first book. Iris and Roman both played a much more active role in the war, so I blame that. I was at the edge of my seat for so many scenes, especially the roadster chase with the hounds. Eeeek. I was cheering for Tobias during that one.
Side note, I loved Addie and Tobias’s little side romance. Sigh
But our main stars, Iris and Roman. Gosh, I adore those two so much. I loved that they got to exchange letters again. The letters were my favorite aspect of this duology. I was nervous about losing such a vital piece that made it so special. No need to fear! There were plenty.
I cherished every little heartfelt moment between them. The moments they stole for each other felt that much sweeter because of their seperation. My favorite was when Iris escaped out Roman’s window after giving him her ring. My heart was literally breaking and melting simultaneously.
My only negative was the ending. It felt a little too easy, and I wouldn’t have minded a couple extra pages to draw it out a bit? I suppose it just felt a little less climactic than the ending of the first book. Ultimately, that’s my biggest reason for giving it half a star less. But, that’s all right. It was still a strong finish to a duology I immensely enjoyed.
𝑴𝒀 𝑹𝑨𝑻𝑰𝑵𝑮: 𝟒.𝟓⭐️