kendyl ʚ♡⃛ɞ (mini vacay)'s Reviews > Divine Rivals

∞/5 ★’s

⁀➷ ❝iris, you are worthy of love, you are worthy to feel joy right now, even in the darkness. and just in case you're wondering...i’m not going anywhere, unless you tell me to leave, and even then, we might need to negotiate.❞

°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･･:*.ೃ࿔⋆❀°

𝓼𝓹𝓸𝓲𝓵𝓮𝓻 𝓯𝓻𝓮𝓮 𝓻𝓮𝓿𝓲𝓮𝔀

❥ 𝒶𝓁𝑒𝓍𝒶 𝓅𝓁𝒶𝓎:
love me like you do by ellie goulding🥹🦋

what do i love most about being a reader?
being reminded that simple ink on paper can quite literally change your life and perspective on things.

before i get into my review…i just want to remind you lovelies that i don’t read a lot of fantasy or ya books. i also HATE third person. with both those things being said…i was hesitant to read this ya fantasy, but now i simply can’t wait to read more and the third person!? i literally loved it. now i truly don’t mind third person at all🤭those who know me, know that i am the biggest whore for romance, but after finishing this masterpiece!?!? i can’t even begin to look at another romance book on my shelf right now. divine rivals easily became one of my favorite reads of 2023! i loved everything about it<3

°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･･:*.ೃ࿔⋆❀°

❥ 𝒶𝑒𝓈𝓉𝒽𝑒𝓉𝒾𝒸:
- fantasy war setting
- magic
- letters
- dual pov

❥ 𝓉𝓇𝑜𝓅𝑒𝓈:
- he falls first and falls harder
- workplace rivals to lovers
- poor girl, rich boy
- slowburn
- found family

❥ 𝓉𝓇𝒾𝑔𝑔𝑒𝓇 𝓌𝒶𝓇𝓃𝒾𝓃𝑔𝓈:
death and the romance may make you feel extremely single afterwards…even if you’re in a relationship like me😂😞okay i’m sorry, but i didn’t just want to put death.

❥ 𝓅𝓁𝑜𝓉:
10/10 so captivating. the chapters are really short in the beginning and get longer towards the end, but the plot is so good that you won’t even notice. once you get to the halfway point of the book…you’ll be on the last page in a blink of an eye. if you are a big fan of romance and you don’t read a lot of fantasy because you feel that you won’t enjoy it…reading a romantasy will change your life! sometimes a standard romance book lacks a good plot or the plots may feel very similar to other romance books, but if you mix a fantasy plot with a good romance subplot…you’ll find yourself never getting bored with what’s going on. if you haven’t read a lot of fantasy…it may get confusing at times, but i promise you that’s normal!!!<3

❥ 𝓂𝒾𝓃𝒾 𝓅𝓁𝑜𝓉 𝓈𝓊𝓂𝓂𝒶𝓇𝓎:
iris winnow and roman kitt live two very different lives, but they are similar in some aspects. they both share the same love for writing and happen to be rivals, fighting for a promotion at their workplace. while iris’ brother, forest, is off at war, she continuously writes letters to him…letters that end up in her rival’s hands. what happens when roman writes her back knowing it’s her, but she has no idea that it’s him?

❥ 𝓌𝓇𝒾𝓉𝒾𝓃𝑔:
beautiful and poetic. i truly mean it when i say that rebecca ross could bury me alive with her words and i’d die a happy woman. suffocate me with your words, rebecca, please😩the amount of things i underlined in the book. i swear, if i could, i would put all of my annotations in my review, but goodreads would tell me that my review is too long. there are so many quotes and so many scenes that stuck with me🥹

°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･･:*.ೃ࿔⋆❀°

❥ 𝓇𝑜𝓂𝒶𝓃 𝓀𝒾𝓉𝓉:

⁀➷ ❝iris, look at me. you deserve all the happiness in the world. and i intend to see that you have that.❞

roman kitt is the definition of: if he wanted to, he would🦋he shows it throughout the entire book and i am 100% swooning over this man🥹as perfect as his life seems to be, it’s anything but perfect. with a dark past and a dad who likes to be in control of his life, roman only has two things to look forward to…his writing career and writing anonymous letters to a girl who despises him. roman, in the beginning of the book, is very cocky, a bit arrogant, and kind of an asshole at times. one of my biggest weaknesses is seeing a man go from that to absolutely swoon worthy🫦if you’re looking for a new fictional man to be obsessed with…he’s the one🤭

❥ 𝒾𝓇𝒾𝓈 𝓌𝒾𝓃𝓃𝑜𝓌:

⁀➷ ❝i think you and i are simply better together, kitt.❞

my queenie! iris is one of those fmc’s that make you question if you want to be her or if you simply just want her😍i’m very jealous of this bitch, i want roman for myself🫦hm, weird. anyways! ugh this girl is so strong and so brave. her story makes me wanna sit in a running shower and sob😔

⁀➷ ❝sometimes i'm afraid to love other people. everyone i care about eventually leaves me. i'm not afraid of being alone, but i'm tired of being the one left behind.❞

⁀➷ ❝i realize that people are just people, and they carry their own set of fears, dreams, desires, pains, and mistakes. i can't expect someone else to make me feel complete; i must find it on my own.❞

⁀➷ ❝some moments, i feel okay. and then the next, i'll be struck by a wave of sadness that makes it hard to breathe.❞

she’s so real and relatable, i just want to give her the biggest hug ever🥺🫂iris and i would be besties. i’d spend my time bonding with her and reading every little thing that she writes because i know it’ll be beautiful🥹💋

❥ 𝓇𝑜𝓂𝒶𝓃𝒾𝓇𝒾𝓈:

⁀➷
❝love,
iris❞

❝yours,
—c.❞

them>>>
their letters>>>
my roman empire. i swear i will be thinking about these two nonstop until i get the second book in my hands! i absolutely loved reading their letters to each other! definitely one of my many favorite things about this book! i’m getting butterflies just thinking about roman’s words to her🦋every time roman called her by her first name…instantly weak in the knees. i’m telling you besties, it just hits so different when he has never called her by her first name before! their banter was chef’s kiss hehe🤭let me just also remind you guys that this man waited outside her door for a few minutes to make sure she locked her door. on my knees for him🫦🫦

°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･･:*.ೃ࿔⋆❀°

❥ 𝒻𝑜𝓊𝓃𝒹 𝒻𝒶𝓂𝒾𝓁𝓎:

⁀➷ ❝they're not even my sisters by blood, but i chose them. and that sort of love is everlasting.❞

marisol, attie, and keegan…i absolutely ADORE these characters so much🥺marisol and keegan…please adopt me rn😩my parents fr! marisol’s relationship with iris🥹oh my- i can’t say much about it because i don’t want to say spoilers, but just know it’s very special to see after everything that happened! iris and attie, their friendship is so cute!!!!! i love love love! thank you rebecca for giving me side characters that i absolutely adored🤭

❥ 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝑒𝓃𝒹𝒾𝓃𝑔:
basically the ending feels like it’s just the beginning! i was not expecting that at all. everything that happened in this book was so unpredictable! i had a few theories and i’ll proudly say that they were all very very wrong. i’m patiently impatiently waiting for book two. very much anxiety ridden, leg bouncing up and down a mile a minute, hearting racing! ahhhh i’m so excited🤭just to be clear, dacre and i have MAJOR problems🔪

❥ 𝒶𝓈𝓉𝑒𝓇/𝒻𝑜𝓇𝑒𝓈𝓉:

⁀➷ ❝just in case you didn't know.. you are by far the best sister i've ever had. i'm so proud of you. and i'll be home before you know it, little flower.❞

⁀➷ ❝let me guess. he’s young, handsome, suave, and knows you write better than him, so he's doing all he can to distract and worry you?❞

iris’ mom, aster and iris’ brother, forest…i have very mixed feelings about the both of them. there were some things that bothered me about each of them…but i still have some love for them. i need book two so i can solidify my feelings about forest!!

°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･･:*.ೃ࿔⋆❀°

❥ 𝒻𝒶𝓋𝑜𝓇𝒾𝓉𝑒 𝓈𝒸𝑒𝓃𝑒𝓈:

she glanced at him, studying his face. ❝has anyone ever told you that you squint when you lie?❞
❝no, but only because no one has spent as much time looking at me as you do, winnow.❞

❝what’s she like?❞ nan asked. ❝daisy’s granddaughter?❞
roman stared at his tea dregs. ❝i’m not sure. i don’t know her that well.❞
❝in case you forgot, i can tell when you lie, roman. you squint.❞
he only laughed, because hadn’t iris said the very thing to him last week?

❝iris,❞ he whispered, and she stiffened. ❝you'll go through the windshield if you don't lean back.❞
❝i’m fine.❞
she had no choice but to relax, aligning her spine with roman's chest. his arm slid around her waist, and she rested in the warmth of his hand, knowing he was keeping her from bashing her head against the windshield.
❝am i hurting you?❞ iris asked him.
❝no.❞
❝are you squinting, kitt?❞ she teased.
she could feel his breath in her hair as he murmured, ❝do you want to turn and see for yourself, winnow?❞
~~~the squinting scenes are so little and seem like nothing, but to me…they’re everything🤭also she sat on his lap for THREE hours…lucky girl🫦😩

he turned to face her, running backward and slightly ahead, so he could keep his gaze on her as she labored up the hill.
❝that’s it. you’re doing great, winnow.❞
❝shut up, kitt.❞
❝absolutely. whatever you want.❞
~~~he’s so down bad for her and i am here for it🥹🦋

❝tell me more.❞
❝more?❞ she breathed, and while her hand felt hot as kindling, she didn’t pull away from him. ❝if i tell you anything else today, you’ll grow tired of me.❞
❝impossible,❞ he whispered.

❝i’ll pay whatever you want.❞ he stopped typing to look at her. ❝tell me your price.❞
iris bit her lip, wondering what she should ask for. ❝are you sure about that, kitt? what if i want you to wash my laundry for the rest of the war? what if i want you to massage my feet every night? what if i want you to make me a cup of tea every hour?❞
❝i can do all of that and more if you like,❞ he said, deadly serious. ❝simply tell me what you want.❞
~~~roman, baby, please marry me🛐

❥ 𝒻𝒶𝓋𝑜𝓇𝒾𝓉𝑒 𝓆𝓊𝑜𝓉𝑒𝓈:
➸ ❝kitt and i are like fire and ice. i think we'd probably kill each other if we had to be in the same room for too long.❞
➸ ❝i write words that i don't despise half of the time. words that will mean something to someone else, as if i've cast a line into the dark and felt a tug in the distance.❞
➸ ❝perhaps it begins with one person. someone you trust. you remove a piece of armor for them; you let the light stream in, even if it makes you wince.❞
➸ ❝a piece of armor, because i trust you. a glint of falling steel, because i feel safe with you.❞
➸ ❝others who share your pain will also help you heal. because you are not alone. not in your fear or your grief or your hopes or your dreams. you are not alone.❞ 🥺🫂
➸ ❝but i think there is a magical link between you and me. a bond that not even distance can break.❞
➸ ❝i don't think you realize how strong you are, because sometimes strength isn't swords and steel and fire, as we are so often made to believe. sometimes it's found in quiet, gentle places.❞
➸ ❝keep writing. you will find the words you need to share. they are already within you, even in the shadows, hiding like jewels.❞
➸ ❝it’s odd, how quickly life can change, isn't it? how one little thing like typing a letter can open a door you never saw. a transcendent connection. a divine threshold.❞
➸ ❝your letters have been a light for me to follow. your words? a sublime feast that fed me on days when i was starving.❞
➸ ❝i am coming to love him, in two different ways. face to face, and word to word.❞
➸ ❝we’re safe here. you're safe with me.❞
➸ ❝my iris. 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.❞ he gives me butterflies🦋
➸ ❝you’re beautiful, iris.❞
➸ ❝but just in case you were wondering...i'll gladly read whatever you write.❞

°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･･:*.ೃ࿔⋆❀°

❥ 𝓉𝑜 𝓂𝓎 𝑔𝒾𝓇𝓁:
siffie🥹first of all, i just want to express how much i hate our time difference! i love you endlessly and it was such an honor to buddy read this beautiful book with you<3 i still have so much to talk about with you about this book hehe i’m so excited! this was my second br ever and eee it was sm fun!

siff's review<3

°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･･:*.ೃ࿔⋆❀°

pre review:
❥11/19/23

mind: empty
heart: sunk
eyes: red

⁀➷ ❝you and i…we need to stay together. we’re better this way.❞

i have a bf, but reading about roman and iris made me feel so SINGLE. brb while i go yell at my bf for not writing me letters. he does but he needs to step it up.

i simply don’t even want to look at another romance book right now or anytime soon. i need to get ahold of rebecca ross and beg her to bury me ALIVE with her words. i’ll die happily!😭😭

⁀➷ ❝i love the words i write until i soon realize how much i hate them, as if i am destined to always be at war within myself.❞

rtc when i can stop relating to this quote and when i can process that fucking ending!?!?! omg rebecca…book two, now🛐

❥11/13/23
oh i just know i'm going to love this one!!!!🥹🦋 shei will kill me if i don't🔪

br with my lovely angel siffie <3