A “Divine” Review
Rebecca Ross weaves a compelling story of love and magic in the midst of a war between gods.
…reads the description of every romantasy book on the market. I have to say, while I love the genre and will read just about every romantasy book on the market, the Letters of Enchantment series was a breath of fresh air.
Set in what feels like 1910s London, the story of rival journalists and enchanted typewriters embraces it’s turn of the century/WWI feel. Immediately, you feel the tensions of Iris’ life – a young girl with an alcoholic mother and an older brother missing in the war. Her decision to become a war correspondent seems like a no-brainer way for her to try and gain some semblance of purpose in her upside-down world.
Billed a fantasy, I felt Divine Rivals was lacking a bit in the fantasy department. Outside of the magically tied typewriters (and the fact the war is between gods), the myths were presented more as bedtime stories than facts. The gods were not inherently central to the story. I felt as though the book could have been any WWI period romance novel with a bit of whimsy thrown in.
This is not to say I didn’t thoroughly enjoy it. The book gave me You’ve Got Mail vibes – one of my all-time favorite rom-coms. When Iris discovered who was on the other side of the typewriter, it felt like the final scene when Meg Ryan looked at Tom Hanks and said, “I wanted it to be you.” *swoon* Well, after she got over being pissed, that is.
Ruthless Vows dives in on the fantasy world created by Ross. The focus shifts from the romance (though it’s still very much there), and transitions to focus on the climactic ending of the war. Dacre is a truly loathsome being. He’s cold, cruel, manipulative, and abusive. At no point do you ever feel sympathy for him or his cause. The moment the feeling even creeps in, Ross crushes it with another truly despicable act.
Despite the lure of the presumed happy ending, there were hard moments to go through. A beautiful, hard moment (SPOILERS) was the way Ross shifted through multiple character viewpoints during the bombing of Oath. It was a powerful, poignant display of humanity in a truly disturbing event. This moment, more than any other in the book, has lingered with me in the aftermath of the read.
I truly enjoyed reading through Rebecca Ross’s interpretation of a fantasy war. It felt different and refreshing, while keeping with the ideals expected in a romantasy novel. Definitely worth a read through.
TL:DR Details
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Spice: 🌶️
Diversity of characters: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Inclusion of lifestyles: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Favorite Quotes
“You will learn to live outside of it again, as impossible as that may sound. 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.” ~ Roman Kitt, Divine Rivals
“It’s not a crime to feel joy, even when things seems hopeless.” Roman Kitt, Divine Rivals
“Many pieces of the past have been rewritten or lost. Forgotten. Think of all the books in the library with pages torn free.” Security Guard, Ruthless Vows
“Write me a story where there is no ending, Kitt. Write to me and fill my empty spaces.” Iris Winnow, Ruthless Vows
* A review of Divine Rivals and Ruthless Vows (Letters of Enchantment) by Rebecca Ross. I was not compensated for these reviews.