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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.
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Now that’s out of the way…
First Post: ✅
Getting started is always the hardest part, isn’t it? Last night, I was laying in bed trying to sleep and running through all the things I might write in this post. I want to introduce myself, but I don’t want it to feel like I’m sitting in a circle being forced to give my name and tell 3 things about myself in a terrifying ice breaker game, because…*shudders*I settled on the idea of still not being sure what I want to be when I grow up. I hit the big 4-0 last year, and still don’t know what I want to be.
Truth be told, I am living a large part of my best life. I home-school my 5 kids (yes. 5! *insert cliche comment about never being bored or never a dull moment here*) This is not a chore to me…most days. Before I made the decision to home-school 4 years ago, I was an early childhood educator. (Fancy way of saying I was a preschool teacher.) I loved my job. I love teaching – even if it’s my own kids. My reasons for homeschooling are many – and best saved for other days – but I do, in general, love my daily life.
Still hate chores though. Chores are life sucking abominations that I wish could be solved with a swish of my sadly-lacking-magic wrist.
Which brings me back to the idea of what I want to be when I grow up. It feels like there is something beneath my skin itching to get out. A part of me that needs a release. Like Violet’s relic burning to release her signet in Fourth Wing. Like Aelin’s magic building for release in the Throne of Glass series.
Something wants for release.
Art, writing, music. These three have always been a hallmark of my soul for as long as I can remember. I made floral arrangements and painted with my grandmother as a child. I made my own formal wear in high school. I designed and created children’s clothing – even being on Zulily for a while before they stopped featuring small, handmade businesses. Just about anything with a needle and I’ve tried it. Same with pencils and brushes.
When I was a child, my grandparents ran the Grandkid Gazette. My cousins, siblings, and I could write and submit articles for monthly publication. Our reward was a shiny silver dollar. I never missed a submission. As an angsty teen, I wrote poetry and journal entries. No. You can’t read them. If I haven’t burned them, I will.
Similarly, music has always been there. I used to sing all the time on the playground as a kid at school. My teen years were nothing but music. Even now, live music is my drug of choice. (Even if this last show gave me covid and knocked me on my ass for 5 days.)
All that rambling to say, as I said in my last post, I don’t know where this will go. I have plans for book and music reviews, book playlists of songs that come to me while I read, writing ramblings and rants as they come to me, and showing off whatever art decides to flow through me.
Most of all, I hope to release this building pressure of something in me needing a release. -
Hello world!
I’ve always loved the title of a brand new blog’s default post: Hello world! It’s the birth of something new.
A new baby.
A new…word baby?
Regardless, it speaks to the start of a new adventure. A blank slate to make something what you want it to be. A place of endless possibilities.
So, welcome, to my new place of possibilities. I don’t know where this will go, I just know I want it to go somewhere.
