siff ♡'s Reviews > Divine Rivals

➵ 4 stars

“𝙏𝙝𝙚𝙮 𝙨𝙚𝙚 𝙬𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙮 𝙬𝙖𝙣𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙨𝙚𝙚 𝙞𝙣 𝙮𝙤𝙪—𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙬𝙖𝙧𝙥𝙚𝙙 𝙧𝙚𝙛𝙡𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙞𝙧 𝙤𝙬𝙣 𝙛𝙖𝙘𝙚, 𝙤𝙧 𝙖 𝙥𝙞𝙚𝙘𝙚 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙠𝙮, 𝙤𝙧 𝙖 𝙨𝙝𝙖𝙙𝙤𝙬 𝙫𝙖𝙨𝙩 𝙗𝙚𝙩𝙬𝙚𝙚𝙣 𝙗𝙪𝙞𝙡𝙙𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙨. 𝙏𝙝𝙚𝙮 𝙨𝙚𝙚 𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙩𝙞𝙢𝙚𝙨 𝙮𝙤𝙪’𝙫𝙚 𝙢𝙖𝙙𝙚 𝙢𝙞𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙠𝙚𝙨, 𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙩𝙞𝙢𝙚𝙨 𝙮𝙤𝙪’𝙫𝙚 𝙛𝙖𝙞𝙡𝙚𝙙, 𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙩𝙞𝙢𝙚𝙨 𝙮𝙤𝙪’𝙫𝙚 𝙝𝙪𝙧𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙢 𝙤𝙧 𝙙𝙞𝙨𝙖𝙥𝙥𝙤𝙞𝙣𝙩𝙚𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙢. 𝘼𝙨 𝙞𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙞𝙨 𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙬𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧 𝙗𝙚 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙞𝙧 𝙚𝙮𝙚𝙨.”

let me just say; i have absolutely no idea how to write a review on this book, my brain isn’t braining, i think this book might’ve ruined my brain, not that there was much to ruin, but whatever. roman and iris’ story, really surprised me, it’s so different from what i’ve ever read before, which i think is why i’m having such trouble verbalizing my feeling towards this book. i really don’t know how to feel, but i’ll tell y’all this book left me staring at the wall for 20 minutes after i finished. i didn’t know what to think, say, or do, i just knew i needed the second book to be out immediately ! there’s literally so much to talk about with this book, and i don’t know where to begin, but i guess we’ll stat with the summary.

summary:
keep in mind that i actually had no idea how to explain this shit. after centuries of peace, the gods decided to go to war again. iris winnow is just a teenage girl from oath gazette, and her brother (forest) decides to fight in the war. it has now been a couple of months since iris last heard from her brother, so she’s constantly worrying about him. but she’s keeping busy with her job, and their mom. but what or who is it that keeps iris busy with work ? that is her academic rival also known as roman kitt.

characters:
iris winnow
iris is literally the perfect fantasy fmc. she’s sweet, innocent, clever, determined, etc. but she still has so much to learn, because obviously her story isn’t finished yet. i liked the way iris’s character was described, she’s a very deep character, but that doesn’t mean i connected to her. what i mean by that is, iris character grew up very fast because she needed to, the way she thinks and feels is deep, and when she writes about herself it’s typically also something deep that you can relate to. however, i didn’t connect with iris as a character, i liked her, but i missed the emotional connection. but when that’s said, i did really like her, she was very interesting and i can’t wait to read more about her, and i’m hoping she’ll have some kind of character development in the next book, that’ll make her grow stronger, which makes me excited to find out if, and how.

“𝙎𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙩𝙞𝙢𝙚𝙨 𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙩𝙪𝙙𝙞𝙚𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙬𝙖𝙮 𝙨𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙥𝙪𝙣 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙙𝙨 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙡𝙖𝙣𝙜𝙪𝙖𝙜𝙚, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙞𝙩 𝙢𝙖𝙙𝙚 𝙝𝙞𝙢 𝙗𝙤𝙩𝙝 𝙚𝙣𝙫𝙞𝙤𝙪𝙨 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙖𝙬𝙚𝙙. 𝙎𝙝𝙚 𝙠𝙣𝙚𝙬 𝙝𝙤𝙬 𝙩𝙤 𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙧 𝙪𝙥 𝙛𝙚𝙚𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙨 𝙞𝙣 𝙖 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙚𝙧, 𝙬𝙝𝙞𝙘𝙝 𝙍𝙤𝙢𝙖𝙣 𝙛𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙙 𝙦𝙪𝙞𝙩𝙚 𝙙𝙖𝙣𝙜𝙚𝙧𝙤𝙪𝙨.”

roman kitt
roman fucking kitt. omg i had not expected to like this man so much, i’m still a jacks girl, but roman is up there. this man is so sweet and humble, and such a gentleman. whenever roman blushed i was giggling and kicking my feet like a fucking maniac istg. he wrote her letters, omg where tf do i find a man that’ll love me enough to write me letters ? i love roman so much, he deserves the world. he’d literally do anything for iris, as he should tho. i didn’t know exactly what i had expected from roman, but whatever it was, it couldn’t compare to how he actually was. this man was just about perfect, he’s sweet, shy at times, gentle, caring, etc. such a precious boy. i cannot wait to get to know roman better, i literally wanna know every, single, little detail about him.

“𝘼𝙣𝙙 𝙬𝙝𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧 𝙢𝙖𝙨𝙠 𝙝𝙚 𝙝𝙖𝙙 𝙗𝙚𝙚𝙣 𝙬𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙚𝙡𝙨𝙚—𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙢𝙞𝙡𝙚 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙢𝙚𝙧𝙧𝙮 𝙚𝙮𝙚𝙨 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙛𝙡𝙪𝙨𝙝𝙚𝙙 𝙘𝙝𝙚𝙚𝙠𝙨—𝙛𝙖𝙙𝙚𝙙 𝙪𝙣𝙩𝙞𝙡 𝙨𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙖𝙬 𝙝𝙤𝙬 𝙚𝙭𝙝𝙖𝙪𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙙 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙨𝙖𝙙 𝙝𝙚 𝙬𝙖𝙨.”

- roman and iris together is probably one of the most precious things ever ! the way they’d both get a little shy, yet confident, was just everything. and i love how they started as academic rivals. it’s probably my first book with that trope, and all i know now, is that i need more of it. anyway, these two are the definition of the invisible string ! their connection was so strong, and their feelings / emotions towards each other was incredible to read about, it was both heartwarming and interesting. i love these two as a couple with my whole heart, and again i cannot wait to read more of their story, and journey, and get to know them together as a couple even better. these two are such sweethearts, and even tho they’re fictional characters i wish them all the best. now when that’s said, i think their relationship was a little rushed, i still love them, but it was very fast-paced. if you’ve read the book, you probably know what i’m talking about.

“𝘽𝙪𝙩 𝙄 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙠 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙞𝙨 𝙖 𝙢𝙖𝙜𝙞𝙘𝙖𝙡 𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙠 𝙗𝙚𝙩𝙬𝙚𝙚𝙣 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙢𝙚. 𝘼 𝙗𝙤𝙣𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙣 𝙙𝙞𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚 𝙘𝙖𝙣 𝙗𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙠.”

i loved this book. but i felt more connected to the writing than the actual characters. which some people probably would like, i on the other hand, would appreciate having a connection to one of the characters. both the writing and characters would be absolutely perfect, and without a doubt a five-star rating, but that was sadly not the case. this is the first time i’m reading this book, and i’m hoping some of my feelings will change, when i reread, i need to annotate the other edition i brought, so there’s still hope for a little more connection the second time. and don’t kill me for this, but i was a bit underwhelmed ngl, but i honestly think that’s because i didn’t have any sort of connection to any of the characters.

now to my favorite thing about this book; the writing. i have never read a book with such beautiful writing before. it was just absolutely perfect and so deep. this book is literally perfect for annotating ! there’s so many deep and meaningful quotes, that’ll help you not only understand the characters better, but also yourself. i had heard great things about the writing, but i hadn’t expected it to be so beautiful and so full of emotion. it really brought the story alive if you know what i mean. let me give y’all an example of two quotes that really had my jaw dropping to the floor, made my hand press my chest, right where my heart is, and left me starring at the wall for a minute or two, with eyes that stung a little; “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.” and “Your grief will never fully fade; it will always be with you—a shadow you carry in your soul—but it will become fainter as your life gets brighter.” there’s only one word that could describe these two quotes to me, and that word is perfection.

⚠️side note to the quotes down below;⚠️ if you’re reading this review without having read the book yet, please don’t read the quotes, because there could be a possible spoiler, and i don’t wanna spoil the book for anyone <3

favorite moments and quotes:
“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.”

“See something you like?”
“Not at all.”

“But just in case you were wondering… I’ll gladly read whatever you write.”

“She hated how her heart softened when he looked at her.”

“She spun and strode away, against the flow of traffic. The world blurred for a moment; she realized her eyes were burning with tears.”

“He closed his eyes for a moment, searching within himself. His soul was quiet; he was no longer swarmed by that suffocating panic.”

“I love the words I wrote until I soon realize how much I hate them, as if I am destined to always be at war within myself.”

“His gaze lifted and found her on the other side of the room, over the sea of desks and paper and conversations.”

“Sometimes I’m afraid to love other people. Everyone I care about eventually leaves me, whether it’s death or war or simply because they don’t want me. They go places I can’t find, places I can’t reach. And I’m not afraid to be alone, but I’m tired of being the one left behind.”

“I don’t want to wake up when I’m seventy-four only to realize I haven’t lived.”

“In the meantime, I hope you will find your place, wherever you are. Even in the silence, I hope you will find the words you need to share.”

“And when you find something good? You hold on to it. You don’t waste your time worrying about things that won’t even matter in the end. Rather, you take a risk for that light.”

“Damn, he was proud of her.”

“Keep writing. You will find the words you need to share. They are already within you, even in the shadows, hiding like jewels.”

“Roman smiled, but it was skewed, as if he was trying to hide his pain.”

“She was glaring at him now. The fire in her eyes could have brought him to his knees, and he loathed the façade he was wearing.”

“I don’t mind sharing the seat. That is, if you don’t mind me sitting on your—“
“I don’t mind.”

“Am I hurting you?”
“No.”
“Are you squinting, Kitt?”
“Do you want to turn and see for yourself?”

“But terrible sounds slipped through her fingers, and she shuddered, trying to swallow everything down to where she had once kept it hidden in her bones.”

“But he remained close at her side, keeping her warm though the darkest hours before dawn.”

“He could lose himself in those hazel eyes, in wanting to calm the fear that blazed within her.”

“He didn’t want to live in a world without her and her words.”

“Their names would be entwined—Roman and Iris or Winnow and Kitt because could you truly have one without the other?—and they would write on their typewriters and ruthlessly edit each other’s pieces and read books by candlelight at night.”

“I want to know everything about you, Iris. I want to know your hopes and your dreams. I want to know what irritates you and what makes you smile and what makes you laugh and what you long for most in this world.”

“Her armor had been stripped away, and she felt naked.”

“You asked me this once, months ago, and I refused to answer. But I want you to ask me again, Iris. Ask me what my middle name is.”

“Tell me more.”
“More? If i tell you anything else today, you’ll grow tired of me.”
“Impossible.”

“Read it first, and then perhaps we’ll see.”
“If it helps. I won’t look at you as you read. You can pretend I’m not even here.”
“Impossible, Iris.”
“How come, Kitt?”
“Because you’re highly distracting.”

“He found his place and continued to read, and Iris savored the sound of his voice.”

“I have a very important question for you.”
“Go on.”
“Were you serious when you told the nurse that you wouldn’t snog me again?”

“See something you like?”
“You’re distracting me, Kitt.”
“I’m please to hear it. Now you know how I’ve felt all this bloody time, Iris.”
“If i was distracting you for such a long period of time… you should have done something about it.”

“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.”

“He didn’t know why she suddenly began to blur. Why her edges melted before him, as if she were a vision. A dream about to fade. Not until he blinked and tears slipped down his face.”

song; the great war by taylor swift
♫ “My hand was the one you reached for”
“All throughout the Great War” ♫
⤷ romaniris 💌

spotify playlist; divine rivals: iris and roman
(the link only works on laptop tho)

tropes; academic rivals, rivals to lovers, secret identity, war fantasy setting and letters

and a big thank you to two of the most precious girls ever kendyl and youssra for the lovely br, iloveyou two with my whole heart 💝

kendyl’s review
youssra’s review
------
pre-review:
br with my two gorgeous angels kendyl and youssra 🤭

this one’s for you ahmaya bb 💋