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A World War II Fantasy: Divine Rivals by Rebecca Ross

1 May

In the last decade or so, fantasy has taken on many forms. Before, many thought of those with a medieval like setting as falling into the genre of fantasy. Now, however, fantasy can have a multitude of time era inspired settings from modern day to Ancient Greece, and in the case of Divine Rivals, a World War II inspired setting.

Iris Winnow is desperately trying to keep the scraps of family together. Her mother suffers from addiction and her older brother, Forest, is missing from the front lines. The only hope to improve her situation is to win a promotion as a columnist at the prestigious Oath Gazette, a title she and her rival, Roman Kitt are competing for.

The setting takes place in the fictional world off Cambria with a World War II inspired setting with fictional gods that wage war over who will rule.

Rebecca Ross’ writing style is quite a sophisticated one, the tone and speech of the characters matching the era in which the story is set, but still easy enough to understand for readers without being over the top.

One of the more interesting aspects of this novel is why there is a war in the first place. Rather than a battle between countries or governments, it is instead a war of gods who had laid dormant for thousands of years before awakening and seeking dominance over the world. It’s an interesting idea that gets some exploration within the novel. However, there are two main focuses within the book itself. The first one is with Iris and her relationship with her brother, Forest. It is clear that they both have a strong sibling bond and that his going off to war has affected her deeply. The letters they write to each other are touching and make the reader root for them to be reunited.

The second focus point is on Iris’ relationship with Roman Kitt, her journalistic rival and love interest throughout the book. Roman is also quite the interesting character to read, haughty, but it’s clear he cares for Iris and the plight regarding her brother. While their relationship does technically fall into the category of enemies to lovers (a trope that has become quite popular) it’s done in a way where it doesn’t come off as them being cruel to each other and to go with the title of the book, they are more rivals than they are enemies.

The plot doesn’t race through its beats, nor does it slow down to a crawl, but instead it carries the reader right along as we join these two on their adventure. The ending will leave readers desperate to get their hands on the second book, Ruthless Vows, as soon as possible!

Written by:
Lauren Lapinski
Information and Digital Services Assistant

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Visit a City filled with Fantasy, Action, and Romance: House of Earth & Blood, Book One of Crescent City

13 Mar

To many a fantasy reader, the name Sarah J. Maas is quite a familiar one. Most well known for her A Court of Thorns & Roses (also known as ACOTAR for short) and Throne of Glass series, she has quickly become an author with a strong and loyal fanbase. She recently ventured into the world of Urban Fantasy with the first book in a new series, Crescent City: House of Earth & Blood and with the third book, House of Flame & Shadow now available and with part one of the Graphic Audio drama of the first book set to release on February 29th, is this series as hype worthy as her previous works?

Bryce Quinlan loved her life, working all day at an antiques dealer and partying all night at every night club in Midgard until the night that all of her dearest friends are brutally murdered. Even with the killer behind bars one year later, Bryce sits uneasy and when the murders begin to start up again, she teams up with Hunt Athalar to discover the truth and avenge the death of her fallen friends. 

This series by far is one of Maas’s best works. Her style as a writer has greatly improved and it shows on each page of Crescent City. The narrative prose in this is still fun and easy to read, but there is almost a sophisticated style to the writing that clearly shows in an experienced writer. 

Of course one of the things Maas is most well known for is her character work and as with all of her other series, this one absolutely delivers. Bryce is a fun and engaging protagonist who drives the story forward and makes us root for her as we read from her point of view, but is also fleshed out well enough to where the reader can see her character flaws as well. Her duel POV with Hunt also makes the interaction with each other and the other characters all the more enjoyable to read. 

The worldbuilding in this book is also exemplary of how far Maas’s writing has come over the years since her Throne of Glass series was published in 2012. The world of Midgar is fleshed out enough to see that it reminds us of our own, yet still has strong elements of fantasy that many Urban Fantasy readers enjoy. 

Of course, just like with any other Maas book, the romance elements are one of her biggest strengths and that of course remains true for this series as well. Hunt and Bryce make for quite the dynamic couple and you can see the chemistry between them right away, the banter between them is a joy to read and provides many fun character moments between them, both romantic and non-romantic as well. It’s a good slow burn romance that still allows the main plot of the story to run through without seeming rushed in at random moments. 

Overall, this is an intense, fun adventure with plenty of action, romance, and a little heat that will leave readers wanting for more! 

Written by:
Lauren Lapinski
Information and Digital Services Assistant

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