Booktok Made Me Do It...Again
I follow quite a few people on social media whose job is to review books. Many of them reading books from popular trends on TikTok, otherwise known as booktok.
Often times these books lean more YA with heavy a romantic plot. This is a genre I don't particularly read anymore so I usually skip past the books.
But one day as I was walking through the aisles of Barnes and Noble to find the latest Holly Jackson novel(the only one I told myself I was allowed to buy), I saw the last copy of Divine Rivals. I'd always thought the cover was beautiful when the booktokers raved of the book but never really listened to what the novel was about. So, without hesitating I scooped it up, along with a few others(oops), and made my way home to read it.
Overview of Divine Rivals
Iris was always meant to write, but she isn't so sure when her brother is sent off to war to fight for the Gods while her mother turns towards alcoholism. What's worse her rival at Oath Gazette, Roman Kitt, keeps getting all the stories. While fighting to become the next best columnist, Iris becomes enamored with a mystery man after she realizes their typewriters are somehow connected. Knowing she must make a change she sets off to war as a news correspondent to find her missing brother, but all that may change when who other than Roman Kitt shows up wearing the same badge.
The Cons of Divine Rivals
· Execution of Plot
The first half of the book was fantastic as you dive into the world and get to know the characters, but once Iris sets off to the front lines it seems like the plot unravels. It was a little disheartening since the beginning was so well done. It seemed as if the author was trying to hit certain writing beats but came up short.
· Keeping Characters Consistent
I understand characters have to go through some sort of arch, but the main character Iris was all over the place. One second she was strong and determined but then the next second couldn't make up her mind. It made liking her unbearable and hard to read-something you don't want in a main character.
· Voice and Writing Style
I'm not sure what happened but the first half of the book was detailed and had great dialogue as well as character-building. But then, it was like a new author took over the story. The voice went downhill and scenes were placed in weird areas or not expanded on enough. It was as if the author only wanted to write the good(fun) scenes and skip the more mundane actions a novel usually needs to push it forward.
· Characters Writing
This book really focuses on writing as the main characters work for the newspaper along with the letters between Iris and the mystery man. Even Roman Kirt talks about how well he and Iris write captivating not only the readers, but themselves.
Yet, we don't see a single newspaper article(only a partial) that backs up the claims. Even the letters written to each other on the typewriter seem text message like and lack any true writing skills. It would have been nice for the author to include those so you really see the traits of the characters come to life. Definitely a miss.
· Timeline
Timeline is my biggest pet peeve in novels. The plot is always sped up making it unrealistic. This was the case for Divine Rivals. Iris goes to war, decides the people she is staying with as her found family, and then suddenly gets married. All in a matter of three to four weeks. The author was trying to fit too many ideas into a short span of time and it did not work.
The Pros of Divine Rivals
· Unique Premise
Overall, Divine Rivals has a very unique storyline where Gods are waring against each other in a human world. A magical system is also implemented bringing the story to another level on top of the plot.
· Easy to Read
With this book being an YA novel, the reading is easy to follow with the text at an eighth-grade reading level. The text leaned on the larger side and the chapters were broken up into smaller chunks.
· Dialogue
The dialogue seemed very real making the characters more charming. The banter and sass at the beginning of the book between the rivals really makes the reader want to keep reading. The dialogue is the best part of the entire book and something I looked forward to rather than the descriptive scenes.
· The Gods
Like I mentioned in the other section about the premise, there are two Gods warring against each other. Using humans to their advantage to fight you see some of the different fighting styles against each other. You don't see them in person until the end but what you hear about them keeps you intrigued.
· Background Information
Instead of a large section of the story dedicated to the background of the characters or the gods you see it scattered through a series of letters between the mystery man and Iris. The unveiling of information is done at the right times and keeps the book moving forward.
Overall Review Summary
It has been a long time since I've had so many cons compared to pros in a book review. But I do believe Divine Rivals deserves them. Booktok did it again, hyping up a book that reallly doesn't deserve it...ouch!
Even though the premise and the overall idea is fantastic and unique the author missed the mark in several places, especially towards the end.
The main character's inner thoughts tried to be deep and meaningful but came off as trying to be deep and meaningful.
The dialogue was great and had sass and banter I would hear in real life which was fresh and exciting. Something I wish the author had more of in the book.
The cover is lovely though and something I would like to display on the bookshelf. I won't be reading the next one in the series as I don't really care what happens to the characters even though the war between the Gods is intriguing.
Overall, I would give this 2.5 stars out of 5.
Tell me in the comments below the last booktok book you read. If you are wanting 5-star read, I highly suggest checking out my reviews for AGGGTM, Once There Were Wolves, or Where the Crawdads Sing.
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