Listen free for 30 days

Listen with offer

$0.00 for first 30 days

Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection - including bestsellers and new releases.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, celeb exclusives, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
£7.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.
Divine Rivals cover art

Divine Rivals

By: Rebecca Ross
Narrated by: Alex Wingfield, Rebecca Norfolk
Try for £0.00

£7.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

Buy Now for £12.99

Buy Now for £12.99

Pay using card ending in
By completing your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and authorise Audible to charge your designated card or any other card on file. Please see our Privacy Notice, Cookies Notice and Interest-based Ads Notice.
activate_primeday_promo_in_buybox_DT

Listeners also enjoyed...

Threadneedle cover art
Flawless cover art
Fourth Wing cover art
From Blood and Ash cover art
The Assassin's Blade cover art
A Shadow in the Ember cover art
A Curse So Dark and Lonely cover art
House of Earth and Blood cover art
A Court of Thorns and Roses (Part 2 of 2) (Dramatized Adaptation) cover art
The Cryptographer's Dilemma cover art
The Garden of Lost Secrets cover art
The Last Heir to Blackwood Library cover art
Half in Shadow cover art
What She Lost cover art
Timekeeper cover art
The Wandering Inn cover art

Summary

NO GOD

NO CREATURE

NO WAR

CAN COME BETWEEN THEM

The epic enemies-to-lovers fantasy novel filled with hope and heartbreak from number one SUNDAY TIMES bestseller Rebecca Ross

Eighteen-year-old Iris dreams that one day her writing will make a difference. A war between gods is raging, and she’s landed a prestigious job at the Oath Gazette.

But at home, she’s barely holding it together. Her brother is missing on the frontline. Her mother is lost in a haze of addiction. And each night Iris pours her heart out in letters to her brother.

Letters that will never be answered. Or so she thinks…

They’ve made their way into the hands of the last person Iris trusts: Roman Kitt. Her cold, unforgiving rival at the paper.

Drawn together by fate and magic, they form an unlikely connection. They say love conquers all… but can it triumph in a war between gods?

©2023 Rebecca Ross (P)2023 HarperCollins Publishers Limited

Critic reviews

“Rich and romantic – if stories had scent, this one would smell like a mug of black tea, the ink ribbons of a typewriter, and that addictive spice called enemies to lovers." (Shelby Mahurin, New York Times bestselling author of Serpent & Dove)

"A sweeping start to a beautiful and romantic new series. Ross weaves her stories in such a vulnerable and delicate way, truly with a style all her own. I adored this book." (Adalyn Grace, New York Times bestselling author of Belladonna)

What listeners say about Divine Rivals

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    164
  • 4 Stars
    78
  • 3 Stars
    33
  • 2 Stars
    8
  • 1 Stars
    1
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    176
  • 4 Stars
    57
  • 3 Stars
    20
  • 2 Stars
    3
  • 1 Stars
    2
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    154
  • 4 Stars
    66
  • 3 Stars
    29
  • 2 Stars
    6
  • 1 Stars
    3

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Mesmerisingly Enjoyable

The narrators did an incredible job of bringing this beautiful story to life. The author’s writing was sublime (anyone who’s read the book will get this reference!!). Romantic, mournful and utterly hopeful. I cannot wait for the sequel. One of my favourite reads of 2023.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Beautifully written

The story was performed very well, probably the best performance I've listened to this year. I loved the time period the story was set in and I very much enjoyed the relationship between Marisol, Iris and Attie. I did feel the love story was oddly rushed, it went from zero to full love too quickly for me. The twist with the Brother I guessed from the start of the book and therefore was a tad disappointing. Overall, whilst the book was beautifully written (the language and the imagery was stunning) I felt the story a little slow and did not find the love story credible.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

The story

The story
And characters
The rival love iris and rowan had and the letters they wrote to each other

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Phenomenal- simply phenomenal

I can be quite a fussy reader when it comes to fantasy, and I wasn’t sure about this book at first, but I was so hooked by the premise that I couldn’t resist- and it was 100% worth it.

Easily one of my favourite books, ever. The world building is incredibly unique, with an intriguing history and magic system. The characters are so beautifully written and realistic, flawed so that they aren’t perfect and boring, but very much characters that you can root for. The actual writing itself is just beautiful too, it’s a stunning display of craftsmanship. I might buy the physical copy just so that i can more easily annotate it. It’s poetic, but simple and easy, not overdone. The narrators are also brilliant, some of the best narrators I have heard.

I definitely recommend this book, it’s amazing in every single way! <3

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars
  • BW
  • 02-05-23

WW1 meets dark ancient gods !

A really fantastic YA fantasy set in an Edwardian style world with a world at war fighting for powerful gods who are tearing the world apart. This follows two Rival reporters with magical typewriters, a potential romance and the horrors of war.
I really really enjoyed this, Iris and Roman were great characters to follow, rivals who "dislike" each other but yet have this sorta buddy cop frenemies sorta feel. I like the way the book also handle trauma in the leads lives, one from the past and one more recent that allows them to grow together via magical correspondence. I also really enjoyed the side cast we get introduced to once the war takes centre stage, and I love the whole "WW1 with magic" aesthetic, it kinda reminded me of something like Valkyria Chronicles in a good way.
That being said my only slight issue is how quickly the romance escalates, some of the end events I felt happened a little too soon, that being said they were also on the front line not knowing how long theyd last so I can understand it.
One big plus I liked about the world building was highlighted the men and women fighting on the frontlines, we got brief moments with soldiers but each felt like little vignette characters who felt wholly real.
I'd say this a perfect read for anyone who enjoyed Tara Sim's Timekeeper trilogy or Libba Brays Diviners Series.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

'audible hopes you enjoyed this program' me: still sobbing

Really special and different, makes you feel every emotion. Best book I've read this year.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

My favourite book this year!

This book had me in a chokehold. I absolutely loved it. The romance was so sweet, the writing was beautiful and I cannot wait for the next book.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Started good, ended poorly.

A nice story and great concept. I did finish it but it needs some serious world/lore building. A few odd character choices. The narrator had a wonderful voice but could have added some emotion at key points; not monotone but lacking emotion.
The ending wasn’t great, the epilogue scraped it back a bit but not totally.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Beautiful book!

This was one of my favourite books of the year and wonderfully read! The performances were amazing and I was thoroughly engaged the whole way through.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

So good!

I devoured this audio book in 2 days - the story was so gripping & excellently performed by the narrators. Would recommend highly!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!