“Divine Rivals” is a novel nominated for the Iowa High School Book Awards. It’s a thrilling fantasy with romance and mystery. Book cover for Divine Rivals by Rebecca Ross (2023). © Wednesday Books. Used under fair use for review purposes.

“Divine Rivals” is an engaging novel about a young girl named Iris Winnow and her journey as a journalist while struggling with the disappearance of her brother Forest and the slow downward spiral of her mom.

Nominated by Librarians in Iowa, “Divine Rivals” has been selected for the Iowa High School Book Award (IHSBA) this year.

IHSBA is voted on by high school students all across Iowa, and “Divine Rivals” is only one of the twelve amazing books for this school year. Voting only requires you to have read one of the nominated novels by March 2026.

The mystery of what happened to Forest is launched immediately, and it inspires numerous questions before it feels like the book has begun.

Ross writes, “It was a small piece of paper, folded crookedly, with a vein of typed words. Iris couldn’t resist smiling, even as her heart ached. She read: Just in case you didn’t know…you are by far the best sister I’ve ever had. I’m so proud of you. And I’ll be home before you know it, Little Flower.”

The note Iris finds in her brother’s coat pocket very clearly expresses his knowledge and intent to leave, yet no reason for where or why. This early initiation of tension sustains the plot even as it grows away from Forest.

“‘I’ve noticed that your writing hasn’t been as sharp lately. It’s been quite messy, in fact. Is there something going on at home, Winnow?’ ‘No, sir,’ she answered too swiftly. He regarded her, one eye smaller than the other. ‘How old are you again?’ ‘Eighteen’ ‘You dropped out of school this winter, didn’t you?’” writes Ross.

This conversation with her boss at the Oath gazette, a newspaper, is enlightening to many aspects of this story. For example, the desire not to be seen as weak is clear in Iris’s quick responses.

I really like how much Ross packs into each sentence. Not only are they beautifully written, but they are poetic because of the meaning they carry. Not only do they show how the characters feel, but they’re intriguing.

“Her thoughts drifted to the gods’ war. It was inevitable; the war always seemed to simmer at the back of her mind, even if it was raging six hundred kilometers west of Oath,” wrote Ross.

This excerpt introduces another plot, but instead of the many storylines feeling overwhelming, Ross unlocks our curiosity as a reader with her elegant word choices. We want to know why it was inevitable and how often Iris truly thinks about the war. What does she mean by “simmers”?

It’s not just a random word selection. Ross is foreshadowing how Iris’s interest in the war will eventually reach a boiling point. Meanwhile, Roman Kitt is competing with Iris for a promotion at the Oath Gazette. It seems as though every word is there to show Iris’s negative interpretation of Roman’s actions.

Ross writes this interaction of Iris reading Roman’s paper, “‘See something you like?’ Roman’s haughty voice broke the spell. Iris had startled, crumpling the paper in her hands. But he knew exactly what she had been reading, and he was smug about it.”

There are many plot lines to balance, and Ross is very smart in the way she spreads out the information and gradually informs the reader. The rivalry with Roman is important when Iris writes her frustrations about her brother’s absence and shoves it in her wardrobe.

Ross writes, “To her amazement, the letter had been gone the next day, as if the shadows had eaten it.”

First of all, the description in these limited words alone is just perfect. The way she writes easily grabs the reader’s attention, which is especially important here because this part is yet another mystery on top of the three or four already in play.

“This isn’t Forest,” Is all that’s written on the note that appears on her floor as Iris is falling asleep.

Thanks to the third-person perspective, Ross doesn’t leave this new question hanging in the air for very long. Ross cleverly switches to Roman’s perspective, writing, “Roman was reading in bed when the paper arrived.”

Roman and Iris can somehow send letters to each other through their wardrobes. However, the tension is intensified because Roman knows the letters are from Iris, yet she doesn’t know they are from him.

Ross writes, “But just in case you were wondering…I’ll gladly read whatever you write.” In a letter from Roman.

The irony used by Ross is the perfect tool to hook readers. Iris writes to this mystery person kindly and begins to enjoy their conversation while simultaneously hating and working against Roman at the Gazette, who she doesn’t realize is the same person.

The tension between Iris and Roman builds so effortlessly in her writing that it morphs the irony into what feels like fate. This destiny or higher power feeling in her writing accentuates the frustration because we’re waiting for Iris to realize that Roman cares about her.

In conclusion, this book gets a 9/10 for its delicate writing style, an almost effortless feeling to the balancing of plots, and the ability to invoke the dissatisfaction that keeps the reader hooked.