Ruthless Vows

The epic conclusion to the intensely romantic and beautifully written story that started in Divine Rivals.

Two weeks have passed since Iris Winnow returned home bruised and heartbroken from the front, but the war is far from over. Roman is missing, and the city of Oath continues to dwell in a state of disbelief and ignorance. When Iris and Attie are given another chance to report on Dacre’s movements, they both take the opportunity and head westward once more despite the danger, knowing it’s only a matter of time before the conflict reaches a city that’s unprepared and fracturing beneath the chancellor’s reign.

Since waking below in Dacre’s realm, Roman cannot remember his past. But given the reassurance that his memories will return in time, Roman begins to write articles for Dacre, uncertain of his place in the greater scheme of the war. When a strange letter arrives by wardrobe door, Roman is first suspicious, then intrigued. As he strikes up a correspondence with his mysterious pen pal, Roman will soon have to make a decision: to stand with Dacre or betray the god who healed him. And as the days grow darker, inevitably drawing Roman and Iris closer together…the two of them will risk their very hearts and futures to change the tides of the war.

Genres

Young Adult Romance

Fantasy

432 pages, Hardcover

First published December 26, 2023

Average Goodreads Rating - 4.22

My Verdict

I liked the human side of the war and it's impact in the first novel (Divine Rivals). This one is quite a bit more fantastical. Its war and battle scenes are more connected to the magic of the gods and the story includes things like mind control, murderous supernatural creatures, and literal doorways to the underworld. The gods, Enva and Dacre, are not really compelling characters and the other characters are just much more interesting to me. Maybe this is a lack of world building in the first novel. In my opinion, the story is most compelling when it focuses on the human aspect of war: the things desperate people are willing to sacrifice to save themselves. Most of the heart of this story is focused on the relationship of Roman and Iris and that is still a strength in this sequel. This results in this sequel maintaining its status as a very good young adult fantasy novel. The issues with world building keep it from being a 5 star read for me, but I give it a solid 4.5 stars.