Wild Reverence by Rebecca Ross
Wild Reverence by Rebecca Ross
I was so disappointed when this book ended because I was enjoying it so much and wanted more! I spent the entire book thinking it was a part of a duology and found out in the last few pages that it was only a stand-alone and oh man that was rough.
Rebecca Ross once again wrote a fantastic story of magic and gods. Earlier this year, I read “A River Enchanted” and “A Fire Endless” and fell in love with the characters and story and was excited to read this book once it was announced. I really enjoyed that this story was partially narrated by Matilda, a young goddess who was learning her place among the gods and how to survive their cruel and power hungry ways. Ross gave us insight to several different gods, not just glossing over them, to give a rich story full of politics and distrust that made for such a compelling and intriguing plot. Matilda is a herald, destined to run messages between realms and thus not a threat to other gods, however there may be something more to her… The other POV was from Vincent, a mortal that is tied into Matilda’s fate and had Matilda questioning certain things about the gods’ existence as he no longer wants to worship the gods. I enjoyed the back and forth, getting their inner thoughts and how they were entwined.
As much as I enjoyed this story, I do wish it had been a duology or longer in order to go into more depth with some of the gods and the ten years that passed early on. I think it would have made the story richer and I understand why it was a standalone, but I would have happily enjoyed a larger book to get this. Especially the end of the book, no spoilers, but it did feel a bit abrupt after everything and I felt the characters deserved more explanation at that point or just a few more scenes of their lives then.
It was also interesting how this book tied into her other duology, “Divine Rivals” but as I didn’t like those books quite as much, I don’t think I appreciated as much as other readers will. It was a clever tie in, but I was more intrigued by these new characters so I wasn’t as excited.
Overall, this was definitely a fantasy story I’d recommend. It is a good mix of dark moments from power hungry gods and humans mixed with romance, friendship and finding your way.
Thank you to NetGalley for the arc.
Synopsis:
Born in the firelit domain of the under realm, Matilda is the youngest goddess of her clan, blessed with humble messenger magic. But in a land where gods often kill each other to steal power and alliances break as quickly as they are forged, Matilda must come of age sooner than most. She may be known to carry words and letters through the realms, but she holds a secret she must hide from even her dearest of allies to ensure her survival. And to complicate matters . . . there is a mortal boy who dreams of her, despite the fact they have never met in the waking world.
Ten years ago, Vincent of Beckett wrote to Matilda on the darkest night of his life―begging the goddess he befriended in dreams to help him. When his request went unanswered, Vincent moved on, becoming the hardened, irreverent lord of the river who has long forgotten Matilda. That is, until she comes tumbling into his bedroom window with a letter for him.
As Fate would have it, Matilda and Vincent were destined to find each other beyond dreams. There may be a chance for Matilda to rewrite the blood-soaked ways of the gods, but at immense sacrifice. She will have to face something she fears even more than losing her magic: to be vulnerable, and to allow herself to finally be loved.