Wild Reverence book review

Wild Reverence by Rebecca Ross
on September 2, 2025
Pages: 544
Goodreads

Blockbuster bestseller Rebecca Ross returns to the world of international sensation Divine Rivals with her most epic story yet.Before Iris sat at her typewriter and before Enva sang her song, a young goddess wandered dreams…
Born to the firelit domain of the underworld, Matilda is the youngest goddess of her clan, blessed with humble messenger magic. But in a land where gods kill each other for magic, Matilda must come of age sooner than most. She may be known to carry letters through the realms, but she also carries secrets of her one of them deadly, the other a mortal boy who dreams of her, despite the fact they have never met…
Ten years ago, Vincent of Beckett wrote to Matilda on the darkest night of his life – begging the goddess he befriended in dreams for aid. But his prayer went unanswered, forever hardening his heart against the gods. That is until the same goddess comes tumbling through his window, bearing a letter to change both their destinies. For Matilda and Vincent are tangled together by threads of fate and the promise of a future beyond dreams, one that might rewrite the dark, blood-soaked ways of the gods…or end them.

I’m a huge fan of the Divine Rivals duology, so I was beyond excited when they announced Wild Reverence! This series has some of my all-time favorite mythology. I love the magic system, and I couldn’t get enough of the idea of gods dealing with their own internal politics. The background and worldbuilding in this story felt unbeatable to me, and honestly, I’m just sad it’s over.

The story follows Matilda, a god with limited power, born to the underworld but carrying Skyward blood, which leaves her belonging to neither realm. Alongside her is Vincent of Beckett, a young lord who writes letters to a girl he has only ever seen in his dreams. When their worlds collide, they make and break promises and oaths, and both face an uncertain future.

The beauty of Wild Reverence lies in how it includes just enough of the Divine Rivals duology to feel cohesive without ever slipping into retelling or gimmick territory. I really enjoyed gaining deeper insight into the world of the gods before Dacre went on his rampage, as well as seeing the beginnings of Enva’s arc and the role she plays. That said, a few moments felt slow, and I found myself wishing the story lingered more on the scenes I wanted most.

I enjoyed Matilda as a character, but I did wonder whether her story was the most interesting to tell. I would have loved to hear more from the God of War or the Matriarchs. There is definitely scope for more stories to come out of this world. What I did enjoy was that although Matilda didn’t really belong anywhere she still forged her own path. Her understanding of oaths and promises built Wild Reverence into a myth and legend.

The overarching love story needed a little more fleshing out in my opinion. There needed to be a choice as to whether we were focusing on the romance or the politics. Because it tried to do both I think the romance suffered. There wasn’t a huge amount holding the characters together. I’m still not sure why they fell in love, but that did not make the ending any less devastating. What this book would have really thrived on would have been more quiet moments. Moments where they could almost learn about each other in silence rather the panic of the world around them. But we can’t have everything.

Overall this book was a great read, it kept my attention, I loved revisiting the myths and legends. The magic system was well thought out and fleshed out Divine Rivals in a brilliant way. I am hoping that there will be more books coming about the other characters and the world they come from. Plus I would love to see how Dacre overcomes the obvious obstacles and takes over the Underworld.

So many thoughts.