Books Like Divine Rivals
If you finished Divine Rivals and want more enemies to lovers, slow burn, gods and mythology, start here. Each pick shares at least two tropes with it, and we've rated every one for spice and darkness so you know what you're getting into.
For reference, Divine Rivals is:
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The picks
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1. Belladonna
Shares: slow burn, gods and mythology
Signa can't die, which is how she ends up orphaned at a gloomy Victorian estate where a ghost wants her to solve her own poisoning. Her love interest is Death himself, mostly in shadow form. Cozy-spooky and very October.
- Forbidden Love
- Slow Burn
- Gods and Mythology
Content warnings
Murder, Death of a loved one
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2. A River Enchanted
Shares: slow burn, enemies to lovers
Jack Tamerlaine comes home to the isle of Cadence after ten years away to help find missing girls, called back by the heiress who used to torment him. The island's spirits of wind, water and earth are the Fair Folk in all but name. Quiet and atmospheric.
- Slow Burn
- Enemies to Lovers
- Fae
Content warnings
Kidnapping, Death of a loved one
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3. Daughter of the Moon Goddess
Shares: gods and mythology, slow burn
Xingyin, the moon goddess Chang'e's secret daughter, flees the moon and ends up training as an archer beside the Celestial crown prince. Lush and episodic, pulled from Chinese myth. The middle drags a bit and the love triangle stays mild.
- Gods and Mythology
- Love Triangle
- Slow Burn
- Court Intrigue
Content warnings
War, Graphic violence
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4. Gods of Jade and Shadow
Shares: gods and mythology, slow burn
Casiopea scrubs floors for her awful grandfather in 1920s Mexico until she opens an old chest and frees Hun-Kamé, the Maya god of death. They road-trip to get his throne back. More fable than romance, with a bittersweet ending.
- Gods and Mythology
- Forbidden Love
- Slow Burn
- Forced Proximity
Content warnings
Physical or emotional abuse, Graphic violence
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5. Kingdom of the Wicked
Shares: enemies to lovers, slow burn
Sicilian witch summons a prince of hell to find out who killed her twin. Wrath is the best part, and the spice goes up a lot in book two.
- Witches
- Demons
- Enemies to Lovers
- Revenge
Content warnings
Murder, Gore, Death of a loved one
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6. Sorcery of Thorns
Shares: enemies to lovers, slow burn
Elisabeth grew up in a library where grimoires growl and turn into monsters if you damage them. When one gets loose, she's stuck with Nathaniel, a snarky sorcerer, and Silas, his demon servant, who steals every scene. Cozy and creepy at once.
- Demons
- Enemies to Lovers
- Slow Burn
- Forced Proximity
Content warnings
Murder, Graphic violence, Death of a loved one
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7. A Broken Blade
Shares: enemies to lovers, slow burn
Keera is the King's Blade, a half-fae spy who drinks to forget what she's done for a human king. Hunting a rebel called the Shadow drags her back toward the fae lands she abandoned. Indigenous-inspired and slower than the hype. Readers rate the first two books highest.
- Assassins
- Fae
- Court Intrigue
- Enemies to Lovers
Content warnings
Self-harm, Suicide or suicidal thoughts, Drug or alcohol abuse, Murder, Sexual assault
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8. A Dawn of Onyx
Shares: enemies to lovers, slow burn
A healer gets caught fleeing her village and ends up working in the enemy king's castle, and yes, the brooding commander is more than he looks. If you've read ACOTAR, you'll know exactly where this is going, and that's sort of the point.
- Captor and Captive
- Enemies to Lovers
- Forced Proximity
- Slow Burn
Content warnings
War, Graphic violence
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9. A Promise of Fire
Shares: gods and mythology, enemies to lovers
Cat is a soothsayer hiding in a traveling circus until Griffin, a warlord, figures out what she can do and carries her off. The Greek gods meddle constantly. Banter-heavy and steamy, and Griffin is an alpha who actually listens.
- Gods and Mythology
- Captor and Captive
- Enemies to Lovers
- Forced Proximity
Content warnings
Kidnapping, Graphic violence, Physical or emotional abuse
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10. Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries
Shares: slow burn, enemies to lovers
Emily is a prickly Cambridge professor who goes to a frozen northern village to study the local Folk, and her charming, lazy rival Wendell Bambleby invites himself along. Told through her field journal. Cozy and very funny, with real faerie menace underneath.
- Fae
- Slow Burn
- Enemies to Lovers
- Deals and Bargains
Content warnings
Kidnapping
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11. Losing Wendy
Shares: enemies to lovers, slow burn
Peter Pan retold as a mystery, with Wendy Darling, winged fae, mating marks and something killing in Neverland. Enemies to lovers on a very slow fuse. Darker than the premise sounds, and not everyone liked where it takes Wendy.
- Fairy Tale Retellings
- Fae
- Fated Mates
- Enemies to Lovers
Content warnings
Murder, Graphic violence
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12. The Bridge Kingdom
Shares: enemies to lovers, slow burn
Raised to be a spy, married off to the enemy king she's supposed to destroy. Tight and fast. Great if you like your heroine competent and in over her head.
- Arranged Marriage
- Enemies to Lovers
- Assassins
- Court Intrigue
Content warnings
Graphic violence, War, Physical or emotional abuse
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13. The Hurricane Wars
Shares: enemies to lovers, slow burn
Talasyn is a soldier on the losing side of a war, and Alaric is the shadow-wielding prince of the empire that's winning. Their magic works best together, which neither of them likes. It started as Star Wars fanfic and still feels like it, for better or worse.
- Enemies to Lovers
- Forced Proximity
- Slow Burn
- Morally Gray
Content warnings
War, Graphic violence, Physical or emotional abuse, Death of a loved one
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14. A Fate Inked in Blood
Shares: gods and mythology, slow burn
Viking romantasy. Freya is a shield maiden with a prophecy on her head and a jarl's son who is very much not her husband. Feels like Vikings meets a political chess game.
- Gods and Mythology
- Slow Burn
- Forbidden Love
- Court Intrigue
Content warnings
War, Graphic violence, Physical or emotional abuse
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15. Gild
Shares: slow burn, enemies to lovers
Auren is King Midas's gilded favorite, living in an actual birdcage and calling it love. Then raiders grab her on the road and a fae commander named Rip becomes her problem. Gild is slow and mostly setup. Glint is where the series takes off.
- Captor and Captive
- Fae
- Slow Burn
- Morally Gray
Content warnings
Sexual assault, Human trafficking, Physical or emotional abuse, Kidnapping, Murder
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