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Reviewed by: Lisa Rice, Middle School Librarian Title: Ruthless Vows
Author: Rebecca Ross
Publisher: Wednesday Books
Year: 2023 Series: Book 2 (and final book) of the Letters of Enchantment duology Good for Grades: 8-12 Genre/Type of Book: YA fantasy, romance, magical realism
Content Warnings, or things that other School Librarians should be aware of: war themes, violence, grief, implied sex
Recommended for a school library: Yes Reason(s) for choosing the book: I was looking forward to the second and final book of the Letters of Enchantment series.
If you were tasked by the publisher with writing a short quote for the back cover of this book, what would it be:
"Despite our mundane lives, maybe we make our own magic with words."
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Review:
I really enjoyed Divine Rivals, the first book in the duology, and was excited to see how the story of Iris and Roman and the war between Enva and Dacre plays out. Ruthless Vows picks up where the last book ended and is told by alternating points of view by Roamn and Iris, as the last book did. The war between Enva and Dacre is still going strong, Roman is still missing, and Iris has gone back to Oath and is continuing on as normal.
I was surprised that, with her new husband missing, Iris would go back home to Oath and leave Roman behind. We find out that Roman is being forced to write for Dacre and cannot remember his past. I was excited when a strange letter arrived for Roman under the wardrobe door, one of my favorite parts of the first book.
I hate when the main characters that are in a relationship are kept apart for long periods of time, but Rebecca Ross finds a way to keep them connected even when they are apart. The romantic letter writing that started in the first book continues in this book and it is just as lovely. With both books, I loved the "You've Got Mail" vibe. I wasn't sure why Roman was not allowed to have his typewriter, but I was glad they had a way to bring a little of that magic back again.
I was hoping to learn more about the relationship between Enva and Dacre in this book. There seems to be quite the story there, but it is only alluded to and never fully explained. There isn't as much about Enva in this book as I would have liked, and the main focus seems to be on Dacre. I would like to see their story as a spin-off.
I love Rebecca Ross' writing style and I love the romantic letter writing, and yet I didn't like this book as much as the first (although still a fun read!). I hope any student reading these two books takes up letter writing again, and that it encourages someone to write.
I wish the book were more Iris and Roman and less war. That said, it is still a fun and easy read that will appeal to upper middle school and high school grade levels. If students read the first book, I think they will want to read the conclusion to the duology. It shows the power of connection, and the human side of war and the impact war has on human life. It shows strength of community bonds, and how the connections we've made can get us through the hard times. It discusses class division among the residents of the town, and questions, will war and hatred ever end?
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