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.
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.
Title: Wild Reverence (Letters of Enchantment #0)
Author: Rebecca Ross
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Expected Publication Date: September 2, 2025
Review:
Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for providing me with a copy of this title to read and give my honest review. The opinions expressed here are my own.
I was really looking forward to this book. I enjoyed The Letter's of Enchantment duology. I figured this book would be a good background to the duology since it's a dive into the Gods we heard so much about during that story. Unfortunately, it just was not for me. I ended up DNFing the book due to it being super slow and me not feeling any draw to pick it up and read it.
I do like Ross's writing. It is lyrical and flows well. It's almost poetic. But I just don't think her story telling for this particular tale gave me the hook I needed to continue to be invested in the characters. I didn't feel any draw to Matilda or Vincent. I didn't care about their story or their relationship. I didn't feel the romance. And I didn't connect with either of them at all. I felt like there was hardly any development.
The pacing of this book left something to be desired. It felt like it dragged most of the time. The story was so dense. And the jump from the younger Matilda and Vincent to the older just seemed like too much of a time leap for me. And I needed a bit more world building. I felt like I was thrown in and left to gather the pieces on my own.
There was a lot of telling in this book, as well. I wanted to see what was going on and the writing didn't allow me to picture anything that was happening in my head. It felt tedious and dense, like I was trudging through very thick mud with no end in sight. And I was often lost with what was even happening in the storyline.
If someone comes into this one having not read the duology, I think it might actually be more enjoyable. It has a Greek mythology feel to it. But coming in and comparing it to those ruined it for me. I struggled to get swept up in it as I did with the others. I could not possibly continue on to finish a 550 page book when I was absolutely not sucked into the story.
Author:
Rebecca Ross is the #1 New York Times and Sunday Times bestselling author of fantasy books for teens and adults.
She has written multiple highly acclaimed duologies, including LETTERS OF ENCHANTMENT, ELEMENTS OF CADENCE, and THE QUEEN’S RISING as well as two standalone novels: DREAMS LIE BENEATH and SISTERS OF SWORD & SONG.
When not writing, she can be found in her garden where she plants wildflowers and story ideas. She resides in Northeast Georgia with her husband and her dog. Find her on Instagram @beccajross or online at www.rebeccarossauthor.com.
Rebecca is represented by Suzie Townsend of New Leaf Literary & Media.
She has written multiple highly acclaimed duologies, including LETTERS OF ENCHANTMENT, ELEMENTS OF CADENCE, and THE QUEEN’S RISING as well as two standalone novels: DREAMS LIE BENEATH and SISTERS OF SWORD & SONG.
When not writing, she can be found in her garden where she plants wildflowers and story ideas. She resides in Northeast Georgia with her husband and her dog. Find her on Instagram @beccajross or online at www.rebeccarossauthor.com.
Rebecca is represented by Suzie Townsend of New Leaf Literary & Media.
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