Fluff, Fantasy, and Cocktails is an NC-based women’s book club that formed in 2019. We read books in the Fantasy genre including paranormal, mystery, romance, etc. And Fluffy fun books, like cozy fantasy and feel-good lighter reads.
This time around we read The Ruptured Sky by Jessica A McMinn. Full disclosure, there are going to be loads of spoilers in our thoughts. So if you haven’t read The Ruptured Sky yet, close this window now.
Let’s talk characters
Kio
When we meet Kio he is a broken man. His wife died in childbirth, and his lover Rei-Ha is many miles away, barely able to keep in contact with him any longer. He feels isolated and alone. With the death of his wife, he is no longer king and has been set aside for a chancellor. His father is too ill to hold the throne, and without a wife, Kio is blocked from it. But his grief is too cavernous. Marriage is furthest from his mind. He has sunk so far into his depression that he drinks his day away and pays no mind to the people he should be helping with his place on the council.
It was depressing seeing how much Kio complains about what happens around him, yet does absolutely nothing to change it. And when he does decide to finally try and make amends, it is far far too late. Kio’s final descent occurs when he is invited to a treaty with Prince Reminas. A manipulative and brutal man, Reminas’ past with Kio is riddled with cruelty. But we all knew Kio wasn't going to be successful. He has to be drunk just to function, and he even made sure to have a drink before his assassination attempt.
Kio needs to make some serious changes in his life if he wants to amount to anything, let alone be a king. When we leave him off in The Ruptured Sky, he is at his lowest point. Starved, and tortured by Reminas. Forced to endure the death of his mother, whom he pushed away for years in his grief, and a steward boy he may have eventually called a friend. Responsible for their deaths due to his actions, he is drowning in sorrow. Is there actual hope for him?
Amika
Amika is a runaway princess. Having discovered magic at a young age, her father disowned her. However, when we find out Amika was going to be married off to Reminas, we can’t really blame her for leaving. We highly doubt her father would have been supportive at all when Reminas' true side came out.
Amika is well into her life outside of the palace when the story circles back to her point of view. And while she could have learned some amount of arms training during her time as a princess, we would love to know more about her story when she left. What were the challenges she faced? How did she become a confident and well known demon hunter?
Rei-Ha
Hands down the favorite of our book club! Given what Rei-Ha endured at the hands of his own father, and from the Tower’s teachings, he is the most mature of the characters. He also has a snide sense of humor and a quick wit. He has amazing chemistry with Amika, and if he weren’t in love with Kio we would match him with Amika. The two make a great team and form a strong bond.
Rei-Ha is such a complex character. Not only is his past riddled with trauma, but his very body betrays him, trying to transform into a demon. As a Siephymn, it is only a matter of time before he turns into a demon. Yet we can see with whatever time he has left, he’ll do what he can to return to Kio and reunite Amika with him. Rei-Ha’s fate adds an edge of tension as we watch our favorite character fight against his nature.
Kriah
Kriah is such a sheltered innocent character. Raised on lies about his past and his part to play in the prophecy. His only interactions are with his grandfather Greist’hal (Gray). The one time he attempted to make a friend of traveling nomads, Gray murdered the boy Kriah brought home. And in fear of it ever happening again, Kriah stopped trying to make friends. We realized he was experiencing a form of Stockholm syndrome as we learned more about the family he was taken from.
It was heart wrenching when we learned Kriah never experienced affectionate physical contact. No hugs, no pats on the back, nothing. Traveling with Amika and Rei-Ha is his first time being treated as a person instead of an object. Kriah has a lot to learn about the world and how to interact with the people in it. And it isn’t going to be easy for him.
Greist’hal (Gray)
Oh, the nasty things we can say about this character. The amount of disregard he has for anyone, even his own family is horrendous. He was written to be so obsessed with the prophecy that he sacrifices anyone he has to in order to see it fulfilled. He has no emotional connection whatsoever to his grandson Kriah. To Gray, Kriah is just another piece of the prophecy that had to be created and used. There is no redeeming this character in our eyes. Kriah deserved to have a much better life than he had living with Gray.
And it isn’t just Kriah he treats as an object. He is disdainful and looks down on everyone. He uses his magic to manipulate the minds of an entire crew of fishermen. It doesn’t matter to him that catching crabs out on the open sea is their only means of survival. And when their boat brings them to where he needs to go, that’s it, he discards them. We were not sad to see Gray go in the battle against Azet’haal. And we know he only protected Kraih to protect the prophecy.
Ultimate Showdown
We discussed who would win in a fight. Greist’hal or Prince Reminas. They are both manipulative, cruel, and cunning characters. Greist’hal definitely plays the long game, moving people into place to achieve his end goals. Whereas Reminas sees what he wants and hires whoever he needs to for it to be done. Greist’hal has the edge with magic, and his decades of experience, but Reminas isn’t present for his own deeds to be fulfilled. While we think it might take a while to chase Reminas down, Gray would ultimately win.
Overall Thoughts on The Ruptured Sky
This is a dark fantasy for sure as abandonment and trauma are common occurrences in The Ruptured Sky. Amika runs away from her duty as a princess and is also abandoned by her father. Kio abandons his duty as a Prince due to his grief. Rei-Ha was beaten as a child and then sold to the Tower. Kriah was stolen from his mother and his father was killed. Not to mention the trauma each character endures.
The Ruptured Sky is very much a novel that gives you pieces of information to put together and learn as the story progresses. Overall we would love to see future world-building and learn more of the inner workings of magic. As readers, we are learning about magic through Amika and Kriah, but there is so much more left to be discovered. And the demons! We’ve just scratched the surface of what they are. Not to mention the deities that are mentioned with the prophecy and the tear in the sky. We would love to know more backstory on some of the characters. They are all so complex and on their way through their personal journeys by the time we meet them.
And lastly, the villains of this story were written so well. As readers, you can’t help but despise Greist’hal and Prince Reminas.
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