Summary
Princess Amikharlia likes a fight.
Abandoning her homeland, she travels across the ruins of Whyt’hallen to take up the hunt against the mutated remnants of a magical war that killed the gods and tore the sky asunder.
But these vicious beasts are not the darkest shadow hanging over Amika’s life—it’s the forbidden magic she’s hidden since childhood … and what would happen if it were discovered.
On the trail of a dangerous mark, Amika uncovers a madman who is more than what he seems. He claims her unnatural gifts are prophesied to restore the goddess to her throne, protecting Whyt’hallen from those who seek to rule in her stead.
In return for her help, he offers her training—training that will allow her to control her powers before they control her. But following the prophecy means Amika must relinquish her hard-won liberty … and destroy the world in the process.
With a dark power rising in the east, threatening to enslave her people, Amika’s options grow ever slimmer. She must confront her unwillingness to walk the path of destiny’s design—or risk the rise of a malevolent new god.
But can she devastate Whyt’hallen in order to save it?
Review
Are you looking for a book with the classic beats of epic fantasy but with a fresh twist? Are you looking for something with the excitement of YA fantasy but with the depth of adult fantasy? Then look no further. The Ruptured Sky is all that, if not more.
The book starts with a prologue that shows our main characters in their adolescent years. Characters are quickly established. Amikharlia is the fiery princess, Kiokharen the cautious brother with his betrothed Moyna and Rei Hai the leader of the pack. It’s the same night Amika discovers her powers. The book then cuts to 10 years later. Amika is working as a demon hunter under a different name, in a different city. She gets a job to accompany a group of mercenaries to the forest nearby in search of a fabled Warlock. Things don’t go according to plan, Amika comes across a seemingly madman who’s talking of prophecies and the Goddess Miatha’s return. Will Amika listen to the ravings of an old man or will she take control of her destiny?
The book has multiple points of view. We see the events through Amika, Rei Hai, Kio and another person’s points of view. What I had expected to be a story about a chosen one turned out to be much more than that. Things are not always as it seems and Grey, the Meah Hyren is not without his own ambition. Everyone is hiding something from the others that will jeopardize everyone involved and that made the stakes higher.
The main characters had more depth than I was expecting at first. Despite the breakneck speed at which the plot advanced, we got enough quiet moments with the characters to feel for them. Kio’s grief and trying to find solace at the bottom of a glass, Rei Hai’s love for Kio and conflict about his very nature of being, Kriah trying to accept the truth about his family and role in the grand scheme of things to come, Amika and the guilt she feels for abandoning her family. These internal conflicts led to interesting character dynamics that made the reading experience richer.
Speaking of the plot, it’s primarily a plot heavy story with a speed high enough to leave you breathless. As I was just coming off a reading slump, the plot driven story worked wonders for me. I absolutely blitzed through the book in a couple of days despite being a slow reader and really enjoyed myself.
The only trouble I had with the book was the world building. There was a lot of infodumps which I usually don’t mind, but was disorienting in this case. Maybe it’s a result of the slump or the fact that I READ THIS DURING MY EXAMS might have contributed to the confusion… Here’s hoping it would get better in the next book.
The Ruptured Sky is a perfect book to bring you out of a reading slump and great for people looking for an introduction to epic fantasy. Do check out the trigger warnings because it has some upsetting moments.
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