serpentskirtt 's review for:

Ruling Sikthand by Victoria Aveline

5.0

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I started reading this series because I saw a glowing review on Reddit, and it LIVED UP TO THE HYPE IT DID

I really, really loved this. I even hopped on Instagram and did a little rhetorical analysis of this quote:

“This is a temporary fascination, human,” he hissed. “You are but a Season. Calamitous, powerful, consuming. But like the rains, you too will pass.” He dropped her chin and straightened to his full height, towering over her, not revealing the crippling ache constricting his stomach. “I need only weather you.”

SO - the alliteration: calamitous, consuming, crippling, constricting. The harsh "c" sounds reflect his discomfort, and it creates a subliminal innerconnectivity that is just gorgeous. Another interconnected element is the weather motif: calamitous, rains, weather. And then I squealed (internally) when I saw the weather motif later:

This was bad. Sophia was like an oncoming sandstorm. He’d had time to prepare for it before. To run or hide or barricade himself underground. But now the sand swirled just ahead, and it was too late for him to avoid it. All he could do was let it hit and hope he survived.

And another:

“My life has been…wrought. Each day is filled with dread and suspicion and fixation.” He glanced at the floor, his brows knitting. “She brings me silence.” Sikthand swallowed down the tightness in his throat. “The clouds are not so heavy when she’s near.”

And this was just beautiful:

Moonlight cut through the window and glowed against his skin, so pale that pastel shades of blue and peach were the only other colors to speak of. He was like some kind of tragic Greek sculpture. All chiseled muscle and perfectly formed features, but even in stillness there was a devastating drama to him.

Aside from thinking the writing was stunning, (a big step up from some rather pedestrian, but fun earlier installments), I loved how this book changed things up. We had a change of location before, with Meg's book, but this city was so vastly different, and the culture so interesting with metalwork ornamentation, a lack of technology, and cool TATTOOS (I am tatted so I was into it).

And the ANGST. Delicious.

I guess the only thing I couldn't wrap my mind around was how long his tail must be to do what it did and how...dexterous? Nuff said.