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Ursalina Duvianos: Reina's Dark Reflection
A good villian should aways mirror the hero, showing that it's easy to go wrong. Dona Ursalina Duvianos shares Reina's same insecurities and suffered for it. As a young woman, she was obsessed with Feleva Aguila, the ambitious valco leader. Superficially, Ursalina's relationship with Feleva mirrors Reina's relationship with Celeste. Reina and Ursalina both were infatuated with valcos whom they served. There is another interesting facet, however, that I think may have lead to Ursalina becoming the vengeful sorceress we see in the books. Both Reina and Ursalina felt inferior because of their species in the presence of their love interest.
At the beginning of The Sun and the Void, Laurel dismisses rumors about Feleva raging her way to an early death because of Laurel's marriage to Enrique. Even if Feleva's discontent wasn't that intense, it still must have been there for the rumor to exist. What would that have done to Ursalina? Seeing someone whom you love degrade their daughter-in-law because they are the same species as you must have destroyed her. By this point, however, Ursalina grew to accept the disrespect. She had already let Feleva take all the credit for discovering iridio. Ursalina's son, Juan Vicente, was raised to serve Don Enrique even though they were both heirs.
However, Ursalina's attitude towards Reina's mother is hypocritical. Juan Vicente left Dona Ursalina to marry Beatrice Torondoy, a nozariel. Ursalina's disdain for Vicente's wife mirrors Feleva's scorn for Laurel. Even though Ursalina resented Feleva for her speciesm towards humans, she never recognized her own prejudices.
Dona Laurel-Just How "Benevolent" Is She?
One of the few people to give Reina unconditional kindness is Dona Laurel Aguila, the caudila of Sadul Fuerte. Known as the "Benevolent Lady" by her servants, Dona Laurel cares for Reina as she recovers from her iridio transplant and offers her a home. She certainly isn't a cruel woman, but why has she widely been given this title?
For example, her servants call her The Benevolent Lady, but we see nothing to suggest that she actively helps the people of Sadul Fuerte. Reina has been a servant all her life, yet never notes that Dona Laurel is kinder towards her servants than other employers. In fact, Reina is only given special treatment because she's the daughter of Dona Laurel's deceased friend, Juan Vicente.
It's also strange that Dona Laurel never questions why Reina is a servant in the first place. Reina is meant to take Juan Vicente's place as an Aguila soldier, which would require courses in sword fighting and geomancia. However, Reina splits her time between serving the Aguilas and learning sword fighting. She doesn't balance these tasks effectively; in fact, the kitchen staff refuse to feed her because she can't complete her duties. The reader knows that Ursalina told Reina to spy on the Aguilas while serving them. Laurel, however, doesn't have this information. Why doesn't she exempt Reina from kitchen duties and have her focus on sword training? We never see her bring up this issue to Dona Ursalina.
Not expanding on how Dona Laurel earned this title is a missed world-building opportunity. Seeing her engage with the people of Sadul Fuerte could have informed the reader about the common man's struggles. For example, how do normal people fend off a monster they can't see? Do normal people learn to use geomancia, or is that only allowed for nobles and nuns? How do Penitents like Dona Laurel justify mining iridio, a powerful geomancia metal, when geomancia is contrary to their faith? Do any of the people under her rule bristle at this dissonance? The title makes this sound like a hit piece, but I really feel like Dona Laurel could've been more thatn a maternal figure for Reina. Seeing how she engages with the world could have fleshed it out more thoroughly.
The Sun and the Void
hi Just picked up The Sun and the Void by Gabriela Romero Lacruz from my local bookstore and after checking the site for it I did see that there was a cw for sexually explicit material. if someone has read this book I need you to tell me where it is in the book so I can skip it because I personally really don't like reading spicy scenes but I still want to read the book.