Shadow in the Empire of Light
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- Create Date：2021-01-22 04:15:46
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Jane Routley
- ISBN：9781781088340
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Summary
“Routley’s whimsical tone lends a dark comic quality to this intricate fantasy， and the outlandish characters and captivating worldbuilding。” –Publishers Weekly
A magical novel of intrigue， mystery and family drama from the award-winning author of Aramaya and Fire Angels！
MAGIC。 MURDER。 MAYHEM。 But keep it in the family。
Shine’s life is usually dull: an orphan without magic in a family of powerful mages， she’s left to run the family estate with only an eccentric aunt and telepathic cat for company。
But when the family descend on the house for the annual Fertility Festival， Shine is plunged into dark intrigue; stolen letters， a fugitive spy， and family drama mix with murder， sex and secrets， and Shine is forced to decide both her loyalties and future。。。
"Jane Routley’s books have won Aurealis awards and the writing style in her latest deserves another。" Aurealis on Shadow in the Empire of Light
A magical novel of intrigue， mystery and family drama from the award-winning author of Aramaya and Fire Angels！
MAGIC。 MURDER。 MAYHEM。 But keep it in the family。
Shine’s life is usually dull: an orphan without magic in a family of powerful mages， she’s left to run the family estate with only an eccentric aunt and telepathic cat for company。
But when the family descend on the house for the annual Fertility Festival， Shine is plunged into dark intrigue; stolen letters， a fugitive spy， and family drama mix with murder， sex and secrets， and Shine is forced to decide both her loyalties and future。。。
"Jane Routley’s books have won Aurealis awards and the writing style in her latest deserves another。" Aurealis on Shadow in the Empire of Light
Editor Reviews
06/08/2020
Routley （The Melded Child） unravels a complex web of familial politics in this eccentric fantasy。 It’s Blessing time in the Empire of Light， an annual tradition in which the Matriarch of each family ensures fruitful crops for the following year。 As always， Shine and her Auntie Eff， both mundanes without magic of their own despite their noble lineage， are expected to host a clan of their condescending， magical relations for the duration of the festival。 Shine’s usually monotonous life as a mundane is plunged into chaos as she must put out fires at every turn， from curbing her cousins’ inappropriate seductions to stopping a burgeoning plot to overthrow the Matriarch。 To further complicate matters， Shine’s exiled cousin， Bright， asks her to hide Shadow， a foreigner caught in a crystal smuggling scheme that somehow involves their wicked and violent cousin， Illuminus。 Though readers will struggle to keep track of Shine’s many relations， even with the help of the family tree Routley provides， Routley’s whimsical tone lends a dark comic quality to this intricate fantasy， and the outlandish characters and captivating worldbuilding make up for occasional confusion。 This is a bumpy but entertaining ride。 Agent: John Jarrold， John Jarrold Literary。 （Aug。）
Reviews
paul137
，
Although some of my fellow reviewers have labelled this as YA， I would disagree given all the sexual content in this fantasy novel。 It deals with the Imperial family coming together for a ceremony and concentrates on the machinations between the various factions。 The action only really begins about two-thirds into the book （after all the diverse couplings！） which is why I feel it could be better balanced。 The characters are interesting and quite well developed but the actual fantasy content is limited。 An enjoyable read and possibly the beginning of a series as there’s plenty of room for development。 I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review。
S。J。 Higbee
，
I’ll be honest – I’ve been a bit bemused by the negative reviews for this entertaining and really different fantasy adventure。 But I’ve come to the conclusion that a lot of reviewers picked it up because of the allusion to the telepathic cat – and most fantasy adventures with a telepathic pet don’t generally come with steamy sex scenes。 So I think this is more of a case of readers opening up this book thinking they were getting one type of story – and instead were confronted with something quite I’ll be honest – I’ve been a bit bemused by the negative reviews for this entertaining and really different fantasy adventure。 But I’ve come to the conclusion that a lot of reviewers picked it up because of the allusion to the telepathic cat – and most fantasy adventures with a telepathic pet don’t generally come with steamy sex scenes。 So I think this is more of a case of readers opening up this book thinking they were getting one type of story – and instead were confronted with something quite different。 While that cover certainly didn’t help， given that it also doesn’t give any clue of the erotic charge running through this adventure。As for me – I found Shine beguiling and enjoyed the rather claustrophobic， dangerous edge to this adventure as the Family， both mundanes and mages， gather for the annual fertility festival， where consenting adults get together for the purpose of creating more children。 Routley’s worldbuilding is impressive as she creates a large family， riven with factions and infighting as the most powerful， entitled mages jockey for the prime positions。 Shine is well down the pecking order， as she watches the man she has given her heart to flirt with other girls – and tries to keep away from her more unpleasant， bullying cousins。 I kept waiting for her to discover that she had unexpected magical powers… And no， I’m not going to reveal if she does – but this one has lodged in my head and despite the fact that I’ve subsequently completed two other books， it won’t leave me alone。As for the sex – yes， there are a couple of uncharacteristically raunchy scenes， but I didn’t find them unduly gratuitous。 This is a society with a very relaxed attitude towards sex， especially at this time of the Festival， for it is important that there be more female children within the family， as it is female mages with most power。 And the fact that Shine is a mundane with an unfortunate bloodline means she is regarded with contempt by many family members – there is nothing cosy about this bunch。 But despite the fact it deals with some quite dark subjects， there is a bouncy energy and a lot of snarky humour that stopped it being a bleak read。I will be reading more from this intriguing author – and if there is a sequel to this book， which feels as if there should be – then I’ll be hunting it down。 While I obtained an arc of Shadow in the Empire of Light from the publishers via Netgalley， the opinions I have expressed are unbiased and my own。8/10 。。。more
Lara
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This is a weird book。 An interesting read but weird。 Shine is a member of the Imperial family but as she hasn’t no magical powers， she’s a mundane and is treated as a second class citizen by her family who all descend on her home for an annual fertility festival。 The story reminds of Knives out but with magic mages， wild magical creatures （even a moving tree）， a talking cat as well as politics， intrigue， lots of sex （also between cousins） with some female empowerment （the female mages are much s This is a weird book。 An interesting read but weird。 Shine is a member of the Imperial family but as she hasn’t no magical powers， she’s a mundane and is treated as a second class citizen by her family who all descend on her home for an annual fertility festival。 The story reminds of Knives out but with magic mages， wild magical creatures （even a moving tree）， a talking cat as well as politics， intrigue， lots of sex （also between cousins） with some female empowerment （the female mages are much stronger and its a matriarchal society） and lgbtq representation。 It also has some dark elements of violence， sexual assault and abuse。It’s a little all over the place and there are far too many characters to keep track of。 I also can’t tell if it’s meant to be standalone or a series as it ends on a weird note。 It was very easy to read and fast paced but not quite it for me。 Lol - it’s just weird。 Other people may really enjoy it though。 3。2/5 stars。 。。。more
Fernanda Granzotto
，
*Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an early copy of this book for review，all opinions are my own*2。5 starsThe book is very confusing， it has a million characters with totally horrible names to memorize。The author's writing I found very difficult to read， she uses difficult words unnecessarily to try to make the writing more poetic。The story itself is not bad， the plot is interesting and has several twists and turns you don't expect。The world created by the author is not *Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an early copy of this book for review，all opinions are my own*2。5 starsThe book is very confusing， it has a million characters with totally horrible names to memorize。The author's writing I found very difficult to read， she uses difficult words unnecessarily to try to make the writing more poetic。The story itself is not bad， the plot is interesting and has several twists and turns you don't expect。The world created by the author is not difficult to understand but I think it could have been more explored and explained。The way the book dealt with sex， fertility， pregnancy and abuse bothered me and I ended up not liking it， the sex scenes also didn't like， especially the way they were written， so trigger warning for all of that。 I admit that I only finished reading this book because it was a very quick book to read， because for the story is not that good， since I didn't like the characters， neither the writing nor the world， after I read 50% of the book just wanted it to end。 。。。more
Robyn
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A profoundly strange book。 RTC
Lync Lync
，
I got an ‘Advance Review Copy’ by winning a competition。 I suppose I really should do a review， shouldn’t I？ I found it unputdownable， and long after I stopped reading， I was still living Shine’s life in my head。 Hard to separate it out and do a proper review， but certainly a recommendation。My proper review， appears in Ethel - The MSFC Clubzine -January 2021 edition - available on efanzines。com （RSN）。
Book Barbarian （Tammy Smith）
，
Thank you Rebellion for the review copy。 All opinions are my own。Recommends it for: You like your story strange and the writing posh and direct。 I can’t compare this book to anything really， sorry！ The cute cat cover definitely will fool the sweetest people – this book is a wild ride with some strange X-Rated scenes – you have been warned。Shine is a non-magical person in a family full of mages。 Her family start to descend on her house for the fertility festival suddenly Shine is plunged into int Thank you Rebellion for the review copy。 All opinions are my own。Recommends it for: You like your story strange and the writing posh and direct。 I can’t compare this book to anything really， sorry！ The cute cat cover definitely will fool the sweetest people – this book is a wild ride with some strange X-Rated scenes – you have been warned。Shine is a non-magical person in a family full of mages。 Her family start to descend on her house for the fertility festival suddenly Shine is plunged into intrigue; stolen letters， a fugitive spy， family dram and even a murder which will have to force Shine to decide her loyalties and her future。Weird， strange， unexpected; definitely best describe this quirky book。I really enjoyed the world that Jane created。 The magic and the mages were really interesting and I loved this quirky family set up and the chaos of it all。Shadow and Shine were very interesting characters。 I also really enjoyed this matriarchal world that Jane created， there are so many real-life comparisons。 Shine was a little annoying at times as she just accepted all the terrible things but the narration of this story was superb， Jane is an excellent author and the very classy tone of the book was a nice surprise。The plot was a bit thin， there was more messing around， weird unrelated story lines and politics than an actual story。 At first it can be disorientating trying to understand what is happening and trying to remember all the strange names。I think if you are looking for something strange and fresh， this book is for you。Rating: 3Shadow in the Empire of LightPossibly a seriesPublish Date: 19 January 2021Cover Rating: 6/10 Adult – Fantasy – Magic - Mystery 。。。more
Julia
，
Unpopular opinion: this was clumsy and weird and so not what I had expected。 I was looking forward to an empowering book about an underdog and a telepathic cat。 What I got was a YA novel with characters that don't show any character development， a telepathic cat as a world building device， lots of weird words and phrases， a clumsy attempt at racial issues， and a lot of （pretend） sex scenes。 Unpopular opinion: this was clumsy and weird and so not what I had expected。 I was looking forward to an empowering book about an underdog and a telepathic cat。 What I got was a YA novel with characters that don't show any character development， a telepathic cat as a world building device， lots of weird words and phrases， a clumsy attempt at racial issues， and a lot of （pretend） sex scenes。 。。。more
Tara
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Was enjoying it but was surprised when the story seemed to end abruptly。
Andover Library
，
This book was a bit of a mixed bag for me， I should have loved it – it has all the elements I usually adore in a fantasy novel but it fell a little flat in places。 That’s not to say I didn’t enjoy it， I did。 It’s possible I expected too much from it going in。I found it much more enjoyable once I sat down and read it in a long stint rather than a chapter or so at a time， the story just seemed to flow better once you were immersed in it。There was a lot to like here as well though。 Once I got my he This book was a bit of a mixed bag for me， I should have loved it – it has all the elements I usually adore in a fantasy novel but it fell a little flat in places。 That’s not to say I didn’t enjoy it， I did。 It’s possible I expected too much from it going in。I found it much more enjoyable once I sat down and read it in a long stint rather than a chapter or so at a time， the story just seemed to flow better once you were immersed in it。There was a lot to like here as well though。 Once I got my head round who everybody was there were a lot of people all at once who were known by name and nickname）， the family inteague was messy and interesting to try and unpick。The politics of magic and the class systems that magic created were well done。 The system felt realistic with its rules and expectations。 Also the world as a whole was interesting， we learn that not all the world works to the same system， indeed the neighboring lands （that we don’t get to see but do get to hear about）。 There is clearly a lot more world to explore here。All in all a middle of the road read for me。 。。。more
Steve
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Good character development and social commentaryI enjoyed this book。 The story is interesting and well-paced and the world-building is good。I also enjoyed the character development。 Although a fantasy genre story， it takes a very pointed view of both family and societal dynamics， making the book hard to put down。 The one downside of the book was the rapid introduction of the cast of characters along with their nicknames。 Even with the family tree at the beginning of the book， this is confusing。 Good character development and social commentaryI enjoyed this book。 The story is interesting and well-paced and the world-building is good。I also enjoyed the character development。 Although a fantasy genre story， it takes a very pointed view of both family and societal dynamics， making the book hard to put down。 The one downside of the book was the rapid introduction of the cast of characters along with their nicknames。 Even with the family tree at the beginning of the book， this is confusing。 Nonetheless， it is a good read。Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book via Netgalley for review purposes。 。。。more
Tams
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Okay let’s be honest， I requested this book because it said there was a psychic cat。 Sadly， Katty features way too little and there’s no explanation as to why this cat is psychic and only talks to one mundane。 Now onto to the story。 The writing isn’t bad at all， there are some really interesting concepts and storylines that could be developed， however there is something - for lack of a better word - basic about the writing。 I was slightly surprised when the word “perspicacious” was thrown into a Okay let’s be honest， I requested this book because it said there was a psychic cat。 Sadly， Katty features way too little and there’s no explanation as to why this cat is psychic and only talks to one mundane。 Now onto to the story。 The writing isn’t bad at all， there are some really interesting concepts and storylines that could be developed， however there is something - for lack of a better word - basic about the writing。 I was slightly surprised when the word “perspicacious” was thrown into a description （love that word by the way）。 The storyline you want - Shine and Shadow going off to discover things - isn’t what happens in this book （I’m guessing that’s the next book？）。 This one centres completely around the family drama happening at Shine’s homestead。 There’s whole world of magic and weirdness that you don’t explore。I say weirdness because in this world Mages rules， and more importantly， female mages rule。（This isn’t the weird part， YAY FEMINISM！ ） The weird part is that breeding is at the centre of everyone’s concerns in this world and no one has a problem with interbreeding to make it happen。 Which brings me to : the plethora of trigger warnings this books needs！ A list of necessary trigger warnings : racism， abuse， child abuse， rape， murder， addiction， homophobia， xenophobia and incest。It’s a lot for a YA book。 As was all the sex going on。 I’m not a prude by any means， but the objectification of people was kind of gross。In all honesty， I don’t know who I would recommend this kind of book to？ Someone in it for the psychic cat？ Maybe out of morbid curiosity？ Someone a fan of cheap romance？ I don’t know。 Despite that， I did need to know how the book ended。 And I kinda want to know what happens next。 Maybe I’m just hoping Shine will stop being a racist， ignorant wet blanket in the next book。Thank you to Netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Kittin
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6% DNF not for me
Fabienne Schwizer
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I received an ARC from the publisher， all opinions are my own。I loved the concept of Shadow in the Empire of Light。 I really got into the first hundred or so pages， but once that first thrill of concept started waning， I noticed my interest waning。 It ultimately took me quite a long time to actually finish reading the novel。 The writing style turned out not to be fully my cup of tea。 While reading， I was fully convinced this was a debut novel based on the writing， so I was quite surprised to fin I received an ARC from the publisher， all opinions are my own。I loved the concept of Shadow in the Empire of Light。 I really got into the first hundred or so pages， but once that first thrill of concept started waning， I noticed my interest waning。 It ultimately took me quite a long time to actually finish reading the novel。 The writing style turned out not to be fully my cup of tea。 While reading， I was fully convinced this was a debut novel based on the writing， so I was quite surprised to find that the author had published a few novels already and won awards for her writing （although， do note that I did not read a finished copy， so some of what tripped me up might have been smoothed over in the final product）。The characters were interesting and irreverent， fitting well into the genre of the book， and I especially loved the cat， Katti。 I did get tripped up by the unusual character names a few times – I was very glad to have the character table in the front of the book to refer back to throughout。 Shadow in the Empire of Light was also certainly full of twists that I did not see coming， surprising me throughout my read。 I wish the writing had worked better for me so that I would have been able to enjoy it more。 。。。more
Deborah
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I gave this book a try as the plot sounded interesting。 However， I was unable to invest in the novel as the characters and plot were not well developed or introduced。 Additionally， there were grammatical errors that interrupted my desire to continue reading。
Midu Hadi
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I requested this book on Netgalley and I'm glad I did！Another book that I liked a lot but for one thing: there’s no explanation about why the world is the way it is。 It felt as if I’d picked up the second book in an ongoing series。There’s magic and aristocracy — the two are connected， so if you have magic， you have money。 And there are rites and rituals that the aristocrats use to keep the others in line。 They fight each other to gain more power and those squabbles are often fatal。Amongst all t I requested this book on Netgalley and I'm glad I did！Another book that I liked a lot but for one thing: there’s no explanation about why the world is the way it is。 It felt as if I’d picked up the second book in an ongoing series。There’s magic and aristocracy — the two are connected， so if you have magic， you have money。 And there are rites and rituals that the aristocrats use to keep the others in line。 They fight each other to gain more power and those squabbles are often fatal。Amongst all that glitz and glamor is born our protagonist who doesn’t have magic。 Her family barely tolerates her presence while she yearns to travel。 All that I understood but then she meets someone from another country who is so alien that she calls him ghost。 The family has no issues with homosexuality， but they disowned a gay character because he fell for a man not befitting their status。 There’s also a lot of incest and rape going on。In short， while I liked the book， I needed to know more about the world it’s set in。 Maybe a sequel？ 。。。more
Avani
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Shadow in the empire of light by Jane Routley is a family drama， fantasy novel with magical elements of magic and spirits。 Since the start of the book there is not direction and only incidents upon incidents have been bombarded on the reader。Inspite of providing with the family chart in the start of the book， the characters in the story and their relationships with eachother are quite not clearly potrayed。 The read the entire book and it was kinda ok。 I did not enjoy it much。
Runalong
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A strange meandering slice of life story yet underneath it a lot more darker things are going on - very interesting approach https://www。runalongtheshelves。net/bl。。。 A strange meandering slice of life story yet underneath it a lot more darker things are going on - very interesting approach https://www。runalongtheshelves。net/bl。。。 。。。more
AB
，
This review and more at I Wish I Owned A BookstoreThank you to NetGalley and Rebellion Publishing for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review。 This book has a telepathic cat therefore it is awesome - ‘nuff said！Thanks for reading - follow me on instagram。。。OK just kidding here’s my review:I enjoyed this book but it definitely didn’t blow me away。 It was slow to start as we’re getting to know all the characters， but it picked up about halfway and the plot ended up being quite fu This review and more at I Wish I Owned A BookstoreThank you to NetGalley and Rebellion Publishing for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review。 This book has a telepathic cat therefore it is awesome - ‘nuff said！Thanks for reading - follow me on instagram。。。OK just kidding here’s my review:I enjoyed this book but it definitely didn’t blow me away。 It was slow to start as we’re getting to know all the characters， but it picked up about halfway and the plot ended up being quite fun。 There’s a lot of family members who all have amazing light-themed names like Illuminant， Sparklea， and Splendance。 I found myself referring to the family tree at the beginning of the book pretty often。 The family drama gets pretty ridiculous， but there are some interesting side characters that I enjoyed。I thought the world-building was pretty unique。 Routley has created a matriarchal society ruled by female mages， where the mundane （non-magical） peasants are basically slaves。 Their whole culture revolves around getting pregnant although they are not particularly fertile， so there are lots of sexual references （and scenes， as well as reference to sexual abuse） including sex between first cousins。 Yep。 They’re all doing it。 With their cousins。 All the time。 Bit weird， but ¯\_（ツ）_/¯Anyway， our main character Shine is a mundane， from a noble family， so while she is above the servants， she is not treated well by the family， most of whom are greedy， power-hungry a-holes。 On top of being a mundane， Shine’s father was a Ghost， one of the foreign Outlanders， whose society more closely resembles modern Western society。 As a result， Shine has paler skin compared to her family， and tries to darken it with cosmetics， to try and fit in。 Her mother disappeared when she was a baby， and so she has been relegated to care for the family’s country estate with her wayward aunt （exiled for her radical political views on mundane rights）。 Shine wants to travel the world， or attend university， but with no money of her own and her mother gone， she is at the mercy of her money-grabbing family。 She tries to do the right thing， but feels trapped by her situation。The plot intrigued me， with a stowaway illegal ghost， a stolen letter， a spy， and a murder all jumbled in with the family’s ambitious plots and grudges。 Shine gets mixed in with it all， which ends up being pretty dangerous for her as she has no way to defend herself against the crazy mages， other than getting friendly mages to protect her。 It’s not an action-packed book but there’s a few mage fights， and I was amazed at how often they end up hiding under the bed！The writing style is quite different as well。 I think the almost posh nature of the language used really suits the setting。 The insults they use， like 'slime rat' and 'ride rat' are super cute。I liked Shine， and even a couple of the mages turned out to be all right。 There’s a few other interesting side characters who I’d like to see again， and I’m keen to see what Shine’s next adventure will be。 Happy reading！ 。。。more
Graculus
，
Shadow in the Empire of Light is one of those books where， at first sight， you think you know what you're getting but as the book goes on， darker things start to happen。 More compelling， to my mind， than something which is relentlessly grimdark from page 1 but also more likely to lose readers along the way？The title is also misleading because although there's a character called Shadow， he's not the protagonist and so his experiences are more a sideline to the main stories going on here - our pro Shadow in the Empire of Light is one of those books where， at first sight， you think you know what you're getting but as the book goes on， darker things start to happen。 More compelling， to my mind， than something which is relentlessly grimdark from page 1 but also more likely to lose readers along the way？The title is also misleading because although there's a character called Shadow， he's not the protagonist and so his experiences are more a sideline to the main stories going on here - our protagonist is Shine， the non-magical child in a magic-ridden family， said family being that of the emperor。 Her lack of magical powers， not to mention the fact that her father is one of the neighbouring state's residents with their ghastly pale skin and weirdly-coloured eyes， make her something of an outcast。 Her only value is that she's competent at what she does， managing the family estate and putting up with the self-centred magic users in her family。 The magic itself is stronger in women than in men， though mages can be male， and has developed into a society where it's encouraged to have frequent sex with a wide variety of people。 As we go along， it becomes clear that this apparent freedom is in fact a slightly more sinister thing - some of the magical families insist on people having sex with a wide variety in bloodline terms， others take a more incestuous approach。 Same-sex relationships are not acceptable and it's not really clear why， except that perhaps it's about the bloodline again？ Even the taboo about everyone needing to consent is not as strongly enforced as it could be， depending on the status of the people doing the 'asking' and partway through there's also a revelation about other abuse going on。 This is all played against a background of illicit trade in the empire's crystals， which apparently have some link to the magic being wielded by many of the characters。 Our title character is in the wrong place at the wrong time， hidden in various rooms of the estate while others search for him， and never really goes beyond two-dimensional。 This is also one of those books where the story just stops， which is especially vexing given that there's a whole sub-plot about why Shine's parents disappeared which could have been pursued。 Instead we're stuck on the family estate， just like she is， with a promised trip to the big city looming but no real closure for her or for the crystal smuggling。 It's not apparent if there's any more books planned in this universe， so that's more than a little frustrating。 。。。more
Heidi
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 This book isn’t badly written but I think it’s not going to suit a lot of people。。。 On the one hand I like books that are heavy on the interpersonal relationships。 On the other hand pretty much all the characters in this book are horrible people。 Also while it isn’t super explicit there’s a lot of sex mentioned if not shown。 Everyone has retired to the country estate for a fertility festival after all。。。 I also think that this book deserves a bit of a content warning not for the fertility festiv This book isn’t badly written but I think it’s not going to suit a lot of people。。。 On the one hand I like books that are heavy on the interpersonal relationships。 On the other hand pretty much all the characters in this book are horrible people。 Also while it isn’t super explicit there’s a lot of sex mentioned if not shown。 Everyone has retired to the country estate for a fertility festival after all。。。 I also think that this book deserves a bit of a content warning not for the fertility festival aspect but for the non consensual aspect and mention of child molestation with lack of help for the child。 This book is going to be too much for some folks because of that。。。With all that said I’d try another book by this author。 She’s set up a potentially interesting world。 I would be curious to see a bit more of it with a bit less somewhat off putting sex。。。 。。。more
Victoria
，
It has been a long time since I've last read anything by Routley - I may have been a freshman in high school， barely， the last time that I picked up her books。 But， I remember immediately counting her in with my favorite fantasy authors， so I have long kept my eye out for anything new from her， so needless to say， I was so pleased to see this one pop onto my radar！ Plus， I was totally in the mood for a good fantasy！And I am so glad that I dove right into this one！ I really had a lot of fun readi It has been a long time since I've last read anything by Routley - I may have been a freshman in high school， barely， the last time that I picked up her books。 But， I remember immediately counting her in with my favorite fantasy authors， so I have long kept my eye out for anything new from her， so needless to say， I was so pleased to see this one pop onto my radar！ Plus， I was totally in the mood for a good fantasy！And I am so glad that I dove right into this one！ I really had a lot of fun reading this！ Our narrator， Shine， is a mere mortal （though she can telepathically communicate with her cat！） in an illustrious family of mages - including the Empress herself。 Orphaned and frustrated with her uncertain place in their family， the book takes place over the annual Blessings Festival - which becomes filled with intrigues， secrets， magic， trysts and plenty of plotting。 The world-building here feels both seamless and sturdy （I certainly think that this is a strong enough foundation for more books to be set here！）。 There's humor， excitement， and some interesting societal ideas， too。 It really feels like a great start to a new series- though this doesn't end on a cliffhanger。 Shine is sympathetic and the book， though there are some darker plot points， is on the whole a fast and fun read。 I will definitely be eagerly awaiting more！！ 。。。more
Kasey Connors-Beron
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I received an ARC of SHADOW IN THE EMPIRE OF LIGHT thanks to the publisher through NetGalley。 The idea of murder and a telepathic cat caught my interest but after reading the first 18% I was checked out。 The concept of the book was nothing like the summary had promised， at least not in what I read。 On top of that it gave me a really creepy feeling， like skin crawly nose scrunched feeling。 A fundamental part of the world building is essentially breeding to the point where those without magic are I received an ARC of SHADOW IN THE EMPIRE OF LIGHT thanks to the publisher through NetGalley。 The idea of murder and a telepathic cat caught my interest but after reading the first 18% I was checked out。 The concept of the book was nothing like the summary had promised， at least not in what I read。 On top of that it gave me a really creepy feeling， like skin crawly nose scrunched feeling。 A fundamental part of the world building is essentially breeding to the point where those without magic are literally a number。 While there are times when breeding stories are interesting， this one was not a breeding for survival but just to make a larger family。 It didn’t make any sense。 I was really hoping for a story with magical animals and a murder mystery。 But that isn’t this book。 Did not finish sadly。 I had already preorder a physical copy however and will attempt again when it arrives。 。。。more
Lucy
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I was hesitant to actually read this， as I had a look at some of the reviews on Goodreads before starting， and they are generally quite negative。 I surprised myself and ended up really enjoying it。 It felt a bit like reading a Diana Wynne Jones novel， but adult rated。 It was pretty much what I was expecting - a light， entertaining read。 I thought the worldbuilding was pretty fun， and I thought Shine was pretty funny in parts。 A good holiday read！
Stuart Dredge
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I enjoyed this a lot: it's a good mix of light-heartedness and darkness （VERY dark in the case of one character's backstory which emerges towards the end）。 I liked the way it treated its magic: it could have been dominated by mage battles with them blasting one another all over the shop， but instead those moments are sparing （and more exciting for it）。I liked the world building too: there are so many little aspects （the hunting cats; the 'ghost' race; the uncomplicated approach the characters ha I enjoyed this a lot: it's a good mix of light-heartedness and darkness （VERY dark in the case of one character's backstory which emerges towards the end）。 I liked the way it treated its magic: it could have been dominated by mage battles with them blasting one another all over the shop， but instead those moments are sparing （and more exciting for it）。I liked the world building too: there are so many little aspects （the hunting cats; the 'ghost' race; the uncomplicated approach the characters have to sex; and the matriarchal society where the male mages are very much second best to the female mages） that made me want to know more。There were a lot of characters in the family， so some didn't get much page-space to round out their personalities beyond their surface attributes （nice/nasty/libidinous etc）， but that clearly leaves scope for more stories in this family – but also in this world， if Shine breaks free of her shackles。Thank you to the publisher for sending me an advance reader copy （ARC） via NetGalley， in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Lauren loves llamas
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Content warnings: （view spoiler）[sexual abuse （including that of a child）， rape， incest， drugs， poisoning， emotional abuse， racism， homophobia， murder by poison （hide spoiler）]I like house party mysteries， heroines who are disadvantaged but plucky， and fantasy matriarchal societies， so I should’ve liked this book。 Unfortunately， it didn’t quite work for me， largely due to the amount of content warnings。“It was odd to be the strong one here。 Mages have the power， not mundanes。 Odd to be the one g Content warnings: （view spoiler）[sexual abuse （including that of a child）， rape， incest， drugs， poisoning， emotional abuse， racism， homophobia， murder by poison （hide spoiler）]I like house party mysteries， heroines who are disadvantaged but plucky， and fantasy matriarchal societies， so I should’ve liked this book。 Unfortunately， it didn’t quite work for me， largely due to the amount of content warnings。“It was odd to be the strong one here。 Mages have the power， not mundanes。 Odd to be the one giving help instead of receiving it。” The worldbuilding is interesting， once you get enough information about it。 The empire where the book is set is a matriarchal society where a person’s standing is very much based on whether you’re born with magic， and females are by default more powerful mages than men。 Those without magic are immediately lesser and subject to the whims of their more magically capable family。 It’s so bad that Shine actually refers to some of her non-magical relatives as “Cousin Two” and “Auntie Four” – apparently they’re not even worthy of names。 Supposedly there are laws in place to protect the non-magical from the worst of the abuses， but， from what we see in the book， I have a lot of doubts about whether those were actually enforced。 Men are basically studs – at one point， one of Shine’s cousins confesses that he was essentially （view spoiler）[drugged and raped （hide spoiler）] by another cousin， and Shine’s only advice is to stand up to her bullying （？！？！）。 I really found myself struggling to like Shine， which was rough， since the book is told from her first person POV。 While I think she generally meant well， she was also very much a product of her upbringing in a way that was very reminiscent of the British empire – she doesn’t seem to see Shadow， a pale-skinned foreigner （commonly called “ghosts” by Shine’s people） who ends up literally hiding under her bed， as fully human， constantly steamrolls over his boundaries （she even spies on him while he’s changing even after he tells her he’s uncomfortable with that because she wants to see if he’s equipped the same as a “regular” man）， and despite being half-foreign herself， sees foreigners as something like uneducated savages。 While she does grow as the book continues， I was still deeply uncomfortable with the framing and never felt like it was fully interrogated。 There’s no pushback and no justice for the wronged family members。“So I was in an uncomfortable place where someone I liked had done something I deeply disapproved of for reasons I understood。 What stance should I take？ How did I react？ Was it even for me to judge？” Pretty much all the characters are horrible people。 Shine’s father was a foreigner， so Shine’s paler than the rest of her family， and they never let her forget that or that she doesn’t have magic。 Even the cousins that are vaguely nice to her， Lucient and Klea， seem only to do it to get her to do things for them。 The amount of abuse （physical， emotional and sexual） among the family members was extremely uncomfortable for me。 Pretty much the only character I liked was Katti， Shine’s psychic cat， but there’s not enough of her and she doesn’t really serve any purpose in the story。 By the end of the book， while we’re told Katti is unusual， we’re not really told why or given much backstory for her。 I mean， I kept waiting for someone to explain why Shine， who’s supposedly non-magical， is psychically connected to a giant cat， but no one else seemed concerned with that。 I mean， I also liked Shadow， the “ghost” foreigner， but due to his initial issues communicating with Shine and her general inability to see him as a person， we don’t get too much of him as a real character， either。My other issue was that the plot was a complete muddle。 Shine is constantly being pulled between running the household despite the ridiculous demands of her visiting relatives， trying to hide the “ghost，” and solving a mystery for her cousin。 I kept expecting each of these plot lines to be woven together （the rebels， the mooncat， the missing letter， the presence of the ghost， the murder， etc） but in the end， they didn’t。 It was a bit like expecting a soup （where all the elements had cooked together and melded） and ending up with a salad。Overall， while the overall premise and worldbuilding had promise， the execution didn’t work for me。I received an advance review copy of this book from NetGalley。 This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review。 。。。more
Angela Larson
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I kept hearing about the telepathic cat and so， obviously， I had to know more！ I was a little confused by everything happening in the story， but overall not a bad book！
Lee Sharp
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Thank you to NetGalley and author Jane Routley for the opportunity to review an Advanced Reader's Copy of this book。 The book introduces primary character Shine， a minor member of an extended Imperial family， within a matriarchial， magic wielding society， in which nobility is granted based upon one's ability to use magic。 Shine， as she is unable to wield magic herself， is reduced to gentry in a backwater rural village。 The book introduces a society whose sexuality is vastly different than ours， Thank you to NetGalley and author Jane Routley for the opportunity to review an Advanced Reader's Copy of this book。 The book introduces primary character Shine， a minor member of an extended Imperial family， within a matriarchial， magic wielding society， in which nobility is granted based upon one's ability to use magic。 Shine， as she is unable to wield magic herself， is reduced to gentry in a backwater rural village。 The book introduces a society whose sexuality is vastly different than ours， in which sexuality outside of relationships， even for the purpose of procreation， is encouraged， and in which discussions of paternity are considered inappropriate。 Women run the households， as their magic is typically dominant over that wielded by males。 The author explores how sexual conflict and tension could still arise within relationships and families， even with these differences。 The author introduces a series of family and social conflicts， which impact events throughout the book， including economic， political and social conflict between magic and non-magic wielding people; racism; incest and domestic abuse; substance abuse; and trafficking in banned or restricted goods。 There are graphic sexual scenes and scenes that could serve to trigger strong emotions due to rape and physical abuse of family members。 The author also introduces the reader to a breed of domesticated， intelligent， telepathic cats。 While there are violent scenes， they are not particularly graphic and serve to advance the plot。 Due to sexual content， I would suggest careful review of the book before sharing with an adolescent， as it may not be appropriate for all， depending on their level of maturity。The author introduced numerous secondary characters， which were adequately developed within the narrative， most of whom were extended family members of Shine， or were members of the household or community。 The narrative's pace kept me engaged throughout my reading of the book。 While the Advanced Reader's Copy does not make reference to this book beginning a series， I can see it would easily continue into a series， and I would continue reading it without doubt。 Nonetheless， the book feels complete at the end， without a lurching stop that some books beginning series leave。 I will say the book left me feeling a little depressed and sad for Shine， despite her situation improving at the ending of the book， as she really suffered a lot in a short space of time within the book。I will be looking to grab my copy when it is released and hoping the author decides to continue writing about this character and world。 。。。more
Sarah Connor
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OK， the first page was a little。。。ho hum。 But I persisted， and I'm really glad I did。 It's a great romp of a fantasy - Routley has obviously had a lot of fun writing this。 She has also created a complex world that hangs together really well - a world of mages with magical power， a world with a low fertility rate where family power depends on having children who will become mages， a world where female mages are stronger than males。 That adds up to some very interesting power dynamics， enthusiasti OK， the first page was a little。。。ho hum。 But I persisted， and I'm really glad I did。 It's a great romp of a fantasy - Routley has obviously had a lot of fun writing this。 She has also created a complex world that hangs together really well - a world of mages with magical power， a world with a low fertility rate where family power depends on having children who will become mages， a world where female mages are stronger than males。 That adds up to some very interesting power dynamics， enthusiastic sex and a believable heroine navigating the different power streams in her life。 And cats。 Psychic cats。 Oh， it's fab。 As soon as I finished this one I went to look for other things written by her。 I'm really hopeful there will be a sequel。 There are a few strings left。。 。。。more
Miriam
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[this book was kindly provided to me by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review]Unfortunately， I DNFed this book at 21%。 It was leaving a weird impression in me， and by weird I mean messy and complicated and not well-explained。If this was a part of a sooner -established fantasy world， I wouldn't say anything - but this is supposed to introduce the reader to this environment for the first time and all the author did was throw horrendous infodumps at us。 All the relations and [this book was kindly provided to me by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review]Unfortunately， I DNFed this book at 21%。 It was leaving a weird impression in me， and by weird I mean messy and complicated and not well-explained。If this was a part of a sooner -established fantasy world， I wouldn't say anything - but this is supposed to introduce the reader to this environment for the first time and all the author did was throw horrendous infodumps at us。 All the relations and relationships and gossip and politics were too much， even though she included the family tree。 It's different than when Tolkien did it， he put those into the appendix for the readers who are interested in those tiny details， like he himself was - he could have lived without them -， but here I needed to look at the tree every few minutes and it was SO annoying。I'm honestly disappointed， because the premise seemed unique and interesting， but the book itself turned out not to meet my expectations。→1 star 。。。more
Roberta
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