Shadow in the Empire of Light

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Pub Date 19 Jan 2021 | Archive Date 21 Sep 2020

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Description

A magical novel of intrigue, mystery, sex, and family drama from the award-winning author of Aramaya and Fire Angels

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. As the festival draws to a close, Shine is forced to decide both her loyalties and future...

A magical novel of intrigue, mystery, sex, and family drama from the award-winning author of Aramaya and Fire Angels

Shine’s life is usually dull: an orphan without magic in a family of powerful...


A Note From the Publisher

eBook out August 2020. Paperback out January 2021.


Please note Shadow in the Empire of Light contains scenes of a sexual nature and references sexual abuse.

eBook out August 2020. Paperback out January 2021.


Please note Shadow in the Empire of Light contains scenes of a sexual nature and references sexual abuse.


Advance Praise

“Routley’s whimsical tone lends a dark comic quality to this intricate fantasy, and the outlandish characters and captivating worldbuilding.” –Publishers Weekly

“Routley’s whimsical tone lends a dark comic quality to this intricate fantasy, and the outlandish characters and captivating worldbuilding.” –Publishers Weekly


Available Editions

EDITION Other Format
ISBN 9781781088340
PRICE $11.99 (USD)
PAGES 350

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Average rating from 107 members


Featured Reviews

Shine Lucheyart may be a granddaughter of the ruling Empress, but as a magic-less mundane with a vanished (some say dead) mother and a pale-skinned foreign father, she's forced to live a quiet life of genteel poverty on an isolated country estate, with little company aside from a giant talking cat and her radical, semi-banished aunt. But when her extended family descends on her home for an annual fertility festival---and a pale-skinned scholar from a neighboring republic who's not supposed to be in the country at all gets dumped in her lap---she finds herself caught up in plots and schemes that threaten everything she holds dear.

Overall I enjoyed this a lot, and I think anyone who likes their fantasy steeped in politics and family drama would do the same. Shine is a character very much caught between: though clever and generally well-intentioned (though in many ways still very much the product of her upbringing), and the beneficiary of a society where her sex and lineage give her special status, her lack of magic keeps her very much at the dregs of her social class, a poor relation who will struggle to ever escape that fate. (Mundane members of mage families get treated a bit like illegitimate children, in that they can't inherit and they can't exercise political power.) Her pale (well . . . paler) skin sets her apart from her peers, a constant reminder of her lack of fully belonging.

I think I'd need to read the next book (this is clearly set up for more books) before commenting further on the racial and social elements at play here. The Empire is a matriarchal, matrilineal society where women hold most of the power, but . . . a feminist utopia, this is not. And the as-yet-unseen neighboring republic, glimpsed through comments by Shadow (the pale-skinned foreigner who finds himself quite literally hiding under Shine's bed . . . don't ask, just read the book!), seems to be a counterpoint in many ways, but without seeing it firsthand, it's hard to really give an analysis. It didn't escape my notice that the dark-skinned empire has an economy based on resource extraction, while the pale-skinned republic seems to have a more capitalist manufacturing-based economy---along with a patriarchal, patrilineal social structure---and I'm curious to see where the author goes there.

A big thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing a free copy in exchange for an honest review!

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A fun YA fantasy which paints an interesting, magical world and has a terrific protagonist, and then bog sthe whole thing down somewhat by eventually being a bit of a family mystery story. Our lead, Bright, is a mundane magic free daughter of the ruling magical family, and the power structure that exists in a world with very powerful magic users underpin the story. There is a hierarchy where light skinned people (who are foreign) are shunned - and the book is interesting about shade policing, but also I think once the racism issue is raised, the casual use of the slur for white people (ghost) goes somewhat examined in a - cheers for race swopping but not considering the context way. I rather enjoyed not having any idea where it was going, and it feels like with missing parents and missing kids and an entire map of political intrigue to explore that more or less staying in the house was a mistake (I assume these are threads for further books - though that doesn't seem that clear). Oh and did I mention the telepathic cat.

That said for a feminist and sex positive book with interesting themes it never bored me, and in places surprised me with where it was willing to go (there is some quite horrific abuse stuff near the end). Not really my bag, but for the right audience (people who like cats) this will be catnip.

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An interesting read. It always exciting to see someones elses take on magic! Loved the whole matriarchal society! Can't wait to see where the series goes.

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#ShadowintheEmpireofLight #NetGalley
A good solid read for mystery and fantasy readers. I think readers will enjoy the characters.

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Shine Lucheyart is trying to live her mundane life, and just make it through the upcoming fertility festival to decide where her life is going to take her. When her banished cousin returns and entrusts her with a ‘ghost’ from the forbidden neighboring country. Shine maybe the granddaughter of the ruling Empress but being magic-less makes her less important than the rest of your family. But when she receives this unexpected guest, she realizes this may be her way to an adventure. With her family arriving, she must hide ‘ghost,’ and unravel the secrets and misdeeds of her family, while finding out for herself what she wants to do with her life.
I was surprised by this book, and though I found that began slow it picked up to make up for the lack of information. There were many unanswered questions, which I hope will be answered in upcoming books. Between female empowerment, the openness of sex, talking cats, and learning about different forms of magic, this book is a fun read that will need more books to be answered. There was a lot of information written into this book, which made it difficult to read at times, but I also had to know who was behind everything and how this book will lead into others. It is a very fun read, especially for fans of strong female characters and touches of magic.
I received this book as an ARC from NetGalley for my honest opinion.

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This fantasy book covers so much in its pages, that you don't know how it will end. So cleverly written the author starts coaxing the reader down one path just to then pull the rug from under their feet. I wasn't totally expecting the way the story played out, but it definitely left room for another book to be written and read.
Shine is the daughter of a mage, who much to the disgust of the family, ran away with not just a mundane but a ghost, Shines father.
After being abandoned as a small child with no magical power of her own, Shine lives with her exiled aunt. With the rest of the family ready to gather at the manor, Shine and her aunt must play host to the great mages of their land. Shine is dragged pillar to post all the while trying to keep a life safe and hidden from the rest of the family.
The author uses social prejudice as the background for this story, but it has all the family secrets and treachery needed to make this an intense read. Shine is a strong minded protagonist, who is loyal to her aunt and close to her cousin Bright, who due to a scandal is also exiled. This book held my attention to the very end. I hope to be able to read other books and find out if Shine manages to escape and save the life of the ghost she must protect.

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A very light and easy young adult read that I breezed through in a couple of days.

It's nominally a fantasy novel set in a world divided into those with magical abilities ('mages') and those without ('mundanes'), and where women, whose powers tend to be stronger, run the show. Those are both concepts that have been done before, but unlike books like The Power, and even to some degree Harry Potter, this one doesn't take itself too seriously and really isn't pushing to get any kind of serious message across.

The fantasy side of things very quickly takes a back seat to a soap opera-esque family drama full of back stabbing and politicking, and the heroine also spends a fair amount of time sidetracked by romantic entanglements with the hot men who seem to constantly be falling at her feet.

So probably a bit of a guilty pleasure for me (well outside the target demographic), but lots of fun.

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A really fun and interesting read. I had an enjoyable time reading this and it held my attention the entire way through that I finished it within the day!

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A fun and fairly fast paced introduction to an empire on the cusp of cultural change. Complex and dangerous familial intrigues in an unusual matriarchal society. In the Empire of Light, fertility is low, women mages are stronger than men, and not everyone can be a mage, which results in a complicated hierarchy between mages (nobility), gentry (non-mages or "mundanes" related to nobility), non-mage merchant families and serfs at the bottom of the totem pole. However, everyone appears to have sex with everyone else (there are a few well written erotic scenes) in order to maximize the chances of babies, particularly female babies, who could grow to be powerful mages and raise the fortunes of their families. The empire borders another polity with very different sociopolitical structure and mores. Trade is limited and foreigners registered with restricted movements, a la Imperial China with Europe. The borders are becoming porous, and smuggling is an issue.

In Shadow in the Empire of Light, a young woman Shine, without magic but part of a junior branch of the Imperial Family, gets caught up in the coming changes because of the internal struggles and politics of her family. This book is primarily setting the scene for bigger things to come, but has plenty of twists and action in its own right, and the main character is sympathetic without being perfect. The secondary characters are fleshed out and have their own motivations and personalities. Be warned the cast of characters is large! Drawing a family tree helped me keep them all straight.

I was provided a copy of this book to review on NetGalley.

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Magic, murder, and family drama thrown all together results in an interesting tale of intrigue and drama. It was a truly enjoyable escape from reality.

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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, 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.

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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!

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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!!

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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

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Shadow in the Empire of Light
Author: Jane Routley
Publisher: Rebellion Publishing Solaris
Page count: 350pp
Release date: 21 Jan. 2021


Shine, a 23 year old female, is likely to remain on the farm of Willow-in-the-Mist Estate, with no magic powers, no nobility, no inheritance and no children, until the day she dies. She works the land for her foster mother Eff, makes it profit but won’t see any of that money, because she is not a mage so it goes to her higher level family, because her mom left for the Ghostlands to never return. Unfortunately her mom hadn’t left instructions to give her any money or education. 
Katti is Shine’s only real companion; a very large wildcat, who talks in Shine’s head, and is a typically arrogant, smug creature.
Magic is an accepted thing in this post-regency/19th century universe and Shine (referred to as ghostie-girl by her mage cousin Bright due to her mixed parentage) and half-breed ghost by the nastier family members, is full of anger at her family, as she awaits their arrival for this year’s Blessing party’. The whole religion and society of the Empire of Light is based on fertility and is matriarchal.
Shine is talking to her cousin Bright, who has snuck back to the estate, as the bunch of trumped up magic-wielding nobility arrive in a floating phaeton parade of splendour and ridiculous pomp.  The estate is where Shine, Bright -his valet Stefan Graceson - and his brother Daneel Graceson were raised.
Adult Bright has now been disinherited because of his love for Stefan, so they turned to a Military life. And as he says, it’s certainly more freeing than “life at Elayison. Hanging about smoking dreamsmoke and ranting on about nothing ...”
Bright and Stefan have returned to the estate with Shadow, an unregistered ghost, who is investigating Crystal smuggling - the crystals used by mages.
The couple are helping Shadow return to his home in exchange for his help finding Shine’s mother, who Bright believes is still alive.
The history of turmoil between the ‘Pale Outlanders’ or ghosts started when they came from the Bone Mountains to the Empire of Light. When they do come down for trade or other needs, they are watched carefully, treated with fear. It’s clear there is animosity, bias and discrimination at work between the races. In this world, those with lighter skin are the ones facing prejudice. Don’t worry, this is not a ‘swap the colour of skin’ for simple metaphor book. There’s lots to get to grips with and enjoy here, particularly the complexity of the characters.
It sounds a bit confusing, but it only takes a few pages to grasp the world build. It’s done succinctly and with skill.
Most of the action takes place over the course of a week, in the midst of the ‘Blessing’ party, a kind of four day fertility festival where the gods are celebrated and well... everyone is “getting it on”.  Amidst it all, there’s political intrigue, spying by Hagen Stellason - ‘secretary’ Impi who is consort of Lady Splendance (queen of the festival), sexual harassment and attempted murder. Nice, normal family then.
In fact Lucient, a family member Shine actually gets on with, is abused by one of the elite females trying to use him to birth mages for power, and she uses ‘Rampant’ , essentially a form of viagra, to force him into sex. It reminded me very much of the elements in Bridgerton the series, based on books by Julia Quinn.
With the religion - excluding the matriarchal society - the promiscuity, decadence and elitism, the Empire is exactly what it sounds like; basically a metaphor of the British Empire mingled with USA history, the Roman Empire and the worst qualities of all of these, redolent with indentured slaves and bigotry. Oh, and the taking of land. We have the Licensing of ‘ghosts’ or ‘immigrants’ that feels very much like the early stages of the ‘80s series V.
Ghostland, where the ghosts live, reads as a kind of refugee camp, or perhaps the land behind a wall? Hmmm
Wry social commentary, banter between characters, and jokes aimed at current civilisation such as Lord Igniate’s floating chair, all combine to make this a fun, intelligent but very relevant and fast-paced read.
Sly remarks such as magekind bringing the “civilising influence of the Lady of Light” to the ghosts also screams colonialism. It’s cleverly done from Shine’s point of view, so we experience her view of the world, which is kind of naive, whilst we, the wizened reader, see the grime hidden under the light.
Interestingly enough, Shine is of a lower class than her cousins who have magic, is mixed race and does not own her property so is low on a hierarchy scale, yet she is very privileged despite all of this, because her family is just a little to the left of the Empress. And she is still considered better than ‘ghosts’.
When she meets the ghost Shadow, she screams, and as their relationship continues, she is at first ignorant and patronising. “Think of him like some child we have to care for.”
Yet she is still a likeable person, is trying to do the right thing and is soon correcting her cousin Klea about her behaviour towards Shadow. Almost as though she is learning to be more empathic and is overcoming the ignorance she has, mostly due to her upbringing. Lots of horrific things come as a surprise to her, but as she learns, she becomes a better person.
This is a real hero; a character with heart and flaws.
As for figures like Blazeann and Toy, well they’re pretty despicable in truth, and Scinty, the man she admires, is not quite the man she thought.
This is an amazing first book in a future series that I’m sure will offer more shenanigans and character growth.
After all, with ghosts like Shadow saying “Love is love,” and the ‘Light’ Empire disowning Bright for his love, who is really the better person?
I can’t wait to see Shine discover more about the world and herself.

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A really vibrant well-defined world. The characters were so engaging and I easily became invested in Shine's story. Additionally I loved not only the matriarchal society but also the nonchalance about sex and nudity, it was different and fun. Cannot wait for the sequel.

I received this book courtesy of NetGalley in exchange for a fair review..

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