What were the stakes? [Shadow in the Empire of Light by Jane Routley]

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... 

There are a couple of things that annoyed me as I read Jane Routley's Shadow in the Empire of Light. Shine, our protagonist, demands empathy for her plight as the low-ranking member of the highest house of the land. Umm, no. Incest in a large part of this story. Sexual relationships between cousins, presumably distant, is acceptable, dare I say the norm. It's repeatedly implied that someone else's story, one she's been kept in the dark about, is a traumatic one, but Shine obliviously feels nothing but entitlement to it. And then once she does learn the truth, her lack of empathy is dragged out for plot and barely made sense in itself.  And then considering what Shine's own experience in the short time of the story had been! So, most importantly, I never came to care for the main character.

Plot-wise, the story was all over the place, riddled with a cast of characters too large for me to develop any emotional attachment. Basically this is the story of a family's drama and secrets and the sexual abuse or relationships at its core. As a reader the random foreigner's presence was without stakes and Shine's own personal drama had no real stakes. Checking off all of the general tropes we've got the shunned gay cousin, the political and money scheming, the over-reaching in-law/step-parent, the secret sexual abuse, the secret abortion.

There was not much sci-fi and the loosest hints of fantasy. I didn't really enjoy the story and hopefully little of it will remain. The story told was not exciting and the intrigue was weak, and the resolution unsatisfying. But maybe someone will enjoy this story. 2 stars from me.

Shadow in the Empire of Light is available in eBook August 2020 and paperback January 2021.