This book never really seemed to have a discernable point – there were many infodumps with not much background and a large host of characters to keep in mind. It made my reading experience choppy and a little lost. It didn’t really seem to fit into what I usually experience with first books in a series or a standalone fantasy book – too many characters at once, a lot of information but without in-depth background worldbuilding. That isn’t to say that the world itself wasn’t interesting – it was, I would appreciate more background information than what the book contained. I did enjoy the female-dominated hierarchy with female mages far more powerful than their male counterparts. The mages enjoy their royal status but those who do not have a single drop of magical power are always less than – even those descended from royal bloodlines like Shine. The Empire of Light draws some similarities in my mind of Great Britain while Ghostland reminds me of the United States. I wasn’t a huge fan of the political aspects and posturing of the royal family in this book, it made things even harder to keep straight. At times I felt like this book had so much going on but it wasn’t really meaningful which made it difficult to keep going.

I loved Katti, the wildcat that has claimed Shine as her own. That she and Shine could understand one another to communicate – in a fashion. The old gods worshipped by the peasants in the book were far more interesting to me than the Lady of Light was. Shine I liked, for the most part, she could be a simpering female at times but what won me over was the pride that she had for being the first to make the estate run in the black. I would have loved to learn more about Shadow and if this becomes a series we could possibly see more about him and his homeland. Shadow was nearly normal in comparison to the mages that rule the Empire of Light, it made him a far more likable character. We could also learn more about the mystery surrounding Shine’s orphan status if the author decides to write a second book – that story arc I would be interested in.

I would possibly recommend this book to older readers of YA who enjoy fantasy, LGTBQ+ elements, political intrigue, murder mysteries, and loads of family drama. Fair warning that this book contains some steamy sections (the Empire of Light is very open about sex in their desire to gain more female mages) and familial relations of a sexual nature that are to put it nicely – cringeworthy. Those relationships reminded me very much of how royal families had a tendency to operate in medieval times. I would like to thank Solaris, Jane Routley, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read a gifted copy of Shadow in the Empire of Light – all opinions are my own. ( )