02/11/20
In the Shadow of the Sun
In the Shadow of the Sun, Book #1
by E.M. Castellan
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Pages: 352
Amazon, Goodreads
It’s 1661 in Paris, and magicians thrill nobles with enchanting illusions. Exiled in France, 17-year-old Henriette of England wishes she could use her magic to gain entry at court. Instead, her plan is to hide her magical talents, and accept an arranged marriage to the French king’s younger brother.
Henriette soon realizes her fiancé prefers the company of young men to hers, and court magicians turn up killed by a mysterious sorcerer who uses forbidden magic. When an accident forces Henriette to reveal her uniquely powerful gift for enchantments to Louis, he asks for her help: she alone can defeat the dark magician threatening his authority and aid his own plans to build the new, enchanted seat of his power – the Palace of Versailles.
All included quotes have been taken from an ARC and may not match the finished publication.
We were royals. Our happiness was irrelevant.” Castellan,
Step into the stunning French royal life during 1661. A young English princess Henriette marries prince Philippe, the younger flamboyant brother to the newly crowned Sun King, Louis XIV of France. Henriette, must move through political intrigue, in lavishly, decadent court life. Seventeen years old Henriette has been an exiled English princess, newly reinstated when her brother King Charles II, was eventually able to be crowned King of England.
You are thrown right into a beautiful, vivid and established world with fully fleshed out characters, with courtly drama and magical realism.
This book was so entertaining and extremely hard for me to put down. I raced through this one! With unique descriptive prose, Castellan deftly weaves threads of historical iconic characters with a creative magical system that makes for a captivating tale.
Magic requires three components:
A wielder-magiciens
A conduit
And a source
Castellan delivers a well-written, unique and twisty read here that had me completely enthralled and questioning everything that was happening within the pages of this book. The way that the details were revealed to us was extremely well done and the setting was spellbinding. Character development and complex relationships, and the setting and time period are brought to life with rich and unique details.
One of my favorites by far, and I am excited for the next installment.
Gwendalyn’s Books 