QOTD: What are you doing this weekend?

It’s a rainy weekend so I’m probably going to go jump in some puddles and drink some hot chocolate. We went for a walk today. Sunday is supposed to be flood type rain.
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Shadow in the Empire of Light
Jane Routley
#arcreview
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This was a very interesting fantasy read that was centered around a country estate and a fertility festival. Shine keeps up the estate after her mother, who was a mage, disappeared. Shine is half mage, half ghost. She is part of the royal family but being half breed with no magic makes her a mundane and no use but basically a servant to them.  I will say all the names were very unique and most seemed based around light which was fascinating- Lucient, Blazanne, Lumina, Scintillant, Illuminant, Glisten… 

In this mage world the female line holds the strongest magic and the males are used for breeding it seems like. There is a lot of sexual activity since this is a fertility festival and they are trying to create more female mages 😉 The conversations are very direct about their sexuality and preferences which makes sense due to what they are celebrating. 

There is also a power struggle among the leadership of the mages and a murder and some conspiracy happens. 

All in this crazy activity Shine is hiding an illegal Ghost under her bed named Shadow along with her telepathic cat that warns her when her mage family members might be coming near. 

I enjoyed this fast paced quirky story.  Like everyone else I am not sure if there is a story that I can relate it to which isn’t a bad thing. I think she set up the story well for Shine to continue on her journey into a second book. I am hoping we learn more about her mother and what happened to her and maybe who her ghost father is.

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐💫 (round up to 4)

Thank you @netgalley and @rebellionpublishing for the electronic copy for my honest and voluntary review.

TW: Stories of sexual abuse, Fighting, Drugs

Synopsis:

A magical novel of intrigue, mystery 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 intrigue; stolen letters, a fugitive spy and family drama mix with an unexpected murder, and Shine is forced to decide both her loyalties and future…