In the Shadow of the Sun

By: E. M. Castellan

Narrated by: Heather Wilds

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, but court magicians turn up killed by a mysterious sorcerer who uses forbidden magic and an accident forces Henriette to reveal her uniquely powerful gift for enchantments to Louis, he asks for her help. For 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.

©2020 E. M. Castellan (P)2020 Blackstone Publishing

Not for me.

First of all, I love the idea of adding magic to the story! I thought that was a great touch and pretty much the only part I enjoyed. Since the story was written about real people the author had to maintain some of the facts. I love history and historical novels. That being said, neither Louie XIV nor his brother Philippe were very good guys in real life. With their countless affairs it is hard to write a convincing love story about either of them. The book was 10 hours long and I’m not really sure what the point of it was. I finished it feeling indifferent to the characters and dissatisfied. I’ve heard there is going to be a sequel to this book but I have no desire to read or listen to it. Henrietta died 9 years after her marriage and was thought to have been poisoned. She had a seemingly very unhappy life. I’m not really sure what the redeeming quality of this book is.