Under a Starlit Sky (In the Shadow of the Sun, 2)
Castellan concludes her In the Shadow of the Sun duology, set in a fantasy-alternative version of the French Court of Louis XIV. Geared toward a young adult audience, Castellan’s 17th-century France relies on clichéd depictions of both court intrigues and magical powers but redeems them somewhat with a complex portrait of the famous marriage between Henrietta of England (sister of King Charles II) and the charismatic Monsieur, the openly bisexual brother of the Sun King. The union of these two attractive nobles—each more sensible and humane than their ambitious royal siblings—is depicted in Castellan’s novel as a modern “open” marriage made possible by the essential decency of the spouses and their allies in the competitive French court.
Writers of fantasy have been making great strides in representation, not just with LGBTQ+ characters like Monsieur. This novel also presents a protagonist who struggles to navigate court politics while managing a chronic illness (the real Henrietta was frequently debilitated by lung and digestive problems). It’s refreshing to experience the exhausting rounds of courtly social obligations from the point of view of someone who is realistic about their toll on even the healthiest of constitutions.
However well intentioned, the novel creaks under the weight of a thin plot of magical intrigue and far too many repetitive details of fabrics and furniture, as well as the delicious French cuisine that Henrietta constantly rejects. Historical fiction fans will be frustrated with the many inaccuracies and anachronisms, and fantasy fans may be impatient with the system of magic’s lack of coherence and logic, which is used (to avoid conflict with actual historical events) mainly for entertainment purposes, making the descriptions of sparkling illusions redundant in the context of the actual splendors of Versailles.
