Half human Satyricorn Rhiannon has been brought to Lucescere, the Shining City of the title, for trial on charges of murder and treason. Her victim was beloved by all, and a city guard spitting on her upon arrival is only a minor sample of what she faces. Everyone seems more than willing to believe her capable of any and all evil and treats her accordingly. Her world falls completely apart when her lover, Lewen, who is also one of the key witnesses for her defense, is ensorcelled into loving another and into believing that any evil bewitching done to him was done by Rhiannon. Meanwhile, larger political and sorcerous currents swirl all around, threatening to drown them both as they get caught in the undercurrents.

I really liked that the characters have a lot of grey and are not just black and white cardboard saints and devils. Good people do bad things, not always with benevolent intent, but for believable reasons. The setting is nicely populated with a real variety of creatures of different powers and natures. I found the overly ubiquitous Scots dialect annoying, since it didn't add to the story, such as emphasizing characterization by having different people speak differently. While another annoyance was the way some of the characters tended to ignore the obvious to the point of obtuseness. But on the whole, an enjoyable fantasy adventure that works on its own or as part of a series. I'm certainly interested enough in seeing what happens to look forward to the next book.