A River of Royal Blood

by Amanda Joy Narrated by Soneela Nankani

Overview

An enthralling debut perfect for fans of Children of Blood and Bone, set in a North African-inspired fantasy world where two sisters must fight to the death to win the crown.

Sixteen-year-old Eva is a princess, born with the magick of blood and marrow – a dark and terrible magick that hasn't been seen for generations in the vibrant but fractured country of Myre. Its last known practitioner was Queen Raina, who toppled the native khimaer royalty and massacred thousands, including her own sister, eight generations ago, thus beginning the Rival Heir tradition. Living in Raina's long and dark shadow, Eva must now face her older sister, Isa, in a battle to the death if she hopes to ascend to the Ivory Throne – because in the Queendom of Myre only the strongest, most ruthless rulers survive.

When Eva is attacked by an assassin just weeks before the battle with her sister, she discovers there is more to the attempt on her life than meets the eye – and it isn't just her sister who wants to see her dead. As tensions escalate, Eva is forced to turn to a fey instructor of mythic proportions and a mysterious and handsome khimaer prince for help in growing her magick into something to fear. Because despite the love she still has for her sister, Eva will have to choose: Isa's death or her own.

A River of Royal Blood is an enthralling debut set in a lush North African-inspired fantasy world that subtly but powerfully challenges our notions of power, history, and identity.

Editorial Reviews

Publishers Weekly

08/26/2019

Evalina Grace Killeen is the younger princess of the Queendom of Myre, a land populated by humans, fey, bloodkin, and the subjugated khimaer, formerly Myre’s ruling class. Since her magick was declared “marrow and blood,” like that of the most powerful, ruthless human queen in Myre’s history, Eva has been the subject of fear and isolation by courtiers, citizens, and her queen mother, who has long favored the persuasive magick of the elder princess, Isadore. When Eva reaches her 17th year, the magick-wielding sisters will fight for the sitting monarch’s throne, battling to the death for the right to rule. Biracial Eva, who can seem reactive, regards her own magick as a curse and loathes the thought of fratricide, but after she is attacked repeatedly before the battle, she must unlock the secrets of magic and heritage that have haunted her family and her Queendom for years. Debut author Joy’s engrossing, North African–inspired series opener draws effectively on real-world prejudices to inform her richly created universe’s complex history of species-based oppression and imperialism. Ages 12–up. Agent: Holly Root and Taylor Haggerty, Root Literary. (Oct.)

From the Publisher

Praise for A River of Royal Blood:

★ "Joy's debut has all the trappings of a riveting fantasy novel: enviable world building, elements of magic, and scintillating glimpses of a powerful backstory...not to mention a slow-burning romance sure to get readers swooning...Gripping political intrigue and cinematic action." —Booklist, starred review

"A sibling rivalry like nothing you’ve ever read before. Joy weaves a dark yet delicate treatise on race, heritage, and power whilst never losing that addictive ‘just one more chapter’ allure. I devoured it in one sitting!" —Natasha Ngan, New York Times bestselling author of Girls of Paper and Fire

"A dark and bloody delight of a debut, Amanda Joy's A River of Royal Blood is a seductive tapestry of extraordinary magick delving into the terrifying lengths we will go to claim our destiny." —Dhonielle Clayton, New York Times bestselling author of The Belles

“The world of this book is fascinating, the characters and their relationships are compelling, and that plot twist—wow! Readers of fantasy will enjoy it immensely.” —VOYA

“A surprising twist and multiple unsolved mysteries will leave readers looking forward to the next book. . . A compelling debut.” —Kirkus Reviews

“[A] fast-paced magical adventure. . . Filled with mythical creatures, ancient traditions, sibling rivalries, political intrigue, and epic world-building, this book stands out as a masterful adventure.” —School Library Journal

“Joy creates a complex, intriguing fantasy world. . . [Readers] will enjoy exciting fight scenes and a variety of abilities reminiscent of Kristin Cashore’s Graceling trilogy.” —The Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books

“[This] engrossing, North African–inspired series opener draws effectively on real-world prejudices to inform [a] richly created universe.” —Publishers Weekly

“A dark and complex fantasy of bloodlust and rich imagination. . . Fascinating characters, both regal and warrior-like, fill the narrative, and the pageantry is richly detailed in a swirling cacophony of colors, dance, and swordplay...This first book in a series is riveting...[and] will leave readers wanting more.” —School Library Connection

School Library Journal

09/01/2019

Gr 8 Up—The Queendom of Myre is steeped in a tradition of blood. Every generation, a pair of rival heirs must battle to the death for the Ivory Throne. Sixteen-year-old Eva has lived most of her life with her father away from Myre, and in pursuit of a teacher who can help her master her magick of marrow and blood—a magick that has not been seen for generations since Queen Raina destroyed the royal line of the native khimaer and killed her own sister, beginning the tradition of Rival Heirs. When Eva is attacked by an assassin weeks before her battle with her sister, Isa, she realizes that the time has come for action. Outmatched and untrained, Eva turns to an ancient fey instructor, a secret prince, and a small group of faithful friends for guidance and aid in this fast-paced magical adventure. Will she have what it takes to defend herself against her sister and the dark forces conspiring against her? Filled with mythical creatures, ancient traditions, sibling rivalries, political intrigue, and epic world-building, this book stands out as a masterful adventure. VERDICT Hand it to fans of Kendare Blake's "Three Dark Crowns" series or those looking for a more diverse response to Game of Thrones.—India Winslow, Cary Memorial Library, Lexington, MA

Kirkus Reviews

2019-07-26
Princess Evalina Killeen attempts to tap into her magical abilities in preparation for a magical showdown.

Eva has always known she was born with the feared magick of marrow and blood which she is supposed to use in a fight to the death with her sister, Isa, for the queendom once they both come of age. But Eva's only accessed her magic twice, and both times its violence frightened her. Mere months before her nameday, Eva is desperately searching for a magick teacher when she stumbles across Baccha, a fey of immense power who shares her magical abilities. Though Eva is often empathetic, she's sometimes whiny, and her lack of awareness and acknowledgement of her own privilege—and complete obliviousness toward other people's needs—may irritate readers. However, as she learns to access her magic and begins uncovering family secrets, she also continues to grapple with the current and historical bias (species, not color, based) of Myre, whose diverse population is made up of humans, fey, bloodkin, and khimaer. Her willingness to question the status quo may help readers forgive her for being otherwise self-centered and sometimes rash. A surprising twist and multiple unsolved mysteries will leave readers looking forward to the next book. Black-haired Eva is biracial (her father is brown-skinned while her mother has light pink skin) while Isa has golden hair and lighter brown skin. Supporting characters are racially diverse.

A compelling debut. (Fantasy. 14-18)

Product Details

BN ID:	2940171853211
Publisher:	Penguin Random House
Publication date:	10/29/2019
Edition description:	Unabridged
Age Range:	12 - 17 Years

Read an Excerpt

Chapter 1
 
The passage beneath my bedchamber was silent as a crypt, though as always, the Empress scorpions that nested in these forgotten tunnels started hissing disapproval the moment my feet touched the ground.
 
I crouched and checked the circle of cinnamon sticks and dried lavender I’d laid to deter the wicked beasts, and then knotted the hem of my skirt. If left hanging, the chime and rattle of its beading would echo through the passages, and although I’d never crossed paths with anyone here, I couldn’t risk discovery.
 
I adjusted the belt knife in its soft leather holster at the small of my back. Whenever I shifted, nicks in the wooden handle scratched my skin, but it couldn’t be helped. This knife was my only weapon plain enough to suit this disguise. In a floor-sweeping skirt and a top that bared my midriff but covered my arms and their tattoos, I could pass as a common human girl out for a night of revelry.
 
Flint struck stone inches from my face, sparks dancing through inky darkness. I jumped, a curse on my lips, but my hand fell from my knife. “I’d appreciate some warning next time.”
 
“Just keeping you sharp,” said the young man standing mere feet away.
 
Falun, second-in-command of my guard and my closest friend, towered over me in the cramped passage. He was long-limbed and graceful, though still not quite grown into his wide shoulders. Like many of the fey, who originally came from the North, Falun was fair-skinned and fine-haired. Even in the scant torchlight, his skin gleamed like mother-of-pearl. All the fey had a certain sameness—luminous skin, oversize eyes, pointed ears, and vibrant coloring—but Falun was among the most beautiful. His hair was streaked with apple red and dark gold, and the sharp line of his jaw emphasized his full-lipped smile.
 
Two nights ago, Falun had gone to my room at dawn to propose a journey to the kitchens and found me missing, my bed pushed aside, trapdoor hanging open. He knew I became restless at night, and instead of sounding the alarm, he’d waited until I returned. In exchange for such a kindness, I’d decided to bring him tonight, though I’d been very light on the details.
 
Falun held the torch to the passage wall, the dancing flames making his blue eyes flash silver as he inspected the words engraved on the stone. They were written in the khimaer language, the sinuous alphabet of the people who’d once ruled from this Palace. Nearly two hundred years ago, humans had wrested control of the Queendom from the khimaer, but signs of the previous rulers still lingered all over Myre.
 
Falun’s eyebrows rose as he recognized the language. “How did you find this place?”
 
“When I was seven, Isadore and I found the trapdoor after her earring rolled under my bed.” I didn’t add that we’d found a similar hatch beneath hers and spent a year sleeping very little as we explored every inch of these passages at night.
 
I went to great lengths to avoid discussing my sister.
 
The tips of Falun’s tapered ears went pink. “Isadore knows about this place? Don’t you worry about seeing her?” I snorted. “Why would my sister come here? There is nothing about the Palace that would make her want to leave.”
 
“True enough.” He swiped a hand across his face, but his grimace remained in place. “I’ll regret this, won’t I?”
 
“You won’t, and you know it—why else would you have come?”
 
He leaned forward as if sharing a secret. “Actually I came to keep you out of trouble.”
 
“And that works just as well.” I grinned, even though I could protect myself. I snatched his torch and snuffed out the flames beneath my boot. “Follow me.”
 
We ran through darkness so thick the only sign of Falun beside me was his hand in mine. After months of sneaking out through these passages, finding my escape route—and avoiding the scorpion nests—had become second nature. When Isadore and I were children, we’d stuck to the passages around our quarters, but when I returned to the capital ten months ago and began exploring again, I soon realized they tunneled through the grounds around the Queen’s Palace, right up to its outer wall. The floors of the passages changed now from stone to tile to packed earth, a sure sign that we were close. After about a mile, we stopped at a steel ladder. Night air blew through an opening overhead.
 
I climbed to the top and emerged in an orchard with rows of flowering trees, though they didn’t bloom during the scorching weeks of high summer, as it was now. Fresh air kissed my skin, heavy with damp heat. I breathed it in, my pulse a driving beat beneath my skin.
 
Almost, it hummed.
 
Falun joined me, following my gaze to a carved expanse of white stone.
 
The wall that marked my freedom.

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