Review: A River of Royal Blood by Amanda Joy

A River of Royal Blood (A River of Royal Blood #1)
Author: Amanda Joy
Genre: YA Fantasy
Release Date: October 29, 2019
Publisher: Putnam

Description:

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 marrow and blood--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.  

 

A River of Royal Blood is the thrilling first book in a young adult fantasy series and is one that fans of the genre need to get their hands on. I was intrigued by the description, which initially drew me into reading the book, but I had no idea what to expect. Luckily, this book went above and beyond anything I could've hoped for and I ended up really liking it. I enjoyed basically every aspect of the book and have no real issues to speak of. Everything was very well written and the story itself was told so believably that I could barely believe it when I learned that it's the author's debut. If I hadn't have found out, there would've been absolutely no way I would've been able to tell. The raw talent and storytelling ability shines through right from the beginning until the closing line of the novel.

The characters, especially our heroine Eva, are all well rounded and complex. They each have distinct personalities and quirks as well as flaws that make them all realistic. Eva was a fantastic main character for the book. She's a kind of duality for most of the story - she's a princess who has powerful magick and knows that she will have to fight her sister for the throne, but she's also insecure and unsure of herself and her abilities. She loves her family, even though her mother and sister have been cold to her for quite some time. She doesn't want to kill her sister for the crown - but she doesn't want to die either. She goes through a lot of internal battles as well as external ones throughout the story. I really loved meeting her character and then watching her change, grow and mature as the story progressed. She comes a long way from the girl she is at the beginning of the book, but still has a long way to go to be who she wants - and needs - to be. The secondary characters were all realistic for the most part - except for maybe the Queen. She's just cold-hearted and mean to Eva, which is a bit stereotypical. I liked getting to know all the other characters and seeing how each of their relationships with one another changed during the course of the book. There's obviously a romance aspect to the novel, which I normally don't like because it seems to always overshadow the main plot. That didn't happen in this book though, and I actually really liked seeing Eva and Aketo's relationship develop. 

The plot was fascinating and had lots of things going on. There's the obvious main plot - where Eva and Isa have to dual each other for the crown - but there are lots of other things happening. Eva tends to get herself into some tough situations and I liked seeing her get out of them. There's political intrigue, secrets, lies, and some big twists and turns that you won't see coming. Those things combined with all the others I listed came together to create a wonderful story. One other major aspect for me was the writing style. It's always a big part of my reading experience and can make or break a book for me. Luckily for me, the author wrote the novel in the first person point of view from Eva's perspective. This is by far my favorite writing style, so I was really excited when I found out how it was written. I believe the first person POV allows the reader to connect with the main character on a much deeper level than any other writing styles - and to me, that's huge. I instantly connected with Eva and by the end of the book it felt like I had been right beside her for everything that she'd gone through. 

Lastly, the author's exquisite attention to detail really brought Eva's world to life for me. With all the vivid imagery and descriptions, I felt like I could close my eyes and be transported inside Eva's world. The world building was very well done and included a lot of different aspects that I loved learning about. The different races, the history of the land, and (of course) the magick, were all amazing and I could've read about them all day. I hope we get to learn more about each of these in the next book - and I also can't wait to see where Eva's journey will take us next. I highly recommend this book, especially to fans of the genre. You won't be disappointed!