A river of royal blood

Review by Booklist Review

In the Queendom of Myre, sisters fight to the death to be named true Rival Heir and sit on the Ivory Throne. Gifted with the most fearsome magick of marrow and blood, Princess Evalina enlists a godling to help harness her rare powers to have a fighting chance against her sister Isadore's more practiced magick of light and persuasion. But even before her nameday approaches, when she will be of age to engage in combat for the throne, Eva's life is threatened by another who wants to see her dead. All the while, secrets surfacing around her are leaving few to trust. For Eva, the only way to survive is to embrace the killing magick she has so long feared, so she can use it against her own sister. 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. Joy's fluid dialogue and command of building suspense with precise pacing are undeniable, and her descriptions border on lyrical: ""I slashed at his sword arm, but he dodged with sinuous fluidity."" Gripping political intrigue and cinematic action in a dynamic North African setting make this a natural pick for fans of Tomi Adeyemi's Children of Blood and Bone (2018), who eagerly anticipate the planned sequel.--Mahjabeen Syed Copyright 2010 Booklist

From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.

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Review by Publisher's Weekly Review

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.)

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Review by School Library Journal Review

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

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Review by Kirkus Book Review

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 privilegeand complete obliviousness toward other people's needsmay 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) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

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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. Excerpted from A River of Royal Blood by Amanda Saulsberry, Amanda Joy All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.

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