Thank you to Netgallery and Penguin Group for this sneak peak ARC of this book before publication in exchange for an honest review.

First off, I love the idea of rival sisters competing for themselves, but to compete for their lives is so exhilarating. Eva and her older sister Isa have an age old tradition to fight each other to the death to win the crown and this sneak peak shows part of the rivalry that Eva and Isa feel. Eva has no interest in this royal fight and just wants to leave and do something for herself. The sneak peak made me excited and interested to see who the winner would be.

The author created an everlasting curiosity in me as to who would win. Eva is kind of like the underdog and her sister the favourite to win, The beginning of the book has intrigued me and made me wonder about these two characters even after putting this book down. I also loved the descriptive nature of the book as the author described the palace and the throne room in such exhilarating detail that I felt that I was a part of the story.

Very excited to read the full thing.

Thank you NetGalley & Penguin Books for the chance to read this sneak peek!

The concept of this novel is what sparked my attention; 2 sisters who have to battle it out for the throne? Makes you feel like your sibling squabbles are just that much... smaller.

It took awhile for me to really grasp what was going on in this novel, the introduction chapter sometimes tends to throw me off but once we dive into chapter 1 it's pretty easy to follow from there.

36 pages was not enough to satisfy me, I didn't know this book was already out so that was a nice surprise to find out! I don't have to wait for it to be released! I admit I do like the new cover versus the older one.

I can't wait to dive into more of this title!

Thank you NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read the sneak peek of this novel, in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.

I’m already gripped tbh within this novel, it’s written so beautifully. It’s also incredibly detailed and picturesque, I struggle sometimes with being able to picture the scene in a book but I didn’t have any problems with this excerpt.

I also love the concept of rival heirs in this book. The idea that siblings have to fight one another with the magick they were blessed with (or not so) at birth and one has to kill the other to essentially win the throne. It really gives a twist on the usual monarchy trope often found in books of this kind. I feel immersed already, I just want to know what happens next!!

I honestly can’t wait to get my hands on the full copy upon its release!!

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with a sneak peek of 'A River of Royal Blood' in exchange for an honest review.

I want to start by saying that the cover is gorgeous! I found the premise of this book very interesting and am super excited to learn more about this magical world. It was a little slow at the beginning, but it got better after the start.

I'm looking forward to reading the full book once it releases!
4 STARS

This book recently got repackaged with a new cover, which I greatly prefer to the original cover, which I have on my shelf currently. This sample was brief and just included the first few chapters, but it left me wanting to read more of Eva's story! I'm so excited to pick up my copy and read it and then buy the new cover to match the sequel!

Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for an eARC of the prologue in exchange for an honest review of, A River of Royal Blood, by Amanda Joy.

The cover immediately grabbed my attention and I was instantly engaged from the first page. After the birth of the princess, there was quite a bit of an information dump. However, the story was quite intriguing and the characters bold enough for my curiosity to be piqued.

I am definitely going to be finishing this book upon its publication and am excited to see which sister prevails and if Evalina comes to control and utilize her magick.

The book begins with the Harkening of a princess, Eva. Then it goes forward in time until she is sixteen. every night she sneeks out of the palace and joins the commoner in the city. By day she mostly stays in her room, unwilling to gather with the court and to bear up with her older sister Isa. And one day when she is summoned to the court room to report the her mother. That day she decides that she is done.

This book is amazing and extremely well written. All of the characters came to life. The storyline and the details.....Wow!!!! I litterally don't have anything bad to say about it!!! Everyone who likes Sarah J. Maas's books, this is for you, and for those who don't It's still great!!!

A River of Royal Blood by Amanda Joy

9780525518600


36 Pages (sneak peek)
Publisher: Penguin Group
Release Date: February 16, 2021

Fiction, Teens, Young Adult, Mystical, Magic, North African Fantasy

Evalina Grace Kileen, is a princess born with the magick of marrow and blood, the most fearful of magicks. She and Falun, a friend and soldier, sneak out of the palace to go to an illegal market and enjoy some dancing. After a raid by the City guards, Eva and Falun are presented to the Queen to face the consequences.

In the Queendom, it is required that the Queen’s daughters fight to the death to become the true heir to the throne. Eva’s sister Isadore has powerful magic which leaves Eva at a disadvantage since she does not know how to wield her own magic.

This was just a sneak peek into the book. The writing style is good and the story flows at a steady pace. It is written in first person point of view and from what I read; the characters are developing as the story proceeds. I enjoyed reading this sample and look forward to reading the full book when it is released in February 2021.

The cover was enough to get me to pick up this book the quick synopsis had an interesting concept but was lacked a strong punch. If I found this in a book store it wouldn’t be the first book I’d buy. However, I do think the prologue did a phenomenal job at gauging the reader. The mystery the prolonged provided is what pushed me to want to keep reading and the initial introduction to this world is what had me wanting to read more. This leaves me excited for the rest of the book!!!

If I were to pick this up in the store and judge this book on the prologue alone, it wouldn't come home with me at all. The concept is intriguing and the cover is definitely gorgeous but the tease of the prologue was too cheesy for me to want to continue.

Because this was such a short sampler, it is hard to give a complete review, but I think that this was an intriguing and promising start to this book. I was especially drawn in by the prologue, which I think did a good job of being mysterious and intriguing, while still giving us just the right amount of information about the world to leave us wanting more. I am also intrigued to learn more about the customs of this world, as well as about our main character. I think my only critique is that after the prologue, the story switched to first-person perspective, but I feel like third-person suited this author's writing style better.

It's hard to get a good sense of a book with only a prologue and 2 chapters, but I'll give it my best. The beginning of the book focuses on the history of the world and the different species and how they interact, but very little explanation for those things. We really don't get into the story until the last few pages of the excerpt - where we get an interaction between Eva and Isadore- which means it was difficult for me to become immersed in this story. The premise seems to be good and if given the opportunity I would have read the entire book, but if you don't like to struggle through the first few world building chapters, this probably isn't the book for you.

Thanks to Netgalley for a sneak peek of this book. From what I could see I give the start a 3.5 stars.

This seems intriguing! I'll definitely be looking for a copy. I'm interested to see how Eva's story plays out, and how she will gain the knowledge to use her magick.

The characters are interesting, her friendship with Falun has my notice already.

The sample of this was enough to pull me in and have me running out to grab a finished copy! The writing is beautiful and the characters are intriguing. Cannot wait to read the story in full!

Thank you NetGalley for this sample!

This two chapter sampler is definitely interesting! A world where siblings must fight to the death to see who rules? YES PLEASE! I cannot wait to get this book so I can delve more into this world.

I got this book in a book box and didn’t read it at the time. I didn’t realise it was the same book as the cover is very different and it was already released. The two chapter sampler will have me picking this book up and finishing it.

Eva, a princess destined for the throne will have to learn how to use her magic if she is to take her place. This book has a good mix of magical characters and enough intrigue to make me keep reading.

I got to read a sample of this book. And I liked it. It sounds interesting, and I will at one point finish the book when I get my hands in it.

It sounds interesting, because you got the screwed up society and family dynamic. And allso a main character that is supposed to have magic but where is it.

It all sounds like a big time drama and unfairness. And that's down my alley of reading.

The rating is based on that it's only a sample and not a full book.

I received the first chapters of this one through Netgalley. So, I'm only giving my thoughts on the first part of this one.

This is definitely a richly, well-written book, and from the literary end, very well done. The world building pulled in right away and really let me sink into the surroundings. That was a treat. From the beginning plot side, it held lots of promise that there will be all sorts of intrigue, secrets, struggles, character arc and such coming up. And despite all of this goodness, I can't say that I was driven to keep reading it, either, and won't be picking it up.

While the world building is absolutely terrific, I simply didn't feel drawn into the characters. It wasn't that there wasn't a bit of depth, and the happenings did build a bit of sympathy...but for some reason, the princess remained an arm length's away. Even the happenings drove forward, and while it built tension, it didn't completely make me care. When I laid the book down, it could stay down. And that's not a great sign.

This was a sample of the novel rather than the whole thing. While the writing is fine, the plot is a little tired: women must fight each other for the title of Queen, even—especially—if they’re related. So we’ve got the clearly evil and bloodthirsty older heir spoiling for a fight with the younger, who as the protagonist just wants to go out and party among the common folk. I think the author might imagine that she’s turning fantasy feudal politics upside down by making the women fight, but really it’s just perpetuating the sexism of every other fight-for-power book out there. That, plus the classism, didn’t make me want to read more than the sample given.

Two sisters rival to be queen on the throne.... blood Magic’s drained from humans to make oneself stronger. Two themes that are not unique to the YA fantasy genre. But what does make this stand out is the setting and it holds a promise that is rich in diversity and culture. Whether or not I will like it is to be seen but I’m left to wonder what is going to happen next, so we’re off to a good start. Thanks to Netgalley for letting me have a sample of what’s to come in exchange for my honest review.