I really enjoyed Carter's Goddess Test series years ago, so was excited to see this new one from her. And I'm a sucker for a good royals book! This one had such a great premise and the twists kept coming keeping me guessing all the way to the end. Loved it!

*Hey Alexa, give me a book that is like What a Girl Wants, but make it into a thriller. *

Royal Blood is the first in a new series and consists of royalty and murder.

Meet 17-year-old Evan Bright who is the King of England's illegitimate daughter, and she is going to be the Monarchy's worst nightmare because no one knows about her. Everyone wants in about the juicy gossip about the King's illegitimate daughter and they will be closely watching her. So, when a fun night turns into a deadly one, Evan is quickly casted as the main suspect.

When I started reading Royal Blood, I instantly thought of What a Girl Wants starring Amanda Bynes. In the movie and in this book, we have a main character who is a teenage American girl who happens to be a daughter of a Lord (What a Girl Wants)/King (Royal Blood) and no one knows about the girl being an illegitimate daughter. That's some of the vibes I got, but as the story progresses, Royal Blood becomes a murder mystery/thriller, so that was a fun twist.

I was glued to this book and needed to know everything about Evan and what was going to happen. The pacing was well done throughout the book, but I do feel like the last stretch of the book was a smidge slow and lost me for a small portion of it.

The characters and the plot were just a delight and overall, this was such a fun read. I enjoyed seeing that Evan can cause trouble and has a record/past, which is how she is quickly accused of murder. So, it was great to see her trying to navigate this dilemma when her reputation has already been tarnished.

The thing I really loved that Royal Blood touched basis on is mental health. Evan's mother has schizophrenia, and it is brought up every so often even when Evan was not raised by her mother most of the time (she was sent to boarding school).

I was reading some reviews of Royal Blood and I saw that a ton of people thought this book had vampires in it based off of the cover. I can report that there are zero vampires in this book, and I guess I can see why people thought that because of the cover.

Overall, I enjoyed this book and totally recommend it. I will be picking up the sequel when it is released.

Based on the cover, I thought this book was about vampires. I like to read about fictional royalty, but this book felt to self-insert for me. It felt like all the action was happening to the main character and that her only available action was to suffer. I appreciate the conversations this book highlights, but this leaves something to be desired.

Fun story that takes twists and turns when a young lady finds out that her father is royalty. Her upbringing didn't prepare her for what would happen when she met her father for the first time along with his 'royal' family. She is pulled in different directions trying to be true to who she is and what is expected as a 'royal'.

Royal Blood follows the story of Evan Bright, a teenager who is the illegitimate daughter of the King of England. After getting herself kicked out of several boarding schools, Evan is forced to spend the summer in London with the estranged royal family that she’s never met before. It doesn’t take long for Evan to find out just how much the royal family is willing to do to keep up their perfect image, even if it means framing Evan for murder.

I loved everything about this book from the characters to the plot and setting. Evan is an incredibly strong protagonist, never letting anyone gaslight or manipulate her into submission. On top of this, I felt like she had a moral compass that completely aligned with my own, which allowed me to empathize with and relate to her at almost any given moment, despite the semi-outlandish premise of the book.

Aside from Evan, I also enjoyed several of the side characters featured in this book as well. Most of them were flawed in understandable ways, and even the villains of the story were realistic in their personalities and justifications. Usually I’ll find issue with at least one character in any novel I read, but I really had no qualms with any of the portrayals in this book. I felt like all of them were written extremely well.

Moving on to the plot, I was a fan from the very beginning. The events of the first chapter were already attention-grabbing, and that was before the murder of the book even occurred. Aimée Carter did an excellent job at pacing this book and throwing in some twists and turns that were unexpected, yet not surprising. There’s a delicate balance in what a mystery book is allowed to do before it becomes absurd, and I felt like Carter hit that balance perfectly.

I wasn’t expecting this to be the first book in a series, but it definitely is, so you can bet I’ll be continuing on this wild ride!

I surprisingly really enjoyed Royal Blood! No, it wasn't the most well written book on the planet, but you know what it was? A ton of fun and that's what matters to me when I want to escape into another world. I thrive on the level of drama brought forth in this story and all we get to see. This was a really enjoyable YA that anyone can escape into for a few hours. Romance, scandal, mystery, royalty? What else could you possibly want.

I might like my YA royal stories to be on the more romantic side than the dark and thrilling maybe? Either way I can absolutely tell you the kind of audience of my teens that would enjoy the story and any subsequent books so while it's not a five-star read for me that blew me away, Evan as a main character certainly kept me engaged the entire time with her wit and perseverance.

Carter has multitudes of fans that will eat this one up.

I absolutely enjoyed this book! It was a fun twist on a royal family story and I loved how it twisted and turned!

While this book has an interesting premise and a decent plot, Evan was just so hard to root for. She comes across as a brat, and I'm not buying the character development arc the author is shooting for.

this book was soooo amazing! i think everyone needs to try to read this book! it was so fun. the characters are so lovely and amazing and beautifully written. thank you so much netgalley!!!!!

Royal Blood by Aimée Carter is the first book in a new series. As the King of England’s illegitimate daughter, 17-year-old Evan Bright knows a thing or two about keeping secrets. But when she’s forced to spend the summer in London with her father and the royal family, who aren’t exactly thrilled she exists, her identity is mysteriously revealed, and suddenly the world is dying to know every juicy lie the press prints about her. After what was supposed to be a fun night turns deadly and Evan becomes the primary suspect in a murder investigation. The escalating rumors and fallout threaten to tear her life apart. As she fights to uncover the truth about what happened, she discovers royal secrets that are even more scandalous than she imagined – secrets that could change the monarchy forever.

Royal Blood is a book that will speak to the young to new adult age range, as well as us 'slightly' older adults. There is a good balance between the teenage and royal angst and the mystery of who is behind which incidents and other secrets that might be revealed. I liked Evan, and thought her defense mechanisms were realistic personality wise, while her exploits were still over the top enough to be very entertaining. I thought the emotional drama of truths, forged connections, and opportunities to grow were very well done, and surprised me more than once. I thought the mystery aspects and the twists and turns the story took were nicely handled, and while some I expected, others took me completely by surprise. I also felt the book ended well, wrapping up some of the most pressing matters and leaving enough suspense to have me chomping at the bit for the next installment.

Royal Blood is an engaging and well written series starter. I cannot wait to see what happens next.

I loved this book! It was exciting. Just the right amount of emotion, romance, and the ending left me hoping I get to read the sequel soon!

It is rare for me to give five stars, but this novel deserves it. When 17-year-old Evan Bright learns that she is the illegitimate daughter of the King of England, she is not only surprised, but she is forced to spend the summer with him. Needless to say, her identity has been kept a secret. During the summer with her father, she faces the revelation of her identity as the King's illegitimate daughter and finds herself as the suspect of a murder.

This book hooked me from the start! I loved Evan’s voice and really enjoyed her and Mary’s growth.

This was fun and funny and heartwarming and also so deep and thought provoking at times. I really loved everything about it.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced reading copy of royal blood by Aimee carter. This was interesting a younger girl, thrown into royal life not welcomed by her family. The drama and mystery in this made for a fun read.

I loved getting to know Evan and walking with her as she navigates her introduction to the British royal family and the paparazzi. This book lured me into believing that it was a fluffy, romantic "Princess Diaries" type book and then it took such a turn!! I couldn't put this one down!

Listen, is this high literature? No. Is it a good time? Absolutely.

I think the teen appeal is so high for this one. The drama is A+! The scandals, delicious.

The way the relationships unfold is also really beautiful.

Looking forward to book 2.

I really enjoyed this book. The first quarter of it I was really sucked into the royal family aspect of it all, and then came the mystery and it just got even better! It’s been a while since I’ve really enjoyed a YA but this one had everything, mystery, scandal, romance and royalty!

A fun look at British royalty, fame, and family.
Evan, the King of England’s illegitimate daughter, has spent a lifetime keeping secrets and yearning for a place to call home. After getting kicked out of her latest boarding school, she is forced to spend the summer in London with her father and the royal family, who aren’t exactly thrilled she exists. Evan just wants to make it to her 18th birthday and be done with the father who has never acknowledged her, but when family secrets and her identity are revealed, Evan's life takes a dramatic turn.
Hand this book to readers who like family drama.
I will need to grab the second book in the trilogy when it's available.

I will fully admit that when I started this book I was thinking of royal scandal, love child, and all the stuff you'd see in the gossip papers if it were true.

What I got was a story about a girl who found herself in what must look like a fairy tale from the outside but in reality, was anything but.

Evangeline "Evan" Bright is the daughter of the king of England, just not the right daughter, not the Princess her half-sister Mary is, she's the secret love child the King has kept hidden for almost 18 years.

From having a mother with serious mental health issues to dealing with the entire world finding out who she is and who her father is to an assault no teenager should ever have to go through Evan has been through more than a lot of people could handle.

While this could have made her cold, and evil even it just pushed her to figure out what was really going on and who was actually on her side and important to her.

Finding out that you actually like the family you never thought you'd have can be a sobering experience and Evan handled it brilliantly.

I was so happy to see that this was book one, but after reading it I need more, I need to know what happens with Evan and Kit, if Mary does become queen, what happens when the King and Queen.... well I guess I'll have to wait for book two, but if this book is any indication it will be worth the wait.

I have to say this is a good book, it deals with heavy topics in a way that makes them understandable and allows the reader to form their own thoughts on several different topics, for one like books that let me have my feelings, especially when it comes to real-life situations.

Thank you to Random House Children's Delacorte Press and NetGalley for providing this E-Book, I have voluntarily read and reviewed it and all thoughts and opinions are my own.