Review of Royal Blood by Aimée Carter

 

Royal Blood by Aimée Carter

Published on March 7, 2023 by Delacorte Books

Thanks to Random House Childrens Books for the advance reader copy!

Plot Summary for Royal Blood by Aimée Carter

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 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.

And her own may be next.

Review of Royal Blood by Aimée Carter

If you loved American Royals and Tokyo Ever After, put Royal Blood on your list.

This alt-history YA mystery with a royal spin is a lot of fun with many of the elements in these two books (and also one of my favorite movies, What a Girl Wants): an illegitimate royal, royal drama, royal glamour, and some intrigue.

Evan has known for years that she is related to England's reigning monarch, and that he has spent a lot of time and money trying to hide her. But after being kicked out of yet another boarding school, she finds herself headed to the UK. At the palace, she gets the royal cold shoulder from the Queen and Crown Princess. 

As in all such books, Evan can't do anything right. She's an American! And soon she's also the suspect in a murder.

What I Liked About Royal Blood: 

Evan was a really great character. She's not really that much of a rebel, but has had some hard knocks in life.

If you're a history buff, the alt-history aspect of this was fun. In the book, Evan is the descendant of Edward VIII, who in the real world abdicated to marry American divorcee Wallis Simpson. 

In the book, Edward decides not to marry Wallis and his line of the family stays on the throne. The book's family tree also indicates that Elizabeth and Margaret (as twins) are born to Edward's younger brother Albert and his wife Elizabeth, but sadly they don't feature in the book.

Including the tabloid press in the book was fun, and the various secrets that all the royals are keeping played a big part in the story and will presumably play a part in the next book.

Definitely a book to check out if you love royal contemporary stories!