A review by bumblebree1903
A River of Royal Blood by Amanda Joy
dark
emotional
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
I will preface with the fact I listened to this as an audio book, which could have shaped my experience of the book and plot.
To start off with what I enjoyed, the world building was fascinating. As things were explained and I learned more about the cultures and magic systems and people I wanted to learn more. I also found the romance endearing most of the time, though a bit quick. The quickness didn’t ruin the romance for me as some other books have, however, which I will put in this book’s favour. There were also a handful of scenes that had me enraptured and really relating to the characters. While they mostly consisted of the flashbacks there were a couple of scenes in the present I enjoyed just as much.
However, I overall found the book just average and will likely not be continuing the series. While I enjoyed Eva at the beginning and her want for life and passion, as the book went on I found her turning into a more obnoxious character. I can’t place what caused the shift, but by the end I felt myself frequently annoyed by her childish behaviour that didn’t feel much like the character I had somewhat liked in the rest of the story. Eva herself also read as much older than 16, though that could have been due to the narrator.
I also found the side characters some what lacking and frequently forgot about anyone but the 3 main men and the 2 opposing women in the story. Which is disappointing because it felt like the two other female characters were so pushed to the back for how much I heard this story was woman-centric.
Finally, a more specific issue I had with the audiobook, the narrator overall did a fine job and I enjoyed her character voices. Her delivery just could come across as a bit stiff at times and her voice didn’t really feel like it fit the character of Eva.
Overall, it’s a fine YA fantasy book with a darker undercurrent. It’s not something I would recommend if asked but it’s a generic fantasy story in a far more interesting setting. If you’re tired of the basic European inspired fantasy world then this is worth checking out!
To start off with what I enjoyed, the world building was fascinating. As things were explained and I learned more about the cultures and magic systems and people I wanted to learn more. I also found the romance endearing most of the time, though a bit quick. The quickness didn’t ruin the romance for me as some other books have, however, which I will put in this book’s favour. There were also a handful of scenes that had me enraptured and really relating to the characters. While they mostly consisted of the flashbacks there were a couple of scenes in the present I enjoyed just as much.
However, I overall found the book just average and will likely not be continuing the series. While I enjoyed Eva at the beginning and her want for life and passion, as the book went on I found her turning into a more obnoxious character. I can’t place what caused the shift, but by the end I felt myself frequently annoyed by her childish behaviour that didn’t feel much like the character I had somewhat liked in the rest of the story. Eva herself also read as much older than 16, though that could have been due to the narrator.
I also found the side characters some what lacking and frequently forgot about anyone but the 3 main men and the 2 opposing women in the story. Which is disappointing because it felt like the two other female characters were so pushed to the back for how much I heard this story was woman-centric.
Finally, a more specific issue I had with the audiobook, the narrator overall did a fine job and I enjoyed her character voices. Her delivery just could come across as a bit stiff at times and her voice didn’t really feel like it fit the character of Eva.
Overall, it’s a fine YA fantasy book with a darker undercurrent. It’s not something I would recommend if asked but it’s a generic fantasy story in a far more interesting setting. If you’re tired of the basic European inspired fantasy world then this is worth checking out!