Royal Blood

December 15, 2022
An American girl finds family amid palace intrigue and a murder mystery. During the six years since Evangeline Bright's father gained custody of her, she has lived in boarding schools and summer camps. After nine expulsions, Evan is at her latest school, St. Edith's Academy for Girls in Vermont, where she accidentally lights the calculus teacher's office on fire. Now she is facing potential arrest. Reluctantly, she agrees to go to Windsor Castle, where she will meet her father for the first time--her father who happens to be the king of the United Kingdom. Evan hopes it will only be for a few weeks, until her 18th birthday, when she plans to reunite with her mom, who has schizophrenia. However, the news that the king has a secret daughter the same age as Princess Mary, her half sister who is next in line for throne, is just the start of the press feeding frenzy. After Evan is given date rape drugs by Jasper, the son of a media mogul, she is fortunately rescued by the queen's nephew, Kit. But when Jasper is found dead, all fingers point to Evan. While some suspension of disbelief is needed, the relationships feel real and earned, mental health issues are treated respectfully, and the mystery and a potential romance will keep pages turning. Central characters are assumed White. A dark, modern fairy tale. (family tree) (Mystery. 13-18)

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January 30, 2023
Carter (Captive) presents an intriguing murder mystery starring an American teenager shaking up the foundations of an alternate British royal family. King Alexander has two 17-year-old daughters: beautiful, respectable acknowledged heir Maisie, and illegitimate half-American Evangeline “Evan” Bright, the latter a well-kept secret from the public. Evan has never met her royal relatives; upon gaining custody of her six years prior, King Alexander has shuffled her through various boarding schools and summer camps in order to keep her under the radar. Following an incident, she’s expelled from school just before graduation, and the king’s secretary packs her off to London to avoid potential arrest. All Evan wants is to escape Maisie’s and the queen’s patronizing attitudes, and to be with her mother, whom she hasn’t seen in years, but she’s now stuck at Windsor Castle until she turns 18. Further complications arise when the press find out she’s the king’s daughter and after a tabloid owner’s son who slipped Evan drugs during a night out turns up dead—and she’s accused of his murder. Evan’s portrayal as a snarky fish-out-
of-water among glamorous European royalty lends a comedic through line to Carter’s jam-packed novel, the first in a trilogy. Major characters read as white. Ages 12–up. Agent: Rosemary Stimola, Stimola Literary.

March 15, 2023
Grades 8-11 The day after she's expelled from her ninth boarding school, Evangeline Bright finds herself heading not back to the American mother she hasn't seen in years but to London, to stay with her long-estranged father. One hiccup: that father is the King of England, and Evan is the same age as his legitimate daughter and heir, Princess Mary. While Evan's existence has been kept a secret from the people (and, more importantly, the press), the royal family is less than thrilled that she's suddenly a presence in their lives. When her identity leaks, she experiences a traumatic event, and she's implicated in a violent crime, her situation goes from not ideal to royally screwed. But even in a palace, family can be found in unlikely places. Carter (The Goddess Test, 2011) blends the high-interest royal intrigue of Katharine McGee's American Royals (2019) with Evan's buried desire to belong and a through line that addresses the stigmatization of mental illness. Sensitive and fun, with just enough mystery to keep readers on the hook for book two.

COPYRIGHT(2023) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

April 1, 2023

Gr 7 Up-Seventeen-year-old Evangeline "Evan" Bright has been expelled from her ninth boarding school. This time, however, rather than being shuffled off elsewhere to finish up her education, she's brought to live with her father-who happens to be the king of the United Kingdom. This is a super awkward introduction to court life at Windsor Castle-she is less than welcome. Her dad doesn't know she's coming, and as she is the illegitimate product of an affair, her stepmother and half-sister are less than thrilled to have her on the scene. Nevertheless, even a lesser bedroom at Windsor Castle is the stuff of fantasy, and being styled for a public introduction has its appeal. Meanwhile, the paparazzi can't get enough of Evan, and when she is slipped a date rape drug at a party, tongues are set wagging-even more so when the perpetrator is found dead, and Evan has only blurry memories of the evening. Love interests abound, but are handled very discreetly, limited to hand holding and a single kiss. Even the attempted sexual assault is a fade out. Set in modern London, it's a very white cast, with an alternate history where King Edward VIII never abdicated creates a unique lineage that avoids tangling up with any current royals. VERDICT Modern romance at its very best-with opulence and a dash of mystery. Carter has a dedicated following and they will likely follow her here, too.-Leah Krippner

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