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imstephtacular's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Sexual assault, and Mental illness
Moderate: Ableism, Classism, Cursing, Death, Drug use, Injury/Injury detail, Pregnancy, Sexism, Violence, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Infidelity
Minor: Bullying, Murder, and Blood
maidmarianlib's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Cool adventure and mystery with a nice cast of characters.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault, Rape, and Sexual violence
mishale1's review
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
I really enjoyed this book! I borrowed it from the library and immediately found myself thinking I should have bought it instead, especially once I realized it was the start of a series.
This book is so juicy and entertaining. I love books about the royals too, both the real royals and fictional royals. This book was an interesting alternate royal family. We all know that Queen Elizabeth wound up queen as a result of her uncle abdicating and her father becoming king. In this book, there’s a different family line because Edward never married Wally’s and never abdicated. Instead Edward got married, stayed king, and had his own heir. In this book, this king took the thrown at only 22. By 23 he was married and shortly afterwards had his heir to the throne. But most people don’t know that the king actually has two daughters: Mary (aka Maisy) who is the legitimate heir, and Evangeline (Evan) the illegitimate child he had with an American woman. The half sisters even share a birthday, but they have never met.
Evan doesn’t know her dad. She knows he is the king and has known this for years, but she can’t remember ever meeting him or even talking to him. Evan spent most of her younger years in her grandmother’s custody and when her grandmother passed she was sent to boarding school. Her mother loves her but her mother has health issues that result in her not feeling that she’s fit to be Evan’s guardian.
So, Evan hasn’t really had much of a family since she was 11. Her dad takes care of her education but that’s it.
When Evan gets expelled again, a few days before graduation, she is sent to the UK to stay with her father.
Just imagine what this would be like in the media if it happened in real life. And that’s pretty much what happens to Evan.
One night, while trying her best to bond with her hair sister, she accepts an invitation to a party. At the party, the guy that she thinks likes her actually assaults her (she isn’t raped-she gets away) but there is a dead body discovered after the party and it seems like the whole country wants to blame Evan.
This book was pure entertainment. I love Evan’s character too. I can’t wait for book two!
This book is so juicy and entertaining. I love books about the royals too, both the real royals and fictional royals. This book was an interesting alternate royal family. We all know that Queen Elizabeth wound up queen as a result of her uncle abdicating and her father becoming king. In this book, there’s a different family line because Edward never married Wally’s and never abdicated. Instead Edward got married, stayed king, and had his own heir. In this book, this king took the thrown at only 22. By 23 he was married and shortly afterwards had his heir to the throne. But most people don’t know that the king actually has two daughters: Mary (aka Maisy) who is the legitimate heir, and Evangeline (Evan) the illegitimate child he had with an American woman. The half sisters even share a birthday, but they have never met.
Evan doesn’t know her dad. She knows he is the king and has known this for years, but she can’t remember ever meeting him or even talking to him. Evan spent most of her younger years in her grandmother’s custody and when her grandmother passed she was sent to boarding school. Her mother loves her but her mother has health issues that result in her not feeling that she’s fit to be Evan’s guardian.
So, Evan hasn’t really had much of a family since she was 11. Her dad takes care of her education but that’s it.
When Evan gets expelled again, a few days before graduation, she is sent to the UK to stay with her father.
Just imagine what this would be like in the media if it happened in real life. And that’s pretty much what happens to Evan.
One night, while trying her best to bond with her hair sister, she accepts an invitation to a party. At the party, the guy that she thinks likes her actually assaults her (she isn’t raped-she gets away) but there is a dead body discovered after the party and it seems like the whole country wants to blame Evan.
This book was pure entertainment. I love Evan’s character too. I can’t wait for book two!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual assault
Minor: Schizophrenia/Psychosis
drraytay's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault, Violence, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Mental illness, and Child abuse
Moderate: Death, Alcohol, and Vomit
Minor: Bullying
emilyyjjean's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Wow—I really enjoyed this book! The story was very interesting and thrilling. It gave me The Princess Diaries vibes, but with some murder, mystery, and deceit thrown in. This book has set up an interesting story line, and I can't wait to read more in the series. I really enjoyed The Goddess Test series—so I know Carter won't disappoint!
Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Children's - Delacorte Press for the ARC!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual assault and Murder
lisashelves's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Schizophrenia/Psychosis and Mental illness
Moderate: Rape, Sexual harassment, Infidelity, Alcohol, and Sexual assault
Minor: Suicide
hckilgour's review
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
A fairly solid teen drama with a bit of murder mystery.
While this is marketed as more of the murder mystery book with a hint of political intrigue, it’s the other way around. Not bad. But just not marketed correctly I feel.
Evan as a character was fun but I would’ve loved to see more of her snark.
I was surprised Maisie warmed up to her on the flip of a coin. But when you do something big to save someone’s but, I guess that happens.
The ending had me wondering what other secret Evan has. This book didn’t hint at anything so I’m completely in the dark on that.
While this is marketed as more of the murder mystery book with a hint of political intrigue, it’s the other way around. Not bad. But just not marketed correctly I feel.
Evan as a character was fun but I would’ve loved to see more of her snark.
I was surprised Maisie warmed up to her on the flip of a coin. But when you do something big to save someone’s but, I guess that happens.
The ending had me wondering what other secret Evan has. This book didn’t hint at anything so I’m completely in the dark on that.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual assault
Minor: Suicide and Schizophrenia/Psychosis
oracle_of_madness's review
5.0
Thank you, Netgalley and Publisher, for this Arc!!
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!
Evan has a tumultuous past, but when she's caught starting a fire at her boarding school, she is left without too many choices. Jenkins (love this guy) makes the decision to take to her father, the king of England. But when she arrives, she is faced with the brutality of the press, living openly as King Alexander's illegitimate daughter, and worst of all, being almost completely sexually assaulted and then wrongfully accused of murdering her attacker.
This is a busy and torturous time for her. But, I loved seeing her strength and her character overcome these hard hits, even when it all felt like a lost cause. I loved the attention of what it's like for a person to recover from sexual assault. More than anything, I loved learning more about her father and her mother's relationship.
This got me in all my soft spots, and I can't wait for more! I love Evan's character and can't wait to see more of her royal journey!
Out March 7, 2023!
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!
Evan has a tumultuous past, but when she's caught starting a fire at her boarding school, she is left without too many choices. Jenkins (love this guy) makes the decision to take to her father, the king of England. But when she arrives, she is faced with the brutality of the press, living openly as King Alexander's illegitimate daughter, and worst of all, being almost completely sexually assaulted and then wrongfully accused of murdering her attacker.
This is a busy and torturous time for her. But, I loved seeing her strength and her character overcome these hard hits, even when it all felt like a lost cause. I loved the attention of what it's like for a person to recover from sexual assault. More than anything, I loved learning more about her father and her mother's relationship.
This got me in all my soft spots, and I can't wait for more! I love Evan's character and can't wait to see more of her royal journey!
Out March 7, 2023!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder and Sexual assault
booksandpops4000's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I loved this book. Maybe it was prefect time, prefect place. But i loved this book. Finding out you are the princess to the king of enlgland and all the wild things that occured. I also loved the mystery that infused in this novel. I loved the outside elements that help to expand this world. I also loved the small group of characters that were the focus of this read!! I loved all the plotical drama and also the family dynamcics that devleoped throughout this reead. The mysery went in a direction that i was not expecting and i am so excited for more books in this series. if you loved american royal but wanted mroe murder, check it out!! This book does have a trigger for sexual assult!!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault
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