A River of Royal Blood

Praise for A River of Royal Blood : ★xa0"Joy's debut has all the trappings of a riveting fantasy novel: enviable world building , elements of magic, and scintillating glimpses of a powerful backstory...not to mention a slow-burning romance sure to get readers swooning... Gripping political intrigue and cinematic action ."xa0— Booklist , starred review"A sibling rivalry like nothing you’ve ever read before. Joy weaves a dark yet delicate treatise on race, heritage, and power whilst never losing that addictive ‘just one more chapter’ allure. I devoured it in one sitting! " —Natasha Ngan, New York Times bestselling author of Girls of Paper and Fire " A dark and bloody delight of a debut, Amanda Joy's A River of Royal Blood is a seductive tapestry of extraordinary magick delving into the terrifying lengths we will go to claim our destiny." —Dhonielle Clayton, New York Times bestselling author of The Belles “The world of this book is fascinating , the characters and their relationships are compelling , and that plot twist—wow! Readers of fantasy will enjoy it immensely .” — VOYA “A surprising twist and multiple unsolved mysteries will leave readers looking forward to the next book. . . A compelling debut .” — Kirkus Reviews “[A] fast-paced magical adventure . . . Filled with mythical creatures, ancient traditions, sibling rivalries, political intrigue, and epic world-building, this book stands out as a masterful adventure.” — School Library Journal “Joy creates a complex, intriguing fantasy world . . . [Readers] will enjoy exciting fight scenes and a variety of abilities reminiscent of Kristin Cashore’s Graceling trilogy .” — The Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books “[This] engrossing , North African–inspired series opener draws effectively on real-world prejudices to inform [a] richly created universe.” — Publishers Weekly “A dark and complex fantasy of bloodlust and rich imagination . . . Fascinating characters , both regal and warrior-like, fill the narrative, and the pageantry is richly detailed in a swirling cacophony of colors, dance, and swordplay...This first book in a series is riveting...[and]xa0will leave readers wanting more .” — School Library Connection Amanda Joy has an MFA from The New School, and lives in Chicago with her dog Luna. You can find her on twitter and Instagram at @amandajoywrites. Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved. Chapter 1 xa0 The passage beneath my bedchamber was silent as a crypt, though as always, the Empress scorpions that nested in these forgotten tunnels started hissing disapproval the moment my feet touched the ground. xa0 I crouched and checked the circle of cinnamon sticks and dried lavender I’d laid to deter the wicked beasts, and then knotted the hem of my skirt. If left hanging, the chime and rattle of its beading would echo through the passages, and although I’d never crossed paths with anyone here, I couldn’t risk discovery. xa0 I adjusted the belt knife in its soft leather holster at the small of my back. Whenever I shifted, nicks in the wooden handle scratched my skin, but it couldn’t be helped. This knife was my only weapon plain enough to suit this disguise. In a floor-sweeping skirt and a top that bared my midriff but covered my arms and their tattoos, I could pass as a common human girl out for a night of revelry. xa0 Flint struck stone inches from my face, sparks dancing through inky darkness. I jumped, a curse on my lips, but my hand fell from my knife. “I’d appreciate some warning next time.” xa0 “Just keeping you sharp,” said the young man standing mere feet away. xa0 Falun, second-in-command of my guard and my closest friend, towered over me in the cramped passage. He was long-limbed and graceful, though still not quite grown into his wide shoulders. Like many of the fey, who originally came from the North, Falun was fair-skinned and fine-haired. Even in the scant torchlight, his skin gleamed like mother-of-pearl. All the fey had a certain sameness—luminous skin, oversize eyes, pointed ears, and vibrant coloring—but Falun was among the most beautiful. His hair was streaked with apple red and dark gold, and the sharp line of his jaw emphasized his full-lipped smile. xa0 Two nights ago, Falun had gone to my room at dawn to propose a journey to the kitchens and found me missing, my bed pushed aside, trapdoor hanging open. He knew I became restless at night, and instead of sounding the alarm, he’d waited until I returned. In exchange for such a kindness, I’d decided to bring him tonight, though I’d been very light on the details. xa0 Falun held the torch to the passage wall, the dancing flames making his blue eyes flash silver as he inspected the words engraved on the stone. They were written in the khimaer language, the sinuous alphabet of the people who’d once ruled from this Palace. Nearly two hundred years ago, humans had wrested control of the Queendom from the khimaer, but signs of the previous rulers still lingered all over Myre. xa0 Falun’s eyebrows rose as he recognized the language. “How did you find this place?” xa0 “When I was seven, Isadore and I found the trapdoor after her earring rolled under my bed.” I didn’t add that we’d found a similar hatch beneath hers and spent a year sleeping very little as we explored every inch of these passages at night. xa0 I went to great lengths to avoid discussing my sister. xa0 The tips of Falun’s tapered ears went pink. “Isadore knows about this place? Don’t you worry about seeing her?” I snorted. “Why would my sister come here? There is nothing about the Palace that would make her want to leave.” xa0 “True enough.” He swiped a hand across his face, but his grimace remained in place. “I’ll regret this, won’t I?” xa0 “You won’t, and you know it—why else would you have come?” xa0 He leaned forward as if sharing a secret. “Actually I came to keep you out of trouble.” xa0 “And that works just as well.” I grinned, even though I could protect myself. I snatched his torch and snuffed out the flames beneath my boot. “Follow me.” xa0 We ran through darkness so thick the only sign of Falun beside me was his hand in mine. After months of sneaking out through these passages, finding my escape route—and avoiding the scorpion nests—had become second nature. When Isadore and I were children, we’d stuck to the passages around our quarters, but when I returned to the capital ten months ago and began exploring again, I soon realized they tunneled through the grounds around the Queen’s Palace, right up to its outer wall. The floors of the passages changed now from stone to tile to packed earth, a sure sign that we were close. After about a mile, we stopped at a steel ladder. Night air blew through an opening overhead. xa0 I climbed to the top and emerged in an orchard with rows of flowering trees, though they didn’t bloom during the scorching weeks of high summer, as it was now. Fresh air kissed my skin, heavy with damp heat. I breathed it in, my pulse a driving beat beneath my skin. Almost , it hummed. xa0 Falun joined me, following my gaze to a carved expanse of white stone. xa0 The wall that marked my freedom. Read more