Review

When 17 year old American Evangeline (Evan) Bright accidentally torches a classroom in her attempt to destroy some academic records, that makes St. Edith’s the ninth boarding school she’s been expelled from in six years. Luckily, Jenkins, her father’s personal secretary swoops in to rescue her from her police holding cell and whisk her off to England in a private jet. Yes… there are some perks to being the secret, illegitimate daughter of King Alexander II. But there are also considerable downsides, like never having seen or spoken to her father before, and not being allowed to live with or even visit her mother, who suffers from mental illness.

Secretly ensconced in Windsor Castle, Evan is confronted by a royal father who seems annoyed that she’s suddenly turned up, a stepmother (Queen Helene) who is furious at the mere fact of her existence, and a half-sister, Mary (the future queen), who despises her, and enlists her best friends, Gia and Rosie, to freeze her out. Only her royal cousin Ben, and his friends Kit and Jasper, are welcoming. Evan is particularly drawn to handsome Jasper, and when he invites them all to a private party at his London house, she decides to go, even though news of her existence and hideous paparazzi photos of her have already been leaked to the press.

The party is a complete disaster. At the end of the evening, there’s a dead body, and Evan was the last person to see them alive. With Scotland Yard and the gutter press circling and public opinion of her lower than the molten core of the earth, Evan has to figure out who really did it. But who can she trust to help her? And is she ready for the royal secrets and scandals she’s about to uncover?

*

I very much enjoyed this briskly paced The Princess Diaries meets YA murder mystery narrative. It’s lighthearted but suspenseful, with lots of fun, glamorous, royal scene setting. It’s told from Evan’s first person perspective, but each chapter begins with a snippet from a blog post, article, social media posts or interview transcript. There’s also a little touch of romance, as well as the usual coming of age developments. Evan is a likeable, relatable heroine, as a fish out of water in the luxury of a royal residence. I enjoyed the audiobook narration, but again needed the 1.25 speed.

Recommend.

Age: 13+

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Accidental arson; deliberate destruction of school records; expulsion from multiple schools for naughtiness; extramarital affairs (backstory & main story); schizophrenia, which is on the whole treated respectfully, but takes a while for the whole picture to emerge; attempted murder during a schizophrenic delusional episode prior to the diagnosis and treatment of the illness (backstory); estranged parents and strained family relationships; use of date rape drug and (unsuccessfully) attempted date rape—depicted, but not graphic; covert, non-consensual filming of the attempted rape; death by falling; negative media and social media coverage; betrayal; unexpected friendships and alliances; main romance is mlw; subplot includes mlm and wlw relationships. Glamorisation of a wealthy consumerist lifestyle (lots of lovely clothes, range rovers everywhere, private jets, swanky bedrooms, servants, etc.). Some kisses. A mild depiction of Evan accidentally glimpsing an adult couple having sex (no vision beyond identifying the participants, a few moans). A few s-words.

*

Carter, A. (2023). Royal blood (L. Browne, Narr.) [Audiobook]. W. F. Howes.

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