Title: Royal Bastards (Royal Bastards #1)
Author: Andrew Shvarts
Published by: Disney-Hyperion
Released: May 2017
Source: Library
Summary: Tillandra is a Bastard. Her father is Lord Kent of the Western Province, her mother is dead. As a Bastard, Tillandra lives in the castle, but is not part of the royal family. There is the slight chance her father might legitimize her, but that will never happen. Tilla spends her time avoiding history lessons and hanging out with her half-brother Jax.
The castle is set to host the Princess of Lightspire and her Uncle. Lightspire controls all the kingdoms, so her visit is important. At the feast, the Princess does the unthinkable, she sits at the Bastard Table! Tilla is now stuck entertaining a princess, which involves sneaking out of the castle with a Zitochi warrior named Zell, the Bastard of Hempstadt Miles, who harbors a crush on her, her brother Jax, and the Princess Lyriana. They stumble on something that they were never supposed to see, become aware of information they were never supposed to know. They are now fugitives on the run, trying to stay ahead of vicious mercenaries and stop a war. These Bastards have their work cut out for them.
My Thoughts: I liked this a lot more than I thought I was going to. I thought it was going to be a standard YA Fantasy kind of thing, but it turned out to be a great adventure, band of misfits story. It was great! It had a lot of humor to it and I just really enjoyed reading it. It reminded me of an older YA version of The Hero's Guide To Saving Your Kingdom by Christopher Healy, which is one of my favorites. It's a band of Bastards who are thrown together by fate, make an epic journey, and become friends.
I enjoyed the way it was written. It drew me in and had a lot of humor to it. It wasn't typical fantasy writing, which might be why I enjoyed it more.
I enjoyed all the characters too. Tilla was cool. Jax was funny and genuine. Miles was a nerd whose knowledge proved useful. Zell was the perfect brooding bad boy. Princess Lyriana had some nice moves. I really enjoyed getting to know them all on their journey.
This also did a great job of giving me conflicting feelings on what was right and wrong for our characters. They are trying to do what is right, but what really is right?
Tilla's struggle with her feelings for her father was also very interesting. There was a good conflict there. All her life she's sought his love and approval, but is it even worth it? He's her dad and will always be her dad, but he puts her in a tough position.
I'm also not a big crier when it comes to books, but this one made me shed a tear. I'm still not over it. There was also a twist that is still getting me.
Royal Bastards was AWESOME! I had such a good time reading it. I can't wait to see how their journey continues. If you like band of misfit stories, then read this one!
BOOKCITEMENT LEVEL 4.5/5
Bastards Unite!
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