This book was alright. It was not great, it was not bad. It was in the middle but it does not warrant my interest in writing a review for it.

More of a 3.5 rating. The beginning was a bit tedious to get through in terms of the writing/characters. At first they all seemed a bit too cliche for me, but that changes as the plot develops. I couldn't stop reading this and it definitely had me feeling all the feelings by the end (even if a lot of it was predictable). Can't wait to read the second one though!

I will admit to have had a hard time getting into this book, I had to switch from book to audio to really get me past that initial hurdle. But once I did I discovered just how grounded this fantasy was- it felt relateable and well planned. Tilla, is a kickass girl, but in a realistic way. She's not a princess in hiding, an assassin, a magic wielder, or a "chosen one". She works her ass off, she digs and earns everything. She has so much heart, and her ability to do what is right and push herself to keep her friends safe make her one of my favorite heroes to date. I just loved that about her. Cannot wait for "City of Bastards"!

I wanted to like this book based off of the premise alone, but it fell flat. The biggest problem for me was that the dialogue did not feel authentic and the characters were not fully fleshed out.

This book was pretty alright start, slow at times but still looking forward what happens next. The world building was nice to it and the cover was pretty.

I absolutely LOVED this book! The characters are amazing and the writing is superb. I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves magic, strong female characters, and ongoing plot twists and turns. I cannot wait for the next book to be released!

Did I enjoy this book? Yes
Would I recommend it to others? Yes, however I've had a lot of parents glance at the title already and tell their kids no, pick something else. That word Bastards is like a parent deterrent in my library.
It was a great fun read. I can't wait for the next book, but I'm not sure how well either books will do at my library. So far I've seen it checked out maybe once or twice since it's gone on shelf. Usually books like that are constantly checked out. It's too bad.

DNF'ed at 25% - this book was just not for me. I think I expected a heroine that was...harder edged then Tilla was. In all honesty if this had not been written for the YA audience, I may have enjoyed it more. Tilla would get to that edge, look over it, think about going over it then backpedal so hard exposition would get in her way.

I really enjoyed this book! I liked the setting, and eventual world building that Tilla found herself in. She's a bastard daughter of a ruling father, who now has a legitimate family. When a ruling princess comes to visit, Tilla and her brother discovers a bloody plot of deception and murder. Soon an unlikely group of teens are fleeing to find safety and warn others of the growing danger.
I liked many of the characters. They felt realistic and I wanted to read and know more. I liked the twists and turns of the story while reading and it kept me going until the end. Can't wait until more books come out!

ROYAL BASTARDS by Andrew Shvarts is the first book in an adventure fantasy for teens.

The castle is filled with illegitimate children of the nobles including Tillandra. Along with half-brother and stable-hand Jax, Tilla becomes part of an unexpected adventure when a visiting princess named Lyriana decides to befriend her. The teens must run for their lives when a brutal coup threatens to cause civil war. The group must work together to survive and stop the war.

Librarians will find this young adult fantasy adventure a hit with teens. Readers will immediately connect with this raucous group of outcasts with a mission.

Published by Disney-Hyperion on May 20, 2017. ARC courtesy of the publishers.

3.5-4 stars

So this book was good. I really liked the whole concept of Bastards and their part in the society. The world-building was done well. Characters were okay. I just didn't feel connected to them and for me thats what makes the book.
If you're looking for an action-packed, fast paced story with some romance and a lot of family drama this is a book up your alley

This book was lots of fun. There was adventure and excitement and questing. I enjoyed it quite thoroughly..

I really enjoyed this book and I would recommend for book clubs.

“You're proud of me...because I defied you?”

“Yes. There's no greater courage than defying your own.”

~ROYAL BASTARDS


This book is so bad-ass. I said that when I was only 80 pages in and everything was going wrong and I was describing the book to a co-worker. I still say that now after finishing!

One of the reasons I was first intrigued by Andrew Shvarts' debut novel ROYAL BASTARDS was because it was comped to SIX OF CROWS by Leigh Bardugo. Okay, yes, sign me up!! When I finally sat down to start reading and read the summary again, I just couldn't see the comparison. That's because I was expecting it to comp in a heist sense. After reading this? Despite not seeming so in the summary, the books are DEFINITELY in the same wheelhouse. Both feature a group of teens on the run trying to save someone--and they all have bounties on their heads. Both have--tasks, for lack of a better world--that can upend the world if not carried out. And, of course, just the gritty feel to it all. So if you like SIX OF CROWS? Yeah, I think you're going to like ROYAL BASTARDS, too.

There's danger. Heartache. Betrayal. First love. Friendship. Questions of loyalty. So many good things that keep you reading!

The book kicks into high gear pretty fast. Tilla, a family friend, Miles, and a newcomer to the group, a dangerous Zitochi warrior named Zell are all sitting at the table designated for bastard children in the royal hall. When the visiting Princess Lyriana arrives, she opts not to sit with her uncle the Royal Archmagus or Tilla's father--the realm's king. Instead, she sits with the bastards despite the improperness of it. While there, she talks about a superstition that if you dip your feet into two different oceans, you'll have good luck. She laments the fact that her uncle won't let her stop to do this while she's visiting, and the group decide to sneak out in the evening to go to the ocean (after picking up Tilla's half-brother Jax, who is a stableboy).

However, while there, everything goes wrong. The group witnesses their parents murder the Royal Archmagus and find out that Zell's brother was sent to kill Lyriana. They're trying to revive a long-dead rebellion against Lyriana's father, the king of all the realms, and have figured out a way to torture mages, steal their rings, and use them as weapons. The bastards are discovered and the group must flee for their lives. If they can get Lyriana home, she can promise them safety...but does delivering her home mean betraying their families and realm?

So good. Sooo good. And no spoilers, of course, but a couple of these characters change so much and really surprise you! There's one character I'm completely obsessed with by the end because, again--super bad-ass things have scoped this person--but ahhh, the spoilers!!! I also liked the slower burn of the romance and the way it felt very natural.

At times, Shvarts made my skin crawl. He has creatures reminiscent of spiders--and deadly, too. Let me tell you, if I had a superpower, it would be an Empath. When I read, I pick up characteristics of the characters or world. Last week, I was reading about a paranoid character, so I was super paranoid and hearing things when there was nothing. After this scene?? When I got up to do laundry after reading that scene, I did NOT want to be alone in the dark basement. And when I was outside later that day on the patio, and I heard the drip, drip, drip of the air conditioners? Definitely still shivers!!! I skimmed past most of the scene's visuals, too, but it still traumatized me a bit. ^.~

At times, the book felt very modern. It may take place in modern times and not medieval times, despite the nature of the setting. The language was very modern, from words such as "the hottest couple" to the sneaky drinking games away from adult eyes to the frank talk of sex and not saving oneself. It just felt very "current" at times. Not that there's anything wrong with that! But it gave me pause as to when this was taking place. Now I'm really curious!

I really hope there's a sequel in the works. Everything is so open-ended that it almost feels as though there has to be, but nothing has been announced yet. But oh, I'm ready for more and can't say goodbye to this world just yet!

There’s been some major buzz for Royal Bastards. Admittedly, I think partly that’s because everyone’s excited that a book for teens actually got published with the word “bastards” in the title. I mean, Barnes & Noble wouldn’t even let Severed Heads, Broken Hearts stand for Robyn Schneider’s debut, so I’m pretty impressed Disney got this to stick. Royal Bastards is a fast-paced read that will be great for readers who don’t typically read fantasy.


Let’s be honest here: if you’re a huge fantasy fan, you’re not going to fall in love with Royal Bastards. The plotting, world building, and characters all run along very stereotypical lines. None of it’s bad but there’s going to be nothing that feels original here for you. The characters are okay but they don’t leap off the page. And you probably won’t be wild about the writing.

Royal Bastards is written like a contemporary novel. Modern slang abounds, for example. I didn’t particularly mind, and it is mildly funny in it’s incongruousness. Though this is by no means my ideal fantasy, I do really think it’s fantastic that it exists, because Royal Bastards, with it’s modern diction, may lure reluctant readers into fantasy, which can be a forbidding genre. This is a great choice for anyone who typically finds fantasy too dense and plodding.

At this point, I can’t say if I’ll pick up the sequel, but I may not bother since I’m not particularly invested. However, Royal Bastards was a quick, amusing read, so, if one falls into my lap, I wouldn’t be opposed to continuing this journey.

https://www.bustle.com/p/13-obsession-worthy-young-adult-fantasy-books-hitting-shelves-in-2017-37142

I ended up getting a finished copy of this thanks to the publisher so I wanted to come and edit this review. I am not sure what in the world I was thinking when I dived into the ebook of this one. Becuase I just finished this and it was amazing! So here is my updated review.

Ok, so this book was WONDERFUL! OMG, It grabbed me by the very first pages and I couldn't put it down. The author did a wonderful job creating this world and the societies that live within it. I really loved having the map as well as it helped when it came to wondering about the kid's journey. The pacing in this one worked out well and we only had one POV which made the story flow very well. The story and plot were great and I didn't see it coming. As for the characters, I really loved Zell and would love a prequel story about him and his people and his fall from grace. Everyone else was created wonderfully and I think if this would have had multi POVs we would have known each and every one of these people. I do wish that a certain something hadn't happened towards the end as it made me cry horrible tears.


As for the plot, I really didn't see what happened to come! I was totally WTF OMG WHAT!!!! And it was stellar!! Love that plot twist! So this one has two of these. One early on in the book to get it moving along and one towards the end! Both blew me away!


The ending worked out well although this is a series the ending ended without killing me and without a real cliffhanger. If you love stories about magic and the little guys check this one out! Becuase this book was a great one about friendships, first loves, loss, betryal, and one killer war that is looming on the horizon!

I enjoyed this book so much! I loved the world of Novaris and the people in it. Till was fierce and the type of girl I'd want to be best friends with. Jax and Zell were opposites, yet so similar and their heroism really resonated with me. Lyriana was so special. I was blown away by her character the most and how she transformed from start to end. I'm not mentioning the other person in the group because I dislike him so much. Shvarts wrote him well, because you never saw it coming. I'm very excited for book 2!

Tilla is a bastard. And so is Jax. And Miles. And Zell, too. (Yup, that's a lot of bastards.) One fateful night, these four bastards cross paths and find themselves entangled with the princess, Lyrianna. The band of teens accidentally stumbles upon something they shouldn't see, and realize their parents are tangled up in an evil plot to overthrow the king. Now they are on the run, being chased by their parents and the entire kingdom.

I had a very interesting relationship with this book. Before I even picked it up, a friend told me it was horrible and she gave up just a few pages in. I decided to give it a try, but I wasn't very hopeful. I was surprised to find myself actually enjoying the story a bit. It didn't blow me away by any means, but it was enough to entertain me for a few hours. But then, when I was about 100 pages in, other things came up. Other books held my attention more, and I found myself not missing Royal Bastards at all. I thought I might come back to it in a week or two, but I eventually felt no drive to return to that story. After checking Goodreads to see what other people had to say (some of the reviews are absolutely hilarious, by the way), I decided I didn't want to invest the time in finishing a book that I wasn't loving to begin with.

One of the biggest complaints that readers seem to have about Royal Bastards is the writing. And I have to agree completely. The writing is simplistic and uninspiring. It feels as though it was written for an audience that is much younger than the teens in the book. There is very little excitement, and it takes about 100 pages for anything to happen to further the plot. Then immediately after that one action scene, nothing happens again for a long time. The language was also incredibly jarring. Royal Bastards is a high fantasy, but the characters speak with the colloquialisms used by teens today. It completely pulls you out of the story because the language doesn't fit with the world at all. It read like a poorly made, straight-to-DVD Disney movie.

The characters were also forgettable and flat. I honestly couldn't tell you anything about the personalities of the cast of characters, because nothing stood out about them. I think the girls were whiny and the boys were brooding. That's about all I can remember. And I think that even when I was in the middle of reading this book, that's still about all I could tell you about them. They have no distinguishing traits to set them apart from the crowd, and therefore, I didn't care about them at all.

I think Royal Bastards could have had some real potential. The base plot line is interesting and could have been taken in many different and unique directions. But, unfortunately, the author chose to go the route of the most obvious and trope-filled series of events, making the book boring and predictable. Combine a boring plot with boring characters and boring writing, and you have a book that I definitely don't recommend. There are so many other books out there that tell better and more exciting stories (and are well-written). There are so many other fantastic high fantasies out there, so I say don't waste your time on this one.