Royal Bastards is about Tilla, a girl who was born to the Lord of the Western Providence. The only catch is, her mother was a commoner and her parents were unmarried, so Tilla is a bastard. She cannot inherit her father’s position and is living in the shadow of her younger sisters who are legitimate.
While Tilla longs for her father’s approval, she loves spending time with her half-brother, Jax, and his friends. She also enjoys the company of fellow bastard, Miles, whose mother is the Lady of House Hampstedt. A chance meeting with Lyriana, the princess of the realm, sets them all off on an adventure they never expected.

I really enjoyed reading this book! It was funny and witty and full of adventure. The story was interesting and kept me engaged. I also appreciated the way the characters were written. Tilla shows great character development over the course of the book and I definitely liked who she had become by the end. I’ve been needing a fun adventure story and absolutely hit the spot.

I expected to like this, but by gosh, I loved this. Royal Bastards has the squad goals and on-the-edge-of-your-seat action of Six of Crows and the wit and irreverence of My Lady Jane. The pacing and characters are pretty much perfect. I can't believe this is a debut.

Had a hard time with this one. Little things that got in the way of the story for me. Ex. the scene that they are walking through the cave with people following them. They can hear them talking and are trying to hide from them but then someone shouts. (?) Then they go into another cavern where a fight breaks out. What happened to the people who were following them? Stopped at 20%

I honestly wasn’t sure if I even wanted to read this book when I requested it from NetGalley. I’ve read quite a few YA fantasies in the past year or so and they sort of start to blur in my head. This book though? I’m so glad I read it!

Royal Bastards was a unique fantasy read for me. The dialogue is often very contemporary and comical – which I love. The overall feel is like a watered down Game of Thrones—but without the dragons, and significantly less pages.

I love that this book really emphasizes the gray areas — as in, the world isn’t just black and white, good and evil. Tilla and Jax have a conversation about whether they’re doing the “right thing” by betraying their land and their people, and what it boils down to is, there is no right thing.

I loved the characters in this book.

Tilla is the bastard daughter of the Lord of Kent, his firstborn. She spends most of her time with her stablehand half brother, Jax (same mother, different father). She’s often crass and unladylike—especially in her internal dialogue—but secretly wishes to be legitimized and fully accepted by her father.

Jax is a stablehand, built like an ox, and quite the ladies man. He’s full of inappropriate things to say. He’s loyal and funny and charming. It’s hard not to love him.

Lyriana is the princess and though at first she comes across as very boring, prim, and proper, as she begins this adventure with her newfound friends, we realize very quickly that there is much more to her than meets the eye.

Zell is a “barbaric” warrior from a land not ruled by Lyriana’s kingdom. He’s incredibly sexy, tough, and though he’s everything she shouldn’t want, Tilla finds herself trying to prove herself to him. I have a little book crush on Zell.

Miles is a wussy pain in the ass. He’s a book nerd, but not in a cool way. He’s kind of annoying, but begins to get better. He’s also completely hung up on Tilla, even though she wants nothing to do with him.

There’s danger everywhere.

Some authors are afraid to put their characters in any real mortal peril. That’s so not the case here. There were a few times where I seriously worried that someone would die. There are creepy gross monster bug things, too.

Another cool thing this book does is represent diversity. Lyriana is described as having dark skin and hair, while I believe Tilla and Jax are described as more fair. I remember, as I read her description, being pleasantly surprised that the author decided to make the ruling people dark skinned. Such a nice change from the traditional choice of making dark skinned people either slaves or evil! I imagine the Zitochi (Zell’s people) as ancient Asian warriors, like Ghengis Khan. I could be completely off base with that though. I don’t always remember exactly how characters are described and instead come up with my own visualizations in my head.

The pacing of this book was excellent. There were no dull points in the plot and I couldn’t wait to find out what happened next.

There’s also a really cool magic system that has its own twists in the story as well.

And finally, THE FEELS.

That’s right, this book had me full of feels. I was rooting for some things to happen, almost in tears over other things that happened. A book that makes me feel and/or really think like this one did, is a book that’s going to STAY with me.


So, should you read this? YES. A loud and resounding yes. At this point in time, this is my top read of 2017 so far. I may even go out and actually purchase a hard copy to have on my shelf to re-read in the future and to have my daughters read (when they’re old enough – this is definitely an upper YA book with the language, violence, and insinuated—not graphic in the least—sexual content.)

The world the author created for this book is very interesting. I found it very intriguing that each lord or lady was able to bring up a ‘bastard’ that they had sired and at some point either acknowledge them and allow them to inherit or totally disown them. It makes for an interesting upbringing, always being on the edge of the family, but not really part of it. It could either make you stronger or break you. In Tilla’s case it very much makes her stronger.

Tilla is your typical heroine, tough and resilient, but she is also full of self doubt, especially where her father is involved. You can tell that she really cares about him, but she is able to turn away from him when she needs to. Tilla is also very smart, and thinks well on her feet and in sticky situations. Everything is told from her point of view, and at times I wished we could have heard from some of the others.

Jax, Tilla’s half brother, is comedian of the group. His jokes are often crude and sometime not funny, but he loyal to Tilla and will protect her against everything. I really liked him, it would have been nice to see a little bit more of him. Even though he is part of the group, he is always in the background.

Miles was an interesting character. He was maybe the smartest of the group, but also the most immature and unwilling member of the group. He was the one who came up with answers of what to do when ever something needed doing. But his love for Tilla was his downfall in the end.

Zell was my favorite character. He was brooding but also sensitive. I liked that he was willing to teach Tilla how to fight even though women in his culture were not allowed to. I found his culture, or what we learn of it, very interesting and I want to learn more about it. When we do learn about his past, it was heartbreaking, but you could understand him better once you know.

Lyrianna was also a good character. She was amazing when she needed to be and not at all a princess when they were saving each other. I also found her mage culture interesting, they get their power from rings left behind by a race of people called Titans. It is these rings that end up causing all of their problems from the beginning to the end of the book.

The whole plot is pretty typical of this type of book, but there were a few plot twists that made it an interesting read. Overall I liked the book, and had a hard time putting it down. I did however have a small issue with some of the dialog. At times it sounded like they were all just a group of American teenagers hanging out after school and not fighting for their survival. I don’t know at this point if this is the first book in a series, but I hope it does continue as things were sort of left up in the air at the end.

I love when I am completely shocked with how much I love and enjoy a book. This book shocked me. This is a fantasy world with magic and war and sarcasm and romance. The characters are phenomenal. The story keeps you on the edge of your seat and you are shocked and surprised at every turn. I can't wait to see what happens next.

Tilla is a bastard. Her father is Lord Kent of the Western Province and her mother a low born woman. As soon as Lord Kent had his own legitimate children he tossed Tilla aside to raise them into the nobility instead. She longs to be at her father's side as a legitimized heir, but at sixteen she spends most of her time with her half brother Jax (they share the same mother), a stablehand, exploring the old tunnel system under the castle and drinking with the servants. Instead of being with her family at feasts, she ends up sitting with the other bastards, like Miles of House Hampstedt, a nerd who's had a crush on her for ages. When Princess Lyriana visits with her uncle, the Royal Archmagus, she shocks everyone by deciding to sit at the bastards table. Later, Tilla, Jax, Miles, and Zell, a Zitochi bastard from the north, find themselves leading the sheltered Princess on nighttime escapade and before they know it they witness a brutal crime that they were never meant to see. The group is forced to run for their lives since their parents have put bounties on their heads to stop the king from discovering their crimes. Tilla, Jax, Miles, Zell, and Lyriana are the only ones who can prevent the oncoming civil war that could destroy their kingdom. They just need to get to the king in time - and survive the journey to the palace.

Royal Bastards by Andrew Shvarts was one of my most anticipated reads of the year and to my utter delight this book lived up to the hype. This quest story is a ton of fun and it's easy to get attached to our core cast of diverse characters. It isn't entirely original, but it still managed to include just about everything I could have wanted from badass yet lovable characters, sassy dialogue, magic, danger around every corner, and a writing style that keeps things fresh and modern regardless of the epic fantasy setting, plus just a dash of romance. As much as I loved getting to know everyone, I really liked that Lyriana is much less useless than the others initially suspect. Everyone really has their moment to shine, and break common genre stereotypes. Overall, I highly enjoyed this and I can't wait to see what else Andrew Shvarts has up his sleeve. I bet you'll love this addicting, fast, funny, and action-packed YA epic fantasy debut if you love George R.R. Martin, V.E. Schwab, and Scott Lynch.

I am not sure what drew me to this book. The title certainly helped. The cover not so much it was a rather bland picture of a throne. I think the biggest draw was the actual description. A “bastard” daughter of Lord Kent. Witness the crime of horrible proportions committed by her father. One of the other reasons is the fact that it was a book published by Disney. I have never read a book published by them. They really have never been on my radar and I didn’t know they had their own publishing company.

The book opens with Tillandra (“Tilla”) and her half-brother Jax standing in a tower watching and waiting for Princess Lyriana to come to Castle Waverly. Tilla is the bastard daughter of Lord Kent and a castle servant. Jax is the son of the castle servant and traveling soldier. Tilla was the apple of her father’s eye until he married and had legitimate children of his own. Suddenly, Jax and Tilla see the carriage approaching and, to their dismay, they cannot see the Princess through all the gauzy curtains and guards. They return to the castle through the tunnels under the castle that no one but them uses. They know them like the back of their hand. Jax returns to the stables and Tilla goes to her dusty room. She dresses and heads down to the feast being held in the honor of the Princess. She is dreading going down as she has to sit at the bastards table at the very back of the room. She is joined by her annoying friend Miles. After she settles herself in her seat the Zitochi arrive in the hall. To her surprise, one of the men come her way and sits with them. His name is Zell. He is dark, brooding and handsome. Suddenly, Princess Lyriana enters. She demands that she sit with the bastards. This causes quite a stir. Princess Lyriana states she wants to see the ocean. Miles offers that Tilla will take her since she knows the way to sneak out of the castle. Tilla grudgingly agrees. Zell asks to go along as well. They sneak out and, before they reach the ocean, they hear voices. Zell’s father, Miles mother, Tilla’s father and Lyriana’s uncle are all on the beach. Suddenly, Lord Kent kills Lyriana’s uncle. Kills him in cold blood for his own dark reasons. They are seen and a pursuit ensues. Will they make it to safety before being caught? Will they be betrayed by someone they know?

Spoiler: I read this book in 1 day. It was that good. Ok, I did stay up waaaaayyyy to late reading it but I just couldn’t put it down. I wanted more. The book is directed towards 14-18-year-olds but that means nothing in my mind. A good book is a good book. This book left me wanting more. Thankfully it is book 1 of a trilogy! The author did an excellent job of giving you a roller coaster ride of feelings. The aww when characters finally kiss. Tears when something sad happens. Shock and awe when you realize what is actually happening. It has action, adventure, romance, camaraderie, true friendship, and magic. I can’t wait until the next book is out. I will definitely be keeping my eyes out for it.

Royal Bastards by Andrew Shvarts

Loved it! Royal Bastards was epic! This would make an awesome movie.
The story was full of adventure, the characters fresh and full of life. Jax, Tilla, Kell and Princess Lyriana were my favorites. I admired Tilla's courage and determination. The evil characters were just that, evil but I couldn't help enjoying their personalities as well. The ending was great, the whole book was great. I'm looking forward to reading more from this Author.

I give Royal Bastards 5 stars for its epic fantasy.
I would recommend this book to fantasy fans.

Royal Bastards was one of my most anticipated reads for 2017 and it absolutely did not disappoint. It's full to bursting with sassy dialogue, bloody action scenes, and the most complex and amazing characters of ever. There's so much love-and-hate relationships that just kept me flipping pages as fast as my eyeballs could gobble the words. And when I finished? I sit in anxious anticipation for hopeful future sequels. Pls. I beg. I have needs here.

Honestly, the sass levels were what won my heart. When a book starts with two siblings bantering amiably about the snobby royalty, I know I'm in for a winning story.

The cast was quite large, but everyone was interesting and complex. They all had personalities and backstories, complexities and fears and venerabilities. And we're not introduced to them all in a heap, so that was helpful. I can barely even pick a favourite! I adored our narrator, Tilla, who is (quite frankly) badass. She's equal parts awkward and fierce, and she'll do anything for her friends. Her half-brother, Jax, is a big dork and I couldn't help but fall in love with him too! Their sibling relationship is THE BOMB and they're so there for each other (also there to make fun of each other, but ya know...sibling love). Miles is the nerdy bookworm who gets understimated when he really really shouldn't be. Zell is a warrior from the clans and totally Closed Off And Emotionless™ but secretly a big squish. And lastly Lyriana is the wizard princess who will nuture plants to grow and also smite her enemies really viciously if they mess with those she loves.

I loved the plot with the threats of wars, the betraying parents, the teens growing into weapons and strengths while they traverse through the forest in order to save the princess. (Although let's be real here: the princess saves herself in this one.) The book gets gritty, which I wholly appreciated, because what's an epic fantasy without high stakes and wild action scenes of blood and stabbing?!? I LOVED THIS.

I also really loved the writing style, which was abnormally modern for an epic fantasy. It was consistently modern though (with the characters using phrases like "badass" and "sucks" etc) so it didn't feel out of place or jarring. And it made me connect to the story far more, because the jokes were ones I'm familiar with.

My only dislikes was that it was a bit overly predictable and one of the biggest plot twists involved someone being a jilted lover and then destroying everyone because they couldn't get the girl. I'm just a bit over that plot line.

Overall, it was fun and exciting and kept the sakes high. Do NOT think your favourites will be safe! I think Tilla is one of the best, most winning YA protagonists of 2017, with her badassery and her sassery. It combines stabbing with explosions and powerful magicians, and adds in characters who fairly leap off the page with their shenannigans. I'm such a fan.

Fantasy fans will enjoy this tale of a rag-tag team of teens who are on a mission to save their kingdom from adults who are mucking things up. Love The 100? This book is for you.

I found this a well written and very engaging book and look forward to sequels, but did find the use of modern jargon ("get laid" etc. ) out of place and jarring.

This book is full of adventure, betrayal, sword fighting, magic and some mayhem thrown in for good measure. And yet my feelings about this book are all over the place.

On the one hand, I loved its mystery, energy and intense fight scenes. The characters are a downtrodden, motley bunch who you want to root for as they struggle to find their place in a world that is tumbling down around them.

But Tilla and her misfits lacked depth and much of their connection was based on telling the reader instead of showing. I wish these relationships (and some plot aspects) were given more page time to develop. Some of the relationships flipped quickly from 'I can't stand her' to 'She's my bestest friend!' and I needed more to go on to make that leap. The same could be said for the romantic angle which was obvious from the beginning but, unfortunately, lacked substance (and could have been omitted, in my opinion).

I also struggled with the language for two reasons. First, it ranged in maturity from a middle-schooler in the beginning to teen speak (swearing and sexual language) later on. I also wasn't a fan of the inclusion of contemporary language. This is a Game of Thrones-type fantasy setting (mythical creatures, magic, sword fighting ...) and the inclusion of lines like 'we realized just how screwed we were' or 'it pissed me off something awful' didn't gel with the setting and felt distracting.

I liked this book but can't say I loved it. It's a good, fantasy adventure read but similar to many others in the genre. There's murder, betrayals, political upheavals, battles for power and insta-romance but no big surprises. Overall, this is a solid, lighter fantasy read for teens.

Disclaimer: My sincere thanks to Disney-Hyperion for providing me with an e-book copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

We start off meeting our merry band of bastards and briefly getting to know them and a bit about the political situation in this world. It isn’t long before something quite shocking happens and the gang is running for their lives. From this point the action is non-stop and danger is ever present. The tone is light and jokey but as the story goes on and the situation becomes darker and more serious so do the characters. They never lose their snark but they definitely appreciate the gravity of their situation as it becomes clear that death isn’t the worst that can happen. While the beginning is quite clearly YA it rapidly deals with some very adult situations and violence. There is sex, there is rape and there is gruesome murder so I wouldn’t recommend this for younger readers. For teens and adults this book has a lot to offer. I couldn’t put it down and breezed through it in record time. It was very exciting and engaging and darn fun!

What I love about the main character Tilla is that she isn’t a special snowflake. She has no superpowers, special skills, or great beauty. She uses her brain and, quite frankly, her balls to get out of difficult situations. She stays strong in tough situations, does the right thing even when it's hard and works her butt off to protect her friends. I was a bit taken aback by how quickly she learns how to fight but it’s clear that she’s putting in some serious time and effort into the venture so I suppose it’s not inconceivable.

This story really delves into the idea that in war there isn’t a good side and a bad side and that both sides do terrible things to win. It’s a matter of perspective more than an innate goodness or evilness. What happens when you think you’re fighting for the righteous side and you realize that you aren’t? It’s a complex issue in all worlds and this story just touches on the related aspects of colonialism and justified rebellion. At no point does the action stop so the characters can philosophize about the nature of their situation but it is a running thought, especially for Tilla.

I got emotional near the end and surprised myself with how invested I was in these characters and their quest. There were tears, I admit. The ending wraps up this phase of the story quite well and it’s not an angst ridden cliffhanger but it did leave me longing for the next book just to see things in their world set right. I want them to have a happy ending and I want their opponents to lose. The sides of this conflict may not be black and white but I'm very clear on who I want to win!

Royal Bastards is author Andrew Shvarts debut novel. As the author states, Royal Bastards is being sold as Game of Thrones meets The Breakfast Club. 16-year old Tillanda Kent aka Tilla is the bastard daughter of Lord Elric Kent, House of Kent for the Western Province. For years, she's hoped to be made legitimate by High Lord Kent. For years, she's been looked down upon and scorned even though her father has tried to prepare her for a hopeful future where she will become his heir.

Bastard children sit at their own table separate from the rest of the Ladies and Lords and their children. It is at this table, where readers meet Miles Hampstedt, son of one of the few women head of Houses. Miles has been in love with Tella for years. Zell is the son of the Zitochi Clan Leader Grezza Gaul. Zitochi are brutal warriors, and hardened killers. Zell's brother Razz is an unhinged sociopath and killer. But, it is also the place where we meet 15-year old Princess Lyrianna.

Lyrianna is the daughter of the King who rules over the lands, but has traveled to the Western Province to see more of the lands her father rules. Things get rather interesting after Tilla, Miles, Jax (Tilla's half brother), Zell, and Lyrianna witness what may be the opening salvo in an open resurrection against the King. Forced to go on the run with bounties on each of their heads, Tilla's group finds themselves growing closer, as they learn to rely only on those within the group itself.

Royal Bastards is apparently a standalone Young Adult Fantasy novel, but there is a definite opening for the author to come back to this story in the future. Royal Bastards has a bit of romance, of bit of snarky attitude from the characters, and oh yes, some rather dark scenes which left me rather depressed. It also has young characters who love to drink, and have sex. If you are looking for a fast-paced novel, then you have found it. The pacing is excellent. There are no real letdowns, and the characters ALL stand out, not just Tilla. Apparently, the finished copy of this story has a map that you can refer back to. Unfortunately for me, the ARC didn't have that luxury.

I wasn't entirely sure what to expect going into this, but I wasn't expecting to find myself so addicted to the story. I read this within a 24 hour period, and couldn't get enough. This is filled with action, plot twists, lovable morally grey characters, magic, and gore. It was everything I loved in fantasy.
The characters especially grabbed my attention, especially in that they were bastards in their own ways. I felt they all had different strengths and the author really played into that. I also really liked that the main character isn't automatically a kick ass fighter, but had to learn and was still not great at it. I would have liked equal time spent on all the characters, instead of just the two. When one betrays, I saw it coming, and when another dies, I didn't really care because I barely knew said person.
That being said, it wasn't an incredibly originally story. Things were predictable because it was full of tropes (virgin girls, non-virgin guys, love triangle, lost princess, etc.). It was enough to satisfy a fantasy craving, but nothing I can see leaving a lasting impression.
I really did enjoy this, and it was written wonderfully and in an addictive manner. But I had to take away from a 5 star rating because it just used too many tropes I just am so over with seeing.
I would recommend this to anyone looking for a fast-paced fantasy and I do plan on continuing on with the series to see if it grows out of those tropes in the future.

The blurb caught my attention and it seemed like a very interesting read. The book started out ok but I slowly lost interest with the story. I couldn't relate or connect with any of the characters so I ended up not finishing at 40%.

2.5 stars

I love the idea of a group of outcasts banding together out of necessity and working together against a big evil...sadly, this was disappointing.

I liked Tilla and the rest of them well enough. They were sort of a clichéd group: a princess, a warrior, a bookworm, and a stable boy. I'm not sure where Tilla fits into that, but her inner monologue was decent.

I guess my problem was that nothing really stood out. Yes, there was action and magic and fighting and a few sweet moments, but it was all so bland to me. The ending was interesting, but I doubt I'll be reading the next book.

**Huge thanks to Hyperion for providing the arc free of charge**

I never expected to love Royal Bastards like I do.

This is one of those books that you can't even talk about because everything you want to say is a spoiler. I will say there were way more twists than I expected and most of them were not pleasant. There is some romance, but it is definitely not the meat of this story. This is the 1st book in a planned trilogy, and I already know I will read every. single. one. I am in.

The beginning of this book reads more like MG and the vocabulary is oddly modern for the type of historical fantasy I was expecting. When I started I thought it would end up being a light fantasy like My Lady Jane. It definitely takes a darker turn though and sets itself firmly on the YA shelf. It is political, violent and magical with a definite world that is solidly set. I hope the physical book gets a world map, and I can't wait to see the fan art for these characters (and creatures).