Royal Bastards (Royal Bastards, #1)

by Andrew Shvarts

[bookishzelda]

The minute I picked up Royal Bastards I couldn’t put it down. I absolutely loved the story, the characters, the relationships and the world.

Tilla is such a great main character. She was born to Lord Kent but is considered a bastard since he was not married to her mother and he choose not to legitimize her. Not yet anyway. She is caught in a limbo of not being owned and not being disowned. Although she lives a good life in the castle and is brought up similar to her legit sisters. She still comes second and doesn’t have the same familial love that they have. Tilla actually shares a greater bond with her half-brother who she shares her mother with. She is caught between two worlds and doesn’t really have a place. Despite having to run for her life, I feel like she really finds herself on the journey. I enjoyed watching her change and evolve. She comes into her own.

I loved Tilla and Jax sibling love. It was one of my favorite parts of the story. I just loved the way that they were close and knew each other inside and out. Complete trust and understanding through their bond. They would do anything to protect the other. It was so nice to see such a strong family relationship, one that was pure and not peppered with lies.

Lyrania was also a really interesting character. She might be a pampered princess but she has such a sharp intelligence about her. She’s very aware of the power she holds and how it can help people and not just the upper crust. I liked how many facets she has that you don’t see right away.

Zell of course is Zell. A Zitochi warrior with his own dark issues. I liked him though, despite him and Jax not getting along initially. I felt like he came around in the guy bond department. I also like how naturally Tilla and him grow closer together.

Then there is Miles. You could tell that he was the most hesitant of the group in the beginning to do the right thing. Despite being a bastard, he has a very close relationship with his mother. So the idea of going against her in any form is very difficult for him. Plus he just wants a good life and he knows it’s only a matter of time before he would have been legitimized so he doesn’t live on that hinge like Tilla. He was okay but I was definitely rooting for Zell and Tilla versus Tilla and Miles. It wasn’t really a love triangle, Tilla was generally more concerned with not dying.

I loved the writing and the plot. It was such a great story and you can always sell me on adventure.