★★★★☆/★★★★★
Book Review: Royal Bastards by Andrew Shvarts

Positives
🗡 developed characters
🗡 good storyline

Negatives
🗡 not very much in the way of world building

This fun romp though the wilds with a bunch of Bastards on the run was really cool. Tilla is the bastard oldest daughter of Lord Kent, who is either unable or unwilling to legitimise her, so she spends her time in the castle avoiding her tutors and, spending most of her time drinking with her older brother Jax (same mother, different father) whilst waiting for something exciting to happen. Enter Princess Lyriana, and a feast held in her honour. The feast brings the Princess together with Tilla, Miles, another bastard, and Zell, a Zitochi warrior bastard. The four cobble together a plan for a fun night away from prying eyes and enlist Jax, but little do they know that they're about to witness a coup and need to run for their lives.

I loved Tilla's narrative, shes definitely not your usual YA female protagonist...not all the time at least. Though the world building wasn't the best, the characters were well developed - I liked Tilla, Zell and Jax most.

There is some violence, swearing, an off page sex scene and some sexual innuendos - so not for the younger YA audience. I'll definitely be reading the sequel, City of Bastards, when I manage to get my hands on a copy.