Review: City of Bastards - Andrew Shvarts

Tilla, bastard of House Kent, has it made. Safe from her murderous father in the dazzling capital of Lightspire, she lives a life of luxury under the protection of the Volaris King, alongside her boyfriend, Zell, and best friend, Princess Lyriana.

So why isn't she happy? Maybe it's the whispers and stares that follow her wherever she goes, as the daughter of the traitor waging war against Lightspire. Or maybe it's the memories of her beloved brother, Jax, who lies cold in his grave even as she tries to settle into a life in the city's prestigious University.

Then Tilla stumbles upon the body of a classmate-a friend. The authorities are quick to rule it a suicide and sweep it under the rug, but when Tilla herself is attacked by a mysterious man with terrifying powers, she's convinced of a conspiracy. Her friends beg her to stay silent; what she's suggesting is impossible . . . and treasonous.

But Tilla can't-won't-let it go. And the deeper she digs, the more questions she uncovers. How is the West beating the supposedly invincible Lightspire mages in battle? Is it connected to the shadowy cult wreaking havoc in Lightspire? Nothing is as it seems in the glorious capital, and Tilla's presence might just be the spark that sets the Kingdom aflame.

Royal Bastards Series:
Royal Bastards
City of Bastards
Title and release date for book 3 to be confirmed.

Visit Andrew Shvarts' website for more information

Review:
Note: City of Bastards is the second book in Andrew Shvarts' Royal Bastards series so please be aware that this review will contain spoilers for the first book. If you'd rather find out how the story begins you can read my review of Royal Bastards here.

So now we've got that cleared up let's talk about this story. Tilla, Zell and Lyriana have finally made it safely to the city of Lightspire and Lyriana has been returned to her family. While the king is grateful that his daughter has come home and is grateful for the help that Tilla and Zell gave her he's in a very difficult position because both of their fathers are still in open rebellion and trying to overthrow him. He can't really allow Tilla and Zell free roam of the city and he's not completely sure they can be trusted so he offers Tilla a place at a prestigious university to study alongside his daughter and Zell is asked to join the City Guard and help train the others on his fighting techniques.

This story has a very different feel to its predecessor, rather than the non-stop action of their journey this book is about trying to find a place in a new life. Tella is completely out of her element and trying to learn a whole new set of rules to live by. Where life in her father's castle was very relaxed and she could spend her time as she pleased here she must follow the rules and try not to upset the balance. We're introduced to new characters and have time to explore a completely new setting in Lightspire which I really enjoyed. While this book has a more sedate pace during the first half there is still plenty of action later on, Tella quickly realises that everything within the city is not what it seems and she's left trying to figure out who can be trusted and who is lying to her.

I have to admit that while I liked the new characters that are introduced I still missed Jax and I was a little disappointed that Zell wasn't around as much but I was soon swept up into the story and found myself eagerly reading waiting to see what would happen next. Some of the twists in the second half were great and things have definitely been set up for an explosive finale in the next book. This series has been a lot of fun and I'm looking forward to seeing how it all comes together!

Source: Received from Turnaround in exchange for an honest review

Other reviews of this book:
If you have reviewed this book on your blog please leave a link to your review in the comments & I'll add the link here.

Hardback:

My Favourite Books from the First Half of 2017

It's always interesting to look back and try to pick my favourite books of the year but it can be really hard to narrow it down to a reasonable number so I thought I'd make a start on my top books of 2017 list early by having a look at my favourites from January to June. I limited it to first reads only (the books I reread are already favourites so would have an unfair advantage!) and no more than one book per author (again some authors would end up on the list multiple times!). The books can be old or new as long as they're new to me but as it happened this time around they're all 2017 releases and there are quite a few debuts on the list which is great.

My favourite YA books from the first half of 2017:

(Click the links to read my reviews)

1. Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor
2. Dawn Study by Maria V Snyder
3. Royal Bastards by Andrew Shvarts
4. Flame in the Mist by Renee Ahdieh
5. Caraval by Stephanie Garber

I don't really read contemporary YA so it's no surprise that this list is full of fantasy titles. We are really getting spoiled with the huge amount of YA fantasy being released right now and there are so many more books that I'm really excited to read and already suspect will end up on my final list at the end of the year!

My favourite adult books from the first half of 2017:

(Click the links to read my reviews)

1. White Hot by Ilona Andrews
2. Silver Silence by Nalini Singh
3. The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden
4. Scorpion Trap by Pippa DaCosta
5. Silence Fallen by Patricia Briggs

It doesn't surprise me that my favourite adult tiles are all branches of fantasy either, my favourite genres are still definitely urban fantasy and paranormal romance but fantasy in general always hits my hot spot! This list includes 4 of my favourite authors who are nearly always in my top book lists and Katherine Arden's debut has me incredibly excited to follow her writing career.

What are your favourite books of the year so far? Do any of mine make your lists too? If you have any fantasy recommendations (old or new) please do leave them in the comment, I can never have too many books on my to read mountain!

Review: Royal Bastards - Andrew Shvarts

Being a bastard blows. Tilla would know. Her father, Lord Kent of the Western Province, loved her as a child, but cast her aside as soon as he had trueborn children.

At sixteen, Tilla spends her days exploring long-forgotten tunnels beneath the castle with her stablehand half brother, Jax, and her nights drinking with the servants, passing out on Jax’s floor while her castle bedroom collects dust. Tilla secretly longs to sit by her father’s side, resplendent in a sparkling gown, enjoying feasts with the rest of the family. Instead, she sits with the other bastards, like Miles of House Hampstedt, an awkward scholar who’s been in love with Tilla since they were children.

Then, at a feast honoring the visiting princess Lyriana, the royal shocks everyone by choosing to sit at the Bastards’ Table. Before she knows it, Tilla is leading the sheltered princess on a late-night escapade. Along with Jax, Miles, and fellow bastard Zell, a Zitochi warrior from the north, they stumble upon a crime they were never meant to witness.

Rebellion is brewing in the west, and a brutal coup leaves Lyriana’s uncle, the Royal Archmagus, dead—with Lyriana next on the list. The group flees for their lives, relentlessly pursued by murderous mercenaries; their own parents have put a price on their heads to prevent the king and his powerful Royal Mages from discovering their treachery.

The bastards band together, realizing they alone have the power to prevent a civil war that will tear their kingdom apart—if they can warn the king in time. And if they can survive the journey . . .

Royal Bastards Series:
Royal Bastards
City of Bastards
Title and release date for book 3 to be confirmed.

Visit Andrew Shvarts' website for more information

Review:
As the oldest daughter of Lord Kent Tilla should be the heir to the Western Province and treated like a princess. Unfortunately for her she's a bastard and although her father doted on her as a child he has completely ignored her since his legitimate children were came along. Tilla spends most of her time with her half-brother (on her mother's side) Jax, exploring the old tunnels underneath the castle and getting in trouble with the other servants but she secretly longs for her father to make her his official heir so that she could claim her place at his side.

Even though she's the bastard child and basically a spare part she still has to attend official functions but she's relegated to the bastards table along with her childhood friend Miles who is the bastard son of another wealthy family in the province. When a they receive a visit from members of the Royal family everyone is shocked when Princess Lyriana chooses to join Tilla, Miles and Zell (the son of a visiting Zitochi warrior) at the bastard table. Lyriana has never had much freedom and she challenges the others to take her on an adventure but things turn sour when they witness a shocking crime and suddenly find all of their lives are in danger. Their only hope of survival is making it across the kingdom to reunite with Lyriana's family and if they fail the entire country could be facing a bitter civil war.

I had so much fun reading this book, Andrew Shvarts swiftly swept me into his world and he made it incredibly easy for me to feel really invested in his characters. He's one of those authors who isn't afraid to put his characters into some pretty dark situations though so you'll find yourself constantly worrying about wether they'll all be alive by the end of the book. The story is action packed from very early on and it definitely had me on the edge of my seat when I was reading. Although it can be quite dark in places the humorous banter between the main characters added just the right amount of fun to offset it and this was a thoroughly enjoyable read.

I love Tilla, she's such a wonderfully written character who can be both insecure because of the way her father treats her but also incredibly happy when she's with her brother, she wants to learn to protect herself and she puts the effort in to train with Zell until she's quite badass but at the same time she still worries about the silly things that teenage girls worry about. She's just such a normal girl and she relies on all of the other misfits as much as they rely on her. One of my favourite things about the book was the brilliant relationship she had with her brother Jax, the two teased each other mercilessly but at the same time they were always there for each other and they had an incredibly strong bond. Jax was actually one of my favourite characters, he was just such a fun guy who was a bit of a ladies man and enjoyed winding up all of the others.

Zell was the most mysterious of them all, raised as a warrior by the Zitochi tribe he was from a very different background to the others but he was a brilliant ninja warrior who was very handy to have around when they were in trouble and I really enjoyed the way he slowly opened up to Tilla and the others. Miles was the nerd of the group, someone who was really intelligent but not so great at the physical stuff and who has been crushing on Tilla since they were children. I loved that fairly early on he got to prove himself by helping save Tilla when they were under attack, it was nice to see that the bookworm got to save the day over Jax and Zell who were both far better fighters. I had my doubts about Lyriana when she was first introduced, she's been so sheltered that she's fairly naive about the world around her and I worried that she'd end up being a bit useless but she has a lot of hidden depths that made her much more interesting.

I could rave about this book for hours because there is just so much to love about it - the fact I stayed up until 3:30am to finish it probably says it all really! The story is full of shocking twists (although I'll admit I did see a fairly major one coming), the action is superb, the characters are well written and the banter is spot on. I still haven't quite forgiven Andrew Shvarts for ripping my heart to shreds near the end but even so I can't wait to get my hands on the next book in the series!

If you like the sound of this book then make sure you enter the giveaway being hosted by Turnaround to celebrate the release of Royal Bastards. You could win a copy of the book and all you have to do is draw a picture of a Skarling based on this description:

*Skarrling’s are said to make ‘a skittering clicking sound, like someone running their nails on a pane of glass…’

Let your imagination run free and try to come up with the scariest idea possible! You can see some example pictures and information about how to enter on the giveaway post.

Source: Received from Turnaround in exchange for an honest review

Other reviews of this book:
If you have reviewed this book on your blog please leave a link to your review in the comments & I'll add the link here.

Hardback: